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Background: Ayurveda describes mental constitution (Manas Prakriti) through the three Gunas, Sattva, Rajas and Tamas. Over the last three decades, psychologists and Ayurveda researchers have tried to measure these Gunas with structured questionnaires and to relate them to modern trait models of personality. Objective: To review the classical basis of Manas Prakriti, the instruments developed to measure the Gunas, the evidence on their psychometric quality, and their reported links with mental health outcomes. Methods: Narrative review of classical Ayurvedic texts and of published literature retrieved from PubMed, Google Scholar, DOAJ and AYUSH Research Portal using the terms Triguna, Manas Prakriti, Sattva, Rajas, Tamas, personality, scale and validation. Results: The Vedic Personality Inventory and the Mysore Triguna Scale are the most frequently used and best documented instruments. Studies using them report higher Rajas and Tamas and lower Sattva scores in people with anxiety disorders and major psychiatric illness than in healthy controls. A 2025 critical review of 64 Prakriti tools found that only 20 had undergone any validation, and very few addressed the mental constitution. Correlations between Gunas and Big Five traits have been explored, but mostly in small, convenience samples. Conclusion: The Triguna model is measurable and shows consistent associations with psychological distress. Its clinical use is limited by weak validation, lack of norms across populations, and conceptual overlap with Western trait measures. Standardised, cross-culturally tested Manas Prakriti instruments are a research priority.

Keywords: Manas Prakriti; Triguna; Sattva; personality assessment; Vedic Personality Inventory; Mysore Triguna Scale