Rajas — Activity, Passion, Restless Motion

Rajas is the guna of pravritti (outward activity), chala (restlessness), and upashtambhaka (stimulation) within Samkhya's analysis of prakriti. The Bhagavad Gita (14.7) defines it: 'Rajo ragatmakam viddhi trishna-sanga-samudbhavam' — know rajas to be born of craving and attachment, binding the embodied self through addiction to action. In the Samkhya-karika of Ishvarakrishna, rajas is the kinetic principle without which neither sattva nor tamas can manifest — it is the engine of srishti (creation) and the source of both kama (desire) and krodha (anger). The Gita (14.12) identifies its signs: lobha (greed), arambha (restless initiative), and ashama (inability to find peace).

Cross-Tradition Resonances