Principles of Triguna

 

Table of Triguna

Kedi: “What are the three gunas?”
Ganesh: “There are three qualities—sattva, rajas, and tamas. Together, they are called the triguna.”

Kedi: “Why are there three gunas?”
Ganesh: “Qualities were created to produce action and reaction in specific ways.”

Kedi: “Then why three? Why not just one?”
Ganesh: “If everyone liked only vada pav like you do, who would eat samosas? Everyone has different preferences. To give different people different kinds of action and reaction according to their preferences, three gunas were created.”

Kedi: “What determines the preferences of the gunas?”
Ganesh: “The triguna has five elements. Each element has three preferences, and those preferences motivate action and reaction.”

Kedi: “What are those five elements?”
Ganesh: “Lifestyle, nature, perspective, diet, and tendency—these are the five elements. Each element has three gunas.”

Kedi: “What is sattva guna?”
Ganesh: “An action or reaction that contains stability and peace is sattva guna.”

Kedi: “What is a sattvic lifestyle?”
Ganesh: “In a sattvic lifestyle, there is less struggle and less greed, so life passes peacefully. Sattva provides a calm and harmonious way of living.”

Kedi: “How do I know if my life is peaceful?”
Ganesh: “If you don’t have to struggle to get things, don’t have to fight with anyone, and no one is doing injustice to you, then understand that your lifestyle is peaceful.”

Kedi: “What is the nature of sattva guna?”
Ganesh: “The nature of sattva guna is compassionate. When you feel an immediate urge to help someone, know that your nature is sattvic.”

Kedi: “What is the perspective of sattva guna?”
Ganesh: “The perspective of sattva guna is focused and gentle. When you desire one thing and that desire does not weaken after seeing other things, that is sattvic focus.”

Kedi: “What do you mean by desire and single-pointedness?”
Ganesh: “You want to eat vada pav. At the stall, you see samosas, jalebis, and sandwiches. Even after seeing everything, you eat only vada pav and don’t get distracted—that is a sattvic perspective. The day you go to eat vada pav but choose a sandwich instead, understand that your sattvic perspective is gone.”

Kedi: “What is the diet of sattva guna?”
Ganesh: “Sattva prefers pure, simple vegetarian food. Fruits and sweets are liked.”

Kedi: “What is the tendency of sattva guna?”
Ganesh: “The tendency of sattva guna is social service. When you feel that you want to serve society, or you are already doing so, understand that your tendency is sattvic.”

Kedi: “What is rajas guna?”
Ganesh: “An action or reaction filled with enthusiasm and happiness is rajas guna.”

Kedi: “What is a rajasic lifestyle?”
Ganesh: “In a rajasic lifestyle, there is strong enthusiasm to fulfill various desires and hobbies. Life passes with excitement and pleasure. Rajas provides an energetic lifestyle.”

Kedi: “What is the nature of rajas guna?”
Ganesh: “The nature of rajas guna is selfish. The mentality is that one should get everything first and others later.”

Kedi: “What is the perspective of rajas guna?”
Ganesh: “The rajasic perspective is aggressive and opportunist. When you desire one thing and, after seeing other things, you also demand them, constantly looking for loopholes to take advantage—this is the aggressive rajasic mindset. The day you go to eat vada pav and end up eating vada pav along with a sandwich and jalebi, understand that your perspective is rajasic.”

Kedi: “What is the diet of rajas guna?”
Ganesh: “Rajas prefers sour, sweet, spicy, salty, heavily cooked, and tasty food.”

Kedi: “What is the tendency of rajas guna?”
Ganesh: “The tendency of rajas guna is family pleasure. A person who works only for the happiness of their own family has a rajasic tendency.”

Kedi: “What is tamas guna?”
Ganesh: “An action or reaction filled with restlessness and pain is tamas guna.”

Kedi: “What is a tamasic lifestyle?”
Ganesh: “In a tamasic lifestyle, there is excessive struggle and excessive greed, so life passes in unrest. Tamas gives a painful way of living.

Kedi: “How do I know if my life is painful?”
Ganesh: “If you have to struggle a lot to get anything, fight with people, battle for your rights, or face injustice, then understand that your lifestyle is painful.”

Kedi: “What is the nature of tamas guna?”
Ganesh: “The nature of tamas guna is greed. The mentality is that everything should belong only to oneself, and no one else should get anything.”

Kedi: “What is the perspective of tamas guna?”
Ganesh: “The perspective of tamas guna is confused and naughty. When you desire one thing but, instead of focusing on it, you look at other things and become confused about what you actually want—that is the confused tamasic perspective. The day you go to eat vada pav but instead of looking at vada pav you look at everything else and start wondering what you really want, understand that your perspective is tamasic.”

Kedi: “What is the diet of tamas guna?”
Ganesh: “Tamas prefers non-vegetarian and stale food. All packaged foods are tamasic.”

Kedi: “What is the tendency of tamas guna?”
Ganesh: “Tamas has a criminal tendency. The mind is always planning some kind of wrongdoing. All criminals have a tamasic tendency.”

Kedi: “Is this all about the characteristics of the triguna?”
Ganesh: “There is one more characteristic. A single person does not have all five elements of only one guna.”

Kedi: “Means?”
Ganesh: “A person may have one element of sattva, one of rajas, and three of tamas.”

Kedi: “Which elements do I have?”
Ganesh: “Your lifestyle is tamasic, your nature is sattvic, your perspective is tamasic, your diet is tamasic, and your tendency is sattvic.”

Kedi: “I have two sattvic elements and three tamasic elements, and not even one rajasic element. Why is that?”
Ganesh: “It is not necessary for everyone to have all three gunas. Every person has two gunas, but in different proportions. However, no person can have all five elements of a single guna.”

Kedi: “Are my guna elements fixed, or can they change?”
Ganesh: “As long as your nature and character remain fixed, the guna elements remain fixed. The moment your nature and character change, the guna elements will also change.”

Kedi: “Since I don’t have even one rajasic element, what effect will that have on my life?”
Ganesh: “To people, you will either seem like a saint or a schemer—either very good or very bad. There is no middle option.”

Conclusion: That day, I realized that I have two sattvic qualities and three tamasic qualities. Some people may follow a sattvic diet, yet their nature can be tamasic. Others may consume a tamasic diet, yet have a sattvic nature. Therefore, whether a person is good or bad does not depend on their food, but on their nature. Even someone who eats chicken can be a saint, and even a strictly vegetarian person can be a criminal.

Note: This content represents one half of a chapter from Kedi Purana, a 40-chapter work authored by Kedi Ganapati.

Kedi Purana is a modern Purana of the present and final Kaliyuga of the current Kalpa.

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