Varun's personality attributes can be described as dutiful, truthful, disciplined, clean and detached. Which type of personality is Varun having according to Charak Samhita?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 1
The correct answer is Option (1) → Sattva guna
Besides the tridosha, there is a typology of personality based on the trigunas, i.e. sattva, rajas and tamas; all three are present in every person in different degrees, and the dominant one shapes behaviour.
Option (1) Sattva guna — Correct. Sattva guna includes attributes like cleanliness, truthfulness, dutifulness, detachment, discipline. Varun is dutiful, truthful, disciplined, clean and detached, the very same list.
Option (2) Tamas guna — Incorrect. Tamas guna characterises anger, arrogance, depression, laziness and a feeling of helplessness, the opposite of Varun’s discipline and sense of duty.
Option (3) Rajas guna — Incorrect. Rajas guna includes intensive activity, desire for sense gratification, dissatisfaction, envy for others and a materialistic mentality. Varun’s detachment rules it out.
Option (4) Prakriti — Incorrect. Prakriti means the basic nature (temperament) of a person, given in Charak Samhita by the dominant dosha (vata, pitta or kapha). It is not a guna, and the attributes listed describe a guna.
NCERT (2025-26): “Type Approaches … In India also, Charak Samhita, a famous treatise on Ayurveda, classifies people into the categories of vata, pitta and kapha on the basis of three humoural elements called tridosha. Each refers to a type of temperament, called prakriti (basic nature) of a person. Apart from this, there is also a typology of personality based on the trigunas, i.e. sattva, rajas, and tamas. Sattva guna includes attributes like cleanliness, truthfulness, dutifulness, detachment, discipline, etc. Rajas guna includes intensive activity, desire for sense gratification, dissatisfaction, envy for others, and a materialistic mentality, etc. Tamas guna characterises anger, arrogance, depression, laziness, feeling of helplessness, etc. All the three gunas are present in each and every person in different degrees. The dominance of one or the other guna may lead to a particular type of behaviour.…” |