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English-Home > Trika > Trika (overview) > Tattva-s & Sanskrit - Non-dual Shaivism
of Kashmir

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Tattva-s & Sanskrit - Non-dual Shaivism of Kashmir

Relationship between Sanskrit letters and Trika tattva-s
Introduction
Chart
Further Information

Introduction
Gabriel Pradpaka, once again. I have created this document for you to
understand the profound relationship existing between Sanskrit
alphabet and Tattva-s. The Tattva-s or categories (levels) of universal

manifestation (See Tattvic Chart) arise from the course known as

"Mantra" (seed syllables) (See aadhv for more information).
These seed syllables or Mantra-s are really Vowels and Consonants of
the Sanskrit alphabet. To know exactly how each Tattva is related to a
specific Sanskrit letter is very important to understand how the
universe is manifested from the sound.
In turn, when you pronounce a particular Sanskrit letter with an
onepointed mind for a while, you gain access to the respective Tattva
or category. That is why, every person aspiring to experience divine
realities should study this document thoroughly. My advise is that you
should also print it out for further use.
Let us get down to work.
top

Chart
The first two tattva-s or categories are the highest ones:
TATTVA
(CATEGORY
)

1. iva

ASSOCIATED
LETTERS

2. akti

A BRIEF DESCRIPTION

He is beyond description. However, it might be said that

He is the real "I".Philosophical name for this letter:
Anuttara --the Highest letter--.
She is beyond description too. However, it might be said
that She is the real "am". Both of them form the real "I
am". akti makes iva conscious of Himself, but no

separation between them both may be stated

anyway.Philosophical names for this letter: nanda
--Bliss-- and Paravisarga --supreme Visarga--.

The following three tattva-s are divine ones too, but now an ideal
universe has been manifested.
TATTVA

ASSOCIATED

(CATEGORY)

LETTERS

A BRIEF DESCRIPTION
Sadiva is the abode of Icchakti or Power of Will.
Here a foggy universe appears. The consciousness is "I

3. Sadiva
or Sdkhya

am This" (I am this foggy universe). Philosophical

names for the letters associated: (1) Icch --Will--

(letter "i"); (2) na --The power of mastery-- (letter

i sa

""); (3) aha --Eunuchs-- (letters ", , "); (4)

Pariprmta --the perfect imperishable letter-- (letter
"sa").
vara is the abode of Jnaakti or Power of
Knowledge. Here a distinct and clear universe appears.
The consciousness is "This am I" (This distinct universe

am I). Philosophical names for some of the letters

associated: (1) Unmea --Opening, Unfoldment-- (letter

4. vara

"u"); (2) nat --Diminution, Deficiency-- (letter "");

u a

(3) Bindu --Dot representing the Ultimate Knower-(letter "" or Anusvra appearing here devoid of "a",
which is added to it in the Sanskrit alphabet because a
vowel is necessary for it to be pronounced).

5. Sadvidy
or
uddhavidy

: Sadvidy is the abode of Kriyakti or Power of Action.

e ai o au a

Here the consciousness is fully balanced between "I"

and "This". "This" is the universe, of course. The

consciousness is "I am I and This is This".Philosophical

names for some of the letters associated: (1) Trikoa
--Triangle-- (letter "e"); (2) akoa --Hexagon-- (letter

"ai"); (3) Trila --Trident-- (letter "au"); (4)

Parparavisarga --supreme/non-supreme Visarga-(letter ""). There is three types of Visarga: ""
(supreme), "" (supreme/non-supreme) and "ha" (nonsupreme). This would be the intermediate one.

Next tattva-s concern Limitations. Semivowels are the letters

associated with them. Note that the order of association (va, la, ra, ya)
is exactly the opposite if compared to that one you find in the Sanskrit
alphabet (ya, ra, la, va):
TATTVA
(CATEGORY
)

ASSOCIATED
LETTERS

A BRIEF DESCRIPTION

My is Ignorance. Trika's My is not like that of

Vednta. In Trika, My is a tattva or a "real" level of
Creation. My is in charge of drawing a veil over the
essential nature of iva (apparently, of course). This
letter has no philosophical name of its own. However,
the entire group of Semivowels (ya, ra, la, va) are called
6. My

Antastha (lit. standing in between, they are not either

va

purely Vowels or purely Consonants, hence they are

called Semivowels) because they operate from within
the human mind. They are also named "Dhra"
(supporting letters) since they wrap up and support the
limited consciousnes, which was formed due to the
operation of My, thereby preventing it from falling
into the gross matter (lower tattva-s).
Kal is the first Kacuka or Sheath of Ignorance. It gives

7. Kal

va

the notion of "limited activity" to the consciousness

which was veiled by My. It is Kriyakti
(Omnipotence) having undergone contraction. The
letter "va" stands for both My and Kalkacuka.

Vidy is the second Kacuka or Sheath of Ignorance. It

8. Vidy

la

gives the notion of "limited knowledge" to the

consciousness which was veiled by My. It is
Jnaakti (Omniscience) having undergone
contraction.
Rga is the third Kacuka or Sheath of Ignorance. It
gives the notion of "limited will" --leading to

9. Rga

attachment-- to the consciousness which was veiled by

la

My. It is Icchakti (Absolute Will) having undergone

contraction. The letter "la" stands for both Vidy and
Rga Kacuka-s.
Kla is the fourth Kacuka or Sheath of Ignorance. It

10. Kla

ra

gives the notion of "parts" --leading to the notion of

time-- to the consciousness which was veiled by My.
It is nandaakti (Supreme Bliss) having undergone
contraction.
Niyati is the last Kacuka or Sheath of Ignorance. It

11. Niyati

gives the notion of "space" to the consciousness which

ya

was veiled by My. It is Cicchakti (the Power of

Consciousness) having undergone contraction.

The upcoming two tattva-s are very important. Note that from tattva
12 to 36, the letters associated with them are Labials, Dentals,
Cerebrals, Palatals and Gutturals (in that order). That is to say, the
letters start with "ma" and end with "ka" (tattva-s 12 to 36). If you
study the Sanskrit alphabet you will realize that the order of the letters
there is exactly the opposite: Gutturals, Palatals, Cerebrals, Dentals
and Labials:
TATTVA
(CATEGORY
)

ASSOCIATED
LETTERS

A BRIEF DESCRIPTION

It may be called "individual soul". It is Universal

12. Purua

ma

Consciousness with a veil over. This veil was drawn by

My or Ignorance. Purua still has no mind at this level,
but the seed for the formation of a psychic organ is
about to be sown.
Prakti is the seed. It is formed from three Gua-s
(Sattva, Rajas and Tamas) or qualities which are in
absolute balance at this level. Purua and Prakti form

13. Prakti

an indistinguishable reality, but an imminent unbalance

bha

of the Gua-s will bring about the rest of tattva-s (right

from tattva 14 to 36). Prakti is undifferentiated and
unmanifested matter. It is the source for all tattva-s to
come.

And finally we have arrived in the inner "psychic" organ (Antakaraa),

formed from intellect, ego and mind:
TATTVA
(CATEGORY
)

ASSOCIATED
LETTERS

A BRIEF DESCRIPTION

Buddhi is the intellect. The intellect acts as a mirror

reflecting the pure light of the inner self. It still suffers
from mutations or modifications, but these are not so
14. Buddhi

ba

gross as those of Manas or mind. Buddhi is also a kind

of library or storehouse of "labels". These labels are
indispensable to give a name to the objects (e.g. "that
is a dog"; the word "dog" is an abstract label associated
with the actual "animal" that is perceived through the
senses).

15.
Ahakra

pha

Ahakra is the ego. You know him, don't you? (haha!).

From the ego arises the rest of the tattva-s or levels of
Creation. Ego is full of will or icch. Ego is also
responsible for the generation of objects with volume. If

there was no ego, you would only see objects in 2D. So,
ego is the cause of this 3D world. The false aspect of
ego appropriates all that gets in contact with it and
become identified with that. Consequently, attachment
and aversion take hold of the you, and the final result is
obviously "pain". Its quality of appropriation is a kind of
"plague", which everybody suffers from.
Manas is the mind. The mind is the master of
Jnendriya-s and Karmendriya-s (powers of perception
and action, respectively). That is why, it is sometimes
considered to be one "additional" Indriya. It is
16. Manas

undergoing mutation and modification all the time, and

pa

this feature clearly indicates that the mind is not a

source of happiness (haha!). Happiness cannot come
from something that changes continuously without
rhyme or reason. Manas has also other functions, but
this summary is enough.

And now the Jnendriya-s or powers of perception. They may be

called "organs of perception", but I prefer to use "powers" because the
Jnendriya-s are really the "energies" circulating through the
respective "organs" that we use to perceive. Manas is behind every
Jnendriya as its inner controller. We might say that the Jnendriya-s
are the sensors by which Manas perceives the outer reality:
TATTVA

ASSOCIATED

(CATEGORY)

LETTERS

17. rotra or

ravaa

na

18. Tvak

The power of feeling by touch. It is that energy

dha

that "predominantly" circulates through the skin.

A BRIEF DESCRIPTION
The power of hearing. It is that energy that
ordinarily circulates through the organs of hearing
(ears).

19. Cakus

da
20. Jihv or

Rasan

tha

21. Ghra

ta

The power of seeing. It is that energy that

ordinarily circulates through the organs of seeing
(eyes).
The power of tasting. It is that energy that
ordinarily circulates through the organ of tasting
(tongue).
The power of smelling. It is that energy that
ordinarily circulates through the organ of smelling
(nose).

The following group of five tattva-s is Karmendriya-s or powers of

action. These are the instruments by which Manas performs activities
in this world. They have, as well as the Jnendriya-s, a set of organs
through which operate generally. However, since the ten Indriya-s
(Jnendriya-s and Karmendriya-s) are energies (not physical organs),
they are able to work by using some alternative organ (e.g. the normal
course of a blind person's power of seeing must be diverted to the
organs of hearing and feeling by touch because the eyes are not
working. Thus, that person finds that he can hear and feeling by touch
better than ever.):
TATTVA
(CATEGORY
)

22. Vk

ASSOCIATED
LETTERS

23. Pi
24. Pda

A BRIEF DESCRIPTION

The power of speaking. It is that energy that

ordinarily circulates through the organ of speaking
(mouth).

The power of handling. It is that energy that ordinarily

ha

circulates through the organs of handling (hands).

The power of locomotion. It is that energy that

ordinarily circulates through the organs of

25. Pyu

ha

26. Upastha

locomotions (legs and feet).

The power of excreting. It is that energy that
ordinarily circulates through the organ of excreting
(anus).
The power of sexual activity and restfulness. It is that
energy that ordinarily circulates through the organs of
sexual activity and restfulness (genitals).

Just ten more tattva-s to go. The following set of 5 categories is the
Tanmtra-s. Tanmtra-s are the subtle elements from which will be
evolved the last five tattva-s (the well-known gross elements: space or
ether, air, fire, water and earth). Tanmtra-s are a kind of patterns or
atoms. For example: the Tanmtra known as Sound-as-such is the
auditory pattern by which you are be able to recognize different
sounds:
TATTVA
(CATEGORY
)
27. abda

28. Spara

29. Rpa

30. Rasa

31. Gandha

ASSOCIATED
LETTERS

A BRIEF DESCRIPTION

Sound-as-such. You can recognize different sounds

because of this sound pattern.

Touch-as-such. You can recognize different kinds of

jha

touch because of this touch pattern.

Color-as-such. You can recognize different colors

ja

because of this color pattern.

Flavor-as-such. You can recognize different flavors

cha

because of this flavor pattern.

Odor-as-such. You can recognize different odors

ca

because of this odor pattern.

And finally the five gross elements or Mahbhta-s. These five tattva-s
emerge from the Tanmtra-s. They should not merely be understood as
"space or ether, air, fire, water and earth", but as "space or ether, all
that is gaseous, all that contains heat and color, all that is liquid and all
that is solid", respectively. As you see, the meaning behind such simple
words as "space or ether, air, fire, water and earth" is much more
comprehensive:
TATTVA

ASSOCIATED

(CATEGORY)

LETTERS

32. ka

The space or 3D framework within which the

entire physical world exists.

All that is gaseous. So, it is not only the ordinary

gha

"air".

34. Agni or

All that contains heat and color. So, it is not only

Tejas

ga

the ordinary "fire".

35. pas

All that is liquid. So, it is not only the ordinary

kha

"water".

All that is solid. So, it is not only the ordinary

ka

"earth".

33. Vyu

36. Pthiv

A BRIEF DESCRIPTION

I am done enumerating the 36 tattva-s and their respective associated

letters. When you repeat one of those letters with an onepointed mind,
you will lastly realize the tattva associated with it. By "realization" I
mean "full understanding". For example, if you repeat "i", you will
come to realize the Supreme Will which that vowel embodies. You may
use each letter to attain to the level or tattva you wish. In the
document "First Steps (4)" I explain in detail this topic to you.

top

Further Information

This document was conceived by Gabriel Pradpaka, one of the two

founders of this site, and spiritual guru conversant with Sanskrit
language and Trika philosophy.
For further information about Sanskrit, Yoga and Indian Philosophy; or if
you simply want to comment, ask a question or correct a mistake, feel
free to contact us: This is our e-mail address.

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