130 – The Secret of Plurality in Human Nature | Swami Tattwamayananda

<b>Title: The Secret of Plurality in Human Nature</b><br /><br />14th Chapter: Verses 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6; 6th chapter 46th verse<br /><br />The 14th chapter is important because it describes the secret of plurality in this world. There are many common factors such as the divine spark that is present in everyone. The plurality comes from the three <i>guna</i>s – <i>sattva guna, rajo guna and tamo guna</i> – which constitute the entire material world.<br /><br />Our temperaments are determined by a combination of the three <i>gunas</i> – <i>sattva guna, rajo guna</i> and <i>tamo guna</i>. <i>Sattva guna</i> is the highest and most sublime. It manifests itself as wisdom and serenity. <i>Rajo guna</i> manifests itself as dynamism and ambition. <i>Tamo guna </i>manifests itself as laziness and delusion.<br /><i></i><br /><i>Sri Ramakrishna</i> describes the three <i>gunas </i>with the story of three thieves. Three thieves ambush a traveler in a forest. The thief representing <i>Tamo guna</i> says: “Let’s kill him and take all his belongings.” The second thief representing <i>Rajo guna</i> says: “Let’s give him some blows and bind him to a tree.” The thief representing <i>Sattva guna</i> takes the traveler to the road and shows him the way to the village. He does not accompany him – he knows that he is a thief and can be caught by the police.<br /><br />The 6th verse of the 14th chapter says: “Of these three <i>gunas, Sattva guna</i> is luminous, healthy and good. However, even <i>Sattva guna</i> binds you. Ultimate supreme goal is to go beyond all three <i>gunas</i>.”<br /><i></i><br /><i>Shankaracharya</i> says in his commentary on the 6th verse that <i>sattva guna</i> is harmless. It is like a brilliant, stainless crustal. However, even for a man of <i>sattva</i> <i>guna</i>, any kind of ambition that leads to temporary happiness, may lead to invisible bondage. There is a degree of imperfection even in <i>sattva </i><i>guna</i>. The ultimate goal is to go beyond all three <i>guna</i>s. However, one cannot do so withou