Secret Supreme

The word ‘gandha’ means smell but it is not exactly smell, it is the abode of smell, where smell lives. And that abode of smell is called gandha tanmatra.

Rasa tanmatra, has come out from the element of water (jala mahabhuta). Rasa tanmatra is residence of the impression of taste (rasa).

From the element of fire (tejas mahabhuta) issues forth rupa tanmatra. Though the word 'rupa’ means form, rupa tanmatra is not exactly form it is the residence of form. The residence of the impression of form. Where the impression of form resides and this residence is called rupa tanmatra.

From the element of air (vayu mahabhuta) rises sparsa tanmatra which is the tanmatra of touch the sensation of touch. This tanmatra is the residence of the sensation of touch.

Rising from the element of ether (akasa mahabhuta) is sabda tanmatra, the tanmatra of sound. This is the residence of the sensation of sound.

Ghrana means nose. The use of the word ‘nose’ does not refer to breathing, rather ‘nose’ is used here to indicate smell. This is the organ of cognition by which you smell. It creates odours.

Rasana means tongue. The use of the word tongue here does not refer to speech but to taste because, though speech also comes from the tongue, it is an organ of action, not an organ of cognition. Rasana tattva is that organ of cognition by which you taste. It creates flavours.

Caksuh means eye. It is that organ of cognition by which you see. It creates form (rupah).

The fourth jnyanendriya is tvak tattva, tvak means skin. It is that organ of cognition by which you feel. It creates touch.

Srotra means ear. It is that organ of cognition by which you hear. It creates sound.

Manas tattva, the element of mind, is said in Sanskrit to be ‘sankalpasadhana', the means by which you create thoughts, any thought such as I am going there, I will go there, I have done this, I have done that, this is the action of manas.

The action of buddhih tattva, the element of intellect, is to confirm whether I should do this or not. This is the field of the confirmation of the rightness of any proposed action whether intellectual or moral because first you must determine the rightness of a proposed decision or action and then you make a choice dependent on this rightness. You ask yourself internally, should I do this action or not, is this the right decision or not, and buddhi will reply to you, no, you should not do it, or yes, you should do it. This is bad, it is wrong to do it. This is good, you should do it. This answer is right, this answer is wrong, all this is done by the intellect.

Ahamkara tattva is the element of ego which is connected with objectivity. When you attribute any action or knowledge to your own self such as, I have done this and I am mistaken, I have done that and I ought not to have done it, or I did a wonderful thing today which will benefit me alot, this is the action of ahamkara tattva. It creates limited “I” consciousness, the limited ego which is connected with objectivity.

Rising still further we come to the two tattvas prakriti and purusa. These two tattvas are interdependent. Prakrti is dependent upon purusa and purusa is dependent upon praknti. Prakriti is that element which is referred to and is known as “nature”. It is the field where the three tendencies arise and flow forth. These three tendencies are known as the three gunas, the three qualities, which are respectively satva, rajas, and tamas. Prakriti is the combination of these three gunas but without any distinction. The three gunas come out from prakriti, and so it is said that the three gunas are not in the field of the tattvas, they are not to be considered as tattvas, because they are created by prakriti. Tattvas are creators, they are not created. Therefore, it is not the gunas which are tattvas but their creator prakriti. And that which responds to that prakriti, which owns that prakriti is called purusa.

The function of niyati tattva is to put the impression in purusa that he is residing in such and such a particular place and not in all places. You are residing in a houseboat near first bridge and you are not residing simultaneously at Ishiber near Nishat. You are residing in Kashmir, you are not residing simultaneously in Australia or Canada. This is the limitation which niyati tattva causes for purusa, that he is residing in such and such a particular place and not everywhere.

The word "kala" means time. The action of kala tattva is to keep purusa in a particular period. He becomes the victim of being in a particular period. For instance, you are twenty five years old, I am sixty four years old, and he is forty three years old. This limitation is the result of the action of kala tattva.

The third tattva by which purusa is limited is known as raga tattva, 'raga' means attachment. This is that attachment which results from not being full. The action of raga tattva is to leave the impression in purusa that he is not full, that he is not complete, and that he must have this and that to become full. As he does not have this he must have it to be full. He feels a lacking which he must fill. This is the function of raga tattva in limiting purusa.

The fourth tattva which limits purusa is vidya tattva, 'vidya’ means knowledge. The action of vidya tattva is to put the impression in purusa that he has this or that particular and limited knowledge, that he is not all knowing for he knows only some limited things.

The fifth and final bondage and limitation for purusa is kala tattva. Kala tattva creates the impression in purusa that he has some particular creativity, some particular artistic talent. He has mastered the art of writing or the art of music or the art of medicine, however, he does not have unlimited creativity. He is good at some things and not all things.

Pure subjectivity is found in the tattva known as suddhavidya tattva. This is when purusa actually realizes his own nature. And yet that realization is not stable, it is flickering, it is moving. This is the realization at the level of suddhavidya tattva. This realization is in movement. Sometimes you realize it, sometimes you forget it. And the experience (paramarsa) of suddhavidya tattva is, "I am siva, this universe is in duality. This universe is unreal, I am siva." This is the impression which comes in suddhavidya tattva. And this is pure subjectivity.

In isvara tattva you realize that this universe is my own expansion. This universe is not an illusion, it is my own expansion. This is the realization which takes place in isvara tattva.

The realization which takes place in sadasiva tattva is the same as the realization which takes place in isvara tattva, however, it is more refined. In sadasiva tattva you realize that I am this whole universe. This is the difference between these two impressions, in isvara tattva you have the impression that this universe is my own expansion, whereas in sadasiva tattva you will find that I myself am this whole universe. Oh myself, I am this whole universe. These two tattvas comprise subjectivity in a purer form.