Nature, is composed of three components, sattva, rajas and tamas, these are always changing and so the mind as part of nature will also change. One day one may feel tired and lethargic and tempted to do nothing and on other days one will feel ready for activity. These changes are natural and need to be accepted and used as an opportunity to train the mind. It is important not to feel disgraced or disheartened by this activity. This will be so until one attains equanimity in life or develops the ability to discriminate between the conscious element, called Purusha or Atman and unconscious element called Prakriti or nature which includes the body, senses, mind and intellect.
A man is known primarily as either tamasic, rajasic or sattvic. Everyone has traces of all these three elements, because these three constitute what is known as Prakriti or nature. But of the three, in each person one element predominates over the other two, and this is the quality by which that person is known.
See more about Three Gunas
The tamasic quality is the lowest and better than tamasic is the rajasic quality – at least the person is active and working. Tamas denotes sleepiness and lethargy, and there is no discrimination in it. In rajas there is activity and reason – reason for the enjoyment of pleasures – how to become more wealthy – how to enjoy sex more and more – all those sorts of things – this is rajas. Then sattvic joy one experiences through meditation, through service to others and through purification of the physical and astral body, etc.
We have to rise up from the tamas to the rajas and from the rajas to the sattva. When you become primarily sattvic, life becomes very easy with no conflicts and you start having an inexpressible joy.
The Lord says that all beings here on this Earth, in the middle region, in the higher regions and even among the gods, have the three qualities (sattva, rajas and tamas) and nobody is without them. And here is a point for understanding – a spiritual seeker needs to transcend all the three, even sattva.
Enlightenment is beyond even the sattvic quality!
What happens then?
Then Bliss happens. Bliss is even beyond joy – and Bliss and God are one. Once Bliss happens it never goes away. It cannot go away because these three modes of nature can never again dominate such a person.
As long as one is in the grip of the three gunas, one does not identify ones existence with God. One is with the three qualities and therefore one is with nature (Prakriti). When we identify ourselves with the Spirit, we are with God, but if we identify ourselves with any of the three qualities (rajas, tamas or sattva), then we
separate ourselves from God.
After the transcendence of all three qualities, there is Truth and there is the Self. Beyond the three gunas is our true and pure Existence. Then there comes into life what is known as equanimity – serenity. One is not plagued by feelings of gloom, pleasure, liking or disliking. One remains the same, always, a Self-realised person.
The whole of this science is given in the Bhagavad Gita. Chapter V, verse 21
The translation goes like this: FROM SATSANGS OF GURUDEV SHRI OJASWI SHARMA
He whose mind remains unattached to sense objects derives through meditation the sattvic
joy which dwells in the mind. Then that yogi having completely identified himself with
Brahma enjoys eternal bliss.