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Virtue

Santokh (Contentment)

Sikh Virtue Virtues
Origin Attested throughout the Adi Granth, compiled by Guru Arjan in 1604, with final recension attributed to Guru Gobind Singh in 1706.

Contentment, one of the five virtues (Panj Gun) of Sikh ethical teaching set against the Panj Vikar (Five Thieves), understood as acceptance of the divine will (hukam) and freedom from the restless craving that lobh (greed) names as a vice.

Facts
Origins
Origin PeriodSourced to the subject's own account
Attested throughout the Adi Granth, compiled by Guru Arjan in 1604, with final recension attributed to Guru Gobind Singh in 1706. 1
Place of OriginSourced to the subject's own account
Punjab, in the Sikh community centered on Amritsar during the compilation of the Adi Granth. 1
Origin of the Name
Punjabi/Gurmukhi santokh, contentment, from Sanskrit santosha. 2
Attributed Author / CompilerSourced to the subject's own account
The Guru Granth Sahib, the compiled scripture of Sikhism. The base text was compiled by Guru Arjan in 1604 and given final form, the Adi Granth, by Guru Gobind Singh in 1706, who conferred upon it the status of eternal Guru; no single human author beyond the Sikh Gurus and Bhagats whose compositions it collects is credited for the Panj Gun as an enumerated set. 1
Language
Gurmukhi / Punjabi 2
Status
Status Within the Tradition
Standard teaching, not formally defined 3
Doctrinal Status DetailSourced to the subject's own account
One of the five Sikh virtues (Panj Gun), read as the settled acceptance of hukam, the divine order, a stance the Guru Granth Sahib sets directly against the restlessness lobh, greed, one of the Panj Vikar, feeds. 1
Attestation
Meaning in the Attesting Source
Contentment, one of the five Sikh virtues (Panj Gun) set against the Panj Vikar, understood as acceptance of the divine will (hukam). 3
Connections

Belongs to Tradition

Sikhism, Religions
Source The Encyclopaedia of SikhismHarbans Singh (editor-in-chief)

In Language

Punjabi, Languages

Opposes

Lobh (Greed), Vices

Sikh Five Virtues opposing the Five Thieves, Guru Granth Sahib teaching.

Sources
1. Guru Granth Sahib
Compiled by Guru Arjan, 1604; final recension attributed to Guru Gobind Singh, 1706, Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee, 1604the holders' own accountView the Source
2. Sikhism
W. H. McLeod, Penguin Books, 1997on the Panj Gun opposing the Panj VikarView the Source
3. The Encyclopaedia of Sikhism
Harbans Singh (editor-in-chief), Punjabi University, Patiala, 1998the santokh entryView the Source

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