Guna is simply defined as character or quality, but has a
broader meaning. A guna is also an influence or impulse. The cosmic matter is
made up of three gunas. Everything on Earth also has a predominant guna, as
well as the more specific qualities obtained from their elemental makeup. Just
as our bodies contain all of the elements, our minds have each of the gunas.
The three basic gunas/qualities have no directly equivalent
terms in English. They are:
• Sattva
(knowledge, purity)
• Rajas
(action, passion), and
• Tamas
(inertia, ignorance).
Foods, plants, animals and people can all be grouped
according to their dominant quality/guna. To refer to a guna is a reference to
the qualities displayed by that entity or object, whether sattvic, rajasic or
tamasic.
In the human context, guna usually refers to the quality of
the mind and character of a person. That is, whether they are calm, gentle,
patient and tolerant (sattvic), passionate, spontaneous, greedy, materialistic,
exploitative and focused on sense gratification (rajasic), or ignorant, lazy,
insensitive and deceitful (tamasic).
All three types of guna are present in everyone, and each
may be displayed in different contexts. People can alternate between gunas
depending on the environmental context and their diet, as well as phase of life
and other factors. This is because the guna of food consumed, and the
surrounding social or physical environment directly influence the mind guna.
Just as the five elements are present and may alternate in
predominance depending on the environment, the various gunas may dominate in
particular circumstances. As human beings, our objective is to increase our
sattvic guna by choosing to eat and do those things that are also sattvic in
nature. The quality of the food we eat, and our environment, are therefore
crucial to maintaining mental health.
As mentioned earlier, the mind is inherently connected to
the body. Increasing our contact with, or consumption of, rajasic or tamasic
things ultimately creates an imbalance in the mind and distress in the body.
This is followed by disease and sickness in a variety of forms. If your dosha
is unbalanced it can similarly disturb the mind guna. This link between the
mind and body can often make diagnosis of the origin of some diseases difficult.
Did it originate in the mind and then disturb the body, or vice versa?
Ayurvedic medical theory and science, although ancient, has
enduring relevance and wisdom for human beings in any age. It has been used to
treat millions of people over centuries, and will continue to offer insight to
people well into the future.