The Vedas, the oldest texts of humanity, give more importance to the mind than to the body. Mental activity can be classified as sattvic, rajasic or tamasic. These are the gunas or characters of nature: sattva, rajas and tamas, which indicate individual differences in psychological predispositions.

Sattva is related to consciousness, purity, clarity of perception.

Rajas has to do with activity, promotes the search for sensory pleasures, is linked to effort and lack of rest.

Tamas belongs to the state of confusion, inertia, heaviness and materialism.

The mental constitution would go parallel to the physical constitution or biotype, only the latter can not be modified; its objective is to be in balance, while in the mental constitution, it is necessary to evolve from tamasic and rajasic qualities towards a sattvic predominance.

In the manifestation of Prakruti’s nature, the first expression is Mahat, intelligence or cosmic order. Then it is Ahmakar or ego, the center of our consciousness from which we act, think and react. Ahmakar expresses itself in three universal qualities:

  • satva: stability, purity, awakened mind, clarity, light.
  • Rajas: dynamism, due to sensations and emotions.
  • tamas: tendency to inertia, darkness, ignorance and heaviness.

The mind is born from sattvic essence, the five senses or faculties and their organs (ears, skin, eyes, tongue and nose), the five motor organs (mouth, hands, feet, reproductive organs and excretory organs).

Rajas is the active force that governs the movement of both the sensory organs and the motor organs.

Tamas gives strength to the five elements that are the basis of material creation: space (ether), air, fire, water and earth.

Man is a creation of the cosmic consciousness, and he is considered to be a microcorganism of the macrocosm that is the universe. Everything present in the cosmos is also present in every human being. We are a miniature of nature.