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BHAGAVAD GITA
hot curry) dishes, are preferred by people in whom rajas prevails. This diet gives pain, distress, and diseases [whereas the sättvic food gives long life, strength, force, comfort, delight, and absence of disease]. Food that is stale, tasteless, and foul-smelling, being overdue, left over [from other meals], and ritually unclean, is liked by people of tāmasic disposition." 104
The attitude full of sattva asks for no reward (phala), and carries out rituals according to prescription, the devotee simply thinking "offerings must be made." When, however, the ceremonial is aimed at some reward or result, or carried out in a manner of sanctimonious arrogance (dambha) in order to pose as a perfect, saintly person, the attitude that of rajas. Rajas produces egotism and ambition. Whereas ceremonials that do not conform to orthodox prescriptions (i.e., which are not included within the pale of the Brahmanical tradition but are addressed either to malignant demons or to beings foreign to the accepted pantheon), or where the offered dishes are not distributed, later on, to worthy recipients (priests or Brahmans, as a rule; in brief, any ritual that ignores the Brahmans and their costly help), show an attitude, according to this priestly judgment, in which tamas prevails.105
The balances of sattva, rajas, and tamas can be measured in every detail of human life and practice. Even in the rigorous ascetic austerities (tapas) of the traditional hermit groves the operations of all three can be readily discerned. For, as we read: "Sattva prevails in tapas that is performed for its own sake, without an eye to any reward. Rajas prevails when tapas is performed out of reverence [for a deity] and regard for the purpose of worship, and out of sanctimonious arrogance (dambha). Austerity of this kind is fickle and unstable. But tamas dominates when the practices are undertaken for some foolish, mistaken idea, with great pain and suffering to oneself,
104 lb. 17. 8-10. 108 lb. 17. 11-13.
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