---
type: Concept
bundle: yoga-darshana
bundle_version: "0.2.0"
id: rajas
title: "Rajas"
iast: "Rajas"
devanagari: "रजस्"
description: "The guṇa of motion and activity in Prakṛti — not passion, not energy, not aggression."
darshana:
  - Pātañjala Yoga
  - Sāṃkhya
text_source: "YS 2.18, 4.13-4.14"
tags:
  - Yoga
  - Patanjali
  - Samkhya
  - guna
  - activity
  - passion
  - citta
not:
  - term: "passion"
    why: "passion implies emotional heat; Rajas is an ontological principle of motion that operates equally in gross matter (a river's current) and in the subtlest thought"
    instead: "Keep Rajas untranslated; do not substitute the English term."
  - term: "aggression"
    why: "aggression is one downstream expression of Rajasic excess; Rajas itself is neutral motion, necessary for any change to occur"
  - term: "energy"
    why: "energy in physics is a measurable scalar; Rajas is a qualitative principle of the dynamic aspect of Prakṛti, not a quantity"
  - term: "desire"
    why: "desire is one psychological expression of Rajas; Rajas underlies all motivation and movement, including the motion of seeking liberation, which is Sattvic-Rajasic"
  - term: "activity"
    why: "activity is the closest English approximation but loses the sense that Rajas is ontological: it is what makes Sattva and Tamas active, not merely one result of activity"
related:
  - /concepts/guna.md
  - /concepts/sattva.md
  - /concepts/tamas.md
  - /concepts/prakriti-yoga.md
  - /concepts/samskara.md
  - /concepts/raga.md
  - /concepts/dvesha.md
  - /concepts/nirodha.md
timestamp: "2026-06-20"
okf_version: "0.2"
license: "CC BY-SA 4.0"
---

# Rajas — रजस्

**Not:** passion, aggression, energy, desire, activity

The active Guṇa — the principle of motion, dynamism, and transformation in Prakṛti. Without Rajas, neither Sattva nor Tamas could function: Sattva would be static clarity with no capacity to illuminate, Tamas would be pure inert weight with no capacity to hold form. Rajas is the energy-of-change that moves Prakṛti through its infinite transformations.

## Etymology

- Root: *rañj* — to color, to affect, to be impassioned (same root as *rāga*)
- *rajas* — dust, coloring agent, the atmosphere (the agitated middle region between heaven and earth in Vedic cosmology)

The dust metaphor is precise: dust is motion made visible — particles stirred up and suspended in air, obscuring what lies behind them. Rajasic citta is similarly agitated, suspended, unable to settle into the clarity of Sattva.

## Rajas in Sāṃkhya-Yoga Theory

In the Sāṃkhya Kārikā, the three Guṇa-s are characterized by their functions:

| Guṇa | Primary Function |
|------|----------------|
| Sattva | *Prīti* — pleasure, illumination, buoyancy |
| Rajas | *Duḥkha* — pain, activity, stimulus |
| Tamas | *Viṣāda* — depression, obstruction, heaviness |

Rajas is associated with *duḥkha* (pain/stimulus) not because it is inherently painful but because the nature of motion is inherently unsettling: change interrupts equilibrium, and the interruption registers as duḥkha. All craving (*rāga*) and aversion (*dveṣa*) are Rajasic operations — the apparent self being pulled and pushed by the motion-principle.

## Rajas as Necessary Cause

Without Rajas, the entire yoga path is impossible. The impulse to practice, the energy to sit, the effort of prāṇāyāma — all of these require Rajas. The tradition is not trying to eliminate Rajas but to:

1. Reduce *gross* Rajas (compulsive craving, reactive aversion, scattered attention)
2. Direct the remaining Rajas toward Sattvic purposes (sādhana, study, service)
3. Eventually allow Rajas to settle into the natural equilibrium of Sattva

This is why the Bhagavad Gītā's treatment of Rajas (Ch. 14) emphasizes *niyama* (discipline of Rajas' energy) rather than suppression.

## Rajas in Citta-Vṛtti

In the cognitive apparatus (citta), Rajas manifests as:

- The constant generation of new vṛttis (thought-movements)
- Inability to sustain single-pointed attention (dhāraṇā)
- The pull of rāga and push of dveṣa disrupting meditation
- The mind's tendency to multiply, elaborate, and project scenarios

Prāṇāyāma is particularly effective at reducing Rajasic citta because breath and thought-generation are functionally coupled: extending the breath-pause reduces the cognitive trigger-rate.

## Cross-References

- [Guṇa-s](guna.md) — Rajas is one of the three constitutive Guṇa-s of Prakṛti
- [Sattva](sattva.md) — the luminous Guṇa that Rajas must support without overwhelming
- [Tamas](tamas.md) — the inert Guṇa that Rajas animates
- [Rāga](raga.md) — craving is a Rajasic expression in citta; pleasure-memory's pull is powered by Rajas
- [Dveṣa](dvesha.md) — aversion is the Rajasic push in citta; pain-memory's repulsion is powered by Rajas
- [Saṃskāra](samskara.md) — impressions are carried by Rajas in their activation (the saṃskāra is latent in Tamas; activated by Rajas; known through Sattva)
- [Nirodha](nirodha.md) — cessation; when Rajas has so thoroughly quieted that citta is in Sattvic transparency — the precondition for nirodha

## Audience Metaphor

Rajas in citta is like WiFi in a building: you cannot see it, but every device is constantly trying to connect, get data, send data, switch networks, reconnect. It is the background noise of the cognitive environment. Meditation is not about turning off WiFi — it's about letting the devices finish their work, stop searching, and rest. When Rajas quiets, Sattva's clarity can operate.

## Citations

1. [Yoga Sūtras of Patañjali](/references/yoga-sutras.md) 2.18, 4.13-4.14
2. [Sāṃkhya Kārikā](/references/samkhya-karika.md) of Īśvarakṛṣṇa (kārikā 12-13)
3. [Bhagavad Gītā](/references/bhagavad-gita.md) 14.7-9, 14.12
4. [Yoga Bhāṣya of Vyāsa](/references/yoga-bhasya.md) on YS 2.18
