The Lord's potencies (Shakti) are diverse as well as infinite. According to the enlightened ones, His energies can be lumped into two groups: Paraa Shakti or Spiritual energy, and Aparaa Shakti or material energies. The Spiritual energy is also known as Spirit or Transcendental energy. Similarly, the material energy is also known as Maya or matter.
All living entities or Jeeva belong to God's superior or Spiritual energy. Therefore, the True Nature of Jeeva or Soul is Pure Consciousness (Eternal-Knowledge-Bliss, Joti-Svaroopa...). However, due to contact with the three modes of material nature of Maya — tendencies, attributes, individuality, separateness, etc. — the Soul becomes conditioned. Consider an example of rain water. A drop of rain water is pure in nature until it hits the ground. Upon coming in contact with the soil, however, it becomes contaminated or conditioned. Similarly, when Soul comes in contact with the three modes of Maya, it becomes conditioned. It then behaves as "limited", "mortal" and "miserable".
Three Qualities Of Maya's Material Nature
Maya's material nature (including all matter) is composed of three ingredients called Gunas in Sanskrit. In English "Guna" can be called "quality". These three qualities or 3 Gunas are Saatav, Raajas, Taamas (Sat, Raj, Tam or Sato, Rajo, Tamo). In English, these three modes can be called goodness, passion and ignorance, respectively. They are like intertwined strands of the winding cord or rope of Nature. These three qualities are part of Maya or delusive force inherent in the creation. Through this medium, Nature holds in bondage all embodied beings — Maya's delusive force makes us forget our True Nature, Mool, or Originality ("Hari Visrai"), it gives rise to emotional attachment ("Moh Upjai"), and it creates duality ("Bhaau Doojaa") where there is none.
Combination of Maya's three qualities — three thought-conditions or states of mind — in various permutation, determine the individual personality, mind and intellect. In other words, different aspects in the character and conduct of persons is regulated by the proportion in which these three constituents are mixed. This conditioning of the mind is responsible not only for the diversity in men, but also each Jeeva's interpretation of the Lord. The Gurbani (Sri Guru Granth Sahib, SGGS) examines and analyses these modes of Nature as well as diagnoses its maladies.
Taamas Or Ignorance:
This quality in embodied beings arises from spiritual ignorance. This is the enemy of modern society as it destroys the harmony, peace and bliss in the society and individuals. It deludes all embodied living entities, binding them by madness, misconception, idleness, ignorance, dullness, negligence, forgetfulness, darkness, lethargicness, indolence, complete inertia, unenlightened existence, inactivity, headlessness, fear, danger, carelessness, oversleeping, threat and survival. Under its influence, one is unable to attain proper understanding of a thing as it is. For example, the Gurbani tells us that absorption in the Divine Name (Divine Knowledge, Aatam-Giaan...) is the true source of happiness and liberation. Yet, the man searches for happiness and liberation in the outer objects! Since he takes himself as "mortal", "limited" and "miserable", he is reluctant to make any real progress in Spiritual Understanding or care for the Eternal Spirit. Thus, Taamas causes misery and suffering of all kinds. This is the dark evolute of illusory power of Maya which covers Knowledge, Bibek Budhi, and prevents man from Spiritual Realization.
Taamasic person is full of wrong ideas. He has no interest in associating with Spiritual Beings (the Gurmukhs), or the Divine Name, or putting any sincere effort to advance in Aatam-Giaan. Other symptoms of Taamasic person are addiction to external taste and demoniac activities. Like animals, he is primarily body-conscious.
Taamasic diet or Mayaic tatses have a malignant effect on the body and the mind; for it dulls all aspirations for Spiritual Growth.
Any Jap, Tap, etc., performed by a person in Taamas mindset are out of foolishness, with self-torture or to destroy or injure others. And any charity offered by such person is performed at wrong time and wrong place, and to unworthy persons (e.g., swindlers in the garb of Saints, Gurus, Raagees, Bhais, Parchaarak, and so on), without proper attention or respect.
The mode of ignorance is the lowest quality in material nature, and, therefore, it is called the mother of delusion. Buddha calls ignorance as death itself.
Raajas Or Passion:
The mode of passion is born of unlimited desires, longing, and great attachment to mundane objects. It strongly binds the Jeeva to material mentality. Raajas mindset is characterized by passion, selfish activities, impulse, restlessness, stormy behavior, agitation, desires, fear, greed, lust, fierce competition, power struggle, influence, rat-race, status and ambition and evil instincts. When the mode of passion increases, one develops the hankering for material enjoyment or sense gratification. Any religious activity performed by the Raajasic person is demoniac. Accordingly, actions performed in the mode of passion result in miseries and sorrows. When it comes to mayaic tastes, he does not use Bebk-Budhi (discerning intellect)
The mode of passion and ignorance are like two sides of the same coin. The man caught in the vertex of these two modes is like a football receiving kicks from both sides. He is like a camel who eats bramble even though it makes his mouth bleed! Similarly, the passion and ignorance-obsessed man indulges himself in sense gratification even though he suffers. Raajasic person is always worried about himself and other things he is attached to. Thus, he constantly burns himself alive in the fire of worries.
The mode of Saatav or goodness is the subtlest than the others. Thus, it brings little more enlightenment, a greater sense of happiness, and freedom from sinful reactions. There are many grades of beings in the mode of goodness. Some are merely good men, some are mixture of goodness with saintliness, etc. Their life is simpler.
A sacrifice done by a person situated in the mode of goodness is performed as a matter of duty, not for the expectation of any reward. For example, any religious rituals performed in the Gurdawaaraa (or at any other religious place for that) or at one's home are not in the mode of goodness if they are performed with the purpose of material benefit! Any charity by the Saatavic person is made for the sake of righteousness, without expecting anything in return.
Though the mode of goodness is higher of the other two modes, it is still a fetter. It can be compared with a gold chain. A gold chain can tie a man to a post just as securely as can a wire of silver (mode of passion) or steel (mode of ignorance). The difficulty here is that a person situated in the mode of goodness may become conditioned to feel that he is advanced in Divine Knowledge, hence he is better than others. Such conditioning results in further thickening of the false ego-sense (Haumai). Hence it is said that even the mode of goodness is unable to free man from egoism. Then how can a man fully liberate himself?
Transcending Material Nature
Our minds remain occupied by the mixture of these three modes of the material nature. According to the predomonance of one of these three modes of material nature acquired by our minds, one's temprament and faith can be considered as Saatavic, Raajasic, or Taamasic. In other words, these are the three thought-conditions under which the human mind functions.
The Lord's humble servants (the Gurmukhs) never fall under the sway of Maya. Only bogus devotees or pretenders become its victims. Therefore, there is no chance for Self-Realization for those who remain predominantly in the three modes of Maya; it does not matter how much they act or play as a religionist!
The cause of physical embodiment of all living entities is the three modes of material nature. Our Mool (ਮੂਲ, Source, Origin...) is transcendental to these modes. So is His Shabad or Naam. Therefore, to link back our Mool, one has to transcend these three qualities of Maya. This is the final evolutionary frontier of man's quest in his search for God. One can conquer this frontier by becoming the Gurmukh and understanding Maya's real nature through proper understanding of the matter and Spirit. Diligent study of the Gurbani can aid in bringing about such Spiritual Understanding; leading to attainment of oneness with the Mool within (Fourth State, Turiyaa Avasathaa or Chauthaa Pada...). Thus, in truth, the real Transcendental Bhagti begins when one is freed (Living Liberated or Jeevanmukta) from the influence of the three modes of material nature!
— T. Singh
www.gurbani.org
Updated on Monday, January 30, 2012 10:20 AM (PST)
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