The Gunas and the Yagnopaveetham

Gunas  

By passing beyond the control of these three "gunas" every human in this life itself liberates from all miseries of birth, pain, decay and death and becomes immortal. ....……………………………......Bhagwad Gita. 

Human nature is classified in our literature in strict accordance with the science of psychology itself into the well-known Satwa, Rajas and Tamas...............................................chapter XIV4, 15, 18 Gita. 

All of us have all three gunas.  It is their relative strength that makes the difference.  Tamas is the state of ignorance, inertial and indifferences.  Rejas is desire-driven, frenzied activity that arises from selfishness and ego.  Sattva is the pristine state of calm that comes from contemplation and absorption on the higher side.  In sattva, the mind is calm, intellect sharp and actions brilliant.

As long as you are under the influence of the three gunas you are bound to the world.  However, you do not belong to the gunas and their manifestations.  You are Divine.  Understand how the gunas function.  Declare war on Tamas. Refine Rajas. Nurture and cultivate Sattva.

The Three gunas are also characterised everywhere as santa, ghora and moodha. They keep the individual Atma bound within the body. 

Satwa leads to bliss, Rejas to karma and Tamas blocking Gnana leads to blunder.  Pure satwik nature is the effect of good karmas.  Rajasic karmas produce grief and tamasic ones produces Agnana.  Satwa leads upwards, Rejas sticks to the middle and Tamas drives down.  The gunas of Ahamkara ae also known as santa, ghora and moodha.    

In Tamas, the best qualities get shrouded and your inherent talent lies dormant. Rajas is a state of mental agitation brought about by greed, carving and lust.  Incessant desire- driven activity and the resultant turbulence in the mind make for mediocrity.  Sattva is tranquillity of mind when you function at your best, a state that all executives, sports persons and professionals in every field of activity strive for- being in the ‘zone’, performing at peak levels.  However, nobody knows how to achieve it much less remain in this superlative state of being.

Sattva surfaces in the mind between 4 and 6 am. Rajas activity manifests between sunrise and sunset.  All indulgence, Tamas begins with sundown.  The first step to spiritual development is to encourage sattva by rising early, dedicate actions to a higher goal and stifle tamas by going to bed early.  Gunas manifest only when the environment is conducive.  Modern life encourages late nights- tams.  No attempt is made to cultivate the finer aspects of life.

Thus whatever little sattva you may have is being destroyed.  Ancient India promoted sattva through exposure to ethics and aesthetics – spiritual input, good literature, classical music, fine arts… it refined rajas by instilling spirit of service and sacrifice in people.

The relative strengths of the gunas determine the environment one goes to after death.  A Sattvika person is usually born in a spiritual family where his Sattvika content blossoms in the ambience of purity and tranquillity.  Pure sattva catapults him to the state of realization.  

The Rajasika one usually is born among people who are attached to action.  He gets further ensnared in the world.  The Tamasika one is born to dull, foolish people.  ( of course there could be exceptions to these too) It is only the Sattvika person who makes progress.  The Rajasika one moves within narrow band while a Tamasika person goes downhill. 

Life’s mission is to 'go beyond the three gunas' and get liberated from the traumatic cycle of birth, death, decay and sorrow.  You are born in the world only to attain immortality.

To summarise, “The three Gunas, Satwa, Rejas and Tamas are perceptible in every man. They appear as the product of Kaala or the net results of his previous Karmas.

Now let us find out what is the connection between the ‘Gunas’ and wearing the Yagnopavitham (the sacred thread worn across the shoulders by some Hindus)

Yagnopavitham (Sacred Thread) aka Poonal           

As mentioned earlier, the three gunas refer to Sattva Guna, Rajasic Guna and Tamasic Gunas in man. The three sets of sacred thread worn over the shoulders refers to the three Gunas. These act as anchors for the person who is wearing it. This consists of three sets of threads.

The first set is for the person wearing it.  Wearing a Poonal is to consciously manage the three Gunas. This need to be worn by all those who practice Dharma (known to the world as Hindu Religion) this is not just restricted to one set of people or community. All men who practice Hinduism are required to wear this.           

The second set of Poonal is for inculcating the culture of managing the three Gunas of and for his wife as the spouse is considered as the other half of the man (thus man is also called as ArdhaNari)

The third set is worn to develop and manage the culture of three Gunas in the children when the person wearing becomes a Father.         

The person who wears is thus called as ‘Tri-Guna-thma-dhari’ (the master of three gunas) thus realising the Supreme Being within by the union of Jivatma with the Paramatma.

Over the years this has been differently interpreted with the whole process of Yagnopadharana and the ceremony of Upakarma has become a meaningless ritual.

HariOm