Three colours have been ascribed to the threegunas. It is commonly believed that Vishnu represents the Sattva Guna. It is not so. The Sattva Guna is really the attribute of Ishvara. It is not subject to Maya. In the state of Yogic sleep (Yoganidra) it acquires the Cit shakti (the power of Awareness) and appears as Suddha Atma (the Pure Absolute); hence Sattva represents the Ishvara principle, its colour is white.

The Rajo guna manifests itself in likes and dislikes. It used to be associated with Brahma. But this is wrong. It is a quality associated with Vishnu. Vishnu has been depicted as a deity bearing the conch, the discus, the mace and the lotus. Vishnu has also been described as ‘Alankaraswarupa’ - one who is embellished by decorations. Vishnu also bears the name, ‘Vishvambhara’, one who protects and rules over the Universe. As a ruler (Raja) he has the Rajo guna. The colour of Rajo guna is red. Then, there is Brahma. The Rajo guna has been attributed to Brahma. This is incorrect. Brahma represents. Tamo guna. Tamo guna is associated with Murkhatvam (irrationality) and the darkness of ignorance (andhakara). It is filled with ‘Mamakara’ (the sense of possessiveness) and Abhimana (attachment). These two impulses account for creation. If there were no sense of ‘I’ and ‘Mine’, the creative process would not go on. These two are the insignia of Tamo guna, which is represented by the black colour, while, red and black are the most important colours. Likewise there are in the world, people with Sattva-guna, Rajo guna or Tamo guna and are distinguished by one or other of the three colours. (SSS Vol.21, pp. 83-84)

Based on the differences in the nature of the mind, different colours are attributed to it. For instance, the mind filled with anger is red in colour: A selfish mind is wheat-brown; an egotistic mind is of the orange hue, while mind dedicated to God is pure white. (ICS , p. 71)