Types of Human Behavioural Patterns

 Types of Human Behavioural Patterns

In the 17th chapter of the Holy Bhagavad Gita, Bhagavan Krishna has explained about the Sattvik, Rajasik and Tamasik Gunas or mental temperaments of a person. These three traits bind a person to different life conditions. Let’s try to understand what these traits are.

Sattvik

Sattvik: A person with sattvik mindset is righteous, mature, and poised. His nature is dominated by Sato Guna, which symbolises purity of mind, thoughts, words & actions. His personality is defined by qualities like wisdom, harmony, balance, and moral excellence. This guna binds him with the love of eternal bliss and knowledge. It also reflects in his dietary habits. He is a vegetarian and teetotaller, non-smoker and abstains from other intoxicants.

Rajasik

Rajasik: People with rajasic traits are known to be having passionate, desirous and disturbed thoughts. They symbolise motion. Their nature is dominated by traits like arrogance, impulse, stubbornness, and anger. They love to have non-vegetarian food and delicacies. They often experience awkward situations because of their reckless behaviour.

Tamasic

Tamasic: Persons having tamasic traits symbolise delirium or unconsciousness. They are completely different from people with sattvic and rajasic gunas. By nature, they are sluggish, live a life of darkness, and don’t pay attention to physical and mental purification. Such people overindulge in satisfying their carnal desires. Apart from overeating and oversleeping, they live a life of debauchery and shirk hard work.

Transcending These Three Gunas

Above all these traits, the Sattvik Guna is considered the best attribute because of its qualities. However, any kind of attachment to sattvik and other two attributes become a hindrance in the path of emancipation. This binds a person’s self to the ego. It is impossible for a person with sattvik attributes or yogi to achieve emancipation until he transcends all these three attributes.

The verse 14.20 of the Gita says, "One who transcends the three gunas originating in the body, sets himself free from birth, disease, old age, misery and death; and finally attains enlightenment."

So, one should make efforts to control their respective level of gunas by detaching themselves from these positive and negative qualities. Living a yogic lifestyle is instrumental in achieving this stage.

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