According to various Indian schools of philosophy, tattvas are the elements or aspects of reality that constitute human experience. In some traditions, they are conceived as an aspect of the Indian deities. 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 uses a system of 36 tattvas. In Buddhism, the equivalent is the list of Abhidharma which constitute reality, as in Namarupa.
Tattva is a Sanskrit word meaning truth.[1]
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 Prakrti 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 Prakrti 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.
See main article: Tattva (Shaivism). In Shaivism, the tattvas are inclusive of consciousness as well as material existence. The 36 tattvas of Shaivism are divided into three groups:
The first five tattvas are known as the shuddha or 'pure' tattvas. They are also known as the tattvas of universal experience.
The next seven tattvas (6 - 12) are known as the shuddha-ashuddha or 'pure-impure' tattvas. They are the tattvas of limited individual experience.
The last twenty-four tattvas (13 - 36) are known as the ashuddha or 'impure' tattvas. The first of these is prakrti and they include the tattvas of mental operation, sensible experience, and materiality.
Within Puranic literatures and general Vaiśnava philosophy, tattva is often used to denote certain categories or types of beings or energies such as:
The Supreme God Śrī Viṣnu. The causative factor of everything including other Tattvas.
Any incarnation or expansion of Śrī Viṣnu as Śrī Kṛṣṇa.
The multifarious energies of Śrī Viṣnu as Śrī Kṛṣṇa. It includes his internal potencies, Yogamaya, Prakṛti.
The multifarious living souls (jivas). It includes Śrī Brahmā.
Śrī Śiva is not a jiva and not a god but a personal creation of Viṣṇu as between Viṣṇu and Brahmā in qualities and powers.
The total material energy (Prakṛti) of the universe.[2]
See main article: Pancha Tattva (Vaishnavism). In Gaudiyā Vaiśnava philosophy, there are a total of five primary tattvas described in terms of living beings, which are collectively known as the Pancha Tattvas and described as follows:
In Hindu tantrism, there are five tattvas (pañcatattva) which create global energy cycles of tattvic tides beginning at dawn with Akasha and ending with Prithvi:[3]
Each complete cycle lasts two hours.[4] This system of five tattvas which each can be combined with another, was also adapted by the Golden Dawn (Tattva vision).
See main article: Ganachakra and Panchamakara. John Woodroffe (1918),[5] affirms that the Panchamrita of Tantra, Hindu and Buddhist traditions are directly related to the mahābhūta or great elements and that the pañcamakara is actually a vulgar term for the pañcatattva and affirms that this is cognate with Ganapuja:"Chakrapuja" is cognate with Ganachakra or Ganachakrapuja.
Tattvas are the 96 qualities or properties of the human body according to Akilattirattu Ammanai, the religious book of Ayyavazhi.
See main article: Tattva (Siddha medicine).
The Siddha system of traditional medicine of ancient India was derived by the Siddhars of Tamil Nadu.[6] According to this tradition, the human body is composed of 96 constituent principles or tattvas. Siddhas fundamental principles never differentiated people from the universe. According to them, "Nature is people and people is nature and therefore both are essentially one. People is said to be the microcosm and the Universe is Macrocosm, because what exists in the Universe exists in people."[7]
See main article: Tattva (Jainism). Jain philosophy can be described in various ways, but the most acceptable tradition is to describe it in terms of the tattvas or fundamentals. Without knowing them one cannot progress towards liberation. According to the major Jain text Tattvartha Sutra, these are:
Each one of these fundamental principles are discussed and explained by Jain scholars in depth.[8] There are two examples that can be used to explain the above principle intuitively.
This simple scenario can be interpreted as follows:
See main article: Abhidharma. In Buddhism, the term "dhamma" is being used for the constitutional elements. Early Buddhist philosophy used several lists, such as namarupa and the five skandhas, to analyse reality. The Theravada Abhidhamma tradition elaborated on these lists, using over 100 terms to analyse reality.