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The 36 Tattvas Or Components Of Nature
Saivism

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Aspects Of Lord Siva
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Durites Of Householder
The Birth River Ganges
The Story Of Mahadev
Maya, The Delusion
Symbolism of Nataraja Sri Yantra

Pasa in Saivism
Pasu The Deluded Soul
Pati the Lord of Creation
Pati and Pasu
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Shakti And Maya
Symbolism of Siva Smart, Powerful Email
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The 36 Tattvas
Siva--Ideal of Manhood
How To Worship Lord
Shiva By Jayaram V

Tattvas are parts or principles or aspects of nature. Their presence or absence, combination and
History Of Saivism tattva, saivism, Shiva, siva
permutation play an important role in the creation of the diversity of worlds, their objects and
Evolution Of Saivism beings, individual bodies, limbs and organs. In short their aggregation and segregation Book Video Web Blog
Saivism In Southern constitute the building blocks of the whole material manifestation.
India Tantra, Its Mystic a
Siva and Vishnu by Lalan Prasad S
Basis
The meaning of tattva 2010 - 214 pages
books.google.com
Sects Of Saivism
One of the most popular expressions found in the Upanishads is "Tattvamsi" which means "Thou
Saiva Siddhanta Shiva Sutras: The S
art That", which is used in many schools of yoga as a meditative mantra. Tat means "that" tvam
Vira Saivism by Swami Lakshm
Awakening
means "you" or "the individual". Thus tattvam means that which is both transcendental and
Kashmiri Saivism 2007 - 352 pages
immanent, or macrocosm and microcosm, or Godhead and also the individual.
Gorakhnatha Saivism books.google.com
Pasupatha Saivism
The Ganapatya Sect
The significance of tattvas
The Yoga of Kashm
Saiva Pantheon by Swami Shanka
'Consciousness is
Whether they belong to Hinduism or not, Indian philosophers have been familiar with the 2006 - 352 pages
Ganesha books.google.com
concept of tattvas since ancient times. It is difficult to find an Indian school of philosophy that do
Skanda Kumara
not deal with this subject. Even the atheistic schools talk about it. So important is the concept
Shakti
that even Jainism and Buddhism have their own version of tattvas.
Kashmir Shaivism:
Saiva Texts The Samkhya school of Hinduism made the concept of tattvas their central philosophy while by unknown
Supreme
2007 - 176 pages
detailing the process of creation. The Samkhya school of philosophy identifies 24 tattvas that are
Devi Gita books.google.com
used in creation. In Samkhya there is no divine element or para tattva. The Vedanta school of
Siva and Saivism Sects philosophy accepts these 24 tattvas with some improvements. They also recognize a supreme or
Shakti as Mantra
divine tattva which is absent in the Samkhya. Saivism identifies 36 tattvas and considers Siva PEGGY GOODY: SA
The Siva Sutras
tattva as the highest. Beyond Siva tattva is the atattva, which is not counted among the 36. The by CHARLES S.
APPRENTICE HU
Book
Sacred Places of Mother 2013 - 156 pages
names of the 36 tattvas and their descriptions are as below.
Goddess books.google.com
Worship Of The World
Mother Atattva - ParaSiva or formless absolute Brahman who is beyond all the tattvas, symbolized by
sivalinga, experienced in the state of samadhi
Eightfold Yoga and Kashur The Kashm
Mantra Siddhi 1 Siva (Chit) 1- 5 are Iswara- by Mohini Qasba R
People
tattvas. They 2013 - 392 pages
belong to the pure books.google.com
Prayers 2 Shakti (Kriya) worlds.
Shakti-tattva is again subdivided
into following five
108 Names of Lord Shiva 6-10 are Shakti-
Siva Linga
Shiva Aparadha 6 Kaala (time) tattvas.
by N. K. Singh
Kshamapana Stotram 7 Niyati (space) 2004 - 213 pages
11-16 are
Ardha Nareeswara books.google.com
recognized as
Ashtakam 8 Vidya (material knowledge)
Bilwashtakam 9 Raga (passion) atma-tattvas .
Chandrasekharashtakam The Advaita Traditi
10 Kala (power) 17 - 36 are prakriti- by Candradhara Ś
Chidambareswara Philosophy: A Stud
tattvas. Through
Stotram 1996 - 283...pages
Buddhism
2 Sadasiva (Jnana and Kriya) them Prakriti
Daridraya Dahana Shiva manifests gross books.google.com
Stotram 3 Iswara (Jnana and Kriya) bodies, organs,
A Prayer to Kalabhairava senses, sense-
5 Sudda-Vidya (Jnana and Kriya) objects and other 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
Lingashtakam
things of gross
Shiva Nama material.
Malyashtakam
Shiva Mangalashtakam Related Links
11 Maya These are atma tattvas. The atma-tattvas (11-15) and
Margabandhu Stotram
the prakriti tattvas (17-36) manifest themselves in the
Maha Mrityunjaya 12 Purusha The 36 tattvas - Wikipedia, the free
jivas as their physical, mental and subtle bodies. The
Stotram five shakti tattvas (1-5) veil the five Siva-tattvas (6-10) An Introduction to Tattvas
13 Buddhi (wisdom)
Nathopadesa Storam which give rise to limitations of experience and The 36 Tattvas
Shiva Panchakshara 14 Ahamkara (ego) awareness. Atma-tattvas perpetuates these limitations Sām’khya Tattvas
till the jivas are liberated. The Samkhya Philosophy and 24 P
Stotram 15 Manas
Parameshwara Stotram Creation
Pasupathyashtakam 16 Prakriti The Wheel As A Symbol Of Creatio
Pradosha Mahatmyam Hub
17-36
Shiva Raksha Stotram Prakriti-tattva is again subdivided into the following 20 Kapila and the Samkhya yoga
Satha Rudriyam The Sankhya Philosophy of Kapila
17-21 Five Gnanendriyas
Shiva Sadakshara The 5 Gnanendriyas
Stotram
17 Srotra Books On Tattva & Tattvas
Sadasivashtakam
Shiva Sahasra Namam 18 Tvak
Samkarashtakam Tattva-Sandarbha: Sacred India
19 Chakshu
Sasakti Shiva Navakam Ecstasy ~ Swami B.V.Tripurari
Shiva Mahimnah 20 Jivha Fundamentals of Visistadvaita V
Stotram Based on Vedanta Desika's Tatt
21 Ghrana
Shivashtakam ~ S. M. Srinivasa Chari
Shiv Chalisa An inquiry into truth, or, Tattva v
22-26 Five Karmendriyas
The 5 Karmendriyas collection of speeches and writi
Veda Sara Shiva
Sthavam 22 Vak Subrahmanya Iyer
Sri Viswanatha Planetary Influences Upon The
23 Pani Adelia Fletcher
Suprabathashtakam
The Evolution And The Universa
Shiva Thandava Stotram 24 Pada
Tattvas ~ Ella Adelia Fletcher
Thiruvempavai
25 Payu Jivan Tattva ~ Bartholomew
The Thousand Names of
Lord Siva 26 Upastha Bhakti-Tattva-Viveka ~ Bhaktivin
Vaidyanatha Ashtakam The Tattva-Muktavali - Webster'
Vaidyanatha 27-31 Five Tanmantras Thesaurus Edition ~ Purnananda
The 5 Tanmantras
Namaskaram Panca Tattva ~ Steven Rosen
27 Shabda Guru Tattva
28 Sparhsa The Tattva-Muktavali - Webster'
Thesaurus Edition ~ Purnananda
29 Rupa
The Science of Breath and the P
30 Rasa Tattvas: Translated from the San
31 Gandha Introductory and Explanatory E
Nature's Finer Forces ~ Rama
32-36 Five Mahabhutas Tattva-Muktavali - Webster's Fre
The 5 Mahabhutas
Edition ~ Purnananda Chakravar
22 Akasha 33 Muktavali - Webster's English T
23 Vayu 33 ~ Purnananda Chakravartin
The Tattva Muktavali ~ Purnanan
24 Agni 34 The Tattvas ~ Rama Prasad
25 Apa 35 The Science of Breath and the P
Tattvas: Translated from the San
26 Prithvi 36
Introductory and Explanatory E
Nature's Finer Forces ~ Rama

The significance of the number 36

The symbolic significance of the number 36 has been very beautifully explained by Yogacharya
Sri Somananda 1 in the following lines:

Does it matter whether there are twenty-five or thirty-six Tattvas? The answer is that it does
matter. Lord Shiva is the Lord of Yoga and His tradition teaches that the Tattvas are 36 in
number. For the sake of harmony and unity, all Yogic traditions must agree with this.

However, there is another important reason. The number "36" is a sacred number which has a
special meaning in Yoga. Indeed, it has many different meanings or one meaning with many
different facets, like a diamond. Strictly speaking, this must be revealed by the Teacher to the
disciple. We may nevertheless disclose some of it so that the seeker may acquire a taste of the
infinitely profound, unsurpassed and incomparable Wisdom of Yoga Dharma.

1) "30" represents the Moon (the thirty-day lunar month of the Indian calendar is called "Maasa"
or "Moon", in Sanskrit) which is the symbol of Lord Shiva; and "6" represents the Six Disciplines
of Yoga (physical postures, breath-control, detachment, concentration, meditation, union with
Shiva); the Six Paths (Shadadhvaa: mantra, varna, pada, kalaa, tattva, bhuvana); and the Six
Chakras or Sthalas; which are the Path that leads to Shiva.

2) By further applying the Yogic method of numerological interpretation, "36" will be explained
as follows. "3" signifies that Shiva is Three-times the Greatest: He is the Greatest on Earth (the
Terrestrial Plane); the Greatest in the Air (the Astral Plane); and the Greatest in Heaven (the
Celestial Plane).

"6" is made up of "5" and "1" . "5" signifies that Shiva is the Lord of the Five Divine Powers
(Intelligence, Bliss, Will, Knowledge and Action) and the Performer of the Five Divine Acts
(Creation, Preservation, Dissolution, Obscuration and Illumination or Salvation).

"1" (One) signifies that the Supreme Lord is the All-Powerful, Unique, Ever Existing One Who
alone exists and Who holds the totality of all things within Himself. Therefore, "5" and "1", being
inseparable, are taken together as "6". Thus by writing "3" and "6" we arrive at the sacred
number "36". This is the innermost, secret meaning.

3) In terms of external reality which is the domain of multiplicity, when multiplied by the base
"10", it yields "360" which is the number of days in a year; the number of degrees in a circle,
etc. It stands for the Totality of Being or All-Encompassing Supreme Reality Itself.

In brief, it represents a symbol of completeness. In practice, therefore, the number "36" (or
360) symbolises man's (and the World's) Revolution or Completion of the Circle of Life and
return to the original Point of departure.

This Spiritual Revolution is not a return to the past but a return to the Ever Present, Ever-Living
Truth that nourishes all life. It is a return that must be urgently effectuated by the modern World
for the Salvation of all Souls and the Establishment of Divine Life on Earth.

Finally, if we add "3" and "6", we obtain the number "9". "Nine" ("Nava") in the Sanskrit
Language, also means "New", thus indicating the advent of a New World Order based upon the
Eternal Principle of All-Encompassing Unity and Harmony, that is to say, the Supreme Eternal
Law of Heaven (Sanatana Dharma) which must prevail over all other laws as Shiva (the Supreme
Intelligence) Himself decreed at the beginning of time.

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