Rajas (Sanskrit: रजस्) is one of the threeguṇas (tendencies, qualities, attributes), a philosophical and psychological concept developed by theSamkhya school ofHindu philosophy.[1][2] The other two qualities aresattva (goodness, balance) andtamas (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 twoguṇa.[5][6] In simply it is the mixture of bothsattva andtamas.
InSamkhya philosophy, aguṇa is one of three "tendencies, qualities":sattva,rajas andtamas. This category of qualities have been widely adopted by various schools ofHinduism for categorizing behavior and natural phenomena. The three qualities are:
InIndian philosophy, these qualities are not considered as present in either-or fashion. Rather, everyone and everything has all three, only in different proportions and in different contexts.[12] The living being or substance is viewed as the net result of the joint effect of these three qualities.[9][12]
According to Samkhya school, no one and nothing is either purelysattvic or purelyrajasic or purelytamasic.[9] One's nature and behavior is a complex interplay of all of these, with eachguna in varying degrees. In some, the conduct israjasic with significant influence ofsattvic guṇa, in some it israjasic with significant influence oftamasic guna, and so on.[9]
In the fourteenth chapter of theBhagavad Gita,rajas is described as being of a passionate nature, driving desire, attachment, and action. When rajas is dominant, it manifests as greed, restlessness, agitation, and constant engagement in actions, which obscure wisdom and keep one bound to the cycle of worldly pursuits.[13]
Rajas is that quality or attribute in a substance (prakriti) or individual which promotes or upholds the activity of the other aspects of nature (prakriti) such as one or more of the following:
If a person or thing tends to be extremely active, excitable, or passionate, that person or thing could be said to have a preponderance ofrajas. It is contrasted with the quality oftamas, which is the quality of inactivity, darkness, and laziness, and withsattva, which is the quality of purity, clarity, calmness and creativity.Rajas is viewed as being more positive thantamas, and less positive thansattva, except, perhaps, for one who has "transcended the gunas" and achieved equanimity in all fields of relative life.[14]
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