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In Hindu philosophy
Hindu philosophy

Hindu philosophy is divided into six Sanskrit nastika schools of thought, or darshanas :#Sankhya, a strongly dualist theoretical exposition of mind and matter....
, sattva (Sanskrit
Sanskrit

Sanskrit is a historical Indo-Aryan language, one of the liturgical languages of Hinduism and Buddhism, and one of the 22 official languages of India....
  "purity", literally "existence, reality"; adjectival "pure", anglicised sattvic) is the highest of the three guna
Guna

The Sanskrit word has the basic meaning of "string" or "a single thread or strand of a cord or twine". In more abstract uses, it may mean "a subdivision, species, kind,quality" or an operational principle or tendency....
s in Samkhya
Samkhya

Sankhya, also Samkhya, is one of the six schools of classical Indian philosophy. Sage Kapila is traditionally considered to be the founder of the Sankhya school, although no historical verification is possible....
, sattvika "pure", rajasika
Rajas

In Samkhya philosophy, one of the six schools of Hindu philosophy, there are three operating principals that form the basis of manifest creation or Nature and they are called: sattva, rajas and tamas....
 "dim", and tamasika
Tamas (philosophy)

In Hinduism, Buddhism, and Sikhism Tamas, or tamo-guna, is the lowest of the three gunas. It is a force which promotes one or more of the following: darkness, death, destruction, ignorance, Sloth, resistance....
 "dark".

an object or food to be sattvika, it must be uncontaminated and should not spread evil or disease in the world. On the contrary its presence must purify the surroundings.






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In Hindu philosophy
Hindu philosophy

Hindu philosophy is divided into six Sanskrit nastika schools of thought, or darshanas :#Sankhya, a strongly dualist theoretical exposition of mind and matter....
, sattva (Sanskrit
Sanskrit

Sanskrit is a historical Indo-Aryan language, one of the liturgical languages of Hinduism and Buddhism, and one of the 22 official languages of India....
  "purity", literally "existence, reality"; adjectival "pure", anglicised sattvic) is the highest of the three guna
Guna

The Sanskrit word has the basic meaning of "string" or "a single thread or strand of a cord or twine". In more abstract uses, it may mean "a subdivision, species, kind,quality" or an operational principle or tendency....
s in Samkhya
Samkhya

Sankhya, also Samkhya, is one of the six schools of classical Indian philosophy. Sage Kapila is traditionally considered to be the founder of the Sankhya school, although no historical verification is possible....
, sattvika "pure", rajasika
Rajas

In Samkhya philosophy, one of the six schools of Hindu philosophy, there are three operating principals that form the basis of manifest creation or Nature and they are called: sattva, rajas and tamas....
 "dim", and tamasika
Tamas (philosophy)

In Hinduism, Buddhism, and Sikhism Tamas, or tamo-guna, is the lowest of the three gunas. It is a force which promotes one or more of the following: darkness, death, destruction, ignorance, Sloth, resistance....
 "dark".

Sattvic objects

For an object or food to be sattvika, it must be uncontaminated and should not spread evil or disease in the world. On the contrary its presence must purify the surroundings. Thus when an individual consumes such a food, he must feel that he is eating pure food. The food should be healthy, nutritious and clean. It should also not weaken the power or equilibrium of mind. This idea disallows aphrodisiac
Aphrodisiac

An aphrodisiac is a substance which is used in the belief that it increases sexual desire. The name comes from Aphrodite, the Greek mythology of sensuality....
 or other drugs and intoxicants that can affect the mind in such a way. It also disallows food or objects obtained after killing or causing pain to a creature. This is because the object would then have source in an evil act. It also excludes stale and pungent-smelling food.

Some objects that are considered sattvika are:
  • Flowers, fruits, and food that are allowed as offerings to God
  • Neem
    Neem

    Neem is a tree in the mahogany family Meliaceae. It is one of two species in the genus Azadirachta, and is native to India, Myanmar, Bangladesh, and Pakistan growing in tropical and semi-tropical regions....
     tree
  • The milk of a cow which has grown in good surroundings, is healthy and has been obtained after the calf of the cow has been fed well. In cases when the cow has been ill treated, it becomes sinful or evil to drink such milk. It must be remembered that the cow is sacred
    Sacred cow

    Cattle are considered sacred in various world religions, most notably Hinduism, but also Zoroastrianism and the religions of ancient Egypt and Greece....
     for the Hindus.


Sattvic creatures

A person or creature can be called sattvika if the creature has predominantly sattvika tendencies.

A sattvika individual always works for the welfare of the world. He is always hardworking, alert and lives life moderately. He leads a chaste life. He eats moderately. He speaks the truth and is bold. He never uses vulgar or insulting language. He does not feel jealous nor is he affected by greed and selfishness. He does not cheat or mislead anyone. He does not even allow any evil tendencies to enter his mind. He has good memory and concentration. He also has keen interest in improving his spiritual knowledge, and spends time worshiping god or meditating. In the extreme state he may even perform penance or uninterrupted meditation. A satvic individual can be recognized if his mind, speech and actions synchronize. Manasa, vacha, karmana
Manasa, vacha, karmana

Manasa, vacha, karmana are three Sanskrit words. The word manassaa refers to the mind, vaachaa refers to Speech communication, and karmanaa refers to action ....
 are the three Sanskrit words used to describe such a state.

Some of the people considered by Hindus to be sattvika are:
  • Holy men and bhaktas like Tulsidas
    Tulsidas

    Gosvami Tulsidas was an Awadhi poet and philosopher, and the author Ramacharitamanasa , an epic devoted to Lord Rama.He was born in Rajapur, India in the present day Banda District, Uttar Pradesh, during the reign of Humayun to Hulsi and Atmaram Dubey....
    , Tyagaraja
    Tyagaraja

    Tyagaraja was a composer of Carnatic music, who along with his contemporaries Muttusvami Dikshitar and Syama Sastri forms the Trinity of Carnatic music composers....
    , Tukaram
    Tukaram

    Tukaram was a prominent Marathi Sant and religious poet in the Hindu tradition in India.He was born and lived most of his life in Dehu, a town close to Pune city in Maharashtra, India....
  • Ancient rishis like Vashishta, Kashyapa
    Kashyapa

    Kashyapa was an ancient sage , who was one of the Saptarshi in the present Manvantara; with others being Atri, Vashishtha, Vishvamitra, Gautama, Jamadagni, Bharadvaja ...
  • Modern day sages like Ramana Maharshi
    Ramana Maharshi

    Sri Ramana Maharshi , born Venkataraman Iyer, was an Indian sage. He was born to a Tamil Hindu Brahmin family in Tiruchuzhi, Tamil Nadu. After having attained moksha at the age of 16, he left home for Arunachala, a mountain considered sacred by Hindus, at Tiruvannamalai, and lived there for the rest of his life....
    , Aurobindo, Vivekananda
  • Divine beings in heavens
  • Some flora and fauna like lotus (symbolizes purity), cow (symbolizes the earth mother)


See also

  • sattvic diet
    Sattvic diet

    A sattvic diet, also referred to as a yoga diet or sentient diet, is a diet based on foods which, according to Ayurveda and Yoga, are strong in the sattva guna, and lead to clarity and upeksa of mind while also being beneficial to the body....
  • ritual purity
  • satya
    Satya

    Satya is a Sanskrit word that loosely translates into English as "truth" or "correct." It is a term of power due to its purity and meaning and has become the emblem of many peaceful social movements, particularly those centered on social justice, environmentalism and vegetarianism....
  • sat (Sanskrit)


External links


  • The film presents an opportunity to attune to the sattva of nature through immersing oneself meditatively into unity with it.