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.
Three Types of Intellect (Buddhi)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.
Three Types of Steadfastness (Dhriti)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.
Key Insights• 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.
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