sattva
Americannoun
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(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.
Etymology
Origin of sattva
First recorded in 1780–90; from Sanskrit: “entity, essence, reality,” from sát “being, existing, living” ( sooth ( def. ) ) + -tva, abstract noun suffix ( -tude ( def. ) )
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
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
But sattva, rajas and tamas were accepted in Vedânta in the sense of tendencies and not as reals as Sâ@mkhya held it.
From A History of Indian Philosophy, Volume 1 by Dasgupta, Surendranath
Thus Îs'vara is believed to possess a mind of pure sattva alone.
From A History of Indian Philosophy, Volume 1 by Dasgupta, Surendranath
This mahat-tatva being once produced, further modifications begin to take place in three lines by three different kinds of undulations representing the sattva preponderance, rajas preponderance and tama preponderance.
From A History of Indian Philosophy, Volume 1 by Dasgupta, Surendranath
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
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
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