Ashta guna is the eight personal virtues which need to be practiced
for attaining freedom from the cycle of birth and death. The Ashta Gunas are
compassion, forbearance, not finding fault with others, purity, avoidance of
lethargy, auspiciousness, not being niggardly and non-attachment.
Compassion is one of the divine virtues often exhibited by
god through His manifestations to redeem the oppressed. Even when one is
endowed with strength and power to retaliate, it is a noble virtue to show
forbearance. It is an excellent trait to appreciate the virtue of a person
rather than find fault with him. Besides bodily purity, one has to practice
purity of thought and action and acquire wealth in the righteous way. Lethargy in
the performance of one’s duties is ruinous. It delays action and proves to be
an obstacle in the accomplishment of a set task.
Auspiciousness, the next virtue, consists of speaking and conducting
oneself in a pleasant manner.
Manu, ancient law giver, advises one to speak the truth
which is pleasant and to refrain from speaking that truth which is not
pleasant. One should not lie just for the sake of being pleasant. Hoarding and
being stingy are bad traits. One should not keep more than what one needs for
his immediate use. One should give liberally to the needy. One should not be
possessive and cultivate the spirit of detachment in worldly matters.
Source –
- Dharmasutras – The Law Codes of Ancient India (1999) Patrick Olivelle – Oxford World Classics.
- Encyclopedia of Hinduism Volume I page 479 – IHRF