161 – The Three Traits of Karma | Swami Tattwamayananda

Bhagavad Gita | The Essence of Vedanta

Title: The Three Traits of Karta
18th Chapter: verse 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27
Gita is a condensation of the entire vedic literature. The 18th chapter is a condensation of entire Gita.
Lord Krishna divides human traits in three areas – sattvic, rajasik and tamasik.
Jnanam (knowledge), karta (doer), karma (action) and buddhi (intellect) – all can be divided into these three traits. Jnanam refers to our perception of life, how we interpret life. Karma is any kind of activity that we engage in. Karta is how we act and define ourselves in terms of what we do. Buddhi refers to the workings of our emotional system. If we understand our traits in all of these four areas, we can transform and improve ourselves.
We can infer which trait is predominant in a person by observing his external temperament. A sattvik person is calm and serene even in difficult situations. A rajasik person is swayed by his circumstances. A tamasik person is dull and non-responsive., not understanding what is happening around him.
These traits can also be applied to food. Sattvik food keeps us serene. Rajasik food creates excitement. Tamasik food makes us sleepy, confused and deluded.
The 20th, 21st and 22nd verses discuss the three levels of refinement of knowledge - sattvik, rajasik and tamasik. They discuss how people with these three gunas comprehend different situations.
The 20th verse describes the sattvik nature of knowledge. “That knowledge by which one sees the one supreme reality which is immanent, which is all-pervading, which remains the same without division, which is the indweller in every being, is Sattvik knowledge.” Even when perceiving the differences in the world, he keeps in mind the presence of the divine as the unifying factor everywhere.
21st verse: “That knowledge by which one sees everything as different from everything else, by which one sees certain people as eternally good and certain people as eternally bad, is rajasik knowledge.”
22nd verse: “There are people who may have a small, petty idea, which may be irrational, but still, they think that their perception alone is correct. Everything else is false. The knowledge of such people is tamasik.”
The 23rd, 24th and 25th verses discuss the three levels of refinement of actions - sattvik, rajasik and tamasik. The way we act and perform our responsibilities is also a sign of spiritual growth.
23rd verse: “When we do our actions considering it as our sacred duty, without extreme attachment, without aversion to anyone, without any selfish expectations of benefits – such action is sattvik.”
24th verse: “Actions that are done with selfish desire, and which are done with strain to the mental system, are rajasik.”
Actions done without selfish motives and attachment keeps the mind tranquil. Actions done with selfish motives and attachment unsettles our mind and emotional system.
25th verse: “People who are reckless and ruthless, who do not worry about consequences, who are slaves of their impulses, who do not worry about loss of money or resources, who do not worry about whether their actions bring harm to others, who want to finish the action at any cost – their actions are tamasik.”
Lord Krishna describes Karma Yoga as a method by which we can make ourselves sattvik. At a mental level, we do not have control over what thought comes next. At a physical level, we have more freedom. By doing noble activities without selfish motives, in the midst of our normal professional duties, we generate spiritual energy and deposit more sattvik properties in the mental system.
The 26th, 27th and 28th verses discuss the three levels of refinement of karta (doer) - sattvik, rajasik and tamasik.
26th verse: “Who is a sattvik karta? He is totally devoid of any attachment. He does a lot of good things but does not identify himself as the doer.”
If we engage in a lot of work without sense of doer ship, we are not fatigued. The body may take a toll, but the mind stays fresh.
Shankaracharya says: “The kindergarten of spiritual life is to engage in some good noble activity.” That approach is described in the 26th verse. It turns the mind sattvik.
At the age of seven, Shankaracharya became a monk. By the age of eight, he had read the scriptures. By the age of sixteen, he had mastered the scriptures and written philosophical discourses. We read the Gita today because of his commentaries. He walked the Indian subcontinent four times and left by the age of thirty-two. Sister Nivedita says on Shankaracharya’s greatness: “This is greatness that we can only appreciate from a distance but can never understand.”
27th verse: “Who is rajasik karta? His mind moves from one polar opposite to another, from extreme joy to depression. When he gets expected results, he is overjoyed (harsha). When he does not get expected results, he is depressed (shoka). Obsessed by what he is doing, he is mentally fatigued.”
The secret to happiness is to stop looking for happiness all the time.
The way to get rid of obsessive attachment is to feed the mind with great spiritual ideas, give it good mental food.