They can exist in different proportions in a single being, determining his mental outlook and his actions. A man whose nature is dominated by sattva will be clear-thinking, radiant, and truthful. A man whose nature is dominated by rajas will be passionate, quick to anger, and greedy. A man whose nature is dominated by tamas will be stupid, lazy, and stubborn. But most men will be found to have elements of guas different from their dominating ones, i.e., to be motivated by a combination of guas. The aim of the upward-reaching atman, or Self, is to transcend the guas, break free of their
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