Diagrams 36 tattvas table

36 tattvas table

परमशिव PARAMAŚIVA Highest Shiva - the Source of All
1.	शिव Śiva	Shiva is beyond descriptions, yet it can be said that He is the true "I". Shiva is full of Cicchakti (Cit + śakti) or the Power of Consciousness. Both Shiva and Shakti arise from Paramaśiva or the Supreme Shiva. In Paramaśiva, there is not even the subtle duality of Shiva-Shakti. All tattvas arise from this Supreme Reality.
2.	शक्ति Śakti	Shakti is also beyond description. And yet, it can be said that it is the true Being. Shiva and Shakti reveal the true "I am". Shakti makes Shiva conscious of Himself, but there is no difference between them. Shakti is a very subtle "tension" on the infinite and motionless body of Shiva. From it, all other tattvas arise, in essence, they are its form. There is perfect unity between it and all other tattvas. She is full of Ānandaśakti or the Power of Bliss.
अनाश्रितशिव ANĀŚRITAŚIVA Shiva Without Categories
3.	सदाशिव Sadāśiva (सादाख्य Sādākhya)	Sadāśiva — the abode of Icchāśakti or the Power of Will. Here, the universe appears in a hazy form. Consciousness takes the shape of "I am This" ("I am this hazy Universe"). The universe is just beginning to appear and therefore appears blurred. Since the universe is not yet fully formed, "I" predominates.
4.	ईश्वर Īśvara	Īśvara — the abode of Jñānaśakti or the Power of Knowledge. Here, a clear and distinct universe appears. Consciousness takes the form "This is I" ("The distinct Universe is I"). The universe is now fully manifested and therefore distinct. Since the universe is fully formed, "This" predominates. "I" is still present but is awestruck by the divine wonder of revealing Itself to Itself.
5.	सद्विद्या Sadvidyā (शुद्धविद्या Śuddhavidyā)	Sadvidyā — the abode of Kriyāśakti or the Power of Action. Here, consciousness is perfectly balanced between "I" and "This". "This" is the Universe. The awareness is: "I am I, This is This". "I" is balanced with "This" and they both predominate in a way. This is unity in diversity, where there is a universe distinct from Shiva ("I"), yet there is an underlying unity between them.
आणवमल ĀṆAVAMALA Anavamala or Primary Impurity, which precedes all other tattvas where differences and duality predominate. After Anavamala, two more malas or impurities arise: Māyīyamala मायीयमल and Kārmamala कार्ममल, which introduce differences and attachments to actions respectively.
6.	माया Māyā	Māyā is Ignorance. The Māyā of Trika is not the same as in Vedānta. In Trika, Māyā is a tattva, or a "real" level of Creation. Māyā is responsible for veiling the essential nature of Shiva with a cloak of delusion. Māyā transforms the infinite Self into something full of limitations. Māyīya-mala and Karma-mala arise as a result of the action of Māyā-tattva. These two impurities fill activity with differences and attachments. Sometimes Māyā is considered as the "sixth" kañcuka or sheath, covering consciousness with a subtle but strong veil of ignorance.
7.	कला Kalā	Kalā forms the notion of "limited activity" of consciousness veiled by Māyā. It is Kriyā-śakti (Omnipotence) that has undergone contraction. It introduces erroneous judgments: "I am limited in actions," "I cannot do this," "I cannot do that," etc.	कञ्चुक KAÑCUKA Kañcukas (sheaths)
8.	विद्या Vidyā	Vidyā forms the notion of "limited knowledge" of consciousness veiled by Māyā. It is Jñāna-śakti (Omniscience) that has undergone contraction. It introduces erroneous judgments: "I am limited in knowledge," "I don't know this," "I don't know that," etc.
9.	राग Rāga	Rāga forms the notion of "limited will" or desire. It is Ānanda-śakti (Bliss) that has undergone contraction. It introduces erroneous judgments: "I want this," "I don't want that," "I like this," "I don't like that," etc.
10.	काल Kāla	Kāla forms the notion of "parts" or time, leading the consciousness veiled by Māyā to the notion of time. It is Ānanda-śakti (Supreme Bliss) that has undergone contraction. It introduces erroneous judgments such as: "I am not eternal and imperishable," "I live only for a few years," "I am old," "I am young," etc.
11.	नियति Niyati	Niyati forms the notion of the connection between cause and effect, leading to the notion of a predetermined order of things. It is Citta-śakti (Power of Knowledge) that has undergone contraction. It introduces erroneous judgments such as: "If I do this, I will get the corresponding result," "I am worthy," "I am sinful," etc.
12.	पुरुष Puruṣa	Puruṣa is the Self-Shiva who has undergone all the listed limitations (Kañcuka). Despite voluntary self-limitation, Shiva remains unchanged. This Puruṣa is the inner "I" of all beings. While it is the ultimate goal of Sāṃkhya philosophy, Trika considers it only an stage of Shakti's involution/evolution.
13.	प्रकृति Prakṛti	Prakṛti is simply a state in which all three qualities (Guṇa) remain completely balanced. The three gunas are Sattva, Rajas, and Tamas. They are also known as Jñāna-śakti, Ichchhā-śakti, and Kriyā-śakti respectively, having undergone another contraction. When the Supreme Witness (Śiva) is covered by the veil of Māyā and its kañcukas, He "seems to" become Puruṣa. This Puruṣa contemplates Śakti, and she now appears formed from three forces known as the gunas or qualities. Neither Śiva nor Śakti actually changes, but Śiva, through voluntary self-limitation, changes His perspective and begins to consider Himself as a limited soul.
14.	बुद्धि Buddhi (महत् Mahat)	Buddhi is the first stage of Nature's evolution. It forms the determining faculty through which you choose the direction of your actions in life. Simply put, Buddhi is intellect. It is primarily a sattvic tattva, meaning that Jñāna (knowledge) predominates in it. Buddhi is also the principle that allows you to abstractly catalog specific objects, animals, or personalities into clear categories. For example, "This is a dog," "This is a hat."	अन्तःकरण ANTAḤKARAṆA Internal (mental) organ
15.	अहङ्कार Ahaṅkāra (अस्मिता Asmitā)	Ahaṅkāra is the second stage of Nature's evolution. It forms the awareness of the limited "I". Simply put, Ahaṅkāra is the ego. Manas, the indriyas, and the tanmatras not only arise from it but are constantly sustained by asmitā. Its main characteristic is "self-identification." It makes the pure Self a doer, "Ahaṅkāra" means "I-doer." It connects the pure Self, which is merely a witness, with a specific action or concept. For example, "I do my work," "I build buildings," "I love you," "I am poor," etc. Let's remove ahaṅkāra, and the sentences will look like this: "Work is done," "Buildings are built," "There is love for you," "Poverty exists," etc. Ahaṅkāra also gives everything volume. This is the reason for this three-dimensional universe. The ego is primarily rajasic.
16.	मनस् Manas	Manas is the third stage of Nature's evolution. Simply put, manas is the mind. The mind forms a network of thoughts. The mind is the source and controller of the Jñānendriyas (Senses of Perception) and the Karmendriyas (Senses of Action). One of its functions is to straighten and color the primitive picture formed by the retina. The mind works in two-dimensional space, not three-dimensional space. Setting the third dimension is the work of ahaṅkāra. The mind is primarily tamasic.
17.	श्रोत्र Śrotra (श्रवण Śravaṇa)	Śrotra refines the Śabda-tanmātra into intelligible vibration. Classical teachers liken it to a conch cavity that gathers the ocean’s roar into a single tone a yogin can track back to the inner nāda; disciplined hearing converts every sound into instruction.	ज्ञानेन्द्रिय JÑĀNENDRIYA Senses of Perception (primarily sattvic)
18.	त्वक् Tvak	Tvak stretches as a vāyu-woven net over the skin, translating Sparśa into tactile knowledge. A breeze on the cheek or sacred ash warming the hand becomes data about prāṇa currents, guiding the yogin in regulating contact.
19.	चक्षुस् Cakṣus	Cakṣus acts as a steady lamp that turns the Rūpa-tanmātra into discernible form. When light rests on a still lake and returns as an image, it illustrates how vision offers the seer precise information for contemplation and alignment.
20.	जिह्वा Jihvā (रसना Rasanā)	Jihvā assays the Rasa-tanmātra, offering analytic feedback on nourishment. Tasting consecrated offerings after worship or sensing the bitterness that signals imbalance trains the practitioner to read flavors as indices of prāṇa assimilation and ethical restraint.
21.	घ्राण Ghrāṇa	Ghrāṇa decodes Gandha by reading the vibrational signatures of the solid particles and aromatic gases that meet the nose. Distinguishing sandalwood molecules from acrid smoke, or rain-washed soil from decay, teaches the yogin to monitor purity, imbalance, and the precise state of the elemental field.
22.	वाक् Vāk	Vāk channels the four levels of speech into audible expression. Whether shaping a precise instruction or articulating Oṃ, it demonstrates how consciousness descends from Paśyantī to Vaikharī, allowing deliberate words to mold circumstance.	कर्मेन्द्रिय KARMENDRIYA Senses of Action (primarily rajasic)
23.	पाणि Pāṇi	Pāṇi grants the faculty to grasp, mould, and bestow. Mudrā, almsgiving, or craftwork all show how intent moves outward through the palm, teaching that mastery of action requires precision in both taking and releasing.
24.	पाद Pāda	Pāda executes locomotion so that resolve becomes trajectory. Circumambulating a shrine or pacing a field illustrates how direction, rhythm, and balance of the feet translate inner vows into geographic fact.
25.	उपस्थ Upastha	Upastha governs procreation and refined enjoyment. Its disciplined use transmutes sensual charge into ojas, confirming the teaching that continuity of lineage and continuity of awareness depend on the same reservoir of power.
26.	पायु Pāyu	Pāyu administers elimination, maintaining the altar of the body. By timing release after absorption, it illustrates the Trika emphasis on cycles—intake, transformation, offering, and clearance—so the next act of worship can proceed.
27.	शब्द Śabda	Śabda is the subtle sound-element, the potential of vibration before articulation. Meditative attention to the pause between breaths reveals this tanmātra as the template from which mantra and speech later unfold.	तन्मात्र TANMĀTRA Subtle elements (primarily tamasic)
28.	स्पर्श Sparśa	Sparśa is tactile potential prior to objectification. It is experienced as the first stirring of vāyu that precedes contact, training one to notice impulses before they harden into sensation.
29.	रूप Rūpa	Rūpa is luminous form, the chromatic hint before definite objects appear. Commentaries compare it to dawn light announcing the sun; contemplating it refines vision to perceive form as gradations of Śakti.
30.	रस Rasa	Rasa is taste in its pure idea, the matrix from which sweet, bitter, or pungent emerge. Recognizing this tanmātra teaches that every flavor, pleasant or austere, is a coded instruction from the body to awareness.
31.	गन्ध Gandha	Gandha is scent as primordial memory. The aroma of til oil on a lamp or freshly turned soil evokes earth's body before any form appears, anchoring mind to matter.
32.	आकाश Ākāśa	Ākāśa is the spacious matrix that hosts sound and form. Like a stainless sky accommodating moon and storm alike, it exemplifies how awareness can contain phenomena without contraction.	महाभूत MAHĀBHŪTA Gross elements (primarily tamasic)
33.	वायु Vāyu	Vāyu is the mobile principle that animates prāṇa. Observing the banner that moves only when wind passes illustrates how life-force becomes evident through motion, inviting regulation via breath practices.
34.	अग्नि Agni (तेजस् Tejas)	Agni is transformative fire, whether as altar flame, digestive heat, or sudden insight. It shows how offerings—food, thought, or karma—are transmuted into energy that can ascend.
35.	आपस् Āpas	Āpas is the principle of cohesion and flow. Rivers, tears, and the mirror-like pond demonstrate how this element soothes, carries memory, and adapts form without losing continuity.
36.	पृथिवी Pṛthivī	Pṛthivī is solidity, the altar on which the other elements perform. Mountains, clay under a potter’s palm, or the structure of the body all manifest its lesson: stability enables every rite of consciousness.