The difference between rajasic and sattvic activities

Very often, people have difficulty differentiating between rajas and sattva in the field of activity. Rajas is restless activity and sattva is calm, quiet activity. People think that a person is sattvic because he works day in, day out. He starts early in the morning and does not stop until night. There is no end to his work. He has thrown himself into the sea of activity. But working constantly and not sitting still for a moment does not necessarily mean divine work. To be continually doing something, to be in ceaseless activity, is not sattvic work. Sattvic work is divine action which flows spontaneously from within and is done in an unselfish manner. But desire compels the rajasic man to work. He cannot live for even a second without work, not because he loves to work, but because his desires will not let him do otherwise. But a sattvic person gets inspiration from deep within and this inspiration, when properly guided by divine knowledge, does not contain an iota of selfishness. He works because he has been asked from deep within to do so. He does not look for a result. He works for the sake of the Divine and takes all activities as an opportunity to fulfil the Divine on earth.