Ignorance-Knowledge: 12

These three gunas intermingle with one another; no human being is constituted by a single guna alone. Sometimes sattva predominates, sometimes rajas, sometimes tamas. The Gita (14.10) says—"rajas tamasca abhibhuya sattvam bhavati bharata"—meaning, sometimes one guna eclipses the other two; this is how the mind and actions rise and fall.


When the Gita declares—"rajas tamasca abhibhuya sattvam bhavati bharata" (Gita 14.10)—meaning, "sometimes sattva eclipses rajas and tamas, sometimes rajas eclipses sattva and tamas, and again sometimes tamas eclipses sattva and rajas"—it signifies that human consciousness or mental states never remain constant; all three gunas exist within life at all times, but at any given moment one guna gains ascendancy and keeps the others eclipsed or weakened.


This "eclipsing" does not mean destruction, but rather temporary neutralization—just as when there is light during the day, darkness is absent, yet darkness is not completely erased; as soon as the sun sets, it manifests again. Similarly, when the mind is peaceful and pure (sattva predominant), desire-anger or lethargy (rajas and tamas) become subdued. Again, when wishes, competition, or attachment to results grow intense (rajas predominant), the peace and stability of knowledge (sattva) becomes veiled, and ignorance (tamas) lies in wait. And when fatigue, lethargy, or confusion arrives (tamas predominant), neither knowledge nor action remains—both become shrouded in darkness.


The transformation of these three gunas is like waves—one rises, another subsides. The mind is thus sometimes luminous and clear (sattva), sometimes energetic and turbulent (rajas), and again sometimes heavy and inert (tamas).


For instance—at dawn the mind remains peaceful and clear—this is when sattva predominates. In the day's busy activities the mind becomes alert and energetic—this is when rajas is active. At night fatigue, sleep, and inertia cover the mind—this is when tamas predominates.


The Gita (14.10) calls this transformation "gunanam parivartah"—nature perpetually depends on the rise and fall of gunas, and as long as this fluctuation continues, consciousness will remain restless.


Liberation or self-knowledge comes only when the seeker rises above this cycle of gunas—that is, when one realizes, "I am not the gunas; the gunas are not mine; they are nature's play." Then one remains as a detached witness, where sattva, rajas, and tamas all become reflected in the light of the soul, but cannot touch it.


Finally, Sri Krishna says, that person who can transcend all three gunas—who knows "guna eva gunaan vartante" (Gita 3.28)—meaning, "the gunas alone act upon the gunas, I am not the doer"—is liberated. Such a one is no longer a slave to the gunas, but becomes their witness.


Sattvic guna leads along the path of light and knowledge, rajasic guna along the path of action and desire, tamasic guna along the path of inertia and ignorance. But self-knowledge comes only when the seeker rises above all three paths—when one knows, I am no guna, I am that consciousness in whose presence all gunas manifest and dissolve.


"The mind is the chariot's reins"—this statement comes from the famous chariot metaphor of the Katha Upanishad (Katha Upanishad, 1.3.3-1.3.9), where the relationship between human life, body, senses, mind, intellect, and soul is explained through a profound analogy.


The Upanishad says—"atmanam rathinam viddhi, shariram ratham eva tu; buddhim tu sarathim viddhi, manah pragraham eva ca." That is, the soul is the chariot's passenger, the body is the chariot, the intellect is the charioteer or driver, and the mind is the reins. The senses are the chariot's horses, and their objects—form, sound, smell, taste, touch—are the paths along which the chariot travels.


The significance of this metaphor is—the human body is like a chariot-vehicle, driven by the horses of the senses. The mind works as the reins for these horses, while the intellect holds those reins and determines direction. The soul is the true passenger—it sits in this chariot and traverses the path of experience.


If the mind (reins) becomes restless and directionless, then the sense-horses run off in various directions—the chariot then goes out of control. The senses become absorbed in sense-enjoyment, the soul becomes captive to worldly attractions. But if the mind remains steady, and the intellect firmly holds the reins, then the chariot travels the right path, and the soul reaches its destination—self-knowledge or liberation.


The teaching of this metaphor is—the mind is that subtle power which controls the movement of the senses. Without mind-reins the horses run wild; with reins the horses move according to the driver's will (direction). Similarly, if the mind is controlled by the intellect's guidance, then the senses are controlled; but if the mind itself floats away in the pull of the senses, then the soul falls into bondage.


"The mind is the chariot's reins" means—the mind is that medium through which connection and control occur between the senses and the soul. When the mind remains disciplined, life becomes orderly and knowledge dawns; when the mind becomes restless, the senses become frenzied and the soul becomes confused. Therefore the Gita (6.5) says—"uddhared atmanatmanam natmanam avasadayet"—the mind itself is bondage, the mind itself is liberation; if the reins remain in hand, the chariot naturally travels the right path.


Buddhi (intellect) is the power of decision and discrimination. Where the mind plays with alternatives, the intellect reaches conclusions. The intellect declares—"this is right, this is wrong," "this should be done." It is the repository of knowledge and discernment. The Gita (18.30) says—"buddhirena mabhi gacchati"—through the intellect humans realize the supreme goal. Therefore the intellect directs the mind, the mind guides the senses, and the senses gather experience from the world.


From the perspective of Advaita Vedanta, the intellect is the repository of knowledge and discernment—knowledge or discernment is a quality of the intellect, meaning, buddhi (intellect) is that subtle inner instrument or mental faculty in which, when the light of self-consciousness is reflected, knowledge (the capacity to know) and conscience (discernment) are born. Just as a mirror is not light itself, but when light is reflected in it forms can be seen—similarly the intellect is not knowledge itself, but when consciousness is reflected in it, knowledge and discrimination manifest.


According to Upanishadic analysis—the soul or consciousness is always self-luminous, but inert nature (mind, intellect, senses, etc.) is itself unconscious. Experience becomes possible only through the contact of these two. When consciousness is reflected in the intellect, that reflected intellect gains the capacity "to know"—this reflection is knowledge, and the subtle application of that knowledge is discernment or conscience.


"Buddhi pratibimbitacaitanyavasad sacetana iti abhimanyate"—this statement is a concise expression of a fundamental principle of Advaita Vedanta. Its essence is found in the writings of Shankara and his successor acharyas—particularly in the Brahmasutra-bhashya, Panchadashi, Vedantasara, and Vivarana-prakashika. This concept is called the chidabhasa doctrine (chit meaning consciousness, abhasa meaning reflection or image).


According to this doctrine, the soul or Brahman-consciousness is itself detached, all-pervasive, and unchanged; but when that consciousness is reflected in the subtle intellect-principle, that reflection is called chidabhasa—"reflected consciousness." It is in the presence of this chidabhasa that the intellect appears conscious, though the intellect itself is inert. Just as a mirror is not light itself, but appears bright when sunlight falls on it, similarly the intellect is itself unconscious, but becomes the repository of knowledge through the reflection of consciousness.


Vidyaranya Swami says in the Panchadashi (2.13)—"cidvyaptau buddhinavase cidavasah prajayate"—meaning, when all-pervasive consciousness is reflected in the intellect, chidabhasa is born. This chidabhasa makes human experience conscious—"I see," "I know," "I think"—these feelings actually belong not to the soul, but are activities of reflected consciousness.


The same idea appears in Vedantasara (41-42)—"caitanyasya buddhyupadhau pratibimbah cidavasah. tadvad buddhirapi cidavasasamyogat sacetanavimanih." Meaning, when consciousness is reflected in the medium of intellect, it is called chidabhasa; and due to that reflection the intellect appears conscious.


This very concept is explained more clearly in Shankaracharya's spirit in the Brahmasutra-bhashya (2.3.50)—"yatha darpanadau citrabhasa, tathaiva caitanyamapi buddhyabhasamupeti"—just as the reflection of some form appears in a mirror and such things, similarly consciousness too becomes reflected in the intellect.


Here "darpanadau" means not only in mirrors, but in any reflective surface—such as water, polished metal, or clear glass—where the image of the original object falls. The word "darpanadau" is a subtle metaphor in Vedanta for explaining the relationship between soul and intellect—where the intellect is the mirror, the soul is consciousness in the form of light, and chidabhasa or reflected consciousness is that reflection of light which makes possible the feeling "I know" or "I see."


The essence of the statement "buddhi pratibimbitacaitanyavasad sacetana iti abhimanyate" is—the intellect is itself inert, but due to the consciousness of the soul being reflected in it, it appears conscious. From that reflection arise knowledge (thought, understanding, realization) and discernment (the ability to determine the difference between truth and falsehood). The soul is the source of consciousness, the intellect is its reflection-bearer, and from this reflection arises the experience "I know" or "I think" in humans. Consciousness itself is inactive, but due to its reflection the intellect, mind, and senses become active; as if the ocean blazes in moonlight, but the moon itself never participates in the ocean's waves.


Therefore it can be said—the soul is the source of consciousness. The intellect is the repository for holding the reflection of that consciousness. Knowledge and discernment are the functions or manifestations of that reflected consciousness.


Put another way—knowledge and discernment "occur" in the intellect, but their source is soul-consciousness. Just as water holds the reflection of the moon, but the moon is not in the water—similarly the soul is reflected in the intellect, but the soul is not contained within the intellect.


The intellect is the repository of knowledge and discernment; knowledge is not the repository of intellect—rather, when soul-consciousness is reflected in the intellect, then knowledge and discernment become manifest.


Citta (memory-mind) is the power of memory or the storehouse of impressions. It preserves all past experiences, thoughts, feelings, and emotions. When any experience touches the mind again, citta brings back that memory. For instance, if you smell a rose, citta immediately awakens previous rose memories—"I have smelled this fragrance before." Therefore citta is the storehouse of the unconscious, upon which the mind's functions depend.


In Vedanta, "citta samskara-bhandara" means—citta is the storage-place or storehouse of all experiences, memories, desires, and habits accumulated within itself. This is a fundamental concept for understanding human mental constitution and the cycle of rebirth.


The word citta means that level of mind which functions as the collecting faculty. The mind thinks, the intellect makes decisions, ego creates "I"-consciousness—and citta stores the traces or impressions (samskaras) of all those thoughts, experiences, and actions.


Every thought, feeling, or action leaves a subtle impression on the mind—this is samskara. Just as repeated water drops create marks on stone, similarly every experience leaves lines in citta. These very lines return later as vasanas (desires)—sometimes in waking life, sometimes in dreams, and again sometimes in future births.