Mind does show her three faces -

Sometimes Rajas running wild,

Sometimes Tamas with dark despair,

Sometimes Sattva with sweet serenity.

I’m Sattva, like the vast blue sky,

Untouched by the moving clouds,

Like the surging ocean deep,

Full, unaffected by the gushing waves.

Balanced I walk, always serene -

Beyond the turmoil of love and hate,

Ever like the soft, early dawn,

Dispelling the darkness with light.

I’m Sattva, always with joy, serene

Like the moon that awakens the lotus.

I’m Rajas, like a red monkey -

Bitten by the scorpion of desire,

Drunk with illusion of love and hate,

Restless like the stormy wind.

Feeling happy, my ego asserting -

“How wonderful am I!

I will pluck the peacock feather

And will fly in fame and glory.”

I’m Rajas, full of fire,

Rushing with the changing tide.

I’m Tamas like a black beer,

Hiding ferocious claws in velvety fur,

Growling with hunger and thirst.

Chilled in frustration,

Gnashing my teeth with so much misery.

Sinking in sorrow, I dive in despair.

My grief is beyond compare.

Sorrow walks like a ghost in fright -

I’m Tamas, quacking with fear,

Deep under a blanket of night.

But when the mind realizes God

These three faces disappear

And I understand I’m beyond time and space.

Source:

‘Sastras and Management – Tattvaloka.' (Dec/Jan 1992).