How to Get Along with Others Using Ancient Hindu Wisdom — Swami Bhaskarananda

Recorded at the Vedanta Society of Western Washington on November 25, 2012.

In this talk, Swami Bhaskarananda explains why human relationships can be difficult and offers a Vedantic framework for understanding personality and behavior. Drawing on the Sankhya philosophy of Sage Kapila, he describes the three gunas—sattva, rajas, and tamas—as subtle forces present in everyone’s mind and nature. When sattva predominates, a person tends toward clarity, calmness, unselfishness, and spiritual inclination; when rajas predominates, restlessness, ambition, craving, and the desire to dominate become more visible; when tamas predominates, lethargy, confusion, depression, and impulsive negativity may arise. Because these tendencies can shift, he emphasizes the need to account for time, place, and a person’s prevailing disposition, and also the importance of learning to manage one’s own mind before trying to handle others skillfully.

Swami Bhaskarananda then applies this understanding to practical situations—especially family and workplace relationships. He highlights self-sacrifice and thoughtful timing as keys to harmony in marriage, offering examples of how spouses can respond wisely to changing moods and temperaments without escalating conflict. He distinguishes sincere praise from flattery and suggests that recognizing real strengths in others can reduce friction, particularly with supervisors or strongly rajasic personalities. Throughout, he stresses that these principles are not meant to create perfect circumstances, but to make relationships more peaceful, workable, and grounded in empathy, patience, and steadiness of mind.