प्रीत्यप्रीतिविषादात्मकाः प्रकाशप्रवृत्तिनियमार्थाः ।
अन्योऽन्याभिभवाश्रयजननमिथुनवृत्तयश्च गुणाः ॥१२॥
prītyaprītiviṣādātmakāḥ prakāśapravṛttiniyamārthāḥ ।
anyo’nyābhibhavāśrayajananamithunavṛttayaśca guṇāḥ ॥12॥
Prīti-pleasure; aprīti=pain; viṣād=dullness, dejection; ātmakāḥ=of the nature of; prakāśa=illumination; pravṛtti=action, movement; niyama=restraint; arthāḥ=for the purpose of; anyo’nya=mutual; abhibhava=dominance; āśraya=dependence; janana=production; mithuna=cooperation; vṛttayaḥ=nature; ca=and; guṇāḥ=the three gunas
The gunas are of the nature of pleasure, pain and delusion; they serve the purpose of illumination, action and restraint, and are mutually dominating, supporting, productive and cooperative.
This verse begins the description of the three gunas – sattva, rajas and tamas. Even though these three names are not mentioned in this verse, they are carried backward from verse #13. As is traditional in ancient literature, the sequence of attributes listed in this verse needs to follow the sequence of sattva, rajas and tamas as given in verse #13.
In the first part of the verse, the nature of the three gunas is given. Thus, sattva is of the nature of pleasure (priti), rajas of pain (apriti) and tamas delusion (vishada).
Even though the word priti has been translated as pleasure, it can also be extended to mean such qualities as simplicity, modesty, faith, patience, wisdom, contentment, forgiveness, tenderness, caring etc. Similarly apriti (rajas) may include such qualities as grief, jealousy, hatred, violence, abuse, animosity, infidelity, etc.; and vishada (tamas) may include meanings such as fear, separation, sleepiness, sloth, miserliness, dishonesty, greed, ignorance, repulsion, defamation, insult etc.
The second part of the verse describes the purpose of each of these gunas. Sattva guna illumines, rajas creates movement or action and tamas offers restraint.
Since every entity in the manifest Prakriti is a combination of these three gunas, the last part of the verse describes their behavior as a part of mutual coexistence. None of the gunas is capable of independent action as they need each other in some way to become effective. A brief description is given below:
Mutual dominance: When one of the gunas needs to function, it gains dominance by suppressing the activities of the other two. Thus priti (pleasure) can be experienced only when sattva can dominate by suppressing both rajas and tamas. Similar logic applies when rajas and tamas have to perform their respective functions.
For example, when I sit for meditation, sattva needs to dominate and curb any urge for action by suppressing rajas and any tendency to become lazy, sleepy, dull etc. by suppressing tamas. When I need to go shopping, rajas guna needs to dominate by suppressing sattva and tamas. Similarly, at the end of the day, when I need to go to sleep to rejuvenate my body and mind, tamas guna needs to dominate by suppressing sattva and rajas.
Mutual support: All the three gunas need each other’s support for their respective functions. For example, when I sit down to practice pranayama, rajas is dominant during the practice. However, it needs the help of sattva to keep the mind focused and steady and it needs the help of tamas to keep the body stable.
Mutual production: Here, the word “janana” (production) needs to be taken to mean transformation. Thus, buddhi (intellect) is the result of transformation of the gunas from Mula Prakriti. All objects within the manifest creation are the result of transformation of the gunas in different proportions.
Mutual consort: The commentators don’t clearly explain what this is supposed to imply. The fact that the gunas work in cooperation with each other is implied in all the previous activities described. Most commentators quote the following verse (without much explanation) from Devī Bhāgavat (verse 3.8):
Anyonyamithunaḥ sarve sarve sarvatra gāminaḥ |
Rajaso mithunam sattvam sattvasya mithunam rajaḥ
Lin Tamasaścapi mithune te sattvarajasi ubhe
Ubhayoḥ sattvarajasor mithunam Tama ucyate |
Naiṣāmādiḥ samprayogo viyogo vopalabhayate ||
“All the three attributes are mutual consorts; all go everywhere (i.e. are omnipresent). Sattva is the consort of Rajas, Rajas is the consort of Sattva; both of these Sattva and Rajas are the consorts of Tamas and Tamas is the consort of both Sattva and Rajas. The first union or disunion of these has never been seen.’
Mutual existence: Whereas Gaudapada has taken the word “vṛttayaḥ” in the second line to be a separate activity of the gunas, V. Mishra has used is as being common to the previous four; thus according to V. Mishra it is taken as “anyo’nya-abhibhav vritti” (of the nature of mutual suppression), “anyo’nya āśraya vritti” (mutual support) etc. Gaudapada gives the example of a beautiful woman. She is the source of delight to her dear husband, a source of pain and jealousy to her co-wives and a source of delusion and pain to another man attracted to her. Another example given is that of dark clouds. They bring joy to the farmer who is expecting rain, urge him to activity but may bring pain for lovers for fear of separation caused by rain.
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