36 Tattvas

The 36 Stages of Manifestation

In Kashmir Shaivism, the 36 tattvas are a complex and nuanced hierarchy that represents the cosmic evolution from the divine to the material world.

One ascends these stages from Jeeva (Gross) to Shiva (Subtle) through practice and eventually Shiva reveals itself to Jeeva. On the flip-side Shiva descends these stages down to Jeeva as a dance with Shakti in an act of veiling the truth. The vibrations thus created are what we know as Spandan. Here’s a simplified hierarchical representation of the 36 tattvas:

These first five are considered the pure tattvas.

1. Śiva Tattva - Pure consciousness, the ultimate reality.
2. Śakti Tattva - The power of Śiva, the energy that initiates creation.
3. Sādāśiva Tattva - The first manifestation of consciousness, where the 'I' is predominant.
4. Īśvara Tattva - The stage where the 'this' (the universe) is predominant.
5. Sadvidyā or Śuddhavidyā Tattva - The pure knowledge that maintains the balance between 'I' and 'this'.

These are the pure-impure tattvas

6. Māyā Tattva - The principle of illusion that veils the true nature of the self.
7. Kāla Tattva - Time, which limits and orders experience.
8. Niyati Tattva - Destiny or order, which restricts freedom.
9. Kalā Tattva - Creative power, which limits the power of action.
10. Vidyā Tattva - Limited knowledge, which restricts omniscience.
11. Rāga Tattva - Attachment, which limits fullness.
12. Puruṣa Tattva - The individual soul, which experiences limitation.

The comprehension through senses (sensory organs) Five Jñānendriyas -

13. Prakṛti Tattva - Nature or matter, the source of the material world.
14. Buddhi Tattva - Intellect, the determinative faculty.
15. Ahaṅkāra Tattva - Ego, the sense of individuality.
16. Manas Tattva - Mind, the faculty of thought and emotion.

The organs of action - Five Karmendriyas - that build our mental model of the world we exist in. This is more to do with cognitive processing of the stimuli and not just the stimuli themselves. For instance - perception of "Yellow" color happens through "Sight", yet we know through scientific evidence that every person perceives the color "Yellow" slightly differently. This is the function of cognitive interpretation of the stimulus through our senses.

17. Hearing (Ears)
18. Sensation (Skin)
19. Sight (Eyes)
20. Taste (Tongue)
21. Smell (Nose)

The organs of action - subtle elements - Five Tanmātras - these are gross stimuli - something even a human baby or baby of any other animal can experience.

22. Voice
23. Hands
24. Feet
25. Excretory
26. Reproductive

The gross elements - Five Mahābhūtas

27. Sound
28. Touch
29. Form
30. Taste
31. Smell

These are the impure tattvas, which constitute the physical universe and the bodies that experience it.

32. Ether (Sky, Universe)
33. Air
34. Fire
35. Water
36. Earth

This hierarchy moves from the most subtle and divine elements to the most gross and material, illustrating the process of cosmic evolution according to Kashmir Shaivism¹²³..

Source: Conversation with Bing, 3/8/2024

(1) Tattva (Shaivism) - Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tattva_%28Shaivism%29.

(2) The 36 Tattvas and Their Significance - Saivism. https://www.saivism.net/articles/tattvas.asp.

(3) The 36 tattvas | Religion Wiki | Fandom. https://religion.fandom.com/wiki/The_36_tattvas.

(4) What is Kashmir Shaivism (Trika Philosophy)? - SearchKashmir. https://searchkashmir.org/2021/06/what-is-kashmir-shaivism-trika-philosophy.html.

(5) KASHMIR SHAIVISM. A brief introduction by Virendra Qazi - Medium. https://medium.com/sofa-shaivism/kashmir-shaivism-5b64e251e4d1.

(6) en.wikipedia.org. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tattva_(Shaivism).

Jeeva

Human Form - Manifestation of Shiva

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