The Symptoms of Passion and Ignorance
Sukadeva Goswami now describes in detail the characteristics and symptoms of people who are under the influence of the two lower gunas (qualities of nature): rajas (passion) and tamas (ignorance). Understanding these symptoms is important for spiritual practitioners because identifying them in oneself allows for correction and progress toward the mode of goodness (sattva) and beyond to pure devotion. The mode of passion is characterized by constant activity, ambition, attachment to results, and the perpetual desire to acquire more - more money, more power, more possessions, more fame. A person in passion works hard, takes risks, and pursues success with great intensity, always looking for the next opportunity to gain more.
The problems with the mode of passion are manifold. A person absorbed in passion is always agitated, always planning, always calculating how to achieve their next goal. There is no peace in their life because achieving one goal only creates the desire for the next. Their emotions swing wildly between excitement and disappointment. When they succeed, they become proud; when they fail, they become depressed. Their relationships are often superficial and based on what others can do for them. They exploit others for their own gain without much concern for the welfare of others. Their mind is restless, jumping from one thought to another, and they cannot concentrate on anything spiritual. Many of their actions are directed by ego - the desire to show off, to prove their superiority, to be recognized and praised.
The mode of ignorance is even more problematic than passion. It is characterized by laziness, confusion, sleep, stubbornness, and delusion. A person in ignorance lacks clarity in thinking. They make decisions based on emotion or whim rather than careful consideration. They are often irresponsible, blaming others for their problems and refusing to take responsibility for their own actions. They indulge in intoxication, eating meat, and other degrading habits that cloud the intelligence. They are prone to anger and violence when their desires are obstructed. Unlike passionate people who at least work hard, people in ignorance lack the drive even to pursue their desires systematically. They are content to remain in a state of dull existence, without much aspiration for improvement.
Sukadeva explains that most people oscillate between passion and ignorance. When passion predominates, they work hard and achieve success. But when their success leads to pride and attachment, and when they face inevitable failures and losses, they often swing into ignorance - becoming depressed, tired, and unmotivated. This pendulum between passion and ignorance keeps people trapped in suffering. Even the mode of goodness (sattva), though superior to both passion and ignorance, is still a material mode and keeps one within the cycle of birth and death. In the mode of goodness, people are peaceful, knowledgeable, and enjoy some material happiness, but they can still be attached to this peace and knowledge as an achievement.
The chapter concludes with the teaching that to transcend all material modes and achieve liberation, one must go beyond even the mode of goodness by developing pure devotion to the Lord. While it is certainly beneficial to cultivate the mode of goodness - by being honest, peaceful, and mindful - the ultimate goal is to transcend the material modes altogether. This transcendence comes through detaching one's consciousness from the modes and the results of action by offering all activities to the Supreme Lord. A person can be actively engaged in various activities but if done with the consciousness that everything is for the Lord's pleasure and satisfaction, that person transcends the material modes. This is the unique gift of devotional service - it allows one to remain engaged in the world while being completely free from the conditioning of the material gunas.