rajas

rajas n. ‘coloured or dim space’, the sphere of vapour or mist, region of clouds, atmosphere, air, firmament (in Veda one of the divisions of the world and distinguished from div or svar, ‘the sphere of light’, and rocanādivaḥ, ‘the ethereal spaces’, which are beyond the rajas, as ether is beyond the air; often rajas = ‘the whole expanse of heaven or sky’, divided into a lower and upper stratum, the rajasuparam or pārthivam and the rajasuttamam or paramam or divyam; hence du. rajasī, ‘the lower and higher atmospheres’; sometimes also three and RV. i, 164, 6 even six such spheres are enumerated, hence pl. rajāṃsi, ‘the skies’), RV. ; AV. ; TS. ; VS. ; Br.

the impurity i.e. the menstrual discharge of a woman, GṛS. ; Mn. ; MBh. ; Suśr. &c.

(in phil. ) the second of the three Guṇa s or qualities (the other two being sattva, goodness, and tamas, darkness; cf. IW. 85 ; rajas is sometimes identified with tejas, q.v. ; it is said to predominate in air, and to be active, urgent, and variable), Sāṃkhyak. ; VarBṛS. ; Suśr. &c.