FLOWING THROUGH THE GUNAS

9th February, 2012

According to yoga philosophy, the human mind is made up of three gunas- rajas, tamas and sattva. As a result of the external and internal changes that one goes through in life, these are constantly shifting in magnitude; only to effect the temperament and consequentially the thoughts, words and actions of a human being.

Rajas is all about action. In its positive state it is energy, enthusiam, passion, assertion. In its negative state it is anger, aggression, impulsivity, arrogance. Similarly Tamas when positive is deliberation. When negative it is lethargy, cowardice, demotivation, fear. Sattva is only positive- the ideal state for the mind to be in. It is equanimity, tolerance, patience, stability, clarity.

Below is my experience of flowing through all the three gunas and how they make me feel. The goal is to be able to stay in sattva, come what may.


Blinding bolts of lightning,
Piercing through my pumping mind,
A war-field of words spoken,
My actions and thoughts are misaligned.

A surge of feverous fires,
Funny, how they find their way,
Through my mind to my tremulous tongue,
Leaving the world disarrayed.

I spit, I taunt, I tear apart,
I’m ruthless as I destroy,
The fire will consume,
And in its wake,
I think it’ll invite joy.

Yet there’s no peace at the end of it all,
In fact, no end is in sight,
The fever continues, the flashes reignite,
I’m banging my head against a wall.

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Sleepy sombre dull dark deep,
The motionless world in which I sleep,
Everything’s a haze,
I live in a daze,
And when it gets worse, I quietly weep.

A cloud covers my eyelids forever,
Even waking up is an endeavour,
My thoughts laze,
At a snail’s pace,
I’ve forgotten how it feels to be clever.

I lie in the mud,
Dirt covering my eyes,
The worms fill my brain,
I’ve swarmed with flies,
Immobile,
Dead-like,
In a swoon I lay,
The life-force has deserted me,
When will death come?
I’m waiting for the day.
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A silver sliver of serenity,
Flows freely through my frame,
There’s no bumbling,
There’s no fumbling,
I feel no fear or shame.

Every moment is new,
Every breath a gift,
My mind is clear as sunshine,
I’m no longer adrift.

I sense and see a clear course,
I’m driven by a freeing force,
Lightness envelops my every pore,
And I move forward like never before,
With each breath and every day,
I’m moving closer to the shimmering shore.

The bonds they weaken,
The shackles come loose,
I’m flooded with light,
With love I’m enthused.