Vivekachudamani 22 Sattva Guna - By Swami Tattwamayananda

Rajo guna and tamo guna are considered to be levels where we are not aware of our true nature. Tamo guna conceals the truth, Rajo guna projects a false idea.Under the control of rajo guna, we are driven by activity, desire and ambition, which can lead to restlessness. We swing between experiences of success and failure.The 117th verse explains Sattva guna. It implies spiritual level headedness. A person endowed with sattva guna does his actions but is not affected by success or failure.The verse says that sattva  guna is pure like water. It frees us from the cycle of samsara. Rajo-guna and tamo-guna keep us caught in the cycle of samsara. Every action leaves a residual effect (vritti) in our mental system. Many identical vrittis – from similar, repeated actions – solidify a distinct memory block called Samskara. Samskaras express through our determination to act in a certain manner which leads to further actions. This wheel continues across life cycles.Our true nature is beyond the three gunas but it is nearest to sattva-guna. We have to evolve from tamo-guna to rajo-guna to sattva-guna. Sattva-guna can  be developed through karma-yoga. Noble, unselfish actions generate spiritual assets. Bhakti, towards a God of all humanity, also develops sattva-guna.Gunas can be detected through people’s interaction with others. Bhartrhari, a philosopher from India, classifies humans into four types:1.       Those who are endowed with sattva guna. They give up their own interests and try to help others.2.       Those who are somewhat sattvic. They take care of their own interests first and then help others.3.       Those who are like demons in human shape. Every action of theirs is to exploit others.4.       Those who are of the lowest type and always want to harm others.Bhartrhari gives another example from nature. When the sun rises in the east, lotus flowers begin to blossom. Some other flowers blossom when the moon rises. It is the innate nature of clous to bless the world with rain. Similarly, a person endowed with sattva guna, by his innate nature, is engaged in doing good for others.Shankaracharya offers a strong warning in the 116th verse. A theoretical understanding of sattva-guna is not enough. We have to stay alert and vigilant. He says: “Even one who is intellectually advanced, who knows scriptures, who understands the subtle truths and who is convinced of his learning – even such a person is caught by the crocodile of tamo-guna and looks upon the unreal as the real and the real and unreal.”Shankaracharya emphasizes the importance of tenacity and steadiness in spiritual life in the 326th verse. “Imagine a child playing with a ball at the top of a staircase. If the ball falls, it does not stop until it reaches the bottom. Similarly, in spiritual life, we should be very vigilant not to make mistakes.”The mind is constantly dragged by the senses towards sense objects – some good and some toxic. Sattva-guna works as an internal filtering mechanism and filters out toxic materials.In the 78th verse, Shankaracharya uses examples from the animal kingdom to explain how one reaches destruction when guided by the senses - Deer (sense of hearing), Elephant (sense of touch). Moth (sense of seeing), Fish (sense of taste), Bee (sense of smell). Each of these creatures reaches death as they are guided by one of their senses. What to speak of humans who have five senses active all the time. If these senses are left unrestrained, they lead to spiritual death.Only way to live free from the dangers of the world, to live with contentment within and with harmony outside, is to develop sattva-guna.Nirguna, also known as Triguna-atita, is a state where one transcends the three gunas. Sattva-guna is the door to this highest level. Enlightened beings reach this highest level but operate in the world at the level of sattva guna. They can never descend below sattva guna.