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There are different perspectives. This is an advaita perspective (the belief that all Gods are One.)
What are the three gunas
The three gunas are:
Tamas - this is the quality of laziness, darkness (ignorance) and inertia.
Sri Swami Sivananda on tamas process
Tamas is inertia or inaction or darkness.
Tamas binds man to heedlessness (Pramada), laziness (...
14
Tamasic
Tamasic foods are those that have a sedative effect on the mind and body. In general, they are considered detrimental. According to yoga, these foods are to be avoided as they can cause mental dullness and physical numbness. However, in times of pain they are allowed to alleviate suffering.
Examples include: meat of an animal, fish, the fertilized ...
12
Maya can't be categorised as Satva, Raja or Tama. Actually Maya is the source of these three Gunas or Gunas are work of Maya. Following verses from Vivekachudamani describes the nature of Maya:
Avidya (Nescience) or Maya, called also the Undifferentiated, is the power of the Lord. She is without beginning, is made up of the three Gunas and is superior to ...
11
Yes, there is reference to the Tri GunAs in the Vedas.
See the following Mantra from Atharva Veda (AV):
Pundarikam navadwAram (1) Tribhir gunebhirAvritam (2) Tasmin yad
yakshamAtmanvat (3) Tad vai brahmavido viduhu (4).
.............
There is a nine-gated lotus (1), covered under three bands of GunAs
(tribhir gunebhi) (2), in which lives ...
10
Before turning into a Sannyasin, there is a greater possibility that Swamiji might have taken the fish at least as it is a chief diet in Bengal.
After becoming a Sannyasin; when Swamiji was in America, some orthodox Hindus accused him of taking forbidden diet. Here is an excerpt:
To the accusation from some orthodox Hindus that the Swami was eating ...
10
Vishnu Purana in 6.5.74 states:
"ऐश्वर्यस्य समग्रस्य धर्मस्य यशसरिश्रयः।
ज्ञानवैराग्ययोश्चैव षण्णां भग इतीरणा ।।"
Complete splendor, virtue, glory, opulence, knowledge, dispassion - these six are known as bhaga.
One who possess these Bhaga quality is known as Bhagavan. And the following verses after it identify Bhagavan as Vãsudeva or Lord Vishnu. ...
9
Yaksha asked Yudhishtir the following question-
राजन् कुलेन वृत्तेन स्वाध्यायेन शृतेन वा।
ब्राह्मण्यं केन भवति? प्रब्रूह्मोतत्सुनिश्चितं
Meaning: King, how does one become a Brahmin: by birth? By conduct? By study of Vedas? By education? Tell me precisely.
To which Yudhishtir replies:
शृणु यक्ष कुलं तात न स्वाध्यायो न च शृतं
कारणं हि द्विजत्वे ...
9
Krishna says in the Gita (IV. 34.) Swami Nikhilananda translator:
Learn it by prostration, by inquiry and by service. The wise, who have seen the Truth, will teach you that Knowledge.
And the Chandogya Upanishad (IV. ix. 3.) Swami Nikhilananda translator:
Only the knowledge that is learnt from a teacher leads to the Highest Good.
And again in ...
9
The Samkhya Darshana has provided the best explanation about the 3 Gunas according to me. It is also one of the ancient scriptures to talk about these Gunas (it is the 1st among the 6 Darshanas).
From SAmkhya kArikA 13:
Sattvam laghu prakAshakamishtamupashtambhakam chalancha rajah |
Guruvaranakameva tamah pradipavaccArthato vrittih ||
...
8
Maya is the mother of the three Gunas as rightly said by Rohith under your question. So, she/it can not be categorized under one particular Guna.
I have selected few passages from the Devi Bhagavata Purana (abbreviated as DB here) to "describe" the Maya, who/which actually is regarded as incomprehensible:
21-23. O Dvaipâyana! Thus saying, Visnu stopped. ...
8
According to Kaśamīrī Śaivism, the ultimate reality has jñāna (cognitive apprehension), kriyā (activity) and icchā (will, as the Vedic proclamation "May I become many"). When the ultimate reality coagulates in association with māyā, owing to its own will, polarization occurs. When it happens jñāna or knowledge (cognitive apprehension) gets reduced ...
7
Vishnu and Rudra are Satvic and Tamasic respectively only in view of activities and in nature they are inverse to this. Brahma is always Rajasic. This is explained in Chapter Sixteen: Description of creation in Rudra Samhita Section One of Shiva Purana. (Pg: 253)
Vishnu, Rudra and I (Brahma) represent the Gunas. Siva is free from Gunas. He is the ...
7
Lord Krishna's body is not made of gunas, He is beyond these gunas since He is Brahman.
In the chapter Prayers by Queen Kuntī and Parīkṣit Saved of Srimad Bhagavatham - 1.8.18 Kunti prays to Lord Krishna as:
Śrīmatī Kuntī said: O Kṛṣṇa, I offer my obeisances unto You because You are the original personality and are unaffected by the qualities of the ...
6
There is no mention of any prohibition of herbs like onion/garlic in Ayurveda. Infact Charaka Samhita (Sutrasthana Chapter 27) encourages the use of these herbs.
श्लेष्मलोमारुतघ्नश्चपलाण्डुर्नचपित्तनुत् ।
आहारयोगीबल्यश्चगुरुर्वृष्योऽथरोचनः॥१७५॥
SleShmalo mArutaGnaSca palANDurna ca pittanut | AhArayogI balyaSca
gururvRuShyo&tha rocanaH||175||
The onion/...
6
Here is statement of Lord Maheswara himself from the Anushashana Parva of Mahabharata:
Endued with knowledge and science, purified from all dross, and fully conversant with the Vedas, a pious Kshatriya, by his own acts, becomes a Brahmana. It is with the aid of these acts, O goddess, that a person who has sprung from a degraded order, viz., a Sudra, may ...
6
From yogic perspective, this is what I found in Kriya Yoga book of Raga Ragini Trust, Mysore.
Our knowledge of food is usually based only on its gross material content like carbohydrate, protein, fats, vitamins, minerals, water and fiber.
Yogic concept of food takes into account the total dimension of human existence. Our gross body is formed of atoms and ...
6
According to the Smritis, how many wives a person can have depends on his Varna.
´There are four classes: Brahmin, Kshatriya, Vaishya and Shudra. Of
these, according to the order of the classes, a Brahmin may have four
wives, a Kshatriya three, a Vaishya two, and a Shudra one.
Baudhayana Dharma Sutras 1.16.10
Now, there is some difference of ...
6
From Manu Smriti:
12.95. All those traditions (smriti) and those despicable systems of philosophy, which are not based on the Veda, produce no reward after
death; for they are declared to be founded on Darkness.
12.96. All those (doctrines), differing from the (Veda), which spring up and (soon) perish, are worthless and false, because they are of
modern ...
5
Lord Narayanas of Lord Vishnu's 32 auspicious traits are mentioned in
Brahma Moksha Kanda - (Chapter 22 , Verse 4 to 17) of Garuda Purana.
तस्मादाहुर्लक्षणेत्येव् सर्वे तलक्क्षणं श्रुणु चादौ खगेन्द्र:। नारायणे
पूर्ण गुणे रमेशे द्वात्रिंश संख्याणी सुलक्षणानि ।। 4।।
Narayana,the lord of laxami is possessed of Thirty Two auspicious
traits.O lord of birds,I ...
5
NO; the mode of Rajas has nothing to do with number of wives. It has obviously nothing to do with Kshatriya-s.
Rajas is associated with "desires". All entities have mode of Rajas in them in some amount. It's cause of various sins, as discussed in this answer.
BG 14.7 - Rajas is the nature of passion, which is produced from lust & attachment; That ...
5
What type of caste-system (varṇāśrama) does ISKCON advocate? Birth-based or guṇa-based?
It seems ISKCON advocates guna based caste-system as mentioned in this commentary:
Herein it is clearly stated by Nārada Muni that one should not be accepted as a brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiśya or śūdra according to birth, for although this is going on now, it is not ...
5
I. Can one with predominance of Rajas and Tamas worship Lord Vishnu?
Yes. Those with Rajasic and Tamasic Guna predominance can become devotees of Vishnu. Where Vishnu is considered the Supreme, though in his Saguna form as Vishnu he is sattvic, yet as the Supreme God he is the Lord of Maya and above these gunas which are in fact a product of Maya. ŚB 6.1. ...
4
And the answer is "no" because if you go and check epics like Mahabharata and Ramayana there is nothing like even the Vayu Purana which is mentioned in Mahabharata itself means it exists in the times of Mahabharata do not supports it. It gives the creation story that among Tridevas no one created no one even lord Brahma is not created by either by lord ...
4
To an extent they are related. Swami Nikhilananda says in his book The Upanishads (V1, p 59):
With reference to His [Saguna Brahman] three activities of creation, preservation, and destruction, Saguna Brahman is known as, respectively, as Brahma, Vishnu, and Rudra, or Siva. These form the Trimurti, the trinity of Hinduism. The influence of rajas is seen ...
4
There are Three types of Guna
1. Sattva (the quality of goodness): Sattva is Calm, Saintly. Its brings up quality that allows spiritual holiness, forgiveness and submission to God. Foods dear to those in the mode of goodness increase the duration of life, purify one’s existence and give strength, health, happiness and satisfaction. Such foods are juicy, ...
4
A Brahmin who does not have the qualities of an ideal Brahmin should have to be treated accordingly.There are many verses in Smritis which say so.
Manu Smriti 4.245. A Brahmana who always connects himself with the
most excellent (ones), and shuns all inferior ones, (himself) becomes
most distinguished; by an opposite conduct he becomes a Sudra.
...
4
Manu Smriti II.168 says:
A twice-born man who, not having studied the Veda, applies himself to other (and worldly study), soon falls, even while living, to the condition of a Sudra and his descendents (after him).
4
Yes The three gunas is mentioned in Maitri upanishad here
Fifth Prapathaka
In the beginning 5 darkness (tamas) alone was this. It was in the Highest, and, moved by the Highest, it becomes uneven Thus it becomes obscurity ragas) . Then this obscurity, being moved, becomes uneven. Thus it becomes goodness sattva). Then this goodness, being moved, the ...
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As per the shastra one attains dwijahood i.e twice born when the samskara i.e sacred thread ceremony is performed. In absence of this even the brahmin is not entitled for vedas.
For performing this samskara there are various ages recommended for various varnas.
Just like brAhman the kShatriya & vaishya are also entitled to upanayana samskAra and ...
4
The age of a person is irrelevant in the guna based Varna system. Just read through the relevant Gita verses.
O great hero! The duties of Brahmanas, Ksatriyas, Vaisyas and also
Sudras have been divided according to the quality born of their own nature.
[Gita 18.41]
Serenity, control of the sense, austerity, purity,
straight-forwardness, knowledge, ...
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