Sattva means balance. When *sattva* is dominant, there is balance in you. When *rajogun* is dominant then restlessness, desires and fear comes. When *tamogun* is dominant, then dullness, inertia and dejection comes. A feeling of dejection and depression is the nature of tamogun

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        🌺 ASHTAVAKRA GITA🌺

    

                🌿Chapter - 20🌿

               ~ Repose In Being ~

                  🌱 Day - 110 🌱

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This creation is made up of five elements. Our body is made up of five elements, seven substances, three qualities and three modes. The *five* *elements* [gross classification] are; earth, water, ether, fire and air. The *seven* *dhatus* *or* *substances* are rasa (blood plasma), rakta (blood), mamsa (muscle), meda (fat), asthi (bone and skeleton), majja (bone marrow and nervous tissue) and shukra (reproductive tissue). The *three* *gunas* *[qualities]* are : sattva guna, rajogun and tamogun. The *three* *doshas* [distortions, modulations or variations] : vata, pitta and kapha. When they are in balance, you feel very well, wonderful. When they are imbalanced, then the system is imbalanced, the body is imbalanced and the mind is imbalanced; the intellect is overshadowed. The *eight* *prakritis* are earth, water, fire, air, ether, mind, intellect and ego. The entire creation is made up of the eight prakritis i.e. five elements and mind, intellect and ego.

Beyond the ego, the intellect and the mind, is Self, para - the transcendental. The mind experiences pleasantness and unpleasantness. Have you experienced the difference between the mind and your intellect? The mind experiences while the intellect judges. While the mind experiences a situation, the intellect judges it as good or bad, right or wrong. When you meditate, just observe the mind and intellect. There is a clear distinction between these two. The mind experiences through the senses, while the intellect just observes and judges.

So intellectually you know and you decide, but your mind overpowers the intellect, and then you get overshadowed. Beyond that intellect is ego. Ego means, 'I am', 'I am somebody'. But beyond ego is Being.

Two types of food are given to the body. One is the gross food - the food that you eat and the other is the subtle food, environmental food - the air you breathe, the situation you are in, your thoughts. All these subtle currents in you.

So when there is an imbalance in the system, either rajogun or tamogun will be dominant. Sattva means balance. When *sattva* is dominant, there is balance in you. When *rajogun* is dominant then restlessness, desires and fear comes. When *tamogun* is dominant, then dullness, inertia and dejection comes. A feeling of dejection and depression is the nature of tamogun. Sattva guna dominates, then rajogun dominates and then tamoguna dominates. There is never an ideal situation where the gunas and doshas don't change at all. It is in the very nature of the universe that the gunas and doshas change. This is the very next sutra.

Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankarji

ASHTAVAKRA GITA

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