I’m on a personal journey to know myself better and live a purposeful life—one that aligns with my values, inner peace, and desire to contribute meaningfully to the world. But I often find myself in a dilemma: How do I balance my long-term vision, career aspirations, family responsibilities, and the longing for a more centered, conscious life?
Last weekend, in one of those quiet moments of reflection, I stumbled upon the Bhagavad Gita which I never explored. I was unexpectedly drawn to Chapter 14—ironically, not a beginning, but a deeper chapter, like where I am in my journey. It felt like the words were written for me—speaking directly to my inner conflict, ambition, and desire to rise above the noise. The ideas resonated deeply.
Here’s my interpretation of Chapter 14, seen through the lens of my current life: a professional navigating the corporate world, a father and husband nurturing relationships, and an individual striving for spiritual clarity amidst it all.
Chapter 14 and the Three Gunas: My Life Through Their Lens
Chapter 14 of the Gita describes three gunas—sattva, rajas, and tamas—that influence all human behavior and decisions. They’re not “good” or “bad”; they just are. They interplay constantly in our lives, and recognizing their presence is the first step to gaining freedom from them.
Here’s how I’ve started seeing them in my own journey:
1. Sattva: My Desire to Help Others Using My Intelligence
At the core of my vision is a genuine intention: to use my intelligence and hard work to improve others’ lives. This, I believe, is my sattvic side—pure, purpose-driven, and rooted in service. I feel it when I:
- Mentor someone with no expectations.
- Write a thoughtful blog or reflection like this.
- Stay calm and centered in chaos.
- Choose clarity over conflict.
But even this has a shadow.
If I’m not careful, I might begin to feel proud of being thoughtful or superior for being “more conscious” than others. I might subtly expect appreciation or results from my efforts. That’s when sattva starts binding me, too—with pride, attachment, and identification. It means even purity has its pitfalls if remained unchecked. That’s where the fire of rajas often takes over.
2. Rajas: My Career Ambitions and Drive to Excel
I work in a competitive environment. I want to grow, build meaningful products, lead with vision, and get recognized. This drive, this motion, this fire—it’s clearly Rajas. It fuels me when I:
- Wake up with energy to build or create.
- Think deeply about the future of work or build a long-term strategy for my products.
But unchecked, this same rajas becomes:
- Restlessness when things don’t go as planned.
- Frustration with team politics or lack of speed.
- Attachment to outcomes and anxiety over the future.
What once helped me push boundaries begins to burn me out. And when that fire burns out or overwhelms me, tamas quietly creeps in.
3. Tamas: Moments of Inertia, Confusion, and Withdrawal
There are also days when I just shut down, things don’t make sense, ambition seems pointless, and I eat mindlessly or watch Netflix to escape. That’s tamas. I experience it when I:
- Avoid hard conversations.
- Procrastinate meaningful work.
- Lose clarity and wallow in self-doubt.
If I let it linger, it begins to justify itself:
- “What’s the point?”
- “No one understands me.”
- “This is just how it is.”
That’s when tamas deepens its grip.
The Subtle Warning: Even Sattva Can Bind You
One of the most profound realizations through this chapter is that even the “best” guna, sattva, can trap you if you’re not alert.
Let me explain with a recent experience:
I was practicing my weekly detox, doing yoga, journaling, and feeling deeply at peace. But a part of me started thinking, “I’m doing this better than others. Why can’t people be more disciplined like me?”
That moment of pride—masked in purity—was my ego-hijacking sattva. The guna that brought peace became a subtle tool of judgment.
That’s the danger Krishna highlights. “That’s why awareness is everything. Without it, even light casts a shadow.”
Connections to Other Frameworks: Beyond the Gunas
The three gunas aren’t isolated concepts—they resonate across multiple philosophical and psychological frameworks that have helped me deepen my understanding:
Maslow’s Hierarchy and the Gunas
Abraham Maslow’s hierarchy of needs offers a parallel perspective. Tamas often operates at the survival level, where basic needs dominate. Rajas aligns with psychological needs for achievement and esteem. Sattva corresponds to self-actualization and transcendence—our desire to fulfill our highest potential and connect with something greater than ourselves.
I’ve noticed that when I’m worried about job security (tamas), my focus narrows. When pursuing recognition (rajas), I become achievement-oriented. It’s only when those needs are satisfied that I can truly engage with meaning and purpose (sattva).
Modern Psychology: The Three Minds
Contemporary psychology speaks of the “triune brain“—our primitive brain (reptilian), emotional brain (limbic), and rational brain (neocortex). I see striking parallels with tamas (survival instincts), rajas (emotional drives), and sattva (rational thought and higher consciousness).
When I’m in Tamas, my primitive brain dominates with fear and avoidance. In rajas, my emotional brain becomes activated by desire and attachment. In sattva, my rational mind can observe and guide these impulses rather than being controlled by them.
What Does It Mean to Rise Above the Gunas?
Krishna doesn’t say, “Choose sattva over rajas or tamas.” He says:
“He who remains like a witness… undisturbed by the gunas, knowing that the gunas operate, stays unmoved.” (Gita 14.22–23)
To transcend the gunas means to:
- Do your duties with detachment.
- Be aware of your internal state without identifying with it.
- Use the guna that is needed, but not be possessed by it.
- Stay rooted in your higher Self, the observer beyond thought and emotion.
So What About My Life—with Family, Work, and Competition?
That’s where the real challenge lies.
Krishna didn’t ask Arjuna to run into the forest. He asked him to fight, lead, and rule—but with a different mindset. Our world will always pull us into ambition, competition, and comparison. But the Gita teaches us to do all that without being consumed by it.
My work matters, as do my family responsibilities, and my health and mental clarity. However, what matters more is the awareness I bring to each role. I can work hard, but not cling to the outcome. I can care for my family without being possessive. I can lead and grow without letting ego or fear dictate my actions.
We’re not asked to escape the battlefield, only to fight with wisdom – Anonymous
A Simple Daily Reminder I Now Carry
Every day, I ask myself:
- Is my action today coming from clarity or ego?
- Am I reacting or responding with awareness?
- Can I witness my emotion without becoming it?
I wish I could say I always get it right. The truth is—I don’t.
Even with this knowledge, this awareness, and all the practices I’ve built over time, I still find myself slipping into old patterns. I sometimes chase outcomes. I judge. I get restless or disengaged. And in those moments, I wonder, “Haven’t I learned this already?”
But what’s changed is this: I notice it sooner. I pause. I breathe. I reflect more honestly. I return with more humility and less judgment. That, to me, is real progress. Not perfection—but direction. Not rigid control—but gentle course correction.
So I carry this simple mantra:
Learn. Reflect. Improve.
Every day. Every moment. That’s the journey I’m on—and I’m learning to walk it with a little more awareness, grace, and love each time I stumble.