Sattva

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Sattva (Skt.). In Sāṃkhya, one of the three strands (guṇas) of material nature (prakṛti). It is present in varying degrees in all things except pure consciousness (puruṣa); it is luminosity. In the material world sattva is manifested as buoyancy or lightness: bright colours, air, light foods, etc. In the individual psyche it is expressed through intelligence, virtue, cheerfulness, etc. It is a predominance of sattva over the other guṇas which begins the creation process in prakṛti. Through sattva, puruṣa is most accurately reflected in prakṛti.