Three gunas dominate our being – satwa, rajas and tamas. Satwa is goodness, rajas is action and tamas is sloth. We are a mixture of all three gunas. At any point of time, one guna dominates the other two. If tamas is predominant in us, we become slothful, deceitful, cruel or sadistic. Where rajas is strong, we are full of action, we make plans and execute them and we enjoy corporate takeovers, mergers and the political play. Where satwa is strong, we become pure, our thoughts are loving and considerate and our words and actions aim at the welfare of all mankind.
Human life is successful when we achieve our potential in our material and spiritual life. Most of us achieve a degree of success in the material life but rarely in spiritual life. In order to achieve success in spiritual life, we must have the satwa guna dominating in us. The importance of satwa guna is emphasized by all Men of God, Saints, Gurus and the Sacred Scriptures.
What is satwa guna? Satwa guna is a quality in us. It cannot be seen, it does not have a shape nor can it be felt like we can feel our nose or ears. But it exists and can be experienced. Milk has nutrition but nutrition cannot be seen by us. When we feed little babies with milk, we see the babies grow, have energy, play, be fresh and sleep well. So we understand that milk has nutrition by watching the effects of consuming milk. We can understand whether a person has satwa guna by watching the effects of the satwa guna on the person, on his thoughts and actions.
Satwa is light. It is brilliance and luminosity. Where satwa exists it has visible effects on the body, mind, thoughts and intelligence of the person. When we are full of satwa guna or light, this light shines through every cell in our body. There is a luminosity pervading the whole body and radiating from it. The face glows and the eyes have peace and power. We have a spiritual majesty in our appearance, behavior and conduct.
The right food and celibacy contribute to the development of satwa guna in our systems. Fresh vegetarian foods, lightly spiced, not overcooked, milk, fruits, cereals and pulses eaten in moderate quantities increase satwa in our body. Brahmacharya is celibacy. It is sexual abstinence. A non married person is generally a celibate and so are most of the sadhus. The sexual fluid in the body is transformed into physical strength and focus as is witnessed by sportsmen. For those who are regular in spiritual practices of japa and meditation, the sexual fluid or ojas turns into tejas or spiritual light and grants knowledge, wisdom and happiness.
Introspection on truths of life given in holy texts helps development of razor sharp intelligence. It floods the system with brilliance and a spiritual vibration which are perceptible. We can see and feel the brilliance and the vibrations when we go for darshan of Saints, Men of God and Gurus. Sweetness of speech, truthfulness, lack of desire to hurt or insult others, speaking on good things is essential. We must select the company we keep, the books we read and the topics of discussion to show the importance we give to God and spirituality.
When we watch our thoughts and take the right action, we gain control over our thoughts and actions which again increases satwa in us. Our happiness lies within us and it is not from or by anything around us. Such thinking and conviction keeps our mind happy and joyous at all times.
Following of spiritual practices, smaran, japa, dhyana, right foods, right speech, right reading, right friends, right thinking, celibacy, introspection on sacred scriptures help to develop and enhance satwa guna. Let us work at developing and enhancing the satwa guna within us so that we are lead towards the Light of the Lord. Then grace alone will help us to move beyond the three gunas and merge with the Light.
