Hindus have Trimurti as Brahma, Vishnu, & Shiva which were represented initially as Indra, Surya, and Agni and the elements of water, sky, and fire. As we know, Tridev is the deification of the universal principles of creation, preservation, & destruction. It is also about nature. It is also elemental.
Look at the Vedic fire ceremony, Yagna. There are offerings of the earth & water elements to the fire, resulting in air & space. These elements also reflect the sub, subtle, or psychological doshas and/or principles of Ojas, Tejas, & Prana. Ojas relates to water, Tejas to fire, and Prana to air.
The Hindu dharma has many important ‘threes’. We have Trimurti. Creation, preservation, and destruction. The three syllables of Aum, which represent the three states of consciousness. The waking state, dream state, and the state of deep sleep.
The syllables of AUM are also related to these metaphysical doshas: Ojas, Tejas, and Prana. The A- sound relates to Ojas, the U- sound to Tejas, and the M-sound to Prana. Conversely, the A- sound relates to water & earth, the U- sound to fire, the M- sound to air, and the fourth silent syllable of AUM, the Turiya, relates to space or ether.
We have the three main Ayurvedic doshas of Vata, Pitta, and Kapha. The three main elements of air, fire, and water, and the three Gunas: Sattva, Rajas, and Tamas. In the Sankhya system we have Purusha or pure unconditional consciousness, Prakruti or primordial nature and Shakti, and the Pranava Aum, which is the underlying vibratory fabric of the entire universe.
Ether or space, the akasha, is the primary or initial element created from Purusha or pure consciousness. Ether in motion becomes wind or air. Air is a principle of movement. Movement creates friction and heat, leading to fire. Fire melds consciousness into water. Water brings molecules together to create the earth element.
The ears experience ether through sound. The skin feels air through the sense of touch. The eyes perceive the light of fire by sight. The mouth experiences the water element with taste, and the nose experiences the earth element by smell. The qualities of what we intake through the senses greatly affects the quality of the mind.
The body-mind complex is made up of these five gross elements, and the mind itself consists of subtle forms of these elements. Again, Ojas relates to water and provides mental immunity and resilience. Tejas relates to fire and provides us with intellect and comprehension. Prana relates to air and provides mental vibrancy and the ability to change our minds and transcend harmful or burdensome emotions, thoughts, and memories.
The mind-body complex can be defined and categorized according to one’s dosha. Vata is a combination of ether and air. Pitta is a combination of fire and water, and Kapha is a combination of water and earth. A Vata-dominant person will share the characteristics of space and air. The Pitta-dominant person will share the characteristics of fire, and the Kapha-dominant person will have the characteristics of water and earth.
One must first ascertain what one’s nature, dosha, or prakruti is. Then one must know if one has a current state of imbalance or Vikruti. When these are known, it is not too complex to ascertain what dietary, herbal, and lifestyle changes to make for the purpose of optimal health. One can also learn about a variety of highly effective and highly therapeutic Yogic and Tantric practices, as well as subtle healing modalities which may be therapeutic, such as aromatherapy and bija mantra therapy.
The gunas, like the bodily doshas, are all in a constant state of flux or change. The word ‘dosha’ means ‘that which gets affected’ or ‘that which changes.’ The unmodified, normative state of the mind is most chaotic, as it is under the influence of continuous impressions coming in through the senses as well as the foreign imposition and compulsion of conscious and subconscious thought patterns. The mind itself is the sixth sense and is a culmination of all these impressions and untamed thoughts.
What does not change along with the motions of living in the world of maya, is the Self. Consciousness. The witness or that which only observes change, but does not itself, alter. We can watch a bottle break, but that observation does not shatter pure consciousness, nor the eyes. The eyes are fine, but the mind can break. The Atma is of course, unaffected by the imposition of foreign stimuli, as well as the coercions of thought.
The transcendent one is he/she who neither hates or desires the presence or absence of joyful illumination, material attachment, or delusion. One who remains steady or undisturbed by constant changes and transformations of the gunas, and simply says only the gunas are changing.” ~Bhagavad Gita 4.22-23
Regarding again, the subtle doshas: We must have Ojas for a stable mind and sturdy body. We must have Tejas for proper metabolism, to process knowledge, and to burn away burdensome ideas, beliefs, memories, and emotions. We must have Prana to be flexible, energetic, and we must have Prana for mental mobility and flexibility. We must have Prana for change and transitions. These three subtle doshas must be purified, increased, and balanced; And they can be qualified by the gunas. They relate to the Gunas. Ojas relates to Tamas, Tejas to Rajas, and Prana to Sattva.
Managing our individual dosha along with Ojas, Tejas, and Prana can be done by simply understanding a fundamental rule of Ayurveda. That is that like attracts like, and opposites detract from excess and deficiency.
If our atmosphere, thoughts, words, and actions are of Sattva guna, then we attract more of that quality into ourselves and our lives. The same can be said if our surroundings, thoughts, words, and actions are of Rajas or Tamas guna. If we are stuck in inertia and depression, we can consciously change what is taken into the senses along with the qualities of our carriers, relationships, thoughts, words, and deeds to Rajas-guna and then perhaps to Sattva-guna. Depression and inertia would be solved by applying Rajas or activity to counter the inertia of Tamas, and then one may proceed to transcend the kinetic energy of Rajas into a more pure and peaceful procession towards qualities and characteristics of Sattva guna.
All three gunas have their importance. It is not necessarily so, that Sattva is all good, and Tamas is all bad. As with much of Ayurvedic medicine and psychology and as with the Hindu Dharma itself, not all people are the same. Both traditions recognise and encourage individuality and independence or Svadharma first and social Dharma second, because what is the point of having a society made of adharmic atomotons stuck in group-think or hive-mind mentality?
A Sattvtic person will have spiritual and devotional aspirations, along with a desire for higher metaphysical states of consciousness. A Rajasic person will tend towards placing their time and energy into their careers and will desire wealth or possessions. A Tamasic person may tend towards malevolence and lethargy. Of course, we all possess all three of these gunas in some measure or another. All three are necessary for life and have both positive and negative forms and functions. Even a very Sattvic monk who lives on the ideal plane, may need to utilize Tamas guna to keep from becoming too idealistic, overly imaginative, or to keep them down to earth and in what most others would call ‘the real world.’
Back to the subtle doshas of Ojas, Tejas, and Prana: To increase Ojas we need rest, stillness, meditation, and a nutritious diet. To increase Tejas we need mental stimulation, study, an inquiring mind, and spiced or flavorful foods. To increase Prana we need only observe a Prana-rich diet and tend to our Yogic breathing or Pranayama practice.
Note that the qualities, the forms and functions of Ojas pertain to and resemble the qualities of water and earth. Tejas pertains to and resembles the qualities of fire. Prana pertains to and resembles the qualities of air. Notice when we practice just a few minutes of Pranayama, then experience a sense of great stillness and tranquility, which pertains to and resembles the qualities of space. Notice how we feel a sense of strength after a nutritious meal. This is due to fresh Ojas. Notice the sense of illumination after reading Veda or the Gita. This is due to the fire of Tejas.
Remember, the first Hindu deities were elemental and related specifically to nature. Indra to storms, Surya to the sun, Vayu to wind, Agni to fire, and Varuna to the oceans. Think again of the Homam or Vedic fire ceremony. There is the clay structure around the fire and the offerings of grains, ghee, dahi, incense, fruits, etc. These come from the earth. The fire is considered to be the mouth of god. When the offering of earth and water are placed into the fire they transform into smoke, wind, ether, and prana. Thus purifying the atmosphere. The same sort of ritual is meant for both our physical and mental health.
In the Agnihotra, we can see all five elements. We can see the three doshas, the three subtle or mental doshas, and we can see the three gunas. We can even sense all five elements in something as simple as a flower. The taste of the flower is water. The color is fire. The perfume of the flower is earth. The blooming of the flower is space, and the soft touch of the flower is air.
All these things: Impressions, thoughts, relationships, lifestyle, climate, sensory stimuli, the doshas, the elements, career, our tissues, the nadis and koshas, the motor organs, the sense organs, our moods, actions and reactions, our family life, and all else can be qualified by the gunas of Sattva, Rajas, and Tamas.
Sattva is serenity, purity, and peace. It is related to the element of space. Tamas is inertia, stability, resistance, and fortitude. It is related to the earth element. Rajas is kinetic energy and is dual. It drifts into both the Sattva side and the Tamas side. It is related to air. Sattva guna brings peace, bliss, and buddhi. Rajas guna brings brilliance, prosperity, and material pleasures. Tamas guna brings rest and recuperation. There is great value in understanding the forms and functions of the gunas.
Unlike the individual’s bodily Ayurvedic dosha, where one person’s balanced state is another person’s state of derangement, Ojas, Tejas, and Prana are to be kept in a state of balance with one another, and this is the ideal for all people. Increasing one and not the others leads to some detriment. The Sattvic state of mind is ideal. However, in excess, it can lead one to some measure of delusion. The Tamasic state of mind in excess, can lead to melancholy and stagnation. The Rajasic state of mind in excess, can lead to being overly opulent and materialistic.
Too much Prana can lead to becoming a ‘space cadet.’ Too much Tejas and one can become a ‘hot head.’ Too much Ojas and one can become lethargic and overly sentimental or ‘wishy-washy.’ These psychological doshas also affect the body of course, and the bodily doshas of Vata, Pitta, and Kapha also affect the mind. One must first be concerned with the health of the body. Without which we have no brain, which is an instrument of the mind. The mind is an instrument of awareness, and awareness is an instrument of consciousness.
Even Bhagavan Krishna tells Arjuna not to so freely share his teachings with those who are unaware of the workings of the gunas.
“Those who are sincere but are unaware of the distorting effects of the gunas continue to act by compulsion. Therefore, those who do understand should be careful in educating those who do not yet understand, so that the necessary actions and responsibilities of their lives are not disrupted.” ~Bhagavad Gita 3.29
-Sean Bradrick
