According to the Triguna theory of personality (Charak Samhita), the ________ guna characterizes laziness, anger, arrogance, depression and helplessness :
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 4
The correct answer is Option (4) → Tamas
Besides the classification by the three doshas, Indian thought has a typology of personality based on the trigunas: sattva, rajas and tamas. All three gunas are present in every person in different degrees, and the dominance of one leads to a particular type of behaviour.
Option (1) Sattva — Incorrect. Sattva guna includes cleanliness, truthfulness, dutifulness, detachment and discipline, the opposite of the traits in the question.
Option (2) Kapha — Incorrect. Kapha is not a guna. It is one of the three humoural elements, vata, pitta and kapha (the tridosha), on which Charak Samhita, a treatise on Ayurveda, classifies people by temperament (prakriti).
Option (3) Rajas — Incorrect. Rajas guna includes intensive activity, desire for sense gratification, dissatisfaction, envy for others and a materialistic mentality; it is marked by restless activity, not by laziness.
Option (4) Tamas — Correct. Tamas guna characterises anger, arrogance, depression, laziness and a feeling of helplessness, the very traits the question lists.
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.…” |