TAMAS
Woven into the fabric of our universe is Prakriti—the source, the fundamental cosmic essence, the primal root of all existence. From Prakriti emerges three distinct energetic strands, or Gunas, that govern our emotional, physical, psychological, and energetic states. There are three Gunas: Sattva, Rajas, and Tamas.
The Basic Principles of Each Guna
Sattva = truth, light, purity, gratitude, intelligence, joy, empathy, goodness, harmony, love. Rajas = action, dynamism, movement, chaos, attraction, courage, rumination, determination. Tamas = inertia, darkness, greed, destruction, ignorance, addiction, stagnancy, attachment.
The Gunas are tattvas, principles of reality that define human existence. They are constantly in flux, but are always present in all beings at varying levels.
However, there is a distinct imbalance present in our world of Tamas.Out of the four eras in the Yuga cycle (Satya Yuga, Treta Yuga, Dvapara Yuga, and Kali Yuga), Kali Yuga has been predicted by the ancient scriptures to be the age of darkness, hypocrisy, vice, and misery. These elements, governed by Tamas, have been present in heightened levels during Kali Yuga, our present time. A marked decline in duty and devotion with an observable increase in spiritual decay and suffering is visible.
As a college student,I feel suffocated by the high levels of Tamas observable around me. As I look both introspectively and externally at my surroundings, the qualities of Tamas become extraordinarily clear.
Addiction, and the normalization of substance abuse. The social pressures to spend weekends partying, drinking alcohol until you can’t walk straight, and to partake in drug usage in order to have the “true college experience” are things almost anyone in college can report having witnessed. I see those around me looking to win unspoken competitions, from whoever has a higher alcohol tolerance to who needs the most caffeine to get up for their 8 AM Biology class. Saying ‘no’ or not wanting to be a part of this culture can make you feel like an outsider—you are different for choosing to not join your peers. While doctor son social media warn of the dangers of vaping on young lungs, spending weekends sober makes people feel like they don’t belong, that they’re missing out. Tamas = Addiction.
How many water bottles does one person need to own? Overconsumption is present everywhere, and influencers have normalized spending hundreds of dollars in one shopping trip, fashion stores change their stock weekly, and advertisements make you feel like you need to buy things in order to feel happy. Tamas = Materialism.
With the growth of social media and apps like Tik Tok, the phenomenon of “doom scrolling” has become an inescapable problem.The short length of the videos and ease in switching content has dramatically reduced my attention span and focus levels. It’s become increasingly common to spend hours on Tik Tok, scrolling to a point of paralysis—with each scroll, there is a mounting inability to get up, to execute the actions and accomplish the goals we visualize for ourselves because these apps contribute to a lack of action.We sit, consuming overstimulating content, and remain stagnant. Tamas = Inertia.
The general lack of color, creativity, inspiration, and authenticity in design. Buildings are copy-pasted across neighborhoods, while baby nurseries are decorated in shades of beige. I see identical dorms, identical “modern” furniture, identical decorations, identical aesthetics. Washes of bright color are deemed tacky, and the slow erosion of designs drawing from community and tradition has brought society closer to its goal of cookie-cutter perfection. While a seemingly small detail, the gradual shift from unique and individual creativity to a heavy, seeping standard of dull, unattainable perfection feels pervasive. Tamas = Dullness.
Every day, especially with social media, there feels like a new crisis to keep up with. It feels like there is so much evil in this world. Wars, famine, poverty, disease, corruption, misinformation, and suffering. We have a social responsibility to learn as much as we can about every event going on in the world, and have the immense privilege of not having to be directly involved with each one. Each day, I see more and more people collapsing under “information fatigue”. It can be so overwhelming to feel emotionally connected to all the suffering in the world outside of your own life, and feel helpless to do anything truly useful. As more atrocities continue globally, the empath’s mind feels more powerless to positively change the world. Tamas = Hopelessness.
Despite the emotional exhaustion felt by this imbalance of Tamas, what has helped me strive for greater levels of Sattva, or light amidst the darkness is to remember that the three Gunas are always present. When it feels like my life has taken on too many Tamasic qualities, from oversleeping to feeling burned out, I try to practice activities reflective of the other Gunas.
Achieving tasks on my to-do list or goals on my vision board, performing music (one of my greatest passions), exercising, or eating a spicy and delicious meal → for more Rajas, action, energy.
Meditation, eating fresh fruits and vegetables, connecting with nature, and practicing acts of kindness like volunteering for meaningful causes → for more Sattva, calm, bliss.
At times when it feels like darkness is all encompassing, I take a step back, looking at the joy and light still present in our world. One of our most powerful abilities as human beings is to be able to consciously manipulate the Gunas, to control their levels. In achieving harmony and correcting imbalance, despite the nature of our time, we do our best to strive for the highest state of being.
- Sreya Ravi
