Guna in Ayurveda is an attribute, virtue, or quality of a person or a thing by which they operate. Simply put, it’s the mental quality of a person or the physical quality of substances.
Gunas are mainly of two categories
1. Triguna or three mental qualities: Sattva, Rajas, and Tamas Guna.
2. 20 physical gunas or qualities of substances: 10 pairs opposite like hot-cold, light-heavy, etc.
Triguna in Ayurveda
Gunas, or mental qualities, consist of three main types.
1. Sattava– Briefly, Sattava can be correlated to Goodness, Positive, Pleasure, Harmony, and Clarity.
2. Rajas– Active, Passionate and Projecting power
3. Tamas– Destructive, Darkness, and Lethargy
A balanced proportion of these Gunas is necessary for leading a healthy life. The predominant Guna will determine how we perceive the world around us.
Triguna in Ayurveda in Detail
1. Sattva Guna
It is a guna or attribute of purity and harmony.
It has the quality of joy, contentment, and purity.
People with sattva guna predominant are called sattvic people.
It is the purest guna. This guna is favourable to attain liberation.
A Sattvic person can find happiness within.
Sattva Guna Characteristics
- Loyal in relationships or partnerships.
- Sattvic people are satisfied and content with whatever they have.
- They can easily concentrate as their mind is free from agitation or inertia.
- They have a spiritual bent
- Calm and peaceful is their nature
- Creativity is their key feature
- They make their own decisions
- They will control their desires
Sattvic food
1. A pure vegetarian diet is sattvic
2. A high-fibre and low-fat diet is helpful
3. Whole grains, milk, ghee, and natural sweeteners are a few examples of sattvic food.
4. Sattvic is the most nutritious food for longevity and physical and mental health.
5. It is a great way to reduce your weight.
Note– Fresh vegetarian food is Sattvic, but becomes Rajasic by frying, overcooking, or overspicing it.
If you cook it in advance and keep it too long, it becomes tamasic. Surprisingly, the same food can become Sattvic, Tamasic, or Rajasic.
How to increase Sattva Guna
- Eat nourishing food
- Live with nature
- Proper sleep
- Include Sattvic food in the diet
- Do Pranayama and meditation
- Do selfless actions
2. Rajas Guna
This is a guna of passion and manipulation
Greed and restlessness are two of its main features
It is useful for athletes
Excessiveness of this Guna can cause anxiety, aggressiveness, and hyperactivity.
Rajas Guna Characteristics
- A Rajasic person is aggressive and Restless but futuristic
- Greed, desire, and enthusiasm guide them
- They tend to overanalyse and overthink
- A Rajasic person eats food in a hurry and experiences poor digestion and health.
- Strength is their key feature
- Their life is like driving a car with no brakes
Rajasic food
- Hot and Spicy foods
- Onion, Garlic, Coffee, Sugary foods
- Fermented food and Junk food
- Rajasic food gives a lot of energy
- Eggs, Radishes, Eggplant, hot pepper, yoghurt, soda, and tobacco are some examples
How to reduce Rajas Guna
- Avoid Rajasic foods
- Avoid overwork and over-exercising
- Do Pranayama and practice meditation
- Avoid excessive bitter, sour, and salty foods
- Eat slowly and eat with a feeling of gratitude
- Avoid caffeine and chocolate
3. Tamas Guna
- Impurity, laziness, and darkness
- Overly materialistic
- This Guna arises from hopes and illusions
Tamas Guna Characteristics
- Cautiousness and a tendency to take revenge
- Short-lived happiness.
- Willingness to work very hard
- Self-centered tendency
- Easy attachment to possessions and self-control potency
- General tendency- I don’t care what happens to people, including myself.
- Their life is like driving a car with the brakes on.
Tamasic food
- Dead food, meat, fish, reheated food, eggs, alcohol, and cigarettes
- Foods can be tamasic when frozen or processed.
- Artificial sweeteners and canned foods
- Tamasic food causes laziness.
- It creates a binding and stuck feeling, and it’s hard to come out of the Tamas Guna or Tamasic state.
How to reduce Tamas Guna
- Avoid oversleeping and overeating
- Increase physical activity
- Eat light food
- Avoid fermented, processed, and refined foods
- Try to wake up early in the morning and be with nature
Triguna and the time of the day
The early mornings (3 am-6 am) belong to the Sattva Guna. During the daytime (6 am to 6 pm), Rajas Guna is dominant. At Night (6 pm to 3 am), the human body is naturally under the influence of Tamas Guna.
List of Sattvic, Rajasic, and Tamasic foods
The food we eat has a mental, physical, and emotional impact on us. The list of Sattvic, Rajasic, and Tamasic foods is below in the image-
20 Physical Gunas in Ayurveda
In addition to the mental qualities, i.e. Triguna, Ayurveda also states the physical qualities of the substance or food. The image below shows the 20 physical qualities, which are 10 pairs of opposites.
According to Ayurveda, Guru Guna can influence the balance of the doshas, particularly Kapha dosha.[1]
Relation of Gunas and Doshas
Gunas influence the three doshas (Vata, Pitta, and Kapha) in Ayurveda. Each dosha has a unique combination of gunas.
Vata dosha has gunas – Light, dry, mobile, and cold. Opposite gunas soothe or calm the aggravated Vata.
Pitta dosha has gunas- Hot and sharp. Gunas that are opposite balance the Pitta dosha.
Kapha dosha has gunas- Heavy, Cold, and Stable. Light, hot, and Mobile qualities balance the aggravated Kapha.
Spiritual Aspect of Trigunas
Although a person can pursue spirituality from any of the three gunas prevalent in him/her. The Path of spirituality becomes easier when Sattva Guna is dominating in a body. The main aim of spirituality is to go beyond all three Gunas, yes, even Sattva Guna.
Sattva Guna can give you spiritual wisdom and the courage to walk on the path of true spirituality.
Rajas Guna will give you desires, change, and movements. Excessive amounts of Rajas will lead to Sattva Guna. In other words, an excessive amount of selfless actions (Karma Yoga) can lead to Sattva Guna.
Tamas Guna represents darkness, ignorance, and inertia.
Conclusion
There is a proportion of each guna in all of us. Without Tamas, we would not sleep. In the absence of Rajas, we would lack dynamism. Without Sattva, life would be uninspiring. We should aim to raise Sattva to raise our consciousness for a healthy body and a sound mind.
Spiritually, Sattva Guna is favourable, as it is easier to go beyond the Sattva Guna than the Tamas and Rajas Guna.
Also, the action or Karma (action) of any Dravya (substance) is based on the Guna present in it.[2]
Reference
[1] Moond K, Chahar DS. Exploring the concept of Guru Guna: insights from Ayurveda and modern perspectives. Int J Health Sci Res. 2024 Aug;14(8):457–62. Available from: Link to Study. <Go to Citation>
[2] Mishra S, Dwivedi RR, Ravishankar B. Conceptual and applied study of Snigdha and Ruksa Guna with special reference to Rasa-raktagata Sneha (hyperlipidemia). Ayu. 2011 Apr–Jun;32(2):200–6. doi: 10.4103/0974-8520.92586. Available from: Link to Study. <Go to Citation>
