Here follows a discussion of three stanzas, each giving us a more subjective insight into the symptoms produced by the guna concerned, from which we can understand, under the influence of which guna the personality is working at any given moment.
WHEN THROUGH EVERY GATE (SENSE) IN THIS BODY, THE LIGHT-OF-INTELLIGENCE SHINES — The apertures of the physical structure, through which the perceived world-of-objects enters us, are the windows-of-knowledge, the “sense organs.” Through these holes, the Light-of-Awareness, goes out, AS IT WERE, to illumine the various objects of the world. The Knowledge in me pouring out through the eyes, becomes the power of vision and illumines for me all the forms and colours of the world. The same Eternal Awareness, through the ears, which cannot illumine form, brings within my comprehension the world-of-sound around me. So too, the Divine Light of Cognition beaming out through the tongue illumines the taste.
Thus, “seven tongues of flame” shoot out from the same Fire-of-Knowledge, the Self, in us. Each beam of light, as it emerges from each window in the body, illumines one aspect of the world outside. It must be the experience of all that, while we are perceiving something, and efficiently illumining it, we are really in a state of Sattwa, at this moment. If there be at the time Rajas and Tamas in us, our perception is hampered.
If the mind is agitated by Rajas and the intellect is veiled by Tamas, even ordinary, efficient perceptions become almost impossible. Thus, the more often and more completely we go beyond Rajas and Tamas, and thereby make our bosom full of Sattwa, the more grows our capacity to observe, to analyse, to understand and to become aware of the world outside and judge it correctly.
It has already been explained that the mechanism of knowing the world outside is the intellect; and, the Consciousness, reflected in the intellect, is the light-of-intelligence by which we illumine the world of ideas, feelings and objects available in our life. The sunlight outside never comes directly to a room to illumine the things in the room. It is always the light of the Sun reflected on the walls that illumines a cosy room. Similarly the Light of Consciousness, reflected in the intellect, is the beam of light that illumines the world-of-objects. The gunas are the influences under which the mind and intellect live.
It is very well known that a clean and steady reflecting medium will reflect more efficiently than an unsteady, unclean surface. Rajas creates agitations and makes the intellect unsteady; Tamas created veilings and makes the intellect unclean. Naturally, the greater the proportion of Rajas and Tamas in a bosom, the lesser will be its quota of intelligence. Therefore, it is highly scientific to say that, “at the moment of knowing and comprehending the world,” one’s bosom is surely in its pure Sattwik-MOOD.
THE CHARACTERISTIC MARKS THAT INDICATE THE PRE-DOMINANCE OF “RAJAS” ARE DESCRIBED IN THE FOLLOWING:
