YOUR QUESTIONS ANSWERED: F.A.Q. 27

 

 

The Thirty-six Realities (Tattvas)

QUESTION: What are the Tattvas and how many are they?

ANSWER: The Sanskrit word "Tattva" means Truth, Reality or True Essence - from "tad", that which is. Strictly speaking, there is only One Reality. That Reality is God, the Supreme Being and Highest Truth, the Para Tattva. This is the original teaching of all true Scriptures.

If this teaching were adhered to by all, Mankind would live in unity and harmony for ever. However, there is a small problem, namely, the World or, rather, man's misunderstanding thereof. It is this human misunderstanding that creates all the problems in the World.

There are two general attitudes towards the World. Some reject its existence and concern themselves exclusively with their own beliefs about God, while others engross themselves in the World and forget about God.

Yoga teaches that both attitudes are wrong. As long as we live in the physical World we cannot deny its existence. Similarly, as God is the Ground of everything, we cannot ignore Him.

In His Infinite Wisdom and Compassion, the Supreme Lord Himself helps us through the Eternal Teachings of Yoga to properly relate to both the World and God. Thus Yoga teaches us that although the World appears to consist of seemingly distinct and unrelated things, the fact is that they all have one ultimate source. Indeed, the Universe is nothing but a manifestation of the Supreme Spirit.

In the same way as the clear, blue Sky produces clouds, which produce rain, which can turn into solid ice, so also, immaterial Spirit produces increasingly solid or material, forms of life.

The entire Universe consists of various manifestations of God (the Universal Consciousness) which together form the basis of all our experiences. As these are just forms of the Ultimate Reality, they are themselves called Primary Realities, Principles or Categories of Existence. In short, Tattvas.

 

God - the Source and Origin of all things

In the Rudra Samhita of Shiva Purana, Lord Shiva declares: "I am the Supreme Being, the Ever Existing, the Infinite, the Perfect, the Pure One. Being, Consciousness and Bliss are My characteristics. Verily, I am Ever One, Undivided and Unmanifest."

Yet He also says, "I am both Without Form and With Form. I am the Author of Creation, Preservation and Dissolution".

The Supreme Lord then explains how Creation is brought about: "For the purpose of Creation, Preservation and Dissolution, I manifest Myself as Creator, Preserver, Dissolver."

As a piece of gold fashioned into an ornament does not cease to be gold, so the World is just different names and forms of the same substance. As clay and objects made of it are different in name, form and function, but not in substance, so all things are in reality made of the same one stuff.

God (the Supreme Intelligence), therefore, must be seen as the basic material of all things. His Pure, Unseen, Unmanifest Aspect which is Truth, Supreme Knowledge, Infinite, is the Root of all things. That must be realised and meditated upon as the Highest Truth.

 

The Universe as an Emanation of the Divine

In the same way as a dreaming man fashions a whole World out of his own thoughts, God creates the World out of His Own Infinite Intelligence. Thus the Universe is an Emanation or Projection of the Divine. Says the Shiva Purana: "God sees all this within Himself".

When Shiva, the Universal Consciousness or Supreme Intelligence looks outwards, as it were, he projects the Universe out of Himself. When Shiva looks inwards, the Universal Projection is withdrawn back into Himself and He perceives nothing but His Undifferentiated, Unmanifest Infinite Self. These activities of Emanation and Retraction are known as Opening (Unmesha) and Closing (Nimesha), respectively, of the Divine Eyes.

In consequence, the Tattvas, which are the Primary Realities or Principles which constitute the World, are nothing but stages in the Process of Emanation or Unfolding of the Universal Consciousness (Parama Samvid).

The Ancient Scriptures of India analyse the Process of Universal Emanation into thirty-six main stages or phases which are briefly described as follows.

1. Shiva-Tattva: As the Universe is the creation of God's Own Mind (the Supreme Intelligence), the first Reality or Tattva naturally is God (Shiva) Himself. This level of Reality consists of Pure, Infinite Consciousness.

2. Shakti-Tattva: The second level of Reality is that of Pure, Infinite Bliss which is the Power whereby God experiences the Boundless Joy of His Own Existence. For this reason it is known as Shakti-Tattva, the Principle or Category of Power.

3. Sadashiva-Tattva: The third level is that of Pure, Infinite Will-Power, being the Power whereby God experiences Himself as an Unlimited, Independent Force that is ready and able to perform any action He wishes. At this stage God forms the resolve to bring His Power of Creation into operation.

4. Ishvara-Tattva: The fourth level represents God's Power of Pure, Infinite Knowledge whereby He is able to know all things. At this stage God begins to conceive in His Mind the Universe to be created.

5. Satvidya-Tattva: The fifth level is that of Pure, Infinite Action. At this stage, the Divine Power of Action which is the Power whereby God may assume, or manifest Himself as, any form or shape, comes into operation.

Up to and including this stage, Creation is Ideal in the sense that it is very much one with the Mind of God just as a thought or idea is one with the mind of the person who conceives it. The Universe at this level is purely Spiritual and is inhabited by Spiritual Beings such as Gods (Angels), Enlightened Yogis (Siddhas), Sages (Rishis) and Saints (Sadhus) who are consciously aware of their Oneness with their Creator.

These evolved Souls are beings of great Spiritual power. Although they may assume any form and shape they wish, they have no bodies but may be described as radiant Orbs of Spirit for which reason they are known as Devas or Devatas (Radiant Ones).

6. Maya-Tattva: This is God's Wondrous Power, that aspect of His Power of Action, whereby He performs the Miracle of Physical Creation. For this reason it is called the Magic Power of God or Maya Shakti.

At this stage something extraordinary happens. Just as the Sun is sometimes obscured by an eclipse or by a mist or cloud which conceals his radiant orb from human view, God's Infinite, Independent and Free Consciousness appears to become obscured by a layer of dense and opaque Consciousness. This dark veil of Consciousness provides the substance from which the Material Universe is created.

Thus, as the Sun envelops himself in clouds which produce rain which nourishes different forms of life, so also God obscures His Own Infinite Majesty and Glory and appears as, or manifests, the Material Universe teeming with innumerable forms of limited life.

Just as the Sun hides himself from human view by night in order to reveal the Stars and the Moon, so also God conceals His Highest Glory so that man may see the wonders of His Creation and understand the true Power of God.

7. Kalaa-Tattva: Due to God's Power of Obscuration His Five Divine Powers (Consciousness, Bliss, Will-Power, Knowledge and Action) assume limited forms giving rise to the first stage in limited creation, called Kalaa-Tattva. It represents the limited power of action whereby an embodied being is able to accomplish but a few things.

8. Vidya-Tattva: This is the stage at which the power of knowledge associated with a sentient creature is limited so that he can only know a few things.

9. Raaga-Tattva: At this stage a living being's will-power becomes limited so that he only desires limited things.

10. Kaala-Tattva: This is that stage at which a Soul's unlimited and uninterrupted happiness becomes temporary and limited. This temporariness gives rise to the experience of limited time.

11. Niyati-Tattva: This is the stage at which the Soul's consciousness becomes so limited as for him to have only a limited experience of himself.

12. Purusha-Tattva: This is the crucial point at which Consciousness, having become limited, comes into existence as an embodied Soul, complete with the above mentioned limited powers of consciousness, happiness, will, knowledge and action. Hence it is known as Purusha or personal Soul.

13. Pradhana-Tattva: Also known as Prakrti, it represents that aspect of the Soul which, following the limitation of his consciousness, becomes unconscious and forms the Soul's first objective experience. For this reason it is called Pradhana or Primary Matter from which all objective experience arises.

Pradhana consists of the three qualities (Gunas) of Light (Sattva), Darkness (Tamas) and Activity (Rajas), the last-named being the interaction of the first two. They are experienced as pleasure, insentience and pain, respectively and together represent the sum total of the Soul's future experiences such as thoughts, emotions and sense perceptions, resting within himself in potential form.

Pradhana corresponds to what Western psychology terms a person's "unconscious". While every Soul has his own Pradhana (or Unconscious), the Collective Unconscious is nothing but the Mind of God which is unknown and therefore "unconscious" to the personal Soul.

14. Buddhi-Tattva: This is the first product of Pradhana, formed from its light-aspect (Sattva), in which both Soul and his experiences reflect themselves as in a mirror, resulting in thought processes. In everyday life, Buddhi constitutes a Soul's Intellect or Power of Reasoning whereby he analyses his experiences and forms a judgement in respect of the same.

15. Ahamkara-Tattva: The offshoot of Buddhi-Tattva, it represents the Power of Personality or Identity whereby the Soul creates or builds a sense of Identity for himself out of sense perceptions, emotions, thoughts and memories. Hence it is called Ahamkara or "I-maker".

16. Manas-Tattva: The Lower Mind (as opposed to the Intellect or Higher Mind) whereby the Soul selects sense perceptions out of the general sense data, builds them into intelligible images, names and classifies them and presents them to the higher levels of the mind for further processing.

For the sake of convenience, the remaining 20 Tattvas are dealt with in groups of five.

Tattvas 17 to 21. The Five Faculties of Perception (Jnanendriyas): Hearing, Feeling by Touch, Seeing, Tasting and Smelling are the Soul's Powers of Perceptual Knowledge and extensions of the Lower Mind, whereby the Soul experiences the multitude of sense perceptions that constitute the external World.

Tattvas 22 to 26. The Five Faculties of Action (Karmendriyas): Speaking, Grasping, Moving About, Excreting and Sexual Activities are the Soul's Powers of responding to and interacting with, the external World.

Tattvas 27 to 31. The Five Primary Sensations (Tanmatras): Sound, Touch, Colour, Flavour and Odour constitute the Soul's sense data that together form his external experiences.

Tattvas 32 to 36. The Five Gross Elements of Matter (Maha Bhutas): Ether, Air, Fire, Water and Earth are condensations of the above described Primary Sensations. They represent the constituent forces that in various combinations make up the material substance of which physical objects are made.

For example, that which gives solidity to an object, belongs to the Earth-Tattva. That which gives fluidity belongs to the Water-Tattva. That which gives form and shape belongs to Fire. That which gives movement belongs to Air. And that which gives location and extension in space (i.e., size, direction, etc.) belongs to Ether.

Due to variation in their materiality or subtlety, the Gross Tattvas are perceived variously. Earth is perceived by its qualities of odour, taste, colour, feel and sound; Water by its qualities of taste, colour, feel and sound; Fire by its qualities of colour, feel and sound; Air by its qualities of feel and sound; and Ether, being the most subtle, is perceived by its qualitiy of sound, only.

What becomes evident from the above is that the Tattvas are defined by their exclusive capacity to perform a specific function in the scheme of reality. And as the sole agent or acting force is Consciousness, it follows that the Tattvas are nothing but functions of Consciousness.

Thus the whole Universe is made of Spiritual Intelligence in various degrees of crystallization or condensation. In the human body, this Intelligence lies dormant in the form of Kundalini Shakti, the "Serpent Power" which can be awakened through Spiritual Knowledge, Yogic Postures, Meditation or simply through the grace of an Enlightened Master. When awakened, Kundalini rises upwards, like a roused cobra, and elevates man's consciousness to its original state of wisdom and power.

 

The Throne of Heaven

In the same way as Intelligence can descend from the highest elevation of Divine Consciousness to the lowest, it can also ascend from the lowest to the highest.

Western Scriptures speak of the six steps leading to the Throne of God, the Seven Heavens, etc. All this is very mysterious until we analyse these scattered fragments of information from a Yogic Perspective.

There are seven levels of Intelligence, from the dormant one present in "inanimate" objects to the fully awakened one of Enlightened Beings. These levels of Intelligence may be accessed and experienced through the stimulation of certain energy-centres in the human body, known as Chakras.

The "opening" of the Chakras represents the awakening of particular levels of Consciousness or the unlocking of the Soul's capacities of experience.

The first six Chakras correspond to the six levels of Universal Manifestation consisting of five Tattvas (Universal Principles) each. These are the six steps leading to the Throne of Heaven. The seventh and highest Chakra is the level of Divinity consisting of the Five Divine Powers through the awakening of which man becomes once again Divine. This is the Throne of God or Supreme State (Parama Avasthaa) which renders the Yogi who is firmly established in it, one with the Supreme, the thirty-sixth and Highest Reality.

For this reason, knowledge of the 36 Realities (Tattva-Jnana) is Knowledge of Ultimate Reality Itself, that is, the Highest Knowledge. This Knowledge contains everything that is worthy to be known. Nothing can be known besides this because nothing else exists. This clearly establishes the supremacy of Yoga over all other faiths.

 

How many Tattvas?

It is sometimes objected that the Yoga Sutra, the primary text of "Classical Yoga" dating to about 180 BC, only mentions 25 Tattvas, the highest being Purusha.

This may be so. However, "Classical Yoga" is not the only form of Yoga. There are plenty of other Yogic texts which do mention 36 Tattvas. Yoga is a vast body of knowledge that cannot be reasonably restricted to one text!

Moreover, mention of some Tattvas does not exclude the existence of others. Some traditions speak of four, seven or nine Tattvas. The second book of the Vayaviya Samhita of Shiva Purana, for example, mentions three Tattvas: "Shiva, Vidya and Atma are the three Tattvas. From Shiva came out the Vidya and from Vidya the Atma" (20:27).

It may be inferred from this that there are only three Tattvas. The matter becomes clear, however, when we understand that "tattva" literally means "reality" and a reality is quite capable of containing other realities. Indeed, as explained in the Siddhanta-Saravali and other works, "Shiva" comprises the Shiva-Tattva and Shakti-Tattva; "Vidya" comprises the Tattvas from Sadashiva to Satvidya; and "Atma" comprises the Tattvas from Maya to Earth. This gives a total of thirty-six, which is the generally accepted number in the tradition of Shiva.

It may be that the Yoga Sutra was explaining things in terms of Samkhya teachings, a tradition that was fashionable in that period of Indian history and which appeared to advocate Purusha as the highest Reality or Tattva.

However, the Yoga Sutra itself mentions Ishvara (Shiva or God), a Higher Being above Purusha who is to be worshipped for the purpose of Salvation. This provides ample scope for the admission of intermediary Tattvas, which may well be comprised in the Tattvas Purusha (Soul) and Ishvara (Shiva). After all, the additional Tattvas that distinguish the Shiva tradition from the Samkhya are nothing but the five powers of the Soul and the five powers of the Supreme Being. If in addition to this we count the Supreme Being Himself (Shiva Tattva) as the Reality above all others, we get thirty-six Tattvas.

 

Shiva Agama vs. Yoga Sutra

The main difference that sets apart some Scriptures from others is that some are externalist in their approach to reality and others are internalist. Externalist Scriptures like the Yoga Sutra follow schools of thought such as Samkhya which seek to explain reality in terms of the outer layers of Consciousness (the Tattvas from Earth to Purusha).

Scriptures like the Shiva Sutra, on the other hand, belong to the Tradition of Shiva (Shiva Agama) which describes reality mainly in terms of the innermost aspects of Consciousness (Tattvas from Maya and the Kanchukas to Shiva Himself). They are, therefore, internalist and represent a higher level of Spiritual instruction.

While the Yoga Sutra constitutes a valuable introduction to Yogic teachings, the higher truths of Yoga are to be found in Shiva Agama which is the true origin of Yoga. We have thus demonstrated that the Holy Scriptures of India are not mutually contradictory but complementary, those belonging to the Shiva Agama tradition being the highest as they concern themselves with the highest aspects of Reality.

What is important to understand is that Yogic texts like the Yoga Sutra are not novels but extremely concise works that often barely outline a Spiritual concept which needs to be elaborated by a qualified Master and substantiated by practice and direct experience.

Even if we were to accept, for the sake of argument, that "Classical Yoga" only taught the existence of 25 Tattvas, there would be no harm. If a person somehow manages to elevate himself to the level of pure intelligence of the Soul, he will necessarily become enlightened enough to progress further of his own accord - and with the help of Ishvara!

Thus he will of necessity meet a Higher Reality face to face even if he started on his journey by doubting or even denying the existence of such Reality. We must not forget that Spiritual Practice is a force that carries the practiser higher and higher until the final Goal has been reached, irrespective of the point of departure.

It is not for nothing that the Scriptures themselves declare Samkhya and Yoga to be one and the same. Any teaching to the contrary must be rejected as contrary to the Universal Law of Unity (Yoga Dharma).

Finally, we must address a question that legitimately arises at this point, namely, Does it matter whether there are twenty-five or thirty-six Tattvas? The answer is that it does matter. Lord Shiva is the Lord of Yoga and His tradition teaches that the Tattvas are 36 in number. For the sake of harmony and unity, all Yogic traditions must agree with this.

However, there is another important reason. The number "36" is a sacred number which has a special meaning in Yoga. Indeed, it has many different meanings or one meaning with many different facets, like a diamond. Strictly speaking, this must be revealed by the Teacher to the disciple. We may nevertheless disclose some of it so that the seeker may acquire a taste of the infinitely profound, unsurpassed and incomparable Wisdom of Yoga Dharma.

1) "30" represents the Moon (the thirty-day lunar month of the Indian calendar is called "Maasa" or "Moon", in Sanskrit) which is the symbol of Lord Shiva; and "6" represents the Six Disciplines of Yoga (physical postures, breath-control, detachment, concentration, meditation, union with Shiva); the Six Paths (Shadadhvaa: mantra, varna, pada, kalaa, tattva, bhuvana); and the Six Chakras or Sthalas; which are the Path that leads to Shiva.

2) By further applying the Yogic method of numerological interpretation, "36" will be explained as follows. "3" signifies that Shiva is Three-times the Greatest: He is the Greatest on Earth (the Terrestrial Plane); the Greatest in the Air (the Astral Plane); and the Greatest in Heaven (the Celestial Plane).

"6" is made up of "5" and "1" . "5" signifies that Shiva is the Lord of the Five Divine Powers (Intelligence, Bliss, Will, Knowledge and Action) and the Performer of the Five Divine Acts (Creation, Preservation, Dissolution, Obscuration and Illumination or Salvation).

"1" (One) signifies that the Supreme Lord is the All-Powerful, Unique, Ever Existing One Who alone exists and Who holds the totality of all things within Himself. Therefore, "5" and "1", being inseparable, are taken together as "6". Thus by writing "3" and "6" we arrive at the sacred number "36". This is the innermost, secret meaning.

3) In terms of external reality which is the domain of multiplicity, when multiplied by the base "10", it yields "360" which is the number of days in a year; the number of degrees in a circle, etc. It stands for the Totality of Being or All-Encompassing Supreme Reality Itself.

In brief, it represents a symbol of completeness. In practice, therefore, the number "36" (or 360) symbolises man's (and the World's) Revolution or Completion of the Circle of Life and return to the original Point of departure.

This Spiritual Revolution is not a return to the past but a return to the Ever Present, Ever-Living Truth that nourishes all life. It is a return that must be urgently effectuated by the modern World for the Salvation of all Souls and the Establishment of Divine Life on Earth.

Finally, if we add "3" and "6", we obtain the number "9". "Nine" ("Nava") in the Sanskrit Language, also means "New", thus indicating the advent of a New World Order based upon the Eternal Principle of All-Encompassing Unity and Harmony, that is to say, the Supreme Eternal Law of Heaven (Sanatana Dharma) which must prevail over all other laws as Shiva (the Supreme Intelligence) Himself decreed at the beginning of time.

 

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