sattva

American  

[suht-vuh] / ˈsʌt və /

noun

Hinduism.

1. (in Sankhya and Vedantic philosophy) goodness or purity, one of the three fundamental qualities of matter said to be present in everything at varying levels.

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Etymology

Origin of sattva

First recorded in 1780–90; from Sanskrit: “entity, essence, reality,” from sát “being, existing, living” ( see also sooth ( def. )) + -tva, abstract noun suffix ( see also -tude ( def. ))

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

sattva

Rajas and tamas represent the bad states of the mind and sattva the good ones.

From A History of Indian Philosophy, Volume 1 by Dasgupta, Surendranath

Now those effects can be connected with their causes only in so far as the internal organ of a person possessing sattva and so on undergoes modifications.

From The Vedanta-Sutras with the Commentary by Ramanuja — Sacred Books of the East, Volume 48 by Thibaut, George

His body is of pure sattva quality which can never be touched by ignorance.

From A History of Indian Philosophy, Volume 1 by Dasgupta, Surendranath

When the sattva is at its height this conglomeration ceases.

From A History of Indian Philosophy, Volume 1 by Dasgupta, Surendranath

It also describes sattva as being light and illuminating, rajas as of the nature of energy and causing motion, and tamas as heavy and obstructing.

From A History of Indian Philosophy, Volume 1 by Dasgupta, Surendranath