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According to variousIndian schools ofphilosophy,tattvas (Sanskrit:तत्त्व) are theelements or aspects ofreality that constitute human experience.[1] In some traditions, they are conceived as an aspect of the Indiandeities. Although the number oftattvas varies depending on the philosophical school, together they are thought to form the basis of all ourexperience. TheSamkhya philosophy uses a system of 25tattvas, whileShaivism uses a system of 36tattvas. In Buddhism, the equivalent is the list ofAbhidharma which constitute reality, as inNamarupa.
Tattva (/ˈtʌtvə/) is aSanskrit word meaningtruth.[2]
TheSamkhya philosophy regards theUniverse as consisting of two eternal realities:Purusha andPrakrti. It is therefore a stronglydualist philosophy. ThePurusha is the centre ofconsciousness, whereas thePrakrti is the source of all materialexistence. The twenty-fivetattva system of Samkhya concerns itself only with the tangible aspect of creation, theorizing thatPrakrti is the source of the world of becoming. It is the firsttattva and is seen as pure potentiality that evolves itself successively into twenty-four additionaltattvas or principles.
InShaivism, thetattvas are inclusive of consciousness as well as material existence. The 36 tattvas of Shaivism are divided into three groups:
WithinPuranic literatures and generalVaiśnava philosophy,tattva is often used to denote certain categories or types of beings or energies such as:
InGaudiyā Vaiśnava philosophy, there are a total of five primary tattvas described in terms of living beings, which are collectively known as thePancha Tattvas 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".[4]
Madhvacharya categorizes alltattva, reality, into dependent and independent entities. The one independent entity is Vishnu, and all other entities depend on him for existence and operation.[5]
In Hindutantrism, there are five tattvas (pañcatattva) which create global energy cycles oftattvic tides beginning at dawn withAkasha and ending withPrithvi:[6]
Each complete cycle lasts two hours.[7] This system of five tattvas which each can be combined with another, was also adapted by theGolden Dawn (Tattva vision).
John Woodroffe (1918),[8] affirms that thePanchamrita of Tantra, Hindu and Buddhist traditions are directly related to themahābhūta or great elements and that thepañcamakara is actually a vulgar term for thepañcatattva and affirms that this is cognate with Ganapuja:
Worship with the Pañcatattva generally takes place in a Chakra or circle composed of men and women, Sadhakas and Sadhikas, Bhairavas and Bhairavis sitting in a circle, the Shakti being on the Sadhaka's left. Hence it is called Chakrapuja. A Lord of the Chakra (Chakreshvara) presides sitting with his Shakti in the center. During the Chakra, there is no distinction of caste, but Pashus of any caste are excluded. There are various kinds of Chakra -- productive, it is said, of differing fruits for the participator therein. As amongst Tantrik Sadhakas we come across the high, the low, and mere pretenders, so the Chakras vary in their characteristics from say the Tattva-chakra for the Brahma-kaulas, and the Bhairavi-chakra (as described in Mahanirvana, VII. 153) in which, in lieu of wine, the householder fakes milk, sugar and honey (Madhura-traya), and in lieu of sexual union does meditation upon the Lotus Feet of the Divine Mother with Mantra, to Chakras the ritual of which will not be approved such as Cudachakra, Anandabhuvana-yoga and others referred to later.
"Chakrapuja" is cognate withGanachakra or Ganachakrapuja.
Tattvas are the 96 qualities orproperties of the human body according toAkilattirattu Ammanai, the religious book ofAyyavazhi.
TheSiddha system oftraditional medicine (Tamil: சித்த மருத்துவம்,Citta maruttuvam) ofancient India was derived by theSiddhars ofTamil Nadu.[9] According to this tradition, the human body is composed of 96 constituent principles ortattvas. Siddhas fundamental principles never differentiated people from theuniverse. According to them, "Nature ispeople and people is nature and therefore both are essentially one. People is said to be themicrocosm and the Universe isMacrocosm, because what exists in the Universe exists in people."[10]
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Jain philosophy can be described in various ways, but the most acceptable tradition is to describe it in terms of thetattvas or fundamentals. Without knowing them one cannot progress towards liberation. According to the majorJain textTattvartha Sutra, these are:[11]
Each one of these fundamental principles are discussed and explained by Jain scholars in depth.[12] There are two examples that can be used to explain the above principle intuitively.
This simple scenario can be interpreted as follows:
InBuddhism, the term "dhamma" is being used for theconstitutional elements. EarlyBuddhist philosophy used several lists, such asnamarupa and the fiveskandhas, to analyse reality. TheTheravada Abhidhamma tradition elaborated on these lists, using over 100 terms to analyse reality.
Mahattattva (महत्तत्त्व) or simply Mahat refers to a primordial principle of the nature of both pradhāna and puruṣa, according to the 10th century Saurapurāṇa: one of the various Upapurāṇas depicting Śaivism.—[...] From the disturbed prakṛti and the puruṣa sprang up the seed of mahat, which is of the nature of both pradhāna and puruṣa. The mahattattva is then covered by the pradhāna and being so covered it differentiates itself as the sāttvika, rājasa and tāmasa-mahat. The pradhāna covers the mahat just as a seed is covered by the skin. Being so covered there spring from the three fold mahat the threefold ahaṃkāra called vaikārika, taijasa and bhūtādi or tāmasa.
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