In Sikhism, the Five Virtues are fundamental qualities which one should develop in order to reach Mukti, or to reunite or merge with God. The Sikh Gurus taught that these positive human qualities were Sat (truth), Daya (compassion), Santokh (contentment), Nimrata (humility), and Pyare (love).

Sat

Sat is the virtue of truthful living, which means practising "righteousness, honesty, justice, impartiality and fair play."

The Lord's humble servants are True — they practice Truth, and reflect upon the Word of the Guru's Shabad. The True Lord God unites them with Himself, and they keep the True Lord enshrined in their hearts. O Nanak, through the Name, I have obtained salvation and understanding; this alone is my wealth.– Guru Granth Sahib, page 600

Santokh

Santokh, or contentment, is freedom "from ambition, envy, greed and jealousy. Without contentment, it is impossible to acquire peace of mind."

Practice truth, contentment and kindness; this is the most excellent way of life. One who is so blessed by the Formless Lord God renounces selfishness, and becomes the dust of all.- Guru Granth Sahib, page 51

Daya

The exercise of Daya, or compassion, involves "considering another's difficulty or sorrow as one's own and helping to relieve it as far as possible. Compassion also includes the overlooking of imperfections and mistakes of others, for to err is human."

Be kind to all beings-this is more meritorious than bathing at the sixty-eight sacred shrines of pilgrimage and the giving of charity.– Guru Granth Sahib, page 136

Nimrata

Nimrata, translated as "humility", "benevolence" or "humbleness", is the fourth virtue.

The God-conscious being is steeped in humility.– Guru Granth Sahib, page 273

Pyare

Let the Fear of God be your feet, and let His Love be your hands; let His Understanding be your eyes.– Guru Granth Sahib, page 139

Sat (Sanskrit)

Sat is a Sanskrit adjective meaning "real, being, existing" as well as "true, honest, right" (compare the double menaing of English true). As a neuter noun, it means "entity or existence, essence, the true being or really existent", "that which is good or real or true, reality, truth"; in the Vedanta also "the self-existent or Universal Spirit, Brahma". Etymologically, it is simply the present participle of the root as "to be" (PIE; cognate to English is).

The concept is famously expressed in a mantra found in the Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad (1.3.28),

In Sikhism

In Sikhism, Sat is one of the most important virtues which Sikhs try to develop during their life. God is Truth and by trying to ‘practise truth’, i.e. live a truthful life, Sikhs believe that they can live in accordance with God’s Will/Hukam. Truth is not just about speaking the truth but also about recognising and living in line with the true nature of reality. Acting justly towards others, honesty, treating everyone as equals and avoiding criticising others are all examples of truthful living for Sikhs.

Sikhs believe that human beings must work at developing all the God-like qualities they have in order to truly love God. Love of God is not just a feeling but always involves showing love for God by selfless service to God’s creation. A person who is gurmukh does not act out of selfishness but, by focusing on God, acts out of compassion for others "… becomes the slave of the Lord’s slaves, then …. finds the Lord and eradicates ego from within".

Maya and haumai are overcome by focusing only on God while serving God in creation. Material wealth, fame and praise are unimportant because the gurmukh is focused on the only thing of lasting value – God "The wealth of the Naam shall never be exhausted; no one can estimate its worth".

The other four qualities in the arsenal of five that a Sikh must wear are: Contentment (Santokh),Compassion (Daya), Humility (Nimrata) and Love (Pyare). These five qualities are essential for Sikhs and it is their duty to meditate and recite the Gurbani so that these virtues become a part of their mind set.

Gurbani

SGGS Page 22 The Gurmukhs do not like falsehood. They are imbued with Truth; they love only Truth.

SGGS Page 23 Those who do not have the Assets of Truth-how can they find peace?

SGGS Page 24 Make good deeds the soil, and let the Word of the Shabad be the seed; irrigate it continually with the water of Truth.

SGGS Page 36 The virtuous obtain Truth; they give up their desires for evil and corruption.

Santokh

Santokh means Contentment and is one of five virtues that is vigorously promoted by the Sikh Gurus. The other four qualities in the arsenal are: Truth (Sat), Compassion (Daya), Humility (Nimrata) and Love (Pyare). These five qualities are essential to a Sikh and it is their duty to meditate and recite the Gurbani so that these virtues become a part of their mind.

Contentment is another very important virtue in Sikhism. Instead of constantly thinking of how to satisfy personal desires, Sikhs try to accept the circumstances of their lives and concentrate on acting in accordance with God’s Will/Hukam. They try to remember that all aspects of life are a result of God’s Will/Hukam. Contentment leads to freedom from care, fear and worry. It is a very important divine quality; it is a deep godly priceless jewel, which is acquired by those souls who move on the path of Sach Khand.

When all the desires vanish the state of contentment is reached, the state of "Sat Santokh" is acquired. Desires are the reason for our sorrows and pains; its a such for an escape from these sorrows and pains. Fulfilling desires the person gets momentary happiness; unfulfilled desires bring disappointment. A continuous string of disappointments leads to depression and to mental and physical sicknesses.

Desires lead to mental and physical distortion of the mind; whereas contentment brings peace and calmness to the mind. This state of calmness and fulfilment brings us closer to the Almighty, because where there is complete peace in the mental state of the person, the mind can focus on the ultimate reality, the Akal Purakh.

Gurbani

Contentment patiently holds the earth in its place.
santokh thaap rakhi-aa jin soot. (SGGS Page 3 line 73)

sach santokh sahj sukh banee pooray gur tay paavni-aa. ((3)) (SGGS Page 115 line 4670)

Daya

or Compassion is a fundamental teaching of the Sikh religion. The other four qualities in the arsenal are: Truth (Sat), Contentment (Santokh), Humility (Nimrata) and Love (Pyare). These five qualities are essential to a Sikh and it is their duty to meditate and recite the Gurbani so that these virtues become a part of their mind.

SGGS Page 903 You have no compassion; the Lord’s Light does not shine in you. You are drowned, drowned in worldly entanglements. (4)

This concept says to not ignore tragedies that take place in the world but to face them head-on and do whatever is possible within ones means. As a Sikh you must feel the pain and suffering of other people involved in any tragedy.

DAYA (usually spelt daia in Punjabi), from Sanskrit "Day" meaning to sympathize with, to have pity on, stands for compassion, sympathy. It means ‘suffering in the suffering of all beings’. It is deeper and more positive in sentiment than sympathy. Daya, cognitively, observes alien pain; affectively, it gets touched by it and moves with affectional responses for the sufferer; and conatively it moves one to act mercifully, pityingly, with kindness and forgiveness. Daya is antithetical to hinsa (violence). One imbued with daya "chooses to die himself rather than cause others to die," says Guru Nanak (GG, 356).

Daya is a divine quality and a moral virtue highly prized in all religious traditions. In the Sikh Scripture, mahadaial (super compassionate), daiapati (lord of compassion), daial dev (merciful god), karima, rahima (the merciful one), etc., have been used as attributive names of God (GG, 249, 991, 1027, 727). In Sikh ethics, too, daya is inter alia, a basic moral requirement, a moral vow. "Keep your heart content and cherish compassion for all beings; this way alone can your holy vow be fulfilled" (GG 299).

At the human level, one can comprehend feeling of another’s anguish, but as a theological doctrine it is to risk allowing suffering in God’s life. This has often caused much controversy in theological circles. God does not suffer in the sense of pain from evil as evil, but may suffer compassion (daya) as bearing the pain of others to relieve them (of pain as also of evil). That is why at the time of Babar’s invasion of India, Guru Nanak, when he witnessed the suffering of people, complained to God:

So much agony were they put through So much anguish did they suffer — Were you not, O God, moved to compassion? (GG, 360)

The Guru, in the image of God, is also daial purakh (compassionate being) and bakhasand (forgiver)—GG, 681.

Daya is a virtue of the mind. In Indian thought, virtues are classified into (i) those of the body: dana (charity), paritrana (succouring those in distress), paricharana (social service); (ii) those of speech: satya (veracity), hitovachana (beneficial speech), priyavachana (sweet speech), svadhyaya (reciting of Scriptures) and (iii) those of the mind which, besides daya, also include aparigraha (unworldliness) and sraddha (reverence and piety).

The merit of pilgrimages of holy places sixty-eight, and that of other virtues besides, equal not compassion to living beings.(GG, 136)

Daya, in fact, is considered to be Truth in action: "Truth dawns when truthful counsel is accepted, Seeking familiarity with compassion one gives away virtuous charity." (GG, 468)

Daya is, in reality, true action or action par excellence (karni sar) as are truth and contentment, the other two high virtues(GG, 51)

Nimrata

Nimrata is a virtue that is vigorously promoted by Gurbani. The literal translation of this Punjabi word is "Humility", or "Benevolence". This is a very important human quality that needs to be part of a Sikh's Mind Set and must accompany the Sikh at all times. This means to always me humble and modest. Never pretend to be what you're not.The other four qualities in the arsenal are: Truth (Sat), Contentment (Santokh), Compassion (Daya) and Love (Pyar). These five qualities are essential to a Sikh and it is their duty to meditate and recite the Gurbani so that these virtues become a part of their personality.

The importance given to Humility in Sikhism can be seen from the following Shabads from SGGS:

Wear these three robes, O sister, and you will captivate your Husband Lord. ((127)) (SGGS Page 1384 line 59047)

And if you do not practise humility, truth, abstinence or self-discipline then what is in store for you:

When the Messenger of Death grabs you by your hair, you will be punished. You are unconscious, and have fallen into Death's mouth. ((3)) (SGGS Page 906 line 38915)

Pyare

Pyare means Love for the Lord and His creation. This is one of five virtues that is vigorously promoted by the Sikh Gurus. The other four qualities in the arsenal are: Truth (Sat), Contentment (Santokh), Compassion (Daya) and Humility (Nimrata). These five qualities are essential to a Sikh and it is their duty to meditate and recite the Gurbani so that these virtues become a part of their mind set.

This is a very positive and powerful tool in the Sikhs arsenal of virtues. When one's mind is full of love, the person will overlook deficiency in others and accept them wholeheartedly as a product of God. Sikhism asks all believers to take on "god-like" virtues and this perhaps is the most "god-like" characteristic of all. Gurbani tells us that Waheguru is a "loving God", full of compassion and kindness. It is the duty of the Sikh to take on qualities of this nature and to easily forgive; to never hate anyone; to live in His Hukam - "Will" and to practise compassion and humility.

"My mind is imbued with the Lord's Love; it is dyed a deep crimson. Truth and charity are my white clothes." (SGGS page 16) Ones mind has to be immersed in "love" of the Lord at all times to comply with this line from Gurbani. "Join the Sat Sangat, the True Congregation, and find the Lord. The Gurmukh embraces love for the Lord." (sggs page 22) and "Attuned to the Love of the One, there is no sorrow or suffering. ||3||" (sggs page 45), when one loves the Lord, all their sorrows and suffering are removed.