How do the three modes of material nature influence you?
A technical version of this article was published in the January 1998 edition of The Indian Journal of Psychology.
IF YOU'VE READ the Bhagavad-gita, you know that nature influences you in three ways through goodness, passion, and darkness. Just as red, blue, and yellow combine to form myriad colors, these three "modes of material nature," as Lord Krishna calls them, create the full spectrum of human instinct and behavior.
As a doctoral student of social sciences, I decided to use modern scientific methods to apply the Gita's assertions about the three modes, or gunas. My main purpose was to develop a personality-assessment tool derived from the Vedic conception of the gunas. I also sought to validate the psychological paradigm offered by the Vedas and show its usefulness.
Vedic epistemology emphasizes sabda, or hearing from Vedic authority, as the preferred method for acquiring knowledge. Other methods, such as inference and direct perception, yield faulty results because of our imperfect mind and senses. One who accepts Vedic conclusions finds no need to empirically validate Vedic statements. But since much of the modern world strongly believes in empirical methodology, scientific verification of Vedic teachings can help engender respect for this ancient source of knowledge.
Research Method
A psychometrist, who measures personality traits, seeks two components: reliability (consistent answers) and validity (accurate questions). I titled my project the Vedic Personality Index (VPI). I sought to develop validity with a team of experienced Vaisnava scholars. They selected ninety statements to portray the domain of attributes that make up the influence of the three modes. For example, a person predominantly influenced by sattva-guna (the mode of goodness) would agree with the following statements: "I maintain my equilibrium in happiness and distress," "I am satisfied with my life," and "I prefer to live in the country rather than the city." The statement "I often feel fearful" would fit a person influenced by tamas (darkness), and a person influenced by the mode of rajas (passion) would agree with the statement "For me, sex is a major source of happiness."
To determine "construct validity," or consistency with standardized measures, I added previously tested surveys to the VPI. For instance, I included a short survey on verbal aggressiveness, which, according to Vedic theory, would correlate with the mode of passion. Then I worked in a survey on life satisfaction, which in theory should correlate positively with goodness and negatively with darkness. Some single-item measures, such as a question about how many hours per day one sleeps, concluded this portion of the survey. (The portions of the survey used for testing construct validity are not included in the VPI survey accompanying this article.)
To help verify reliability, we looked for patterns in the responses. Respondents would answer each question on a scale of 1 (Very Strongly Disagree) to 7 (Very Strongly Agree). Reliability would be demonstrated, for example, if a person had consistently high scores on the 30 questions concerning passion and low scores for the 30 questions related to darkness. Naturally the questions appear in random order in the survey.
Test and Results
To test the survey, 247 participants (nondevotees) completed it. The responses to the three sets of questions (those for goodness, passion, and ignorance) were from eighty-seven to ninety-three percent consistent. This strongly indicated the reliability and usefulness of the survey. After statistical analysis, I removed 10 relatively weak items, leaving 80.
Dr. Walter Hudson, a prominent philosopher and psychometrician in social work, reviewed the data and methodology of the study. He commented that the development of the VPI met rigorous standards. The results, he said, suggest a practical scale for assessing individuals, using the three modes as a basis for analysis.
What Do the Results Mean?
The investigation produced data indicating that the three gunas are real, an important finding for persons investigating and using Vedic science. For example, for Ayurvedic practitioners, empirical evidence supporting the existence of the three modes can help promote and add credibility to this ancient body of knowledge. In ISKCON, we increasingly hear about the importance of setting up a social system based on varnas, or occupations. Varna social science assigns work according to people's propensities, which are formed by the three gunas. So an instrument such as the VPI can serve as a tool to help determine the appropriate varna for each member of a Vedic community.
In a broader sense, validation of the VPI encourages cultivation of the mode of goodness. Everyone aspires for contentment, life satisfaction, and staunch determination for achieving difficult goals. These attributes are characteristic of goodness. Behaviors associated with developing these qualities include Vaisnava standards of proper conduct, such as rising early in the morning, eating only vegetarian food, refraining from intoxicants and loose sexual relations, and keeping a spiritual focus in all facets of one's life. In short, authentication of the VPI helps provide an empirical basis for virtuous behavior, which students of the Gita know to be the platform from which one can most easily adopt a purely spiritual life, beyond the influence of the three modes of nature.
In counseling and other mental health fields, an inventory of the gunas can be used as an assessment tool. For instance, depression is symptomatic of ignorance, and excessive anxiety of passion. If the treatment of such disorders is effective, one's goodness score will increase, and the corresponding lower mode will decrease. In this way, Vedic concepts can be introduced into the helping professions.
Of course, an inventory of the gunas would be ideal for treatments based in the Vedas themselves. For instance, chanting Hare Krsna on beads a fixed number of times per day could be considered therapy for several psychic disorders. After the client chants for a month, the spiritual therapist could assess progress with an instrument such as the VPI.
Testing Yourself
If you'd like to determine your personal profile according to the three modes of nature, complete the eighty-question survey accompanying this article and return it with a stamped, self-addressed envelope to BTG, P. O. Box 430, Alachua, FL 32616, USA. After you return the survey, it will be scored and returned to you in four to six weeks.
For those who know the Bhagavad-gita well, the "correct" answers (those that reflect goodness) may be obvious. But the purpose of the test is to see how the modes influence you, and to accomplish that you must be honest. And honesty, after all, is itself a characteristic of the mode of goodness.
Dhira Govinda Dasa is the author of Krsna, Israel and the Druze. He lives with his family in Alachua, Florida, where in addition to his Ph.D. studies in social work he is employed as a social worker and serves as chairman of the board of directors for the ISKCON community and the Vaisnava Day School.
The Survey
The survey that follows is the Vedic Personality Index. The additional items and scales used to test the VPI are not included herein.
Circle the number that best represents your response.
1.Very Strongly Disagree
2. Strongly Disagree
3. Somewhat Disagree
4. Neutral
5. Somewhat Agree
6. Strongly Agree
7. Very Strongly Agree
1. I prefer to live in the country rather than the city.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
2. I often feel like a victim.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
3. I am willing to break the rules to achieve my goals.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
4. I have very little interest in spiritual understanding.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
5. I am satisfied with my life.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
6. Fruits and vegetables are among my favorite foods.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
7. All living entities are essentially spiritual.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
8. In conducting my activities, I do not consider traditional wisdom.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
9. I often act without considering the consequences of my actions.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
10. I usually feel discontented with life.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
11. I become happy when I think about the material assets I possess.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
12. I am not very much affected by the joys and sorrows of life.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
13. I often criticize and insult other people.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
14. I am against violence.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
15. I am good at using willpower to achieve goals.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
16. I enjoy spending time in bars.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
17. Cleanliness is very important to me.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
18. Spiritual advancement is very important for me.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
19. Others say that my intelligence is very sharp.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
20. I am a very active person.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
21. I often feel depressed.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
22. I often put off or delay my responsibilities.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
23. Respecting one's elders is very important.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
24. I greatly admire materially successful people.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
25. When I speak, I really try not to irritate others.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
26. I believe life is over when the body dies.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
27. I often feel helpless.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
28. I become elated when things work out well for me.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
29. I enjoy foods with strong tastes.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
30. I am constantly dissatisfied with my position in life.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
31. Having possessions is very important to me.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
32. When things are tough, I often bail out.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
33. I am straightforward in my dealings with other people.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
34. I have more energy than most people.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
35. I feel that my knowledge is always increasing.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
36. People should not have sex unless they are married and want children.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
37. I prefer city night life to a walk in the forest.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
38. For me, sex life is a major source of happiness.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
39. I take guidance from higher ethical and moral laws before I act.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
40. I enjoy intoxicating substances (including coffee, cigarettes and alcohol).
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
41. Being truthful is extremely important.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
42. I feel proud when I give charity.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
43. I often feel greedy.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
44. I become greatly distressed when things don't work out for me.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
45. I am often angry.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
46. I do not have strong determination.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
47. I often feel fearful.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
48. I greatly enjoy sleeping.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
49. I do not have doubts about my responsibilities in life.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
50. I often sacrifice my pleasure to please God.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
51. I often feel emotionally unbalanced.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
52. I enjoy eating meat.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
53. I often study books of traditional wisdom.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
54. I am self-controlled.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
55. I am very dutiful.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
56. When I give charity, I often do it grudgingly.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
57. I am generally even-tempered.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
58. In my life I usually experience deep happiness that is not dependent on anything external.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
59. Spiritually, all living entities are equal.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
60. I often get exploited in my relationships.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
61. Self-realization is not important for me.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
62. I often feel dejected.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
63. I carry out my responsibilities regardless of whether there is success or failure.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
64. I often neglect my responsibilities to my family.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
65. I am easily affected by the joys and sorrows of life.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
66. I often whine.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
67. Regardless of what I acquire or achieve, I have an uncontrollable desire to obtain more.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
68. I am currently struggling with an addiction, physical or psychological, to some type of intoxicant (including caffeine, cigarettes and alcohol).
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
69. My determination is unbreakable.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
70. I often envy others.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
71. My job is a source of anxiety.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
72. I never think about giving up my wealth and position for a simpler life.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
73. It often happens that those things that brought me happiness later become the source of my suffering.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
74. I sometimes cheat people.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
75. The most important thing to know is how to increase one's enjoyment of physical pleasures, like sex and eating.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
76. I often feel mentally unbalanced.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
77. I don't have much will power.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
78. I often neglect my responsibilities to my friends.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
79. I often act violently towards others.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
80. I am good at controlling my senses and emotions.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7