The Concept of 36 tattva-s and tattvashodhana - Part II

II. The Concept of 36 tattva-s and tattvashodhana The 36 tattva-s are grouped into 3 main domains namely the shivatattva, vidyAtattva and Atmatattva. All these are absorbed in to the shaktitattva at the time of mahApralaya and re-emerge at the point of creation. The shivatattva originates from shaktitattva, vidyAtattva originates from the shivatattva and Atmatattva originates from vidyAtattva. The shivatattva consists of the 5 tattva-s namely shiva, shakti, sadAshiva, Ishvara & shuddhavidyA. The vidyAtattva in its domain has the 7 tattva-s of mAyA, vidyA, kalA, rAga, kAla, niyati & puruSha and the Atmatattva consists of 24 tattva-s namely prakRti, ahaMkAra, buddhi, manaH, tvak, cakShu, shrotra, jihvA, ghrANa, vAk, pANi, pAda, pAyu, upastha, shabda, sparsha, rUpa, rasa, gandha, AkAsha, vAyu, vahni, salila & pRthivI Though the shiva & shakti tattva-s are two in number, they are always together & inseparable, like the word and its meaning, as in kAlidAsa’s vAgarthAviva sampRktau vAgarthapratipattaye jagadaH pitarau vande pArvatIparameshvarau The shiva tattva which is the first and foremost of the 36 tattva-s is the absolute being which is in the state of “kevalanijarUpa” when nothing else exists besides the shakti tattva. The “maheshvaramahAkalpamahAtANDAvasAkShiNI” of lalitAhahasranAmA indicates this concept only. BhaskararAyA interprets this as follows: At the time of the great final dissolution called mahApralaya, shiva alone remains and is bliss personified having withdrawn the universe which results in his mahAtANDava. At this point, there is none else besides HER and therefore she alone is the witness to this (mahAsAkShiNI). In this context, bhAskararAya further refers to paJcadashIstava – kalpopasaMharaNakalpitatANDavasya devasya khaNDaparashoH parabhairavasya | pAshAGkushaikShavasharAsanapuShpabANaiH sA sAkShiNI vijayate tava mUrtirekA|| The shaktitattva referred to here is nothing but the jagat sisRkShA of the absolute being i.e. the desire or urge to create the universe. If the sole existence called “prakAsha” aspect of the “kevalacit” is the shivatattva, then the “vimarsha” of that cit called “prapaJcavAsanA” or the urge or desire to create the universe is the shaktitattva. In the understanding of the shiva-shaktitattva-s alone lies the understanding of the remaining tattva-s as they are derived from these two primordial tattva-s.