Gods and Gunas

[saidevo]

The custom of worshipping our trimurti Brahma-Vishnu-Shiva, has been the legacy of our puranas. As Swami Sivananda says, of the eighteen puranas "six are Sattvic Puranas and glorify Vishnu; six are Rajasic and glorify Brahma; six are Tamasic and they glorify Siva."

Brahma, as the Creator of the universe is all action, so he is associated with rajo guna. As the head of Vedas, and as the consort of the Vidya Goddess Sarasvati, Brahma is the representative of the ultimate vidya, so the satva guna is also part of him.

Vishnu is associated with satva guna, the most desirable of the three gunas. True to his name, he pervades each and every point in the universes he has created (sarvam vishnu mayam jagat). In the Kali Yuga, the sum total of gunas of the universe may not probably be satva, so Vishnu as the immanent God, needs to have other gunas as well.

Shiva is associated with tamo guna, perhaps the least desirable of the three. Tamas is ignorance, inaction and inertia. How does this guna help Shiva in his role as Rudra in the dissolution of the world? Even as Dakshinamurti, Shiva may be said to be satvic and not tamasic in nature, though he appears as inert as a stAnu (a withered stump). Among the Trinity, Shiva may be said to have highlighted all the three gunas in his role of Mahadeva, Nataraja, Rudra and Dakshinamurti.

How can we explain the primary guna attributed to each of the three Gods?

[sarabhanga]

Saguna Brahma is the immediate cause of Trimurti, and the highest abstraction of Narayana may be equated with Saguna Brahma.

Nirguna Brahma is the highest philosophical abstraction or ultimate Truth; however, according to the “Uttama Satya” (ultimate Truth) of Shri Gaudapada’s Ajativada (doctrine of Non-origination), Nirguna Brahma cannot actually be the cause of anything.

Guna means “a single thread or strand of a cord or twine”, “string or thread”, “rope”, “a garland”, “a bow-string”, “the string of a musical instrument” , “a multiplier”, “a subdivision, species, or kind”, “a secondary element”, “a subordinate or unessential part of any action”, “an auxiliary act”, “a side-dish”, “the secondary or less immediate object of an action”, “a quality, peculiarity, attribute, or property”, “an ingredient or constituent of Prakriti”, “the number three”, “an epithet”, “good quality”, “virtue”, “merit”, “excellence”, “an organ of sense”.

All Gunas may be reduced to the three essential categories of Sattva, Rajas, and Tamas (which indicate much more than the trivial classes of “goodness”, “passion”, and “ignorance”), but there is another more comprehensive list of 24 principal Gunas, including: Rupa ~ shape and colour; Rasa ~ savour; Gandha ~ odour; Sparsha ~ tangibility; Samkhya ~ number; Parimana ~ dimension; Prithaktva ~ severalty; Samyoga ~ conjunction; Vibhaga ~ disjunction; Paratva ~ remoteness; Aparatva ~ proximity; Gurutva ~ weight; Dravatva ~ fluidity; Sneha ~ viscidity; Shabda ~ sound; Buddhi or Jnana ~ understanding or knowledge; Sukha ~ pleasure; Duhkha ~ pain; Iccha ~ desire; Dvesha ~ aversion; Prayatna ~ effort; Dharma ~ merit or virtue; Adharma ~ demerit; and Amskara ~ the self-reproductive quality.

And Nirguna Brahman is beyond all of this.

1. Vishva ~ the grossly manifest world of mortal incarnation (i.e. Tamas guna and “ordinary consciousness”).
2. Taijasa ~ the subtly manifest world of the dreaming state (i.e. Rajas guna and “subconsciousness”).
3. Prajna ~ the subtle realm of deep sleep (Sattva guna and “unconsciousness”).

1. Vaishvanara = Kriya
2. Taijasa = Iccha = Vimarsha
3. Prajna = Jnana = Prakasha
4. Turiya = Ananda = Anuttara

The Gunas are Qualities, but only Samkhya and some interpretations of Patanjali's Yoga (and perhaps the Jainas ~ I am not sure) would understand Sattva, Rajas, and Tamas, as "material" qualities.

Materials may be described as relatively sattvik or rajasik or tamasik, although only the Tamas Guna is essentially material in nature.

Sattva is pure Æther (Akasa ~ Without Rein), which exists beyond and implicitly permeates the various dimensions of Creation.

Rajas is essential Fire (Agni), the fire of Time (Kala); and

Tamas, the created Object, is the World of our perception, three-dimensional Space and three material elements:
Vayu (Air), Jala (Water), and Bhu (Earth).

The gross duality is marked between Sattva and Tamas:

Insubstantial (unmanifest) Sattva vs. Substantial (manifest) Tamas,

Spiritual Reality or true Knowledge (vidya) vs. Worldly Reality or untrue Ignorance (avidya),

Inherent (inner, potential, immortal) Life vs. Adherent (outer, past, mortal) Life,

Fluid (motive) Sattva vs. Inert (unmotivated) Tamas,

Good Virtuous Sattva (dharma) vs. Evil Sinful Tamas (adharma),

Satisfied Sattva vs. Unsatisfied Tamas,

Light Sattva vs. Dark Tamas,

Pure (unmixed or united) Sattva vs. Impure (mixed or divided) Tamas,

Tat (that) Sattva vs. Idam (this) Tamas,

Nirguna (unqualified) Sattva vs. Saguna (diversified) Tamas,

Brahma vs. Brahmana

Purusha vs. Prakriti

Hara vs. Hari

Shiva vs. Shakti,

etc. etc. etc.

Kala Brahman is 1 (and thus also 2 & 3); while Akala Brahman is 4 alone.

३ (3) = अ (A) = Vaishvanara = Tamas = Vishnu-Maya = Vimarsha
२ (2) = उ (U) = Taijasa = Rajas = Shiva-Shakti = Prakasha
१ (1) = ँ (M) = Prajna = Sattva = Brahmā-Brāhmī = Anuttara

४ (4) = ॐ (AUM) = Turiya = Nirguna = Brahma = ?

Kala Brahman is Saguna ~ the Anuttara Satya of Pravritti and Bhakti.
Akala Brahman is Nirguna ~ the Uttama Satya of Nivritti and Jnana.

Maya is inherent in Dvaita; and it is the actual perception of duality that is the creative action of Maya.

Maya is “creative illusion”, and the veritable illusion of Jivatman being somehow disconnected from the absolute unity of Paramatman is the very nature of Maya as Avidya.

The whole of Advaita Vedanta is beautifully presented in the Mandukyopanishad.

Prajna (Brahma) is absolutely non-different from Turiya (Brahma) until the very moment that duality is invoked or imagined.

Om is Om, as one whole unit; however, Om may be perceived as being composed of discrete elements, as A + U + M.

All possible subdivisions are always implied in the whole, but those parts are only fleeting components of the eternal reality that lies beyond all duality. And one who perfectly knows that eternal reality does not see any diversity, but rather perceives the whole reality all at once.

The science of the Pranava teaches A. U. M., but this Vidya alone is Avidya. The whole (the so-called fourth foot ~ the Turya) must be comprehended and conceived as the one perfect unity that it truly is.

The triadic foundation of Existence, the veritable Womb (Yoni) of the World, is known to be: Potentiality, Agency, and Actuality.

These are the three Magi who conjure Reality from the Void; the Three Gunas (Qualities) of Sattva, Rajas, and Tamas; the limitless One, the delimiting Divisor, and the limited Several; the Father, the Spirit, and the Son.

The ultimate phenomenal Reality is the non-material and non-spiritual Prakrti, which has three ultimate Attributes (Guna). In absolute equilibrium, there is no manifestation of any phenomenal Reality or any process of change (Avyakta : the absolute non-manifestation of all phenomenal existence).

In Vedanta, the Purusa is Brahman; and “Sunya” is known as Nirguna (Without Attribute) Brahma, whose phenomenal manifestation is Saguna-Brahma.

Prakrti is the possibility, or Mother, of all phenomenal existence, and is nothing but the inscrutable creative Power (Sakti) of Brahma, through which the Supreme Spirit reveals Himself in the phenomenal plane. That Sakti is inherent in Brahma, and is essentially non-different from Him.

A Brief Table of Gunic Concordance

BEYOND.................POTENTIALITY.....AGENCY...............ACTUALITY

Turiya (Purusa)....Sattva.................Rajas..................Tamas
Varuna...................Mitra......................Bhaga..................Aryaman
Varuna...................Brahman................Brh (Vac)..............Brahma
Pranava..................Rgveda..................Yajurveda.............Samaveda
Brahman................ Hotr......................Adhvaryu..............Udgatr
Brahman.................Varuna..................Agni.....................Rudra
Brahman.................Brahma.................Tapas...................Aditya
Brahman...............Brahma...............Shiva (Shakti)......Vishnu
Narayana................Vishnu...................Maya................... Kama
Akala......................Mahakala...............Bhima...................Kala Bhairava
YHVH......................Father (Y)..............Spirit (H)..............Son (V)

N.B. The Legends are Legion.

The Puranas are all relatively tamasic scripture, the Veda is rajasic, and the Vedanta is sattvic.

The Shaiva Puranas represent the most manifest tamasic knowledge of Shiva.
The Brahmana Puranas fully express the creative rajasic knowledge of Brahma.
And the Vaishnava Puranas fully express the most subtle sattvic knowledge of Vishnu.

The Shaiva Puranas are the lowest expression of Shiva, while the Vaishnava Puranas present Vishnu in the best possible light.

[saidevo]

Namaste Sarabhanga,

I have understood much of what you have said in your masterly exposition. Please accept my gratitude and please be around to clear genunine doubts as you have been doing.

PraNAm,
saidevo