Among the many numerous methods of Hindu philosophy, the Yoga system explains character via the idea of Swabhava (innate behaviour), as outlined within the scriptures. This behaviour is taken into account the important high quality of the soul inside us. It governs all our karma and is considered the basis seed of our dharma (ethical duties). In yogic phrases, this behaviour is studied via the lens of the three Gunas, which outline the qualities of 1’s character.
Sattva Guna, one of many three Gunas, is the standard that brings readability, concord, and stability to an individual’s Chitta (thoughts).
Have you ever ever skilled a second once you felt fully comfortable, calm, and entire? That deep sense of satisfaction arises from Sattva Guna, which turns into dominant inside us throughout sure durations.
What Is Sattva Guna?
Within the Bhagavad Gita (Chapter 14, Verse 6), Lord Krishna explains the character of Sattva Guna—the mode of goodness:
Sanskrit Verse:
tatra sattvaṁ nirmalatvāt prakāśhakam anāmayam
sukha-saṅgena badhnāti jñāna-saṅgena chānaghaTranslation:
“Amongst these, Sattva Guna, the mode of goodness, being purer than the others, is illuminating and stuffed with well-being. O sinless one, it binds the soul by creating attachment to happiness and data.”
On this verse, spoken on the battlefield of Kurukshetra, Lord Krishna describes Sattva Guna to Arjuna as a pressure that uplifts, but gently binds the soul via its attachment to happiness and data.
Sattva Guna represents a state of steadiness between overactivity and underactivity. It is among the three basic qualities (Gunas) of existence. Amongst them, Sattva Guna is taken into account the purest and most harmonious.
This idea originates from the Samkhya faculty of Hindu philosophy. In response to this method, Sattva leads one towards Dharma (the appropriate way of life) and Gyan (data).
Which means & Interpretation
The Sanskrit time period Sattva means purity or goodness, and Guna means high quality or attribute. Collectively, Sattva Guna refers back to the high quality of goodness.
Sattva Guna is symbolised by the color white, which represents peace and purity.
It embodies qualities comparable to selflessness, reality, data, peace, concord, creativity, and positivity. Sattva is the essence of dwelling a peaceable, purposeful, and significant life.
What adjustments occur when sattva guna will increase?
A rise in Sattva Guna results in numerous constructive results: bodily, mentally, and spiritually.
When Sattva turns into dominant in an individual, the next adjustments are noticed:
Behavioural adjustments
- The individual develops a real want to be good and turns into extra caring in the direction of others.
- They seem cheerful, comfortable, and stuffed with gratitude.
- They acquire better self-control and show kindness, compassion, and non-violent behaviour.
Psychological adjustments
- The Sattvic high quality fills the thoughts with knowledge and readability.
- It brings a way of internal maturity and emotional stability.
- The person can simply distinguish between wants and needs, proper and improper, and devoted vs. non-devoted actions.
- They carry out their duties truthfully, with a way of goodwill and consciousness in regards to the penalties of their actions.
Religious adjustments
- The individual develops reverence for divine ideas and non secular values.
- They turn out to be inwardly pure and expertise refined non secular sensations.
- Sattva Guna additionally brings steadiness to the three Ayurvedic doshas Vata, Pitta, and Kapha supporting total well-being.
Does sattva guna carry limitations ?
Though Sattva Guna brings many constructive adjustments to an individual’s life, it may possibly additionally create sure limitations. It binds the person via attachment to happiness and data, which may subtly hinder non secular liberation.
Sattva Guna makes an individual form, well mannered, and compassionate however these very qualities could generally be misused by others. Individuals could benefit from one’s goodness, mistaking it for weak point.
These are a number of the obvious limitations that will come up when Sattva Guna turns into dominant.
Forms of sattva guna
There are seven varieties of Sattva Guna, every related to totally different divine traits. Based mostly on these, we will distinguish numerous sattvic character varieties amongst people.
1. Brahma Sattva (Sharing the Traits of Brahma)
Individuals with Brahma Sattva are pure, emotionally steady, self-disciplined, and truthful. They’re sober, clever, and free from anger, greed, egocentric wishes, and envy.
2. Arsa Sattva (Sharing the Traits of Rishis)
Often known as Rishi Sattva, these people are dedicated to sacred rituals, scriptural research, and non secular vows. They’re imaginative, clever, and free from ego, satisfaction, hatred, envy, and anger.
3. Aindra Sattva (Sharing the Traits of Indra)
Aindra Sattva is marked by bravery, power, and ethical authority. These people are assured, eloquent, dedicated to righteous actions, and indifferent from base or egocentric behaviour.
4. Yamya Sattva (Sharing the Traits of Yama)
Individuals with Yamya Sattva are action-oriented, assertive, and possess sturdy reminiscence and self-discipline. They’re free from envy, hatred, attachment, and ignorance.
5. Varuna Sattva (Sharing the Traits of Varuna – God of Water)
Varuna varieties are affected person, pure, and calm, with a love for cleanliness and water-related actions. They keep away from impurity and anger and are usually conservative, but balanced.
6. Kauvera Sattva (Sharing the Traits of Kuvera – God of Wealth)
These personalities worth honour, wealth, and dignity. They’re typically rich, outgoing, and status-conscious. Nevertheless, they could even be liable to occasional irritation.
7. Gandharva Sattva (Sharing the Traits of Celestial Nymphs – Gandharvas)
Individuals with Gandharva Sattva are inventive and artistic. They take pleasure in dancing, singing, poetry, and wonder. They’ve a delicate nature and sometimes carry peace and pleasure to these round them.
Learn how to improve sattva guna?
Rising Sattva Guna means cultivating a mind-set that’s regular, quiet, and peaceable. In easy phrases, enhancing a Guna includes changing previous destructive habits with new, constructive ones that align with purity, steadiness, and internal concord.
From a yogic perspective, probably the most efficient methods to develop Sattva is by practising the 5 Yamas and 5 Niyamas, that are foundational to the Eight Limbs of Yoga (Ashtanga Yoga).
Beneath are some sensible steps you may take to improve Sattva Guna in your day by day life:
1. Eat wholesome sattvic meals
The meals we eat not solely impacts our physique but in addition has a direct influence on our thoughts.
Spicy, oily, or overly stimulating meals typically makes an individual stressed or aggressive. These are indicators of a rajasic nature. Equally, heavy meals like meat, alcohol, or intoxicants boring the thoughts and promote laziness traits of a tamasic character.
In distinction, gentle, recent, and calming meals helps create peace and readability inside. To extend Sattva Guna, one ought to eat sattvic meals.
A sattvic weight loss program consists of each the proper of meals and aware consuming habits. Such a weight loss program usually consists of:
- Clear, recent, healthful, and pure meals
- Fruits, greens, entire grains, nuts, seeds, and dairy merchandise taken sparsely
- Meals that feels pure and may be supplied to God
- Digestive herbs like ginger, cardamom, cumin, and turmeric
Sattvic meals follows the precept of Ahimsa non-violence. This implies it avoids inflicting hurt to any dwelling being. Due to this fact, it’s best to keep away from non-vegetarian meals and any objects that contain cruelty or destruction of their preparation.
2. Keep correct hygiene
To domesticate Sattva Guna, it’s important to maintain each your physique and environment clear. The setting you reside in has a robust affect in your ideas and vitality. A clear house creates a relaxed and constructive ambiance, whereas litter and mess can result in psychological restlessness.
Make it a behavior to remain clear, put on recent garments, and hold your private home and office tidy. Cleanliness not solely displays outer order but in addition helps internal readability and steadiness.
3. Be certain that to steadiness between work & leisure
Working with out pause is a trait of a rajasic nature, whereas laziness displays a tamasic tendency. A sattvic state lies in balancing each being energetic with out attachment and resting with out dullness.
Your senses deeply affect your ideas and feelings. What you see, hear, or learn shapes your psychological state. Violent or disturbing content material, whether or not in exhibits, video games, or books, can subtly improve aggression or restlessness.
As an alternative, select content material that brings pleasure, peace, and love tales that uplift the thoughts and contact the guts. Such decisions assist nurture Sattva Guna and produce calmness to your internal world.
4. Your organization issues
Be aware of the folks you spend your time with. The corporate you retain enormously influences your ideas, feelings, and behavior. Being round constructive, considerate people can uplift you, whereas fixed publicity to negativity can pull you down.
In case you discover that your circle is inflicting agitation or holding you again, it could be time to take a step again. As an alternative, search the corporate of those that are calm, inventive, and peace-loving.
Spending time with people who mirror Sattva Guna will naturally enable you to develop those self same qualities inside your self.
5. Keep away from night time work and rise early
Waking up early is an easy however highly effective behavior that brings calmness and readability to your day. To get up early, you should additionally sleep early. Human beings are naturally aligned with the rhythm of the solar—not meant for night time work. Sustaining this pure cycle helps restore steadiness in each physique and thoughts.
Sadhguru explains that the early morning time referred to as Brahma Muhurta is very useful.
Brahma Muhurta begins about one and a half hours earlier than dawn and ends 48 minutes after dawn. It’s thought-about probably the most auspicious time to get up, as refined physiological adjustments happen within the physique that promote stillness, readability, and internal steadiness.
Waking throughout this era has a profound impact in your behaviour. It helps stabilise your temper, clears your thoughts, and nurtures Sattva Guna over time.
6. Spend time with nature
Within the Srimad Bhagavatam, Lord Shri Krishna says:
“vanaṁ tu sāttviko vāso”
“Residence within the forest is within the mode of Sattva.”
— Srimad Bhagavatam 11.25.25 (first line)
Whereas it might not be sensible to reside in a forest at the moment, this verse doesn’t recommend we abandon fashionable life. Somewhat, it encourages us to remain linked with nature, because it naturally nurtures Sattva Guna.
Dwelling removed from nature and staying absorbed in expertise tends to extend Rajas (restlessness) and Tamas (inertia). However, spending time in pure environment brings stillness, readability, and a way of internal peace.
Taking even a brief stroll in a park, sitting close to timber, or watching the dawn can calm your thoughts and restore steadiness. These easy moments enable you to reconnect together with your internal self and steadily improve Sattva Guna.
7. Meditation
“When consciousness turns into clear and the senses are indifferent from matter, one experiences fearlessness inside the materials physique and detachment from the fabric thoughts. It’s best to perceive this case to be the ability of the Sattva Guna (mode of goodness), during which one has the chance to understand Me (Lord Shri Krishna).”- [Srimad Bhagavatam 11.25.16]
Meditation helps create a pure sense of detachment from the fabric world. It clears the thoughts, purifies the internal self, and brings you nearer to your true nature. Via common meditation, you start to rise above illusions and distractions, connecting deeply together with your consciousness (Chitta).
Together with meditation in your day by day routine is among the simplest methods to develop Sattva Guna. You may also help your apply with yoga asanas, pranayama, mudras, and different yogic strategies. These assist calm the nervous system and put together the thoughts for deeper meditation.
Over time, this constant apply results in internal stillness, readability, and a gradual progress in sattvic qualities.
8. Observe bhakti yoga
Within the Srimad Bhagavatam, Lord Shri Krishna says:
“mad-arpaṇaṁ niṣphalaṁ vā sāttvikaṁ nija-karma tat”
“Work carried out as an providing to Me, with out want for its outcomes, is taken into account to be in Sattva Guna.”
— Srimad Bhagavatam 11.25.23
“mad-arpaṇaṁ niṣphalaṁ vā sāttvikaṁ nija-karma tat”
Bhakti Yoga is the trail of devotion. Whenever you supply your actions to the Divine with out anticipating rewards, it brings internal peace, humility, and non secular readability. This quiet give up uplifts the guts and calms the thoughts.
Practising Bhakti Yoga deepens your reference to the upper self. It purifies the intention behind your actions and shifts your focus from ego to devotion. This naturally will increase Sattva Guna, nurturing qualities like compassion, religion, and internal contentment.
Conclusion
In response to the Samkhya faculty of philosophy, nobody is fully sattvic. Each particular person carries a mixture of all three gunas Sattva, Rajas, and Tamas. Our behaviour displays the guna that’s most dominant inside us.
We aren’t born with a hard and fast dominance of anyone guna. It’s our day by day actions, habits, and decisions that form which guna turns into distinguished. By consciously altering these actions and aligning them with purity, reality, and steadiness, we will steadily improve the affect of Sattva Guna in our lives..
