Arishadvarga or Shadripu Personality Theory

Abstract

Personality is the answer to the question, who are we? Personalities determine our action, reactions, interaction and response to the outer world. There exist many theories of personality but the question from where personalities have their origin is still a matter of ambiguity. Some theories claim that people follow the personality of their parents; some believe that personality is inborn quality. Environment, gene and culture also have influence on the personality. Indian philosophy describes personality in a holistic manner without classifying it and names it as swabhava that covers all aspects of personality. Swabhava is our “own-being” meaning by that our inherent nature or the very essence of the human being. The Indian psychology is an upshot of the Indian philosophy. The three major theories of personality in Indian psychology are Pancha Kosha, Tridoshas and Triguna theories. Pancha Kosha theory of personality has been described by Satpathy B (2018). The Tridoshas and the Trigunas are the manifestation of the Pancha Maha Bhutas in varying combinations and degrees found in a person. This is the basis of classifying people in Ayurveda. The Trigunas theory of personality has been very lucidly explained by Lord Krishna in the Bhagavad-Gita. In this paper an attempt has been made to explain the Arishadvarga or Shadripu personality theory which is expounded by Shankaracharya who has mentioned six passions of mind that creates six patterns of personality.