Guna

quality , peculiarity , attribute or property

from the H. Daniel Smith Collection of Indian Art at Syracuse University

Gunam =

  • a single thread or strand of a cord or twine

  • a multiplier , co-efficient (in alg.) ; subdivision , species , kind

  • " reaching to all subordinate parts "' , hence `" valid throughout "'

  •  a quality , peculiarity , attribute or property

  • an attribute of the 5 elements (each of which has its own peculiar quality or qualities as well as organ of sense ; 

thus 

  • 1. ether has {zabda}= sound for its Guna and the ear for its organ ; 

  • 2. the air has tangibility and sound for its Gunas and the skin for its organ ; 

  • 3. fire or light has shape or colour , tangibility , and sound for its Gunas , and the eye for its organs ; 

  • 4. water has flavour , shape , tangibility , and sound for its Gunas , and the tongue for its organ ; 

  • 5. earth has the preceding Gunas , with the addition of its own peculiar Guna of smell , and the nose for its organ) 

  • an ingredient or constituent of Prakriti , chief quality of all existing beings (viz.%{sattva} , {rajas} , and {tamas} i.e. goodness , passion , and darkness , or virtue , foulness , and ignorance)

  • a property or characteristic of all created things

  •  in Nyaya phil. twenty-four Gunas are enumerated , viz. 

    • 1. {rUpa} , shape , colour ; 

    • 2. {rasa} , savour ; 

    • 3. {gandha} , odour ; 

    • 4. {sparza} , tangibility ; 

    • 5. {saMkhyA} , number ; 

    • 6. {parimANa} , dimension ; 

    • 7. {pRthaktva} , severalty ; 

    • 8. {saMyoga} , conjunction ; 

    • 9. {vibhAga} , disjunction ; 

    • 10. {paratva} , remoteness ; 

    • 11. {aparatva} , proximity ; 

    • 12. {gurutva} , weight ; 

    • 13. {dravatva} , fluidity ; 

    • 14. {sneha} , viscidity ; 

    • 15. {zabda} , sound ; 

    • 16. {buddhi} or {jJAna} , understanding or knowledge ;

    • 17. {sukha} , pleasure ; 

    • 18. {duHkha} , pain ; 

    • 19. {icchA} , desire ; 

    • 20. {dveSa} , aversion ; 

    • 21. {prayatna} , effort ; 

    • 22. {dharma} , merit or virtue ; 

    • 23. {adharma} , demerit ; 

    • 24. {saMskAra} , the self-reproductive quality) 

~~ Cologne Digital Sanskrit Lexicon

  

Om_mani.jpg updated: 29 August 2008  

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