Rajas

This article is about a psychological, philosophical concept in Indian religions. For other similar words, see Raja (disambiguation).

Rajas (Sanskrit: रजस्) is one of the three guṇas (tendencies, qualities, attributes), a philosophical and psychological concept developed by the Samkhya school of Hindu philosophy.[1][2] The other two qualities are sattva (goodness, balance) and tamas (lethargy, violence, disorder). Rajas is innate tendency or quality that drives motion, energy and activity.[3][4]

Rajas is sometimes translated as passion, where it is used in the sense of activity, without any particular value and it can contextually be either good or bad.[1][2] Rajas helps actualize the other two guṇa.[5][6]

  1. ^ a b Gerald James Larson (2001). Classical Sāṃkhya: An Interpretation of Its History and Meaning. Motilal Banarsidass. pp. 10–18, 49, 163. ISBN 978-81-208-0503-3.
  2. ^ a b James G. Lochtefeld, Rajas, in The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Hinduism: A-M, Vol. 2, Rosen Publishing, ISBN 9780823931798, pages 546-547
  3. ^ Gerald James Larson (2001). Classical Sāṃkhya: An Interpretation of Its History and Meaning. Motilal Banarsidass. p. 244. ISBN 978-81-208-0503-3.
  4. ^ Ian Whicher (1998), The Integrity of the Yoga Darśana, State University of New York Press, pages 86-87, 124-125, 163-167, 238-243
  5. ^ Autobiography Of A Yogi, Paramahansa Yogananda, Self Realization Fellowship, 1973, p. 22
  6. ^ Maharishi Mahesh Yogi on the Bhagavad Gita Translation and Commentary, Arkana, 1990 p. 236