sattva

[ suht-vuh ]

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.

Word History and Origins

Origin of sattva¹

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

Thus "sight," or the power of seeing, is a modification of the quality of sattva unobstructed by rajas and tamas.

From Project Gutenberg

These, too, every Bodhi-sattva had to practise before he could attain Buddhahood.

From Project Gutenberg

Until his final birth, however, a Bodhi-sattva is a being in whom true knowledge is rather latent and undeveloped than perfected.

From Project Gutenberg

He represents the incarnation of a higher Bodhi-sattva or deified saint, but he sometimes claims to be an incarnated Buddha.

From Project Gutenberg

I, too, in my former existence of a Bodhi-sattva found it efficacious in securing victory.

From Project Gutenberg