Ethics and liberation

In the Gita and later Vedanta the gunas frame a path of self-understanding: to recognise how the three move in oneself, to cultivate sattva over rajas and tamas, and ultimately to become free of all three is part of the way to liberation. The scheme thus links cosmology, psychology and spiritual practice.

The atlas describes each guna, its character, and its role in Samkhya and Vedantic thought. The gunas connect to the wider Indian analysis of the self gathered under The Body and to the yogic and Vedic traditions.