The eighty-sixth in a series of talks by Swami Nirmalananda Giri (Abbot George Burke) on the Bhagavad Gita, India's most famous scripture: the unforgettable dialog between Sri Krishna and Arjuna about the essence of spiritual life.

In this talk, beginning with Chapter 18:29, Swamiji discusses three types of intellect according to the gunas: sattwa, rajas, and tamas, as well as three types of firmness of intellect.

Sattwic Intellect:

• Clearly understands what should and should not be done.

• Knows the difference between action and renunciation, bondage and liberation, right and wrong.

• Grounded in reality, inner clarity, and moral discernment.

• Essential for liberation (moksha) and rooted in yoga sadhana.

Rajasic Intellect:

• Confused and passionate.

• Mistakes adharma for dharma.

• Often driven by desire, ego, and self-interest.

• Does the wrong thing sincerely but without understanding.

Tamasic Intellect:

• Completely inverted: calls evil good and good evil.

• Justifies delusion and wrongdoing as righteousness.

• Lives in darkness, stubbornly refuses to change.

• Example: those who use fear-based religion, or sabotage others out of pride or negativity.

Sattwic Steadfastness:

• Controls mind, prana, and senses through yoga.

• Not mere suppression—true mastery and transmutation.

• Leads to purification and spiritual freedom.

Rajasic Steadfastness:

• Clings to pleasure, duty, and wealth out of attachment and ego.

• Motivated by desire for results and personal gain.

Tamasic Steadfastness:

• Refuses to abandon sleep, fear, depression, and arrogance.

• Inertia, victim mentality, and self-pity define this state.

• Often cloaked in false spirituality or rigid delusion.

• The Gita provides a diagnostic tool for inner transformation—not to judge others, but to understand ourselves.

• True intellect is not about cleverness, but clarity, sincerity, and right direction.

• Real strength comes not from repression but from yogic mastery and inward purity.

The eighty-fifth in a series of talks by Swami Nirmalananda Giri (Abbot George Burke) on the Bhagavad Gita, India's most famous scripture: the unforgettable dialog between Sri Krishna and Arjuna about the essence of spiritual life.

In this talk, beginning with Chapter 18:23, Swamiji discusses three types of action according to the gunas: sattwa, rajas, and tamas, as well as the three types of doers of action.

Swamiji explains Krishna’s teaching on three kinds of action as defined by their motive, attitude, and effect. These types align with the three gunas: sattwa (purity), rajas (restlessness), and tamas (ignorance).

Sattwic Action – Right and Pure

• Performed as a duty, without ego, and without craving for the result.

• Can be ordained by scripture (dharma shastras) or by one’s inner conscience and good sense.

• Done not because it’s pleasant or convenient, but because it’s right.

• Free of likes, dislikes, fear, or compulsion.

• Example: telling a loved one a hard truth for their benefit—not because it’s enjoyable, but because it’s necessary and right.

This action creates good karma but is not driven by desire for reward.

Rajasic Action – Driven by Ego and Desire

• Done with a personal agenda, seeking fulfillment of desires, recognition, or gain.

• Effortful in a wasteful or obsessive way, beyond good sense.

• Focused on self-centered outcomes—“what’s in it for me?”

• May look noble, but its root is ego, not dharma.

Overexertion, emotional restlessness, and attachment mark rajasic action.

Tamasic Action – Deluded and Destructive

• Arises from ignorance, confusion, or delusion.

• Done without considering outcomes, morality, or one’s actual ability.

• Example: acting rashly, stubbornly, or in a vengeful spirit, thinking it’s justified.

• Includes actions done out of resentment, inertia, laziness, or even perverse pettiness (like refusing to help someone out of fear they might benefit).

This kind of action brings harm and blocks spiritual growth.

The Three Types of Doers (Actors)

Swamiji also examines the “doer”—the one who performs action:

• Sattwic Doer: unattached, calm, steady, unaffected by success or failure.

• Rajasic Doer: restless, greedy, violent, emotional, and prideful.

• Tamasic Doer: stubborn, dishonest, lazy, depressed, or so hesitant they can’t act at all.

Swamiji’s Commentary

Swamiji reflects on how some people refuse to do the right thing even in small matters, simply to deny benefit to others. He shares anecdotes about extreme selfishness—like refusing to vacate a parking spot to prevent others from using remaining meter time—as examples of tamasic behavior in real life.

He emphasizes that awareness of motive is crucial. The path of liberation involves moving from tamasic confusion, through rajasic ambition, to sattwic clarity and purpose, and ultimately beyond all three gunas.

The eighty-fourth in a series of talks by Swami Nirmalananda Giri (Abbot George Burke) on the Bhagavad Gita, India's most famous scripture: the unforgettable dialog between Sri Krishna and Arjuna about the essence of spiritual life.

In this talk, beginning with Chapter 18:12, Swamiji discusses what is meant by renunciation, and the difference between Sannyasa and Tyaga.

Swamiji opens the 84th Gita Talk by clarifying two vital spiritual terms from the Gita’s final chapter: Sannyasa (renunciation) and Tyaga (relinquishment).

• Sannyasa, often misunderstood as monasticism or physical withdrawal, actually means “casting aside” the egoic grip on the world—not from emotional rejection, but through inner detachment and witness-awareness.

• Tyaga is the letting go of attachment to the fruits of action—doing one’s duty without clinging to outcome.

Swamiji emphasizes that true renunciation is not doing nothing or escaping life—it is performing one’s responsibilities without ego or expectation. The essence of spiritual freedom lies in seeing oneself as the witness, not the doer.

Karma and the Afterlife

Actions bear fruit—desired, undesired, or mixed—even after death. The realms we experience reflect our inner state and karmic seeds. But the sannyasi, unattached and ego-free, rises beyond such cycles and enters pure consciousness.

Five Causes Behind Every Action

Krishna lists five elements at the root of any action:

1. The body

2. The sense of being the doer

3. The senses and their functions

4. The inner processes of perception

5. The Divine Witness—the eternal observer and true Self

Recognizing this fifth element—the Divine—is key to transcending bondage. Life without this realization becomes a cycle of birth, effort, and eventual loss.

Slaying Ignorance, Not People

On the battlefield, Krishna reminds Arjuna that killing done without ego or delusion does not bind one in karma. Spiritually, this symbolizes slaying the inner enemies of ignorance and ego—not people, but the forces of illusion.

Three Types of Knowledge (According to the Gunas)

Swamiji explains Krishna’s teaching on three types of knowledge:

• Sattwic: Sees the One Spirit in all beings—liberating and luminous.

• Rajasic: Sees separateness and division—drives attachment and conflict.

• Tamasic: Clings to a fragment as if it were the whole—leads to delusion, stagnation, and narrow dogmatism.

Swamiji critiques the rigid, limited mindset that says “this one belief is all you need”—whether it’s karma, heaven, vegetarianism, or a doctrinal slogan. True wisdom is expansive, inclusive, and always evolving.

Final Insight

Spiritual growth is not about latching onto a single idea, but about seeing the vast unity behind the many, acting without ego, and living from the level of the eternal witness Self.