(Excerpts from Satsang of Pujya Sant Shri Asaramji Bapu)
There are basically three kinds of human nature -Sattvic, Rajasic and Tamasic. A persons nature is largely determined and influenced by the company he keeps.
If one eats whatever one feels like eating, speaks without circumspection, acts without forethought it will make one Tamasic in nature. Such a person becomes home to the vices of sloth, carelessness, backbiting, quarrelsomeness, deceit and insincerity. Tamasic persons end up transmigrating to lower species like insects, flies, toads, muskrats etc.
Those with a penchant for tasteful foods, fashionable clothing, etc. are Rajasic in nature. Rajasic nature is characterized by desire, anger and avarice. A Rajasic person is superior to a Tamasic one because he tries to keep himself from sins and is remorseful when he fails on this account. Such people are reborn as humans again. If a person with a Rajasic nature, is dominated by Sattvic elements, he will take birth in a high caste family, the house of a spiritual aspirant or an ardent devotee. On the other hand, if the Rajasic is dominated by Tamasic nature, he will take birth in a lower caste family or in the house of a drunkard, meat eaters, etc.
Those who lead a simple lifestyle with self-restraint and piety, consume Sattvic food, are truthful, engage themselves in altruistic activities and selfless service to society, meditate and do japa of the Lords name, invariably have a Sattvic nature and are privileged to first enjoy the divine pleasures of heaven and then take birth in a pious family or the house of a yogi. If they are given a good cultural environment and a good upbringing from their childhood, they will be able to even attain God-realization. But then there are those Sattvic people who do not crave for the heavens; they love God for the sake of God, not for material gains. They are only looking for salvation, and keep thinking as to how to attain salvation and meet God.
If you follow the dictates of your mind, you will end up in lower species. If you engage yourself in good actions and exercise self-restraint, you will be reborn in higher species. It is but natural for water to flow downwards whereas it requires efforts to take it upwards. Similarly the mind easily falls prey to deceit, insincerity, malicious gossip and treachery whereas to save oneself from such vices requires great efforts.
One who is honest, truthful and engages himself in altruistic pursuits finds the Sattvic elements of his nature enhanced. And then, if he is able to nurture his faith further and thereby assimilate the benign grace of God and the Guru, he transcends the three Gunas and becomes established in Self-Knowledge.
If a person places his faith only in the external appearance of the Guru or the Lord, his faith may dwindle under the growing impact of the Rajasic and Tamasic elements in his nature. Faith increases when one perceives virtue in his tutelary deity (or Guru) and decreases when he perceives vices therein. But if you are honest and sincere in your pursuit of God-realization you will witness a myriad of virtues of the Lord and then your reverential faith will become transformed into pure Love; and pure love never changes.
Rajoguna is better than Tamoguna and Sattvaguna is superior to Rajoguna. No one Guna exists purely on its own. The three Gunas are always present in a mans nature in different proportions. The intellect thus remains under the influence of a mixture of all three Gunas.
Even a Sattvic person has an element of Tamoguna in him, otherwise how can he ever go to sleep? Sleep is produced by Tamoguna only. Regular practice of Asanas, pranayama, japa and meditation promotes Sattvic qualities and with that one does not feel tired with less sleep; rather one is filled with enthusiasm and energy.
Human nature is a mixture of all the three Gunas. Predominance of Sattvaguna makes the person Sattvic, predominance of Rajoguna makes one Rajasic and predominance of Tamoguna makes one Tamasic.
Prakriti has all three Gunas in equilibrium. Prakriti owes its existence to the Purusha. Just as you and your energy are inseparable, similarly the Lord and His Prakriti are inseparably one.
Sweetness permeates each and every part of a sweetmeat. In the same way the consciousness of the Lord permeates every particle of the universe. Milk and its whiteness, oil and its oiliness are inseparable from each other. Similarly the Lord and His Shakti are absolutely inseparable. Therefore God is worshipped in the form of both Shiva as well as Shakti.
The Lord is all-pervading and ever present, but just as the Sun can only be seen when the clouds blocking our vision drift away, similarly if one consumes Sattvic food, leads a Sattvic mode of life, and remains steadfast on truth, the Bliss and Power of the Supreme Being gradually manifests in him with the gradual weakening of the Rajoguna and Tamoguna.