There are nine forces of nature acting within us. Three of these forces act within the domain of the mind: Chitta, Man, and Buddhi. Three of these act within the domain of energy and represent the quantum, physical, and cosmic energy. The remaining three of these act within the domain of the causal body and sensations, representing the Tamasik, Rajasik, and Saatvik causal energies. All of us have different constitutions. Some of these forces are strong, while some are weak inside us, and we can study their relative strength and inclination by reading the horoscope. What matters more is the “Guiding Force”. If the Guiding Force is ego, despite having a very strong constitution, one may end up living life confined to a very narrow framework. On the other hand, if the Guiding Force is Truth, one may explore infinite possibilities in one’s life, as did Gautam Buddha.

To begin with, Chitta is the storehouse of past memories and experiences. If Chitta is guided by Ego, it will keep feeding our Mana with past memories of likes and dislikes, and we will make decisions about our lives accordingly. Manthara told Kaikeyi that she should ask Dashratha for the two boons to make his son the king of Ayodhya. That’s what our Chitta does. It will try to convince the Mana to do something based on the past experiences. While eating the last time we were at the restaurant, we were not aware and therefore created the impression that it was a very nice experience; therefore, the Chitta wants repetition thereof. While talking to the boss last time, we were not aware, which created animosity, and that’s why the next time we meet the boss, Chitta makes us feel uncomfortable. Unless the guiding force of Chitta is Truth, it will keep manipulating our Mana to pursue the objects we like and to move away from those we don’t.

Mana is the powerhouse of the mind. It is like the horse running the chariot. It gives direction to the mind. There is a symbolic story that when Dasharatha was fighting the battle against the Danavs, during the fierce war, the pin of a wheel on Dasharatha’s chariot slipped out, and the wheel was about to fall off. Kaikeyi quickly inserted her thumb into the hole to serve as the bolt. She held the chariot steady with her thumb for the entire fierce battle. This is what Mana does. When our Buddhi, or intellect, fails to function, the mana provides us with support, courage, and strength. The same Kaikeyi was the reason for Dashratha’s death because she asked him for two famous boons and sent Rama into exile. What changed? It was only the guiding force. In the first instance, the Mana was guided by Truth, while in the second, it was guided by Chitta centred on the ego.

Buddhi or intellect is the seat of discrimination. It calculates, computes, and comes to a conclusion. Dashratha is so powerful that he can make his chariot move in all ten directions. He has a complete awareness of the landscape and can therefore make decisions with precision. However, it is bound by the two boons given to Kaikeyi. So too, the intellect is bound, and that’s why, when it is influenced by the Mana, it becomes very difficult for it to stay with the truth. That’s how most crimes are committed. Our buddhi knows that we are doing wrong, yet it is dominated by the Mana and Chitta, which are centred on the ego.

Quantum energy operates throughout our bodies, within the cells, and supports quantum activities. When Bharata was away from Ayodhya, Kaikeyi asked for the two boons from Dashratha and Bharata got separated from Rama. However, Bharata went to the forest to meet Rama to bring him back, and when he refused to come, Bharata served Ayodhya as his representative. Quantum energy is also sometimes attacked by the ego. People carry many thoughts in their Chitta, and under their influence, the Mana becomes sick, affecting quantum energy. People pass through phases of anxiety, stress, and depression. However, when quantum energy is guided by truth, as when Bharat serves as a representative of Rama, it can work wonders.

Physical energy makes us do everything in the outer world. Hanuman was very powerful from childhood. So powerful that once he thought of eating away the Sun, and then Indra had to come and hit him with his Vajra on his chin. The same Sun later became Hanuman’s teacher, and when he came into contact with Rama, he could perform some of the most impossible tasks, such as finding Sita’s whereabouts and bringing Sanjeevani Booti for Lakshmana. Our physical energy may also stoop to its lowest when it is guided by ego, and there have been dictators who have killed millions in this world. When the same physical energy is guided by the truth, it can do miracles.

Cosmic energy connects us to the cosmos, and that’s why this force represents wisdom. Lakshma always stayed with Rama. Wisdom, too, stays with the truth. However, while fighting against Meghnatha, Lakshmana fainted when Meghnatha used Nagpasha. Wisdom, too, gets trapped in the Nagpasha of mental stories. More intelligent people can make better, more logical mental stories and stick with them. When our wisdom is clouded by mental stories, we lose our connection to the truth. We may make thousands of different types of mental stories, such as “X is responsible for my failure”, “Y does not like me and tries to pull me down” “Z is doing some conspiracy against me”, or “A is the best target, and if I achieve that, I will be happy forever”. 

Ahilya was the beautiful wife of the sage Gautama, who was turned into stone (or rendered invisible) after being tricked and seduced by the god Indra. Sage Gautama cursed her to suffer for thousands of years, declaring that she would only be freed when Lord Ram visited her hermitage. Centuries later, during the Treta Yuga, Lord Ram walked past her home while travelling with Sage Vishwamitra, and the moment the divine dust from Ram’s feet touched her, the curse was instantly broken, restoring Ahilya to her human form and liberating her soul. Saatvik causal energy also gets blocked when we do not stay aware and start following some illusion. Many people get trapped in the illusion of meditation. They feel that the mental projections are meditative experiences and waste many precious years craving for those experiences. When we get a touch of truth, as Ahilya did, we get to realise reality.

Rajasik causal energy also becomes very dangerous when we set the centre of life around falsity. Bali pursued a terrifying demon named Mayavi into a deep, dark subterranean cave. After waiting for him for a year, Sugriya thought he had died and come back. When Bali returned, he thought Sugriva had ditched him and had become Sugriva’s enemy. Bali possessed a divine boon allowing him to absorb half the strength of any opponent he faced directly. Ram instructed Sugriva to challenge Bali to a duel while Ram remained concealed behind a tree. As the two brothers fought, Lord Ram shot a single lethal arrow into Bali’s chest. The causal energy of the rajasik habits also makes us bull-headed. We stop listening to the wise advice of people around us. We can fall to any extent. Finally, these habits have to align with the truth. Sugriva has to become the king of Kishkindha. 

Tamasik causal energy represents the sum total of our experiences throughout different lives. Ravan is very strong and wise. He can rule all three worlds and defeat the devas and the danavs. He pleased even Lord Shiva with his penance. He has built a city that none can match. He even has a vehicle to fly. Yet, when his guiding force became his ego, he kidnapped Sita and fought the battle against Lord Rama. That’s what bad habits make us do. When we allow bad habits to form over the years, they start to drive our lives. These bad habits are difficult to eliminate, and even if we try to eliminate them in one form, they will take another form. Ravan has 10 heads and can’t be killed unless hit at the navel. We also have to hit at the very root of our habits to change them with the Guiding force of truth. Vibhishana has to finally become the king of Lanka.