Descriptions of Soul or Atman In The Bhagavadgita

by Jayaram V

In Hinduism, the soul is usually referred to as the Self. The Bhagavadgita provides a lot of insight into the nature

of soul (Atman) and its liberation from the mortal world. The scripture mainly deals with the problem of suffering

and the paths by which beings or embodied souls (jivas) can escape from suffering and achieve liberation. For

that, it suggests a divine centered life in which life becomes a sacrifice and every action an offering to overcome

the problem of karma and its consequences.

We understand from the Bhagavadgita that beings are subject to ignorance and delusion due to the impurities of

the triple gunas and the modifications of the mind and body. To understand the Self and achieve self-realization

one must overcome the impurities and transcend the mind and the body. For that, the scripture suggests the

various yogas. In this discussion, we focus upon the descriptions of the self in the Bhagavadgita and the solutions

it offers for the souls to escape from the mortal world.

Overview

The following are a few important points regarding the soul or self found in the Bhagavadgita.

1. The soul and the body are different.

2. The body is transient and perishable, but the soul is eternal and indestructible. Hence, one should not grieve

for the death of anyone.

3. The soul wears the body like a clothe and discards it at the time of death.

4. The soul is Purusha (God). The body is Prakriti (Nature). Beings manifest from their union.

5. All modifications arise in the field of Prakriti due to the triple gunas

6. Desire-ridden actions, which are induced by the triple gunas, are responsible for the bondage of the soul.

7. For liberation, one should overcome desires and become absorbed in the Self.

The Self and the Supreme Self

The Bhagavadgita is interpreted differently by different scholars. The schools of nondualism recognize only one

type of Self, the Supreme Self or Brahman. The individual Self is considered an illusion or a projection of the
Supreme Self only. The projection is withdrawn when a person achieves liberation, just as a wave rises from the

ocean and subsides into it. The schools of dualism consider them different and real, each representing an eternal

reality. Upon liberation, they continue to be different.

Other schools hold a mixed opinion. According to them, the distinction between God and the souls is notional or

temporary. The souls remain separate and distinct from God in the beginning. When they achieve liberation, they

become one with God in their consciousness and experience no distinction or separation. They may outwardly

appear to be different but inwardly they are united and the same. Whatever may be the truth, all schools agree

about the imperishable and eternal nature of the souls or the Self.

References to the Soul in the Bhagavadgita

The Bhagavadgita acknowledges the existence of both God and the individual souls as eternal realities. It

believes in the incarnation of the individual souls, their delusion and bondage to the cycle of births and deaths

because of their gunas or qualities and desire-ridden actions. It also suggests various solutions for their salvation.

The scripture dwells upon various subjects like death, release of the soul from the body, its ascent to the higher

worlds, it reincarnation or return to the earth to continue its cycle of births and deaths, its relationship with God

and how it can find itself with the help of God and so on.

According to it, the soul, or atman, is indestructible and eternal (2.18). It neither slays, nor can it be slain (2.19). It

is never, born and it never dies. After coming into existence, it never ceases to be. It is nitya (always), sasvatah

(permanent) and purana (very ancient) (2.20). It does not suffer, nor can it be tainted. At the time of death it does

not die, but leaves the body and enters a new one (2.22). Weapons cannot pierce it, fire cannot burn it, water

cannot moisten it and wind cannot dry it (2.23). It is impenetrable, incombustible, all pervading, stable and

immobile (2.24). It is invisible, imperceptible and immutable (2.25).

The Bhagavadgita knows the limitations of human mind to gauge the true nature of the soul. Hence, it concurs

with the popular notion that no one can exactly know what a soul is. One looks at it with great surprise, another

speaks about it with great surprise, another hears about it with incredulity and yet another after hearing about it

knows it not (2.29).

The soul is superior to everything else in the human being. The senses are great, greater than the senses is the

mind, greater than the mind is buddhi and greater than the buddhi is the Self (3.42). This is similar to the

description of the tattvas (realities) in contrast to the soul in the Samkhya. The soul is the highest, eternal reality

(tattva), whereas the senses, the mind, intelligence, etc., are finite and dependent realities.
The soul residing in the body is referred to as the indwelling witness, the Adhiyajna. We are told that when

Purusha, also known as the Adhidaiva (Controlling Deity), resides in the body as the inner witness, He becomes

Adhiyajna or the Seat of Sacrifice (8.4). These descriptions suggest the internalization of the Vedic ritual as a

transformative practice and its correlation with different parts and functions of the human body to suggest

sacrifice as a way of life and human birth as a great opportunity to envision the whole universe within oneself.

The embodied soul is caught in the grip of Prakriti. It cannot escape from it on its own, without adequate spiritual

effort and divine help. At the time of death, it leaves the body and goes to a higher world depending upon its

karma and the time of the death. According to the Bhagavadgita, the state of mind in which a person leaves the

body at the time of death is important and will determine the course of his afterlife as well his next birth. Whatever

the person thinks and remembers in those moments that alone he achieves thereafter (8.6). Thus if someone

departs from the body thinking of God alone, he would undoubtedly attain him (8.5, 12 &13).

A liberated soul is different from the embodied or the bound soul. The embodied soul (jiva) is caught in the snare

of samsara or the causative world through desires and attachment, whereas the liberated soul is free from all

entanglements and is forever free from the control of Prakriti. What it does and where it stays in its liberated state,

only the adepts know. Even though the soul is within everyone, people cannot feel its presence because they

remain distracted by the activity of their senses and minds. If they succeed in withdrawing their senses and look

inwards, they have a chance of coming into contact with it. As the Bhagavadgita declares, the striving yogi

perceives him, as seated in the body enjoying the sense objects, united with the gunas, departing the body at the

time of death, but the ignorant ones whose hearts are impure, do not perceive so even after much striving (15.11

& 12).

Self-realization is the ultimate goal of all the yogas or spiritual paths, which are discussed in the Bhagavadgita.

The purpose of any spiritual discipline is to restrain the senses and stabilize the mind. These two barriers one

must overcome to know oneself. The Bhagavadgita says, "That condition is the aim of all yoga, in which through

the practice of yoga, the mind become stilled, in which the self beholds the Self within and is absorbed in the Self,

in which the yogi finds supreme ecstasy," (6.21-22). When the yogi develops the unified and holistic vision

through the practice of yoga, he sees the Self in all and all in the Self (6.29).
Apart from the senses, the gunas or modes namely sattva (purity), rajas (activity) and tamas (inertia) play an

important role in the bondage of the soul. When a soul is drawn into the body by the power of Shakti or Prakriti, it

becomes bound to it and to the objective world through desires and attachment as part of the interplay of the

triple gunas (14.5). Thereby the mind and the intellect become clouded and the ego takes control of them. The
ego is the false self or the not Self. It is a shadow or an illusion that survives by the power of Prakriti and acts as if

it is the real Self to prevent the beings from knowing who they are. It is also the cause of selfish actions and the

resultant karma. Through the practice of different yogas, when the indwelling soul overcomes the triple gunas, it

becomes free from birth and death and from old age and sorrow and attains immortality (14.20). Briefly, this is the

concept of the soul we find in the Bhagavadgita.

The Five Bodies of Jiva, the Limited Being

by Jayaram V
Jiva or Jeeva means any living being, a human, animal, insect, bird, or a
microorganism. He also goes by the name the embodied soul (jivatma). Jiv means
to live or to be alive and jeeva means he who has life or who is alive. The jivas are
specific to the mortal world, just as the gods are to the heaven and the demons to
the demonic worlds. The gods are pure beings. The demons personify evil nature,
while the jivas are a mixture of both. In them all the three gunas are active.

The jivas are also vulnerable to the influence of both good and evil. They may
possess divine or demonic qualities or a mixture of both according to their
predominant nature. Hence, they are considered ideal choice for the battles
between the good and evil forces. Depending upon their constitution, the jivas are
of numerous types and reflect the diversity of Nature. Tradition classifies them
according to the number of senses they possess and their level of intelligence. In
the Vedas they are classified according to how they give birth to their progeny
namely those that are born from eggs, those that are born from the wombs, those
that are born from the air, etc.

Significance of human life

According to Hinduism, although the jivas are specific to the mortal word and
inferior to gods, they still play an important role in the order and regularity of the
worlds. Mortal life facilitates the journey of the souls from the state of bondage
and ignorance to liberation through successive stages of self-purification,
enlightenment and spiritual transformation. It is not possible in any other world.
The culmination of that progress is the birth of an embodied soul in a human body.
The scriptures affirm that human birth is very which only after a jiva undergoes
innumerable births and deaths and accumulates enough merit.

hus, humans are more advanced jivas, who have special duties and responsibilities
in creation as the upholders of God’s Dharma upon earth. Just as animals serve
humans upon earth, humans serve gods through their sacrifices. Animals nourish
humans through acts of self-sacrifice by becoming their food or by providing them
with food and wealth, whereas humans nourish gods through sacrificial offerings
and by becoming their food in the ancestral world. Thus, human beings occupy a
central place in God’s creation as the upholders of Dharma and nourishers of gods.

Through their spiritual effort they also enjoy the unique opportunity to work for
their liberation, which is not possible to any other being in the higher or the lower
worlds. As stated before, in the mortal world, only humans can achieve liberation
through self-directed, conscious effort. Other beings have to attain the human birth
before they can do the same. Only humans have duties, obligations and aims,
which require the exercise of will and discretion. Their fate is determined by their
actions (karma).

Even gods have to take birth in the moral world if they desire to attain liberation or
ascend to still higher planes of existence. The Puranas suggest that God does not
excessively interfere with the progress of creation. He facilitates the process and
provides the framework for the manifestation of the worlds. He intervenes only if
there is a severe decline of Dharma. Everything else happens through individual
effort. The spiritual progress and transformation of the souls are not confined to
one birth or even one cycle of creation. The souls keep returning to the mortal
world, birth after birth and cycle after cycle, until they achieve liberation.

It seems that even the godhood is earned, but not conferred. The place of Indra is
not permanent. Anyone can become the king of heaven and replace Indra through
spiritual effort. Hence, he is always in conflict with the mortal beings who want to
achieve liberation through austerities. It is also said that the triple gods
(Thrimurthis) namely Brahma, Vishnu and Siva have attained their supreme status
in the current time cycle because of their good deeds in the previous cycles of
creation.

The state of Jiva

In the mortal world the jivas are in a state of bondage to the cycle of births and
deaths, which is known as Samsara. Apart from it, they are also subject to the
following.

 Dharma or a set of obligatory duties which are vital to the order and
regularity of the world.

 Karma or the fruit of desire-ridden actions which results in births and

rebirths.

 Modifications of Nature such as impermanence, aging, sickness and death.

 Physical and mental afflictions

 The duality of subject and object or the knower and the known.

 Egoism or identification with name and form which creates the feeling of
separation.

 Longing for life and fear of mortality.

 Attraction and aversion to the pairs of opposites such as pain and pleasure,
heat and cold.

 Delusion due to the influence of Maya whereby one mistakes the untrue for
true.

 Ignorance about God and the Self.

 Attachments due to the frequent interaction with sense objects.

 Desires and passions due to the play of the gunas.

  Modifications of the mind and body which keep beings unstable and restless.

The law of karma is inexorable, mechanical and impartial. The wheel of dharma
knows no discrimination. All beings, who manifest, irrespective of their cosmic
status, are subject to the same eternal laws of God which influence their being and
becoming. Only the supreme Brahman in His formless and unqualified state
(nirguna) is and changeless and free from corporeality, beingness and the finite
realities of Nature. In His formless and transcendental state, he is not only
immutable but also incomprehensible, indescribable and beyond the whole
existence.

The divine nature of jiva

A jiva may have impurities, but he is not devoid of divinity and spiritual
possibilities. A Jiva is but Shiva in the embodied form. Although he is subject to
the triple impurities of egoism, delusion and attachments, he is still god in human
form who contains within himself both Purusha and Prakriti. In him Purusha is
passive, while Nature is active. His body is made up of the 23 Tattvas (finite
realities) of Nature namely the five basic elements (fire, water, earth, air, space),
five organs of action, the five organs of perception, the five subtle senses, the
mind, the ego and the intelligence. The eternal soul (atma) constitutes the 24th
tattva. However, it is a pure (shuddha) tattva, and free from the impurities of
Nature, although it is subject to transmigration in the embodied state due to the
influence of the gunas.

TA jiva is thus a divine being who is caught in the rigmarole of Samsara. He is a

sleeping god who is oblivious of his divinity and eternal nature. As a replica of the
Cosmic being (Purusha), he represents the entire universe and houses all the
divinities and worlds within himself. Hidden within each being (jiva) is a
microcosm, designed in the manner of Saguna Brahman, consisting of all his
integral aspects and manifestations.

Therefore, if you want to know God, you do not have to look far. You do not have to
question the existence of God or look to others for answers. God is everywhere,
and especially in you as your very Self. To doubt him or his existence, is to doubt
yourself and your very existence. A devout Hindu is not supposed to worship
ignorantly as if God exists in the image of a stone or in a temple of God only. He
does not have to travel far to the Himalayas or to a place of pilgrimage to search
for him or meet him.

He may indulge in such practices, but he must also look within himself by silencing
his mind and body and reach that last point where he can find the eternal Self as
his very silent witness. It is by looking into oneself, by knowing and understanding
oneself and by honoring oneself with righteous conduct that one can experience
the Truth of the Supreme Self in one’s own being. In the Katha Upanishad, Lord
Yama declares to Nachiketa that it is through self-contemplation (adhyatma-
yogadhigamena) that a wise man realizes the Primal God and leaves behind him
both joy and sorrow (the duality of mortal existence).

The embodied Self and the Supreme Self

The mysteries of creation and of Supreme Being can be known only by knowing
oneself and one’s essential nature. The knowledge does not arise from the study of
scripture, although they are essential for the purpose, but from the direct
experience of oneness in which all distinctions and separation between the
subject and object are obliterated. All the divinities that exist in the universe have
their corresponding divinities in the human personality. Just as we have the body,
the Saguna Brahman has the entire manifest universe as his material body.
Therefore, there is no better temple than your mind and body to find God and
experience oneness with him.

How we perceive ourselves is important to overcome our delusion and achieve

liberation. If we consider our names and forms real, we will remain limited and
bound to our limited identifies and impure consciousness. If you think you are
divine and spiritual and live with that awareness, you increase your chances of
finding God within yourself. However, before you merge into the identify of God and
experience oneness with him, you have to accept the idea, believe in it and
integrate it into your consciousness. That practice rests upon your faith, resolve
and effort. If your faith is strong, you will withstand the rigors of your journey to
reach the highest goal. Faith is the bridge by which we, the mortals, enter the
world of immortality.

The creation and evolution of any jiva are the same as the creation and evolution
of the entire universe. The essential structure or construction of Purusha and the
Jiva (the Cosmic Being and the living being) is also the same. For example, the
Virat (the manifested world) is the waking consciousness or the visible reality. He
is the same as the Vaishwanara who is mentioned in the Mandukya Upanishad.
Hiranyagarbha (the World Spirit) is Taijasa, the dream state. In him all the forms
and ideas already exist in seed form and manifest in their own time. Isvara (the
Creative Being) is Saguna Brahman. He is the first to manifest in the beginning of
creation “when nothing existed. You may compare him to the deep sleep state or
prajna. Finally, at the summit of existence is Brahman, the Absolute, Being, the
One, who is without attributes. That state is above sleep. In the being, he is the
Atman, the immortal and transcendental Self, who is hidden in each of us. The
Upanishads also draw comparisons between a human being and the Cosmic being,
identifying the organs in the body with various divinities and planes of existence
and the Self with Brahman.

The state of the embodied Self, Jivatma, in the mortal world

There are three primary aspects of creation, the Supreme Self, the jiva or the
embodied selves, and Nature or Prakriti. Each jiva is a product of Purusha and
Prakriti. Purusha is the individual soul, and Prakriti is the physical body including
the mind. Purusha is eternal and immutable, while Prakriti is eternal but mutable.
Prakriti is indestructible but she undergoes change and instability. She is
responsible for the materiality and the corporeality, while Purusha resides in the
body as the silent witness and the ultimate enjoyer. As long as the jiva is involved
with Prakriti and its modifications, the soul or atman remains bound.

Although the soul is caught in Samsara and remains bound to the mind and body,
by itself it is immutable and indestructible. It cannot be tainted by the impurities of
Samsara. Even when it is involved with Prakriti it does not under go any change.
However, it remains covered by the impurities of gunas, delusion, desires and
ignorance. When they are removed, the Self becomes free and returns to its
boundless state as if he has woken from a long sleep. Removing the impurities is
not an easy task. It may take place over a long time, and at end of innumerable
births and deaths.

The five sheaths of an embodied Self

The embodied Self or the jiva does not have a single body. What we see is but the
outer sheath. Hidden beneath are four more sheaths. Each jiva is made up of five
bodies or sheaths, and each has its own significance in the lives and liberation of
the beings. It is believed that when a being dies, only the outer physical body is
shed. The soul travels to the next world with the remaining four bodies. The
following is a brief description of the five bodies which constitute a living being.

The physical body is the first. It is also known as the food body (annamaya kosa)
since it is made up of food only. It is also the densest. Hence, it is called the gross
body (sthula sarira), the seat of the darkest desires and passions. The Upanishads
compare food to Brahman (annam Brahma). Since it houses the Self, it is compared
to the sacrificial pit. As in case of a sacrificial ritual, the food offered to the body is
distributed among the divinities (organs and senses) who are present in the body
by their overlord, the Breath.

The second body is the breath body called the pranamaya kosa. It is made of prana
or breath. Air or breath is the food for this body. Breath is the life of beings (prano
hi bhutanam ayuh). It is called the soul of the physical body (sarira atma). Indeed,
in some Upanishads, prana is equated to Self itself as the immortal lord of the
body. Atman means the breathing one. Breath body is part of the subtle body
(sukshma sarira) while the food body constitutes the gross body (sthula sarira).
The autonomous nervous system is under its partial control.

The mental body (manomaya kosa) constitutes the third body. It is made up of
thoughts, emotions, feelings, desires and memories. It also regulates both the
breath body and the physical body including the senses. Mental body is the seat of
thoughts, memories and latent impressions. It also part of the subtle body and
subsists on food, breath and thoughts. Controlling, purifying and stabilizing the
mind forms part of the spiritual practice in liberation. None can achieve liberation,
without controlling and purifying the mental body.

Intelligence body (vijnanamay kosa) is the fourth body. It corresponds to buddhi or

intelligence, which is responsible for reasoning, discernment and decision making.
It is the reasoning and discerning aspect of our consciousness without which we
will not be able to consciously exercise our will. It also plays an important role in
our lives to make right decisions and avoid mistakes and problems. The scriptures
declare that gods (sense organs) worship buddhi as the eldest deity (Brahma
jyeshtham), the controller.

The fifth body is known as the bliss body. It is called the anandamaya kosa
because it partakes the supreme bliss of the Self. The bliss body is not attained by
the senses or the mind but experienced only in the state of self-absorption
(Samadhi). It has no organs and no distinguishing marks. It is the very essence of
our deepest consciousness. According to the Taittiriya Upanishad the Non-Being
who was alone in the beginning produced the Being. He made for himself a soul,
which was well made and whose body was bliss itself.

Beyond the five sheaths there is Atman, the eternal soul or Purusha in the
microcosm. It is the first, eternal, immutable, indestructible and ever awake, who
is also the lord, the witness and the ultimate enjoyer. It is also called the hidden
Self, the true Self, the divine Self and the truth body. Our minds do not reach it. The
Upanishads state that words return from it, not attaining it, along with the mind.
He who attains it becomes free from fear. After that, he is neither perplexed nor
tormented by conflicting thoughts. His mind becomes tranquil. There are different
views with regard to the status of the bliss body. Sankaracharya considered the
bliss body different from the Self and part of the projection of the Self, while
Ramanuja regarded them as one, indivisible, transcendental state.

The liberation of Jivas

A jiva attains liberation by realizing his divine or spiritual nature and freeing
himself desires and attachments. Liberation is achieved either by individual effort
or divine help or both. There are many paths to liberation. However, they all require
right effort, right knowledge, right attitude, self-restraint, renunciation,
detachment, purity of the mind and body, and devotion. All these approaches are
known by different names. They all lead to the highest state of Yoga or union, in
which the seeker experiences oneness or union with the Self or the Supreme Self.
Scriptures suggest that the grace and guidance of a guru or spiritual master is
important on the path of liberation.

As stated before, as a rule human beings are better qualified to achieve liberation.
However, there can be exceptions. Some animals may attain liberation due to the
merit they earned in their past lives of if they die in the hands of pious people as
part of their fate or destiny or to resolve some past karma. Animals which die in
the service of God or as sacrificial offerings may also attain liberation or human
birth. It is also believed that animals may earn merit if they are killed willfully by
humans for entertainment or for food. Through their self-sacrifice they earn good
karma while those who indulge in such actions may accrue sin and suffer from the
consequences.

The scriptures suggest that those who achieve liberation go to the immortal world,
never to return. They travel by the path of gods (devayana) and reach the world of
Brahman, which is in the Sun, while those who do not achieve liberation but
perform their obligatory duties go to the ancestral world in the moon, where they
stay until their karma is exhausted and return to the earth to take birth again.
Lastly, those who indulge in sinful actions with demonic qualities and commit
mortal sins fall down into the subterranean hell and undergo intense punishment
as part of their self-purification. They may return to the earth to take birth as
animals, worms or insects.

The 24 Tattvas of Creation in Samkhya Darshana

by Jayaram V

Summary: This essay explains the significance of tattvas or finite realities of

Nature (Prakriti) according to the Samkhya school of Hinduism.

Hinduism owes a great deal to the Samkhya (Sankhya) philosophy or the Samkhya
Darshana. Samkhya means number. Samkhya philosophy deals with the number of
realities that are present in existence. According to Richard Garbe, it is "the most
significant system of philosophy that India has produced." It exerted profound
influence on many scholars in ancient India, China and, according to some, even in
Greece. Even today, it attracts the attention of many scholars, although it is not a
living philosophy and has no active followers.

We find references to the school in scriptures such as the Bhagavadgita, the

Mahabharata, and Upanishads such as the Svetasvatara and the Maitrayani
Upanishada. Although originally it might have begun as a theistic philosophy with
its roots in the Upanishads, it appears that subsequently it morphed into an
atheistic school which assigned no role to God in creation and attributed all
causes and effects to Nature. Its main tenets and ideas gradually found their way
into main stream Hinduism and several sects of Buddhism.

According to Samkhya philosophy, Prakriti or Nature is responsible for all

manifestation and diversity, while the individual souls, which are eternal, remain
passive. When they come into contact with Nature, they become subject to its
influence and become embodied by its realities. Prakriti is an eternal reality and
the first cause of the universe. In its pure original form, it is the unmanifest
(avyaktam), primal resource, the sum of the universal energy. It is without cause,
but acts as the cause and source of all effects, and "the ultimate basis of the
empirical universe.”

The tattvas or realities

Prakriti manifests things by modifying or transforming the causes into effects,

which are already hidden in them. Thus, the school believes in the theory of
evolution or transformation (parinama vada). Using the triple gunas and its various
realities (tattvas) it creates numerous beings and objects. However, Prakriti has no
power or control over the souls (Purushas), which are eternal, numerous,
independent and immutable. It cannot also create life forms without the
participation of the souls. Creation (Shristi) begins, when the equilibrium of the
gunas (modes) in Prakriti become disturbed and its realities manifest. According to
the school, in all 24 realities (tattvas) emerge or evolve out of Nature, each having
the predominance of one or more gunas. The 24 tattvas are listed below.

1. Prakrit, Nature (1)

2. Mahat, the great principle (2)

3. Buddhi, discriminating, reasoning and causative intelligence (2)

4. Ahamkara, ego or ego-principle (3)

5. Manas, the physical mind or brain (4)

6. The five panchendiryas, sense organs (9)

7. The five karmendriyas, the organs of action (14)

8. The five tanmatras, subtle elements (19)

9. The five Mahabhutas, gross elements namely the earth, water, air, fire and
ether (24)

They are the evolutes of Nature. The Mahat (the Great One) is the first reality to
emerge from Prakriti, when sattva is predominant. It has a universal aspect as the
source of the world, and a physical aspect as intelligence or buddhi in the living
beings. It is responsible for rationality and discriminating awareness. From
Buddhi, ahmkara or the feeling of individuality evolves when rajas predominates.
It is responsible for the self-sense (ego). Up to now the tattvas are subtle, but from
here on gross. From ego evolve the brain (manas), the five senses (jnanedriyas),
the five organs of action (karmendriyas), the five subtle essences (tanmatras) or
objects of the senses, and the five gross elements (mahabhutas).

They constitute the 24 tattvas. Together with Purusha (individual soul) who is an
eternal reality, the number becomes 25. Nature makes use of them all to produce
the diversity in the world. Of them Prakriti is without a cause. Mahat, ahamkara,
and the five tanmatras are both causes and effects. The rest are effects only.
Purusha is neither a cause nor an effect. It is eternal, without a cause, and
immutable.

The Natural evolution of things and beings as suggested in the Samkhya has many
parallels in the modern theories of evolution. However, while the modern theories
focus mainly upon the evolution of physical bodies, the Samkhya also proposes the
evolution of beings over many lifetimes. Further, it views evolution or
transformation of causes into effects not as miracle work of God, but as a
transformative process which progresses through different phases and in
predictable patterns until the souls escape from the mortal world.

The Samkhya school was founded by Kapila, who probably lived in the Vedic
period, before the composition of principal Upanishads such as the Svetasvatara,
Katha, Prashna and Maitrayani Upanishads. Kapila Sutras, or Samkhya Sutras is
the earliest known text of the school, which is ascribed to Kapila. However, we
do not seem to have the original world. Our current knowledge of the schools is
derived mainly from the Samkhya Karika of Isvara Krishna who lived in either
third or fifth Century AD. Many commentaries on the Karika were written. Of them
the commentaries of Gaudapada and Vijnana Bhikshu are well known.

In the second chapter, the Bhagavadgita presents its own theistic version of
Samkhya. It has a few common features with the original school, but is essentially
theistic. While Samkhya recognizes Nature as the source of all creation, the
Bhagavadgita identifies Brahman as the first cause of creation and Nature as a
dependent reality, which manifests the worlds and beings under the will of God.

The Samkhya school has a close affinity with the Yoga school of philosophy. The
classical yoga is modelled on the knowledge of the Samkhya only. The Yoga Sutras
contains many references to Isvara, the individual soul, but makes not assertions
about a supreme, universal God. The idea of Prakriti as the sole source creation
and evolution probably contributed to the popularity of Tantras and the tradition of
Shakti worship.

Impact on Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism

The Samkhya philosophy left a lasting influence upon Hinduism, Buddhism and
Jainism. While we do not know how far its doctrines found their way into them, it is
possible that they might have found in it support for their own beliefs and
practices. For example, Buddhism, Jainism and several schools of Hinduism, do
not recognize creator God. They also acknowledge the role of Nature in the
manifestation of things.

In some respects, the Yogasutras of Patanjali is both an extension and an

exposition of the Samkhya school. The Samkhya yoga of the Bhagavadgita is but a
subtle refutation of the basic premise of the Samkhya philosophy with regard to
Brahman or the supreme Purusha as the primary and efficient cause of the
creation. However, interestingly, it accepts many concepts of the school such as
the division of the gunas, the bondage of the souls, relationship between Nature
and individual souls, the liberation of the souls through yoga and self-
transformation.

As in the Vedanta, the Samkhya school suggest that souls become bound when
they come under the influence of Prakrity and become enveloped by delusion and
ignorance. When they realize that Nature is responsible for their bondage and has
nothing to do with them, they strive for liberation and achieve release or freedom
from the cycle of births and deaths.

The Triple Gunas, Sattva, Rajas and Tamas

by Jayaram V

“Summary: “Guna” literally means property, quality, merit, virtue, etc. In philosophy it denotes a property, mode or
propensity of things and beings. The gunas are primarily responsible for our predominant traits, actions and
modes of behavior. In this essay we present the importance of gunas and their influence upon human behavior
according to the Bhagavadgita.

According to the Bhagavadgita, the gunas (the primary qualities or modes of Nature) are three in number, sattva,

rajas and tamas. They exist in all, including humans, in various degrees of concentration and combination. They

also exist in all objects and natural products. Hence, even the food which we eat is important if we want to

cultivate good behavior. Depending upon their relative strengths and ratios, the gunas determine the nature of

things, beings, their actions, behavior, attitude and attachments and their involvement with the objective world in

which they live. The primary purpose of the gunas in the living beings is to create bondage, through desires for

sense objects, which lead to various attachments with them and which in turn keep them bound to the world and

under the perpetual control of Prakriti (7.13).

The role of gunas in creation

The gunas are born from Prakriti. The Self does not reside in them but they reside in him (7.12). Before creation,

they remain inactive and in a state of perfect balance in the Primordial Nature (mula Prakriti). When their balance

is disturbed, creation sets in motion, and the diversity of objects and beings come into existence, each

possessing the triple gunas in different proportions. The admixture (panchikarana) of the gunas and the elements

(mahabhutas) is well explained in the Paingala Upanishad.

Beings in the higher worlds contain the predominance of sattva. Beings in the lower worlds the predominance of

tamas, and those in the middle worlds contain the predominance of rajas. In humans, all the three gunas are

present in different degrees of predominance according to their spiritual purity and progress. Sinners who are

beyond redemption possess the predominance of tamas, pious people who abide by Dharma possess the

predominance of sattva, while worldly people who are driven by selfish desires possess the predominance of

rajas.

According to the Bhagavadgita, God is the real Enjoyer. He brings forth the entire creation for his joy (ananda). It

is Purusha only who, seated in Prakriti, enjoys the qualities produced by Prakriti. The gunas are responsible for

the diversity of nature. Because of the gunas (qualities) only the division of reality and unreality arise (13.21).

When the gunas are manifested in creation, the individual souls come under their influence and begin their

onward journey into the world of matter and death.

God (Isvara) does not act under the influence of any of the three. He is made up the Purest Sattva (suddha

sattva), which is not of this world. Among the gods, Brahma has the predominance of rajas, Vishnu the

predominance of sattva and Shiva the predominance of tamas. However, all the three gods are pure beings

(shivam). They are not bound to them or to Nature. For the purpose of creation and the order and regularity of the

worlds they manifest the gunas to perform their obligatory duties while they themselves are transcendental.

How the gunas influence behavior

The gunas are responsible for the behavior and natural propensities of all living beings. Human beings are also

subject to their influence. Under their control people lose their ability to discern truths, their essential nature or

their true Selves. They fail to see their oneness with God and the rest of creation or the presence of God amidst

them (7.14). In the fourteenth chapter of the Bhagavadgita, Lord Krishna gives us a very detailed description and

definition of the three gunas, which is summarized below.

1. Sattva is pure, without impurities, illuminating and free from sickness. It binds the soul through attachment with

happiness and knowledge (14.6).

2. Rajas is full of passion (ragatmakam) and is born out of "thrishna" (thirst or intense desire) and "sanga"

(attachment). It binds the soul through attachment with action (14.7).

3. Tamas is the darkness and the crudeness in man. It is "ajnanajam" (born of ignorance) and "mohanam" (the

cause of delusion). It binds the soul through recklessness, indolence and sleep (14.8).
In the beings the three gunas compete among themselves for supremacy and try to suppress each other. Sattva

predominates by suppressing Rajas and Tamas. Rajas predominates by suppressing Sattva and Tamas, and

Tamas by suppressing both Sattva and Rajas(14.10).

How to know which quality is predominant in a person at a particular time? According to the Bhagavadgita when

sattva is predominant, from all the gates of the human body radiate the illumination of knowledge, (14.11). When

Rajas is predominant, greed, worldliness, striving for worldly ends and a penchant for selfish activities arise

(14.12). With the increase of tamas, one can see the flourishing of darkness, inactivity, recklessness and delusion

(14.13).

Upon death, a sattvic person attains higher worlds. When he returns, he takes birth among pious people or in a

pious family (14.14). After death, a rajasic person remains in the middle worlds. When he is reborn, he takes birth

in the family of those who are attached to actions. As for the tamasic person, he sinks to lowest regions on dying,

and when reborn takes birth among the ignorant and the deluded (14.15).

The gunas also influence faith, resolve, professional choices and nature of relationships. The division of human

beings into the four categories is also due to the influence of gunas only. They govern every aspect of human life

and the world in general. In the eighteenth chapter we come across a detailed description of how men with these

three qualities act and behave differently and engage themselves in different religious and spiritual activities.

The resolution of the gunas

The purpose of such an elaborate description of these three qualities in the Bhagavad-Gita is not to encourage us

to become sattvic or eliminate other qualities. Whether it is sattva or rajas or tamas, the gunas are part of Prakriti

and responsible for our ignorance, delusion, bondage and suffering on earth. When they are active, we remain

bound to one thing or another. We cannot be free, until they are fully resolved.

Therefore, the Bhagavadgita suggests that we should try to transcend them rather than cultivate them. By

knowing the nature of the three gunas and how they tend to keep us in bondage and illusion, we should become

wiser and strive to transcend them. Sattva is purity and beneficial. However, for those who strive for liberation,

even cultivation of "sattva" should be not an end in itself for sattva also binds us to the duality of pleasure and

pain. Sattvic people want to enjoy pleasure and avoid pain. They are pious and knowledgeable but prefer leading

a life of luxury and comfort. Thereby, they engage in desire-ridden actions and become bound. Even though it is

pure, sattva is but an instrument of Prakriti, which is meant to serve its ends by keeping us bound to the worldly

life under the sovereign control of its sovereign master. Hence, one may cultivate purity (sattva) to suppress the
other two, but in the end must rise above all the three and become stabilized in equanimity, sameness, and

oneness of the Self. One should go beyond the three gunas to attain immortality and freedom from birth, death,

old age and sorrow (14.20).

The qualities of a person who transcends the gunas

What are the qualities of the person who has transcended the three gunas (guna-atitah)? How does he behave,

and how does he truly achieve it? The Bhagavadgita answers these questions also. When a person overcomes

the three gunas, he neither likes nor dislikes purity light, passion and delusion, which are the predominant

modalities that arise from the gunas namely sattva, rajas and tamas respectively. He does not detest them when

they are present nor desires them when they are absent (14.22). He remains indifferent, undisturbed by the

gunas, knowing that it is the gunas which are acting in all beings but not the Self which is present in them (13.23).

Therefore, he remains alike in pleasure and pain, stable and equal towards a lump of earth or gold, the pleasant

and the unpleasant, criticism or praise, honor or dishonor, and friend or foe. Since he rises above the gunas, he

does not take sides in any dispute, show any favor or preference for the dualities of life and renounces the

ambition and the initiative to perform tasks (14.24-25).

The practical applications of the gunas

A good understanding of the gunas can help you make wise decisions and remain on the right side of life. For

example, the Eightfold Path of Buddhism, the Ashtanga Yoga of Patanjali, the rules and restraints for novices and

advanced practitioners in Jainism and Buddhism are meant to cultivate sattva or inner purity, without which the

mind cannot be stabilized in contemplation or in mindfulness. Cultivation of purity is at the root of all spiritual

traditions of ancient India. In today’s world, where tamas and rajas predominate, it is even more important. Apart

from spirituality, knowledge of the gunas is also helpful in worldly life. The following are a few examples, where

you may use the knowledge to safeguard yourself from potential problems.

1. The profession you choose. Choose your profession carefully according to your nature and what you want

to achieve in life. Certain profession can lead to your spiritual downfall.

2. Marriage and friendship. It is important to consider the play of gunas in choosing your friends or marriage

partner. You have to see in those relationships whether you want to balance or complement your own nature.

3. Education and specialization. If you pursue your academic career according to your nature, you will not

suffer from conflicts or stress, and you will have better chances of succeeding in your professional career.
4. Parenting. Parents have to help their children cultivate the predominance of sattva, so that when they grow

up they will not only have pleasant and positive personalities but also right discretion in making their choices.

5. Food and lifestyle choices. They must be conducive to the cultivation of sattva, since sattva improves the

vigor and the brilliance of the mind and the body.

In spiritual life, the knowledge of the triple gunas is imperative. A correct understanding of the three qualities of

Nature is essential to overcome your bondage to earthly life and attain liberation. By knowing the distinction

among the three gunas and by developing the quality or mode of sattva in abundance a person can purify his

mind and body and experience peace and equanimity. Through desireless actions, selfless service, devotional

worship, self-study, sattvic knowledge, sattvic speech, right discernment, sattvic faith, behavior and sacrifice he

can increase sattva (18.4-22) and develop the divine qualities (daiva sampattih) which are enumerated in the

sixteenth chapter of the Bhagavadgita to become a perfect yogi and earn the love of God. By performing his

obligatory duties without any desire and attachment, offering the fruit of his actions to God, surrendering himself

completely to him, fully devoted to him, and absorbed in him, he surely achieves liberation and union with the

Supreme Self.