GUṆAS. Guṇa is a Sanskrit word etymologically suggesting a "strand" or "thread," several of which when intertwined make up a rope. The term is defined and applied in numerous ways, depending on the governing systematic assumptions and/or philosophical contexts. Four of the most common usages are described below.

The guṇas or "virtues" of an animate or inanimate object can be contrasted with its doṣas, or "faults." This sense of the word is found in medical parlance but is not confined to that context. It is also found in Mimamsa exegesis of the merits of action, including mental and verbal activities.

Perhaps related to the foregoing, Sāṃkhya metaphysics postulates three guṇas as the constituents of pṛakrti, or material nature. These three qualities are known as sattva, rajas, and tamas, terms that are...