From Shiva to Jiva: Part 4

From Śuddhāśuddha to Prakruti (प्रकृति)

As we saw in Part 3, the soul, once infinite and unbounded, gradually became limited through the Śuddhāśuddha Tattvas. The universal “I” contracted into individuality, poised between freedom and finitude. These veils prepared the soul for the next stage — the Prakṛti Tattvas, where consciousness fully manifests in the world as mind, life-energy, and matter.

The Three Domains of Manifestation

Prakṛuti is the primal matrix of creation. Through it, the One expresses itself as the living universe. Here Consciousness unfolds into three interrelated domains:

• Mental: Intellect, mind, and subtle perceptions — the instruments through which the soul perceives, thinks, and learns.
• Vital: Life-energy (prāṇa) that animates action, emotion, and movement, bridging mind and body.
• Physical: Elements, organs, and bodily structures — the tangible forms of experience and interaction.

The Tattvas: From 24 to 96

From this manifestation arise the classical twenty-four tattvas, forming the foundation of creation. In the full human constitution — including subtle energies, channels, and points — these expand to ninety-six tattvas, encompassing every layer of mind, energy, and body.

A concise overview

Category	Tattvas	Function / Note
Subtle Intelligence & Ego	Mahat (Intellect), Ahaṅkāra (Ego)	Foundation of individuality and self-awareness
Subtle Perceptions (Tanmātras)	Sound, Touch, Form, Taste, Smell	Seeds of sensory experience
Gross Elements (Mahābhūtas)	Ether, Air, Fire, Water, Earth	Basis of physical reality
Organs of Perception (Jñānendriyas)	Ear, Skin, Eye, Tongue, Nose	Enable awareness of the world
Organs of Action (Karmendriyas)	Speech, Hands, Feet, Excretion, Reproduction	Enable interaction with the world
Mind	Manas	Coordinates sensory input and action
Vital/Energy Tattvas	Prāṇa, Apāna, Samāna, Udāna, Viyāna	Life-force currents animating body and mind
Subtle Body & Chakras	Nadis, Marmas, Energy centers	Channels and points where prāṇa flows and consciousness integrates
Physical Body	Dhatus, Sthūla Śarīra	The tangible human body and its tissues

The Living Field

Through these tattvas, consciousness becomes fully engaged in the world — it thinks, perceives, feels, moves, and interacts.

The human being mirrors the cosmos: mind, prāṇa, and body forming a microcosm of the macrocosmic play. Pleasure, pain, vitality, intellect, and perception all arise through their interplay, showing how intimately the spiritual and material are linked.

Cycles and Cosmic Rhythm

The Prakṛti Tattvas are not merely mechanics of matter or thought; they are instruments for the soul to experience life, learn, and evolve. Each life, sensation, and action participates in the grand cosmic cycle of birth, action, reaction, and eventual dissolution (pralaya), preparing the stage for renewal and the next cycle of creation.

Conclusion: Unity in Diversity

By understanding these tattvas, one sees the continuum of existence: how the infinite expresses itself through the finite, how the One becomes many, and how the many reflect the One. Consciousness, having descended fully into Nature, experiences the totality of life — yet at every level, the same radiant awareness remains, guiding the soul back toward its source.

The Prakṛti Tattvas complete the journey from the purely spiritual into the fully manifested. They reveal the bridge between consciousness and the cosmos, mind and matter, allowing the soul to engage in the profound play of existence while remembering its ultimate unity.