Concept
Tattvaतत्त्व
A category of reality. The number and ordering of tattvas differ between systems and should not be treated as one shared scheme.
Literal meaning
Literally "thatness" or "principle" — from tat, "that". In philosophical use it denotes a constituent category of reality.
Philosophical meaning
Traditional interpretationShaiva systems commonly enumerate thirty-six tattvas, extending the twenty-five of Samkhya upward to include categories the latter does not treat.
The ordering is not a chronology and not a hierarchy of value; it describes degrees of manifestation.
Ksemaraja, Pratyabhijnahrdayam
Related concepts
Because the count and content differ across traditions, a tattva named in one system may not correspond to the same category in another. Comparisons need the system stated alongside the term.
Related
- Spandarelated
- नाद ब्रह्मbelongs to