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'Tattva' is a Sanskrit word meaning 'thatness', 'principle', 'reality' or 'truth'.[1] According to various Indian schools of philosophy, a 'tattva' is an element or aspect of reality conceived as an aspect of deity. Although the number of tattvas varies depending on the philosophical school, together they are thought to form the basis of all our experience. The Samkhya philosophy uses a system of 25 tattvas, while Shaivism recognises 36 tattvas.
The Samkhya philosophy regards the universe as consisting of two eternal realities: ''Purusha'' and ''Prakrti''. It is therefore a strongly dualist philosophy. The ''Purusha'' is the centre of consciousness, whereas the ''Prakriti'' is the source of all material existence. The twenty-five tattva system of Samkhya concerns itself only with the tangible aspect of creation, theorizing that ''Prakriti'' is the source of the world of becoming. It is the first tattva and is seen as pure potentiality that evolves itself successively into twenty-four additional tattvas or principles.
Main articles: The 36 tattvas
In Shaivite philosophy, the tattvas are inclusive of consciousness as well as material existence. The 36 tattvas of Shaivism are divided into three groups:
#'Shuddha tattvas:' the first five tattvas are known as the ''shuddha'' or 'pure' tattvas. They are also known as the tattvas of universal experience.
#'Shuddha-ashuddha tattvas:' the next seven tattvas (6–12) are known as the ''shuddha-ashuddha'' or 'pure-impure' tattvas. They are the tattvas of limited individual experience.
#'Ashuddha tattvas:' the last twenty-four tattvas (13–36) are known as the ''ashuddha'' or 'impure' tattvas. The first of these is ''prakriti'' and they include the tattvas of mental operation, sensible experience, and materiality.
Within Puranic literatures and general Vaishnava philosophy ''tattva'' is often used to denote certain categories or types of being or energies such as :
★ 'Vishnu-tattva' - Any incarnation or expansion of Vishnu.
★ 'Jiva-tattva' - The living souls (jivas).
★ 'Mahat-tattva' - The total material energy (prakrti).
It is described in Gaudiya Vaishnava philosophy that there are a total of five primary tattvas in terms of living beings, which are collectively known as the Pancha Tattva and described as follows:
:"Spiritually there are no differences between these five tattvas, for on the transcendental platform everything is absolute. Yet there are also varieties in the spiritual world, and in order to taste these spiritual varieties one should distinguish between them".[2]
The word is used as the title and chorus line in Kula Shaker's 1996 hit song ''Tattva''. "Achintya-bheda-abheda-tattva".
★ Mahabhuta
★ Achintya Bheda Abheda
★ Tattva vision
★ Tat Tvam Asi
1. "tattva - of the truth" from BG 2.16
2. Chaitanya Caritamrita, Adi-lila 7.5
★ Prasad, Ram (1997). ''Nature's Finer Forces: The Science of Breath and the Philosophy of the Tattvas''. Kessinger. ISBN 1-56459-803-9
★ Ramacharaka Yogi (1997). ''Science of Breath''. Kessinger. ISBN 1-56459-744-X
★ Singh, Jaideva (1979). ''Siva Sutras: The Yoga of Supreme Identity''. Delhi: Motilal Banarsidas.
★ Swami Satyananda Saraswati. ''Tattva Jnana''. Devi Mandir. ISBN 1-877795-62-3.
★ Uses of 'tattva' in Puranic and Gaudiya Vaishnava literature
| Contents |
| The tattvas in Samkhya |
| The tattvas in Shaivism |
| The tattvas in Vaishnavism |
| Miscellaneous |
| See also |
| Footnotes |
| References |
| Further reading |
| External links |
The tattvas in Samkhya
The Samkhya philosophy regards the universe as consisting of two eternal realities: ''Purusha'' and ''Prakrti''. It is therefore a strongly dualist philosophy. The ''Purusha'' is the centre of consciousness, whereas the ''Prakriti'' is the source of all material existence. The twenty-five tattva system of Samkhya concerns itself only with the tangible aspect of creation, theorizing that ''Prakriti'' is the source of the world of becoming. It is the first tattva and is seen as pure potentiality that evolves itself successively into twenty-four additional tattvas or principles.
The tattvas in Shaivism
Main articles: The 36 tattvas
In Shaivite philosophy, the tattvas are inclusive of consciousness as well as material existence. The 36 tattvas of Shaivism are divided into three groups:
#'Shuddha tattvas:' the first five tattvas are known as the ''shuddha'' or 'pure' tattvas. They are also known as the tattvas of universal experience.
#'Shuddha-ashuddha tattvas:' the next seven tattvas (6–12) are known as the ''shuddha-ashuddha'' or 'pure-impure' tattvas. They are the tattvas of limited individual experience.
#'Ashuddha tattvas:' the last twenty-four tattvas (13–36) are known as the ''ashuddha'' or 'impure' tattvas. The first of these is ''prakriti'' and they include the tattvas of mental operation, sensible experience, and materiality.
The tattvas in Vaishnavism
Within Puranic literatures and general Vaishnava philosophy ''tattva'' is often used to denote certain categories or types of being or energies such as :
★ 'Vishnu-tattva' - Any incarnation or expansion of Vishnu.
★ 'Jiva-tattva' - The living souls (jivas).
★ 'Mahat-tattva' - The total material energy (prakrti).
It is described in Gaudiya Vaishnava philosophy that there are a total of five primary tattvas in terms of living beings, which are collectively known as the Pancha Tattva and described as follows:
:"Spiritually there are no differences between these five tattvas, for on the transcendental platform everything is absolute. Yet there are also varieties in the spiritual world, and in order to taste these spiritual varieties one should distinguish between them".[2]
Miscellaneous
The word is used as the title and chorus line in Kula Shaker's 1996 hit song ''Tattva''. "Achintya-bheda-abheda-tattva".
See also
★ Mahabhuta
★ Achintya Bheda Abheda
★ Tattva vision
★ Tat Tvam Asi
Footnotes
1. "tattva - of the truth" from BG 2.16
2. Chaitanya Caritamrita, Adi-lila 7.5
References
★ Prasad, Ram (1997). ''Nature's Finer Forces: The Science of Breath and the Philosophy of the Tattvas''. Kessinger. ISBN 1-56459-803-9
★ Ramacharaka Yogi (1997). ''Science of Breath''. Kessinger. ISBN 1-56459-744-X
★ Singh, Jaideva (1979). ''Siva Sutras: The Yoga of Supreme Identity''. Delhi: Motilal Banarsidas.
Further reading
★ Swami Satyananda Saraswati. ''Tattva Jnana''. Devi Mandir. ISBN 1-877795-62-3.
External links
★ Uses of 'tattva' in Puranic and Gaudiya Vaishnava literature
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