Virtues

Santokh (Contentment)

Sikh Virtue Virtues

Citation Formats

General Reference

Divinity Atlas. "Santokh (Contentment)." Accessed August 30, 2026. https://dev-divinity.interactiveatlas.org/virtues/santokh-contentment.

APA Style

Divinity Atlas. (n.d.). Santokh (Contentment). Retrieved August 30, 2026, from https://dev-divinity.interactiveatlas.org/virtues/santokh-contentment

BibTeX

@misc{divinityatlas-santokh-contentment,
  author = {Divinity Atlas},
  title = {Santokh (Contentment)},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://dev-divinity.interactiveatlas.org/virtues/santokh-contentment},
  note = {Accessed August 30, 2026}
}

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 Periodthe 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 Originthe 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 / Compilerthe 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 Detailthe 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

Cross-Tradition Connections

Belongs to Tradition

Sikhism

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

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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