Guna is a Samkhya concept which is used to understand the formation of everything in this universe. This is a vast topic and we will be restricting ourselves to the basics of this discussion.
Guna, seen as an attribute or a quality, is inherent in everything that we see or hear around us. There are three Gunas - Sattva, Rajas and Tamas and everything in this universe is mandatorily composed of these three, though in different proportions. The properties of any object, change with changes in the proportion of these Gunas. Each Guna represents certain properties. They are briefly stated here:
Gunas And The Ajnya Chakra
Knowledge itself can be of three types: Sattvik, Rajasic and Tamasik
Tamasik knowledge is that which makes one unable to see anything beyond the self. Here, the ‘I’ is the only reality that a person understands. There is hardly any consideration given to others. Here others exist only for the purpose of 'my' well-being. At a milder level, such a person would be seen as a self-centered or a selfish personality gratifying only himself.
Rajasic knowledge differentiates between self and the others, but sees the two as inter-dependent. Thus, for them there is a duality but this duality is inter-related. Hence, they would not hurt others since they are aware that it may elicit an unfavourable response from the 'others'.
Sattvik knowledge is that which is able to see unity in all the different expressions of this universe. Thus, Sattvik knowledge allows us to see everything as one. A person with Sattvik knowledge sees self as a part of the whole and doesn't see any differentiation between the two.
Tamas And Anahat Chakra
A Tamasik individual hardly understands the meaning of compassion. For such an individual, life is only about loving oneself. He/she believes that the world exists only for the purpose of his/her happiness. A mildly Tamasik personality keeps on demanding love from others as a privilege. This leads to behaviour patterns such as possessiveness and jealousy, usually accompanied by a complaining nature.
An extremely Tamasik personality would be the criminal kind, lacking any compassion and hence going to any extreme to satisfy personal motivations. Thus:
Rajas And Anahat Chakra
A Rajasik person is considerate about other people, but this consideration comes from a personal need of comfort, love, acceptance, appreciation, security, etc. Hence, love and affection is showered on those from whom they expect something in return or if these returns are seen as assured.
Love and compassion in this case is not the ideal 'unconditional’ type, but a plain business transaction. Relations too can be seen as an investment with the expectation of a favourable return at some appropriate time. Though we may not like to hear it, most of us fall in this category (and it is okay to be so) especially when:
A Sattvik person breathes compassion in each and every act. Such persons see no difference between self and 'others', and it is this that makes them so connected with everyone around. There is no expectation from others, only from themselves. They are among the first ones to offer help to anyone and everyone who needs it. Their eyes are sensitive to pick up the ones in suffering, offering help even if it is not asked for. This help may be offered at an individual level, but when the Manipura is equally strong, we find them working for the entire society as social leaders. Their lack of expectations from others rarely allows them to be disappointed with others. They would rather be disappointed with themselves for not being able to help others enough. Examples are replete throughout history with the likes of Mahatma Gandhi, Nelson Mandela, Baba Amte, Florence Nightingale, Raja Ram Mohan Roy, Jyotiba Phule, etc.
Relation To Problems:
Tamasik Personality
This person has a lot of expectations from others, and coupled with a self-centered attitude, it can become a source of problem and suffering for others on most occasions. These are very difficult personalities to change, especially if they are powerful and successful in getting whatever they want from others. The ones who end up suffering on their account need to be trained to become strong and stand their ground.
Rajasic Personality
These individuals too have a lot of expectations from others but can be more logical in understanding the nuances of their expectations. They need to learn to balance between appropriate actions that need to be taken against results that need to be surrendered through some acceptance.
Sattvik Personality
These individuals suffer due to the high expectations that they have from themselves. They too can be explained logically to be more responsible towards themselves and not necessarily bear the weight of the entire world on their shoulders.