The modes of nature are the subject tonight. This is something we don’t learn in modern world education. Unfortunately, we don’t learn a lot of things we really need to know. The modes of nature are dealing with the material world. We are in the material world and we are in material bodies, therefore we should know about the material arrangement.
The material world is made of three different modes of nature. In the same way that water is made of hydrogen and oxygen, the material world is composed of these three different modes of nature and they are: sattva guna – the mode of goodness, rajas guna- the mode of passion and tamas guna- the mode of ignorance. Those three modes are present in every aspect of material nature and those modes actually influence us in all the things we do.
We always think that we are the ones doing what we do, “Oh, I’m doing this” because I want to or whatever, I think I am the one decider, I make this choice, I see a certain way, I feel a certain way, it’s me.
This is wrong; I’m doing what I do, due to the influence of the modes of material nature. They influence me completely. An example is a person who is drunk acting the way he acts because of the influence of the alcohol. He is saying what he says; stupid things, you see, he acts this way and that way, walks the way he walks, sees the way he sees, relates the way he does, etc., etc. because of the influence of the alcohol. In fact many times, as they say, its just liquor talking. Then you see him after he is sober, who is this, now a completely different person.
So that is the idea. It is this influence that makes us the way we are materially speaking and this is psychological influence. Our psychological condition is the result of this influence. Everything is in this category and how I associate with these modes will mold my life.