Chapter 15The Sankhya-Yoga System · Tanmatra

If the gunas are quiescent, then Prakriti ceases to act — unless the gunas are transformed into their divine equivalents, — then

* I don’t think it1 is correct myself. It is supposed that when the three qualities are not in an equalised condition, when there is a diversity and movement of variation, then creation is active — otherwise all becomes quiescent original Prakriti. It is doubtful if it is actually so.

* Transcendence of the three gunas is a state of liberation in which one is not affected by the action of the gunas; but even before that is attained there can be a complete and living faith in the Divine.

The three gunas become purified and refined and changed into their divine equivalents: sattwa becomes jyotih., the authentic spiritual light; rajas becomes tapas, the tranquilly intense divine force; tamas becomes ´sama, the divine quiet, rest, peace.

* You cannot drive out rajas and tamas, you can only convert them and give the predominance to sattwa. Tamas and rajas disappear only when the higher consciousness not only comes down but controls everything down to the cells of the body. They then change into the divine rest and peace and the divine energy or Tapas; finally sattwa also changes into the divine Light. As for remaining quiet when tamas is there, there can also be a tamasic quiet.

* 1 The correspondent asked for an explanation of an aphorism in the Sankhya Sutra (1.61): sattvarajastamas¯a ˙m s¯amy¯avasth¯a prakr.tih.. — Ed.

The Prakriti can be psychicised and spiritualised and the gunas yet remain, but with the sattwa dominant and the rajas and tamas enlightened by the sattwa. As the transformation in-creases, the gunas change more and more towards their divine equivalents, but it is only when the supramental comes that there is the full change.

* The transformation of the gunas is necessary for the perfection of the nature, not for liberation. Liberation comes by loss of ego and desire.

When the consciousness as well as the action is free from ego and desire, there is always a fundamental calm. This calm remains whether sattwa predominates or not. Sattwa need not always predominate, because to become sattwic is not the object of sadhana. To need to be always sattwic would be a limitation. Whatever guna predominates in the action, to be free, desireless, calm behind all actions, is the condition of the liberated man.

* The sattwa predominates [when action is done without desire and ego], the rajas acts as a kinetic movement under the control of sattwa until the tamas imposes the need of rest. That is the usual thing. But even if the tamas predominates and the action is weak or the rajas predominates and the action is excessive, neither the Purusha nor the Prakriti get disturbed, there is a fundamental calm in the whole being and the action is no more than a ripple or an eddy on the surface.

It is possible that the fatigue or lethargy comes as the wrong condition which has to be replaced by the peace. As rajas, kinetic passion, has to be replaced by tapas, the spiritual force, so tamas, the obscure inertia, has to be replaced by ´sama, the luminous quietude and peace.

* The peace (´sama) is the pure form, tamas is its degraded or perverted form — just as rajas is the degraded or perverse form of Tapas. When there is the transformation, tamas can be got rid of — but till then there is always a possibility of its mixing with the peace or stillness so long as that is not perfect and all-pervading.

* A dynamic descent brings tapas not ´sama. It is a greater and greater descent of peace that brings ´sama — the dynamic descent helps it by dispersing the element of rajasic disturbance and changing rajas into tapas.

The tamas is part of the general physical Nature and so long as that is not fully changed and illumined, something of it remains; but one has only to go on opening oneself to the Mother’s consciousness and in time the tamas too will change into the inner divine rest and peace.

* All undesirable things are a mistranslation in the Ignorance of something that on a higher plane is or might be desirable. Inertia, tamas, is the mistranslation of the divine ´sama, rest, quietude, peace; pain is a mistranslation of Ananda, lust of love etc. It is only when the lower perversions are got rid of that the higher things in their truth can reign.

* It is the tendency of the physical to substitute its own inertia for the emptiness. The true emptiness is the beginning of what I call in the Arya ´sama — the rest, calm, peace of the eternal Self — which has finally to replace tamas, the physical inertia. Tamas is the degradation of ´sama, as rajas is the degradation of Tapas, substitute its own inertia for the calm, peace or rest of the true consciousness, just as the vital is always trying to substitute its rajas for the true action of the Force.

* It [sleepiness] is the physical tamas trying to push itself into the place of the calm. Part of the transformation consists in replacing the element of tamas in the nature by the ´sama or true calm, peace, rest, of which tamas or inertia is the degradation or perversion in the lower nature (for each of the three gunas has its divine counterpart in the higher nature). But tamas being the settled habit of the inferior nature tries to persist and keep or get back its place. That is the reason why this kind of alternation takes place between the two.

* Inert ´sama is ´sama still mixed with tamas — a quietude that has no force of action (tapas) in it, no positive principle of happy ease, no positive light of knowledge — but is still calm, repose, release from all disturbance.

* It [tamas] has to be transformed into ´sama, the peace and rest of the higher Prakriti, and then filled with tapas and jyotih.. But this can only be done completely in the physical when the physical is finally transformed by the supramental Power.

sciousness (involved, not evolved) in Prakriti out of which individuality and formation come.