गुण
Gunas
guṇa
In simple words
The gunas are three basic qualities that make up everything in nature: sattva (clarity, balance), rajas (activity, passion) and tamas (inertia, dullness). Their shifting mix explains differences in things, moods and people.
What is it?
Guna means 'strand' or 'quality'. In Sankhya the three gunas are the constituents of prakriti; when they are in balance nature is unmanifest, and their disturbance produces the world. The Gita uses the gunas extensively — in chapter 14 to explain bondage, and in chapters 17–18 to classify faith, food, action, knowledge, intellect and happiness. Rising beyond all three is the goal. In Nyaya-Vaisheshika, by contrast, guna is a technical term for 'quality' as a category.
Scholar’s note
Sankhya Karika 12–13 describes the gunas' natures and interdependence. The Gita's 'gunatita' (one who has gone beyond the gunas) of 14.22–26 is a key ideal. The Vaisheshika use of guna (24 qualities such as colour, taste, number) is a different, unrelated technical sense and should not be confused with the triguna.How its meaning differs
The three gunas are the actual constituents of prakriti, always together in varying proportions; the world is their transformation.
The seen consists of the gunas; the yogi aims at a sattvic mind clear enough to discern the seer, and finally beyond the gunas altogether.
The Vedanta schools adopt the gunas to describe prakriti or maya, while locating the Self or God beyond them.
Guna here means 'quality' as one of the basic categories of reality — a different technical sense from the three strands.
In the Bhagavad Gita — as Sadhak Sanjivani explains it
Summary based on Sadhak Sanjivaniसाधक-संजीवनीपर आधारित सारSattva, rajas and tamas, born of prakriti, bind the imperishable embodied one to the body (14.5). Swamiji clarifies that the gunas do not bind anyone by themselves; a person binds himself by associating with them — by taking their products, such as wealth, family, body, moods and situations, as his own (14.5). If the gunas bound by themselves, no one could ever become free while they remain (14.5). When one sees no doer other than the gunas and knows oneself as beyond them, one attains God's being (14.19). Association with the gunas is the cause of birth in higher and lower wombs (13.21). Through undeviating devotion too one goes beyond the gunas (14.26), and those who take refuge in God cross the guna-made maya (7.14).
प्रकृतिसे उत्पन्न सत्त्व, रज और तम — ये तीनों गुण अविनाशी देहीको देहमें बाँध देते हैं (१४।५)। स्वामीजी स्पष्ट करते हैं कि गुण अपनी ओरसे किसीको नहीं बाँधते, जीव ही उनका संग करके — धन, परिवार, शरीर, वृत्तियाँ, परिस्थितियाँ आदिको अपना मानकर — बँध जाता है (१४।५)। यदि गुण बाँधनेवाले होते तो गुणोंके रहते कोई मुक्त हो ही नहीं सकता (१४।५)। जब विवेकी मनुष्य गुणोंके सिवाय किसीको कर्ता नहीं देखता और अपनेको गुणोंसे पर अनुभव करता है, तब भगवान्के भावको प्राप्त होता है (१४।१९)। गुणोंका संग ही ऊँच-नीच योनियोंमें जन्मका कारण है (१३।२१)। अव्यभिचारी भक्तिसे भी गुणोंका अतिक्रमण होता है (१४।२६), और भगवान्की शरण लेनेवाले गुणमयी मायाको तर जाते हैं (७।१४)।
वास्तवमें गुण जीवको नहीं बाँधते, प्रत्युत जीव ही उनका संग करके बँध जाता हैWhere it appears in the Gita
Nature acts — the deluded ego says "I am the doer"
कर्म प्रकृतिके गुणोंसे होते हैं, अहंकारी ‘मैं कर्ता हूँ’ मान लेता है
प्रकृते: क्रियमाणानि गुणै: कर्माणि सर्वश:।
All actions are done by the gunas of prakriti; one whose mind is deluded by ego assumes, 'I am the doer.'
सम्पूर्ण कर्म प्रकृतिके गुणोंद्वारा किये जाते हैं; अहंकारसे मोहित अन्त:करणवाला मनुष्य ‘मैं कर्ता हूँ’—ऐसा मान लेता है।
7.14Those who take refuge in Me alone cross over maya
केवल मेरी शरण लेनेवाले मायाको तर जाते हैं
दैवी ह्येषा गुणमयी मम माया दुरत्यया।
The divine maya made of the three gunas is hard to cross, but whoever takes refuge in God alone crosses it.
तीन गुणोंवाली दैवी माया दुरत्यय है, पर जो केवल भगवान्के शरण होते हैं, वे इसे तर जाते हैं।
13.21Attachment to the gunas drives rebirth
गुणोंका संग ही जन्मका कारण
पुरुष: प्रकृतिस्थो हि भुङ्क्ते प्रकृतिजान्गुणान्।
Only the self identified with the body becomes the enjoyer of the gunas, and attachment to them causes birth in higher and lower wombs.
प्रकृतिस्थ पुरुष ही गुणोंका भोक्ता बनता है और गुणोंका संग ही ऊँच-नीच योनियोंमें जन्मका कारण है।
14.5Sattva, rajas and tamas bind the imperishable self to the body
तीनों गुण अविनाशी देहीको देहमें बाँधते हैं
सत्त्वं रजस्तम इति गुणा: प्रकृतिसम्भवा:।
The three gunas born of prakriti bind the imperishable embodied self to the body, but only because it takes the body as ‘I’ and ‘mine’.
प्रकृतिजन्य तीनों गुण अविनाशी देहीको देहमें बाँधते हैं—पर तभी, जब वह देहको ‘मैं’ और ‘मेरा’ मानता है।
14.19No doer but the gunas, and oneself beyond them
गुणोंके सिवाय कोई कर्ता नहीं, स्वयं गुणोंसे पर
नान्यं गुणेभ्य: कर्तारं यदा द्रष्टानुपश्यति।
When the discerning person sees no doer other than the gunas and knows himself to be beyond them, he attains My being.
जब विवेकी गुणोंके सिवाय किसीको कर्ता नहीं देखता और अपनेको गुणोंसे पर जानता है, तब वह भगवद्भावको प्राप्त होता है।
14.26Unswerving devotion carries one beyond the gunas
अव्यभिचारी भक्तिसे गुणातीतता
मां च योऽव्यभिचारेण भक्तियोगेन सेवते।
One who serves Me with unswerving devotion goes beyond the three gunas and becomes fit to realise Brahman.
अव्यभिचारी भक्तियोगसे मेरा सेवन करनेवाला गुणोंका अतिक्रमण करके ब्रह्मप्राप्तिका पात्र हो जाता है।
17.2त्रिविधा भवति श्रद्धा देहिनां सा स्वभावजा।
मनुष्योंकी वह स्वभावसे उत्पन्न हुई श्रद्धा सात्त्विकी तथा राजसी और तामसी —ऐसे तीन तरहकी ही होती है, उसको (तुम मुझसे) सुनो।
Where else it appears
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Trace the idea from one source to the next.
- 1Traditionसाङ्ख्यSankhyaThe gunas as the constituents of nature.
- 2Gita verseBhagavad Gita 3.27Actions are done by the gunas; the ego thinks 'I am the doer'.
- 3Gita verseBhagavad Gita 14.5Sattva, rajas and tamas bind the embodied soul.
- 4Gita verseBhagavad Gita 14.20Going beyond the three gunas.
- 5Gita verseBhagavad Gita 17.2Faith is of three kinds, according to one's nature.
- 6Conceptतत्त्वTattva — principle of realityThe larger Sankhya map in which the gunas operate.
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