Sanskrit for “true,” “good,” or “real,” derived from the root as which, in the infinitive, is the verb “to be.” It is often used merely to assent to a statement made by someone else. It appears (in ablative declension) as the first word in the motto of The Theosophical Society (TS), satyan nasti paro dharmah, translated “There is no religion (literally dharma) higher than truth.”

R.W.B.

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