Core Teaching

The material world operates under three fundamental modes of nature (gunas): goodness (sattva), passion (rajas), and ignorance (tamas). These modes are like invisible strings controlling our behaviors, moods, preferences, and destinies. Understanding these modes explains why some people are naturally calm while others are restless, why we’re attracted to certain foods and activities, and why life circumstances feel beyond our control. The modes are not inherently good or bad—they are natural forces. However, rising to the mode of goodness and ultimately transcending all three modes to reach pure goodness (shuddha sattva) is the path to spiritual liberation.

Key Concepts

The Three Modes of Material Nature (Gunas)

Sanskrit Term: Guna - rope, chain, quality (pronounced: GOO-nah)

The three modes are compared to ropes or chains that bind the soul to material existence. Just as a prisoner may be bound with gold chains, silver chains, or iron chains—all are still bound, though with different levels of comfort.

1. Mode of Goodness (Sattva Guna)

  • Characteristics: Calm, compassionate, knowledge-seeking, grateful, selfless
  • Activities: Reading philosophy/poetry/science, charitable work without expectation of recognition, simple living, regular spiritual practice
  • Diet: Fresh vegetarian food, fruits, grains, dairy
  • Music: Classical, calming, harmonious
  • Result: Happiness, clarity, peace, upward trajectory toward spiritual understanding
  • Binding quality: Attached to knowledge, purity, and harmonious living

Sanskrit Term: Sattva - goodness, purity (pronounced: SUHT-vah)

2. Mode of Passion (Rajas Guna)

  • Characteristics: Ambitious, restless, competitive, sensually driven, materialistic
  • Activities: Intense work for material gain, pursuit of status/fame, fast-paced lifestyle, constant stimulation
  • Diet: Spicy, salty, sour foods; stimulants (coffee, tea, energy drinks)
  • Music: Rock, intense/passionate music, loud and stimulating
  • Result: Temporary pleasure followed by frustration, anxiety, endless desire
  • Binding quality: Attached to the fruits of work, sense gratification, and achievement

Sanskrit Term: Rajas - passion, activity (pronounced: RAH-jahs)

3. Mode of Ignorance (Tamas Guna)

  • Characteristics: Lazy, deluded, addicted, violent, depressed, escapist
  • Activities: Excessive sleeping (10+ hours), intoxication, gambling, procrastination, neglecting responsibilities
  • Diet: Stale food, meat, alcohol, drugs, overeating
  • Music: Chaotic, violent, degrading lyrics
  • Result: Confusion, inertia, suffering, downward spiral
  • Binding quality: Attached to delusion, sleep, and negligence

Sanskrit Term: Tamas - ignorance, darkness (pronounced: TAH-mahs)

The Puppet Strings Imagery

The video presents a powerful visual: three women (representing the three modes) holding strings attached to a human below. We are like puppets, pulled in different directions by these forces. Sometimes goodness pulls us toward meditation and service; sometimes passion pulls us toward ambition and pleasure; sometimes ignorance pulls us toward laziness and delusion. These forces constantly compete for dominance over our consciousness.

Mixed Modes in Practice

Key Insight: No one is purely in one mode at all times. We are all a “mixed bag” of the three modes, with one usually predominant. A person might be in the mode of goodness at work (thoughtful, compassionate leadership) but slip into passion at home (demanding, irritable) or ignorance on weekends (excessive sleeping, intoxication).

Scriptural Foundation

Bhagavad Gita 14.5:

“Material nature consists of the three modes—goodness, passion and ignorance. When the living entity comes in contact with nature, he becomes conditioned by these modes.”

Bhagavad Gita 18.40:

“There is no being existing, either here or among the demigods in the higher planetary systems, which is freed from the three modes born of material nature.” Meaning: Everything in the material world—every person, creature, and environment—is under the influence of these modes. Liberation means transcending them entirely.

On Transcendence:

“This divine energy of Mine, consisting of the three modes of material nature, is difficult to overcome. But those who have surrendered unto Me can easily cross beyond it.” (Bhagavad Gita 7.14)

Stories & Illustrations

The Three Families - Modes in Action

Dr. and Mrs. Brite (Mode of Goodness)

  • Live in a small, suitable home in a peaceful country town
  • Dr. Brite is a thoughtful, selfless physician respected in the community
  • Hobbies: Reading philosophy, poetry, and science
  • Mrs. Brite and children: Farming, gardening, caring for the family cow
  • Lifestyle: Mildly prosperous, grateful for what they have, take spirituality seriously
  • Abstinences: No gambling, intoxication, smoking, alcohol, coffee, or tea
  • Diet: Strictly vegetarian (no meat, fish, chicken, or eggs)
  • Ethics: Dr. Brite avoids extramarital affairs; both spouses are faithful
  • Limitation: Attached to their harmonious, clean, simple life—still bound by mode of goodness

The Smiths (Mode of Passion)

  • Live in suburbia in a stylish home filled with modern conveniences
  • Larry Smith: Gulps breakfast, fights traffic, works hard dealing with “headaches” all day
  • Motivation: “Money is the honey”—works hard for luxuries, stock market, shady business schemes
  • Gloria Smith: Busy with TV, housewives, beauty salon, shopping; baby was “unexpected”
  • Weekends: Try to be spiritual, but mostly a social affair; disregard scriptural guidelines
  • Characteristic: Constantly active, ambitious, materialistic, spirituality is superficial

John Dole and Betty Grumble (Mode of Ignorance)

  • Unmarried but live together in a run-down New York City apartment
  • Income: Welfare checks + drug dealing
  • Spirituality: Want no part of it
  • Activities: Sleeping 10-12 hours/day, getting high on drugs, beer, languishing
  • Dreams: Starting a commune in Spain, Madagascar, or Nepal (never acted upon)
  • Result: Surrounded by mode of ignorance—confusion, inertia, degradation

Lesson: These families illustrate how the modes shape every aspect of life—housing, work, relationships, diet, values, and spiritual inclination.

Animal Examples of the Modes

Elephant (Mode of Goodness)

  • Eats only fresh vegetarian food (grass)
  • Large, strong, and gentle
  • Intelligent enough to work harmoniously with humans

Tiger (Mode of Passion)

  • Fierce, restless, aggressive by nature
  • Kills and eats flesh of other animals
  • Constantly driven by hunger and sensual desire

Jackal (Mode of Ignorance)

  • Eats leftovers after other animals have eaten (scavenger)
  • Fearful, lazy, avoids effort
  • Nocturnal—shuns daylight, lives in darkness

Practical Application (Sadhana)

Daily Practices:

  1. Mode Awareness Exercise: Throughout the day, identify which mode is influencing your current state:
    • Morning routine: Am I sluggish (tamas), rushing (rajas), or calm and clear (sattva)?
    • Food choices: Am I craving heavy/stale food (tamas), spicy/stimulating (rajas), or fresh/simple (sattva)?
    • Work approach: Am I procrastinating (tamas), frantically competing (rajas), or working with purpose and peace (sattva)?
    • Evening: Am I collapsing in escapism (tamas), restlessly pursuing pleasure (rajas), or engaging in uplifting activities (sattva)?
  2. Cultivate Sattva (Goodness):
    • Wake early: Rise before or with the sun (sattvic time)
    • Eat sattvic foods: Fresh fruits, vegetables, grains, dairy; avoid meat, alcohol, and stale food
    • Environment: Keep living space clean, organized, peaceful
    • Association: Spend time with calm, spiritually-minded people
    • Activities: Reading uplifting literature, meditation, service, gratitude practice
  3. Reduce Rajas (Passion):
    • Limit caffeine and stimulants
    • Practice non-attachment to outcomes at work
    • Reduce unnecessary competition and comparison
    • Take breaks from constant activity; practice stillness
  4. Eliminate Tamas (Ignorance):
    • Reduce sleep to 6-8 hours (not 10-12 hours)
    • Avoid intoxicants, gambling, mindless entertainment
    • Engage in purposeful activity rather than procrastination
    • Seek knowledge and clarity rather than remaining in confusion
  5. Transcend All Modes (Shuddha Sattva):
    • Daily mantra meditation (Hare Krishna)
    • Associate with devotees and spiritually advanced souls
    • Offer all activities to Krishna/Supreme
    • Eat only prasadam (food offered to God)
    • Serve others selflessly without expectation

Contemplation Questions:

  • Which mode predominantly influences my life right now? Provide specific examples.
  • When do I slip from goodness to passion or ignorance? What triggers these shifts?
  • How do the modes influence my diet, entertainment, relationships, and work?
  • What small changes can I make to increase sattva in my life?

Common Obstacles & Solutions

Obstacle 1: “I recognize I’m in the mode of ignorance or passion, but I feel powerless to change.” Solution: Awareness is the first step! The modes are powerful, but not all-powerful. Start small: change one thing (wake 30 minutes earlier, eat one sattvic meal, chant for 5 minutes). Consistency matters more than perfection. Association with people in higher modes naturally elevates you. The grace of the Supreme can help you overcome what seems impossible.

Obstacle 2: “The mode of goodness sounds boring. I like excitement, ambition, and achievement (rajas).” Solution: Understand that rajas gives temporary highs followed by frustration, exhaustion, and suffering. True joy comes from sattva—a deep, lasting peace and clarity. Goodness doesn’t mean inactivity; it means purposeful, centered action without anxiety. Also remember: even sattva must be transcended. The ultimate goal is shuddha sattva (pure goodness), which includes divine bliss beyond material pleasure.

Obstacle 3: “I work in a high-stress, competitive corporate environment. How can I cultivate goodness there?” Solution: You don’t have to change jobs immediately. Practice “servant leadership”—work with integrity, help colleagues, remain calm under pressure, don’t burn bridges. Take sattvic lunches, practice breathing exercises during breaks, and don’t gossip or engage in office politics. Your internal mode matters more than external circumstances. As the Gita teaches, perform your duty with equanimity.

Obstacle 4: “Sometimes I feel pulled in all three directions at once—tired but restless but also wanting peace.” Solution: This is normal! The modes are constantly competing. When you feel this tug-of-war, pause. Take 10 deep breaths. Ask: “What does my higher self need right now?” Usually, the answer is: rest (if genuinely tired), stillness (if restless), or spiritual practice (if seeking peace). The mode you feed grows stronger.

Connection to Bhakti

In bhakti, the goal is not merely to rise from ignorance to passion to goodness—though that is progress. The ultimate aim is to transcend all three material modes and reach the platform of shuddha sattva (pure goodness), which is beyond material nature entirely.

How Bhakti Transcends the Modes:

  • Chanting the Hare Krishna Maha Mantra: Spiritual sound vibration that purifies consciousness beyond all modes
  • Association with devotees (satsang): Elevates consciousness beyond material conditioning
  • Prasadam (sanctified food): Even eating becomes transcendental when food is offered to Krishna
  • Service (seva): Acting not for personal gain (rajas), comfort (tamas), or purity (sattva), but for the pleasure of the Supreme

Bhagavad Gita 14.26:

“One who engages in full devotional service, who does not fall down in any circumstance, at once transcends the modes of material nature and thus comes to the level of Brahman.”

When we dedicate all activities—work, eating, sleeping, recreation—to Krishna, the modes lose their grip. We no longer act because goodness compels us, passion drives us, or ignorance deludes us. We act because we love God and want to serve Him. This is liberation even while living in a material body.

Integration & Reflection

Essence (Sara):

We are not the sole controllers of our actions. Three powerful modes of material nature—goodness, passion, and ignorance—constantly influence our moods, choices, and circumstances. Awareness of these modes allows us to consciously cultivate goodness and ultimately transcend all three through devotion to the Supreme. Liberation is not in achieving perfect goodness alone, but in surrendering to Krishna and acting for His pleasure beyond all material dualities.

Personal Insights:

[Reflect on moments when you clearly saw one of the modes dominating your consciousness. When have you felt the calm clarity of goodness? The frantic drive of passion? The heavy fog of ignorance? How did external factors—food, company, environment—influence these states? What practices help you rise to higher modes?]

This Week’s Focus:

Contemplation: “Which mode is most predominant in my life right now, and how is it shaping my experiences?”

Practice: This week, consciously eat one meal per day in the mode of goodness—fresh, vegetarian, prepared with gratitude, eaten in a calm environment. Notice how this affects your mind and mood.

Intention: When I feel pulled by passion or ignorance, I will pause, breathe, and choose one sattvic action (a moment of gratitude, a kind word, a few minutes of chanting).

Further Study

  • Scripture Reading:
    • Bhagavad Gita Chapter 14 (entire chapter on the three modes)
    • Bhagavad Gita 17.7-10 (modes and food)
    • Bhagavad Gita 18.20-40 (modes in knowledge, action, agent, intellect, determination, happiness)
  • Recommended Resources:
    • Observe nature and identify modes in animals, weather, seasons
    • Experiment: spend one day consciously cultivating sattva, notice the results
    • Keep a “modes journal”—track your predominant mode at different times of day
  • Related Topics:
    • How diet directly affects consciousness (explored in Ayurveda)
    • Shuddha sattva vs. material sattva
    • The relationship between the modes and karma

Quick Reference - Key Terms

Sanskrit Translation Pronunciation
Guna Mode, quality, rope GOO-nah
Sattva Goodness, purity SUHT-vah
Rajas Passion, activity RAH-jahs
Tamas Ignorance, darkness TAH-mahs
Shuddha Sattva Pure goodness (transcendental) SHOO-dah SUHT-vah
Triguna Three modes tree-GOO-nah
Nirguna Beyond the modes neer-GOO-nah