Sattva

Sattva

सत्त्व, sattva

"purity", "pure"; literally "existence, reality", also "sadguna"

One of the three gunas (qualities) of Prakriti, personifies purity, virtue, balance.

Sattva, more than all other gunas, is associated with pure consciousness. Sattva comes from sanskrit root सत् “sat”, which means “existence, being, true reality”, bliss and happiness, characteristics of consciousness, are associated with sattva,.

Where Prakriti is the manifestation of Sat, it manifests as sattva-guna.

“Gitarthasangraha” says:

Because of purity, light, and chastity, sattva binds with attachment to happiness and attachment to knowledge, O Flawless One! /6/

“Siddha-siddhanta paddhati” lists the following manifestations of sattva:

Mercy, righteousness, action, devotion, faith - this is the five-qualitative sattva. /1.51/

The influence of sattva manifests itself in us in the form of following qualities:

• daya – kindness or compassion;
  
• dharma – righteousness, justice;
  
• kriya – readiness to do good deeds;
  
• bhakti – worship or devotion;
  
• sraddha – faith.