Embark on a journey of inner equilibrium and embrace the power of sattva

Mahanama despaired at his spiritual anguish and the distraught state of his mind. Buddha analyzed the pangs of his cousin and devotee’s problem and attributed it to the latter’s unfulfilled sexual desires and his struggle with sensuality. Lust and obsession, attachments and entanglements play havoc with the mental state of many a human and correspondingly the levels of sattva drop several notches. These act as a roadblock in the path of a layman or a seeker in search of bliss or the truth. Let us imagine or visualize an individual with a resplendent, radiant face, a bright pair of eyes, sporting a beatific smile, thick black mane, and in absolute harmony and sync with his self and nature.

The visualization is probably akin to observing a rainbow in the sky, snow-capped mountain peaks or perhaps a tranquil river or lake. Such evocative images impact the human mind or chitta, enveloping it with robust positivity. All actions of sattva, a modification of Prakriti, characterized by light and happiness, is for the soul.

As per the Samkhya school of Hindu philosophy, there are three gunas or traits present in humans and the creation – sattva, rajas and tamas. Sattva is associated with purity, intelligence, awareness, alertness, harmony, balance and equipoise. Rajas denotes that energy which invariably causes imbalances. It represents change, constant activity, restlessness, passion, and disequilibrium resulting in the fragmentation of the thought process of an individual.

Tamas is the attribute that reflects dullness, darkness, despondency, inertia, lack of awareness, decay, disintegration and long periods of sleep in the individual.

A sattvic individual is unwavering in his dealings and does not engage in mental chatter. Such individuals are vigilant, adept in quick decision making and are circumspect by nature. But they are truly joyous and radiant. For them, life is a celebration. Persons with predominant rajasic qualities are lustful, full of passion, constantly attached to activity and get intertwined with various attachments and entanglements.

Tamasic individuals exhibit emotions and actions of anger, disruption, pride, putrefaction and ruination.

If there is a Buddha, Mara would also be lurking in the corner. It would be discernment on the part of individuals to constantly grow in sattva than to begin in the winters of their lives. Humans can then harness their true potential and develop the qualities of equilibrium, equanimity and equipoise.

The human mind is immensely impacted by the food we consume, the company we keep, events that take place in our lives, and places we visit among others. We have to live with some karma but can obliterate the malefic effects of certain actions by practising holistic techniques.

To begin with, humans should concentrate on the food consumed. Occasional indulges apart; it is sagacious to partake of sattvic vegetarian food which is easily digestible and reduces craving and avarice in our minds. Breathing practices like Vipassana and Sudarshan Kriya expatriate toxins from the body making it vibrant and oozing with energy.

The human mind is cannonaded by innumerable thoughts. We make it even more miserable by clinging on to gizmos, becoming prisoners of technology. Our sacred space has been destroyed and occupied. This space has to be reclaimed. Man is always known by the company he keeps. To increase and buttress our sattva we should attend Satsang and undertake selfless seva. By actively working on these areas humans can mitigate negative influences, ebb the karmic bondage and uplift the level of sattva.

(The writer is the CEO of Chhattisgarh East Railway Ltd and is a faculty of the Art of Living. Views are personal)