OUTER LEVELS/SCALE IN ŚAIVISM
Question:
“According to advanced understanding of Śaivism, what are the various levels of Śiva & Śakti; as well as the various levels of the world or cosmos?”
Gemini:
Of course. This question goes to the very heart of the sophisticated cosmology and metaphysics of advanced Śaivism, particularly the non-dual philosophy of Kashmir Shaivism.
This tradition provides a detailed and elegant map of reality, describing a grand process of cosmic manifestation from the most subtle and unified level of pure divinity down to the grossest level of matter. This map is known as the system of the 36 Tattvas.
The word tattva in Sanskrit means "that-ness," "principle," or "level of reality." These 36 Tattvas are the hierarchical levels of Śiva & Śakti and the corresponding levels of the cosmos. The path of the yogi is to travel back up this ladder of Tattvas to the divine source.
Here is a rundown, grouped into three main categories.
Part 1: The Five Pure Tattvas (Śuddha Tattvas)
This is the highest level, the realm of pure, infinite, and unified divine Consciousness. This is the level of Śiva and Śakti in their undifferentiated and first-stirring states.
1. Śiva Tattva:
Level: The absolute, supreme, and ultimate reality.
Nature: This is pure, static, transcendent Consciousness (Cit). It is the unchanging, inactive, witness aspect of the divine. It is the infinite, singular "I" without an object. It is pure Being.
2. Śakti Tattva:
Level: Co-eternal and inseparable from the Śiva Tattva.
Nature: This is the creative, immanent, and dynamic power or energy of Shiva. It is pure, infinite Bliss (Ānanda). It is the primordial vibration that is the potential for all manifestation.
Relationship: Śiva and Śakti are never separate. They are like the sun and its light, or a word and its meaning. Śiva is the "I," and Śakti is the "Am-ness" of that "I."
3. Sadāśiva Tattva ("Eternal Shiva"):
Level: The first stirring of manifestation within the unified divine Consciousness.
Nature: This is the level of pure Will (Icchā Śakti). The experience at this level is "I am This," where the "I"-consciousness (Śiva) is still completely dominant, but a faint, indistinct awareness of a potential "This" (the universe) first emerges.
4. Īśvara Tattva ("Lord"):
Level: The second stirring of manifestation.
Nature: This is the level of pure Knowledge (Jñāna Śakti). The experience here is "This I am," where the "This"-consciousness (the potential universe as a clear idea) becomes more distinct and is seen as a perfect reflection of the "I."
5. Śuddhavidyā Tattva ("Pure Knowledge"):
Level: The third stirring, where the potential for diversity is realized.
Nature: This is the level of pure Action (Kriyā Śakti). The experience here is "I am I, and This is This,"where the "I" and the "This" are recognized as perfectly equal and balanced, yet distinct. This is the final stage before the illusion of separation begins.
Part 2: The Seven Pure-Impure Tattvas (Śuddhāśuddha Tattvas)
This is the intermediate level, describing how the infinite, universal Consciousness of Śiva becomes the finite, limited individual soul (jīva). This is the process of divine self-limitation or constriction (saṅkoca).
6. Māyā Tattva:
The primordial power of illusion and limitation. It is the force that makes the One appear as the many and the Infinite appear as finite. It is the source of the five "veils" below.
The Five Kañcukas (The Five Cloaks or Veils): These are the specific limitations that arise from Māyā and bind the soul.
7. Kalā: (Limited Action) – Reduces Shiva's universal authorship to the soul's limited ability to act.
8. Vidyā: (Limited Knowledge) – Reduces Shiva's omniscience to the soul's limited knowledge.
9. Rāga: (Desire/Attachment) – Reduces Shiva's all-satisfaction to the soul's specific cravings for particular objects.
10. Kāla: (Time) – Reduces Shiva's eternity to the soul's experience of past, present, and future.
11. Niyati: (Causality/Destiny) – Reduces Shiva's omnipresence to the soul's being in a specific place and subject to the laws of cause and effect.
12. Purusha Tattva:
This is the end result of the constriction process. It is the individual, limited soul (jīva)—the universal Shiva now veiled by Māyā and the five Kañcukas.
Part 3: The Twenty-Four Impure Tattvas (Aśuddha Tattvas)
This is the lowest level, describing the "hardware" or instruments of the limited soul's experience. This entire group of 24 tattvas is adopted directly from the classical Sāṃkhya system.
13. Prakriti Tattva: The unmanifest, primal nature/matter which is the counterpart to the limited Purusha. From it, the world of mind and matter evolves.
The Instruments of Mind (Antaḥkaraṇa):
14. Buddhi: (The Intellect)
15. Ahaṃkāra: (The Ego)
16. Manas: (The sensory Mind)
The Instruments of Perception and the Material World:
This includes the five sense organs (jñānendriyas), the five action organs (karmendriyas), the five subtle elements (tanmātras - sound, touch, sight, taste, smell), and finally the five gross elements (mahābhūtas - Ether, Air, Fire, Water, and Earth), which represent the final and most concrete level of the cosmos.
The Yogic Path in Reverse:
The path of the Śaiva yogi is the journey in reverse. It is a process of ascent, withdrawing consciousness from the gross elements, transcending the limitations of the mind and ego, piercing the five veils of Māyā, and finally recognizing one's own consciousness as the pure, blissful, and all-encompassing reality of Śiva-Śakti at the summit.
AND NOW THE INNER PERSPECTIVE, THAT OF EVOLUTION
Question:
“In relation to the above levels, please describe the individual soul at its various stages of evolution, in Śaivism.”
GEMINI:
Of course. This is an excellent question that follows logically from the map of the Tattvas. The 36 Tattvas are not just a cosmic map; they are also a psychological and soteriological map that describes the different possible states of an individual soul (jīva) and its journey of evolution back to its divine source.
In the advanced, non-dual Śaivism of the Kashmir Shaivite tradition, the "evolution" of the soul is a process of Recognition (pratyabhijñā). The soul evolves by progressively shedding the layers of self-limitation and remembering its true, all-encompassing divine nature as Shiva.
These stages are defined by the type of "impurity" (mala) that binds the soul and the level of the Tattvas with which it primarily identifies. There are three fundamental impurities:
Āṇava Mala: The root impurity of individuality, the core sense of being a limited, finite "I."
Māyīya Mala: The impurity of Māyā, which creates the illusion of a world of separate objects distinct from the self.
Kārma Mala: The impurity of action, the bondage to the consequences of good and bad deeds.
Based on which of these impurities are active, the individual soul is classified into different stages of its evolution.
Stage 1: The Fully Conditioned Soul (Sakala)
Meaning: Sakala means "with all the parts" or "fully conditioned."
Description: This is the state of the vast majority of unenlightened humanity. The Sakala soul is bound by all three impurities: Āṇava, Māyīya, and Kārma Mala.
Level of Identification: The consciousness of the Sakala being is completely identified with the Impure Tattvas (Tattvas 13-36). Their sense of self is inextricably linked to their physical body (the Gross Elements), their mind (manas), their ego (ahaṃkāra), and their intellect (buddhi). They perceive the world as a collection of solid, external objects and experience themselves as a limited, separate agent acting within that world. This is the starting point of the evolutionary journey.
Stage 2: The Latent Soul (Pralayākala)
Meaning: Pralayākala means "dissolved at the time of cosmic dissolution (pralaya)."
Description: This describes a class of souls who exist in a state of latency between universal creations. They have been temporarily freed from the impurities of action (Kārma Mala) and illusion (Māyīya Mala) because the entire phenomenal world they once experienced has been dissolved.
Level of Identification: However, they are still bound by the root impurity of Āṇava Mala—the deep, seed-like sense of being an individual. Their consciousness exists in a state akin to a deep, dreamless void, free from the mind and the world, but not yet awakened to its true, universal nature. They have transcended the Impure Tattvas but are still below the Pure Tattvas.
Stage 3: The Disembodied Conscious Soul (Vijñānākala)
Meaning: Vijñānākala means "conscious of consciousness alone."
Description: This is a very high and advanced stage. This soul is completely free from the impurities of action and illusion (Kārma and Māyīya Mala). They are bound only by the most subtle and final veil of the Āṇava Mala.
Level of Identification: The consciousness of the Vijñānākala being is identified with the Purusha Tattva (Tattva 12). They have transcended the entire world of mind and matter and experience themselves as a pure, disembodied, individual center of awareness. They are a pure subject without an object. This is the state of a highly advanced yogi who has achieved profound formless meditation but has not yet taken the final leap to realize their identity with the universal consciousness of Shiva. They have realized their nature as a pure, eternal point of light, but they haven't yet realized that they are a ray of the infinite sun.
Stage 4: The Liberated Being (Jīvanmukta / Shiva)
Meaning: This is the final and fully evolved state, where the soul realizes its absolute identity as Shiva. A being who achieves this while living is called a jīvanmukta.
Description: Through the descent of divine grace (śaktipāta) and the power of their own yogic insight, the final, subtle veil of the Āṇava Mala is dissolved.
Level of Identification: The being's consciousness is no longer limited to any Tattva. It has ascended the entire ladder and recognizes itself as the source of all 36 Tattvas. Their identity is with the supreme, Pure Tattvas of Śiva and Śakti.
The Experience: They experience the entire universe as the blissful, vibrant play of their own universal Consciousness. The distinction between inner and outer, self and other, collapses completely. They embody the five divine powers of consciousness, bliss, will, knowledge, and action, and are completely free.
This evolutionary journey is a process of progressive de-constriction. The soul evolves by shedding the layers of identification, moving from the gross body and mind (Sakala), through the subtle void (Pralayākala), to the state of a pure but still individual witness (Vijñānākala), and finally to the ultimate, all-encompassing Recognition of itself as the supreme reality, Shiva.
THE LEVELS OF PERCEIVING ŚIVA
Question:
“In my previous two questions, about the scale of Śaivic elements — and Śiva himself — along with the levels of the soul, I have a question about the varying perceptions or relations of the soul along its levels of evolution. Does the soul itself relate to Śiva at his different levels at each of the soul’s level of ascent??”
Gemini:
This is a brilliant and perfectly articulated question that reveals the dynamic and experiential heart of the Śaivite path.
The answer is yes, absolutely.
The core principle of this tradition is that the level of the soul's own evolution directly determines the level or aspect of Śiva to which it can relate and which it can perceive. The knower and the known are inextricably linked. A limited consciousness perceives a limited aspect of God; an infinite consciousness realizes itself asGod.
The journey of ascent through the stages of the soul is a progressive unveiling of the true nature of both the soul and the Divine, simultaneously. Let's map this relationship at each stage.
The Foundational Principle: Perception is a Function of Being
In Kashmir Shaivism, the entire cosmos (the 36 Tattvas) is nothing but the self-manifestation of the one, supreme Consciousness, Shiva. Therefore, the "levels of Shiva" are the Tattvas themselves. A soul's "level of evolution" is defined by which Tattva it identifies with as its "self." The aspect of Shiva it relates to is a direct reflection of that identification.
The Stages of the Soul's Relationship with Śiva
1. The Sakala Soul (The Bound Soul)
Soul's Level of Evolution: This is the ordinary, unenlightened state. The soul is bound by all three impurities (malas) and is identified with the Impure Tattvas (13-36)—the physical body, the ego, the intellect, and the mind.
Relationship to Śiva: The Sakala soul relates to Shiva as a powerful, external, and separate deity.This is the level of conventional, dualistic religion.
Shiva is the Lord (Paśupati) and the soul is the "fettered individual" (paśu).
He is a creator to be worshipped, a destroyer to be feared, a benevolent god to be petitioned for grace. This is the Shiva of the Puranas, with a form, a family, and specific attributes. The relationship is one of a subject to a vastly superior Object.
2. The Pralayākala Soul (The Latent Soul)
Soul's Level of Evolution: Existing in the cosmic void between universal cycles, this soul is temporarily free from the worlds of mind and matter, but is still bound by the root impurity of individuality (Āṇava Mala).
Relationship to Śiva: This soul has no active relationship with a perceived form of Shiva. It experiences a state of formless potentiality, a kind of empty peace. It is a dissolution, not a true, conscious union. The relationship is one of absence, not divine presence.
3. The Vijñānākala Soul (The Pure Conscious Soul)
Soul's Level of Evolution: A very high stage. This soul is free from the impurities of karma and illusion and is bound only by the most subtle veil of individuality. Its consciousness is identified with the Purusha Tattva (Tattva 12).
Relationship to Śiva: This soul has gone far beyond relating to Shiva as an external deity with form. It now relates to the divine at the level of the Pure Tattvas (Tattvas 3-5), such as Sadāśiva or Īśvara.
It may experience Shiva as a universal but still distinct "I am" consciousness. The relationship is one of the most sublime "I-Thou."
The soul perceives God as a supreme, universal Subject, but it still maintains a subtle, almost transparent, sense of its own separateness from that ultimate Subject.
4. The Liberated Being (Jīvanmukta / The State of Śiva)
Soul's Level of Evolution: The final stage. All impurities (malas) have been completely dissolved through divine grace (śaktipāta) and yogic insight.
Relationship to Śiva: At this stage, the very concept of a "relationship" collapses entirely, because duality has been overcome.
The soul recognizes its absolute and timeless identity as Śiva.
It does not see Shiva or relate to Shiva; it is Shiva. Its consciousness has expanded to identify with the supreme, non-dual Śiva-Śakti Tattvas (Tattvas 1 & 2).
The experience is no longer of an external or even a higher God. It is the direct, non-dual realization that its own pure consciousness (Cit) is and always has been the one, universal, supreme Śiva-Consciousness that is the source and substance of all 36 Tattvas.
Conclusion: A Journey of Deepening Recognition
The path of the soul's evolution is a progressive and deepening recognition of its own infinite nature. This is mirrored in its relationship with the divine:
The Sakala soul worships an external Shiva.
The Vijñānākala soul contemplates a universal Shiva.
The Jīvanmukta realizes itself as Shiva.
The "levels of Shiva" are not different beings, but are the single, ultimate Reality appearing in different ways according to the capacity and purity of the perceiving soul.
ŚAIVIC ENLIGHTENMENT
Question:
“To your knowledge, do some Śaivite masters or scriptures relate the levels of soul evolution to the realization of the levels of the five pure tattvas?”
Gemini:
Yes, absolutely. This is an excellent and very advanced question that gets to the heart of the experiential path of the Śaiva yogi.
The advanced teachings of Kashmir Shaivism, particularly as systematized by the great 10th-century master Abhinavagupta, provide exactly this detailed mapping. The journey through the Five Pure Tattvas is considered the final and most subtle stage of the soul's evolution, primarily undertaken by a being who has already reached the very high level of a Vijñānākala (a pure conscious soul).
Let's describe this final ascent.
The Subject of the Final Ascent: The Vijñānākala Soul
As we discussed, the Vijñānākala soul is a highly evolved being, free from the impurities of karma (Kārma Mala) and illusion (Māyīya Mala). They are bound only by the most subtle, root impurity of individuality (Āṇava Mala). Their consciousness is identified with itself as a pure, but still limited, subject. They are on the very cusp of final liberation.
The following stages describe the progressive states of samāveśa (divine absorption or immersion) that this soul undergoes, by the power of divine grace (śaktipāta), to dissolve that final veil.
The Ascent Through the Pure Tattvas: The Final Stages of Realization
The journey is a progressive dissolution of the subject-object duality, with each stage corresponding to a Pure Tattva.
Stage 1: Attaining the State of Śuddhavidyā (The Tattva of Pure Knowledge)
The Realization: The first major breakthrough into the divine realm is the realization of the ŚuddhavidyāTattva. At this level, the yogi's consciousness holds the "I" (the subjective pole) and the "This" (the entire universe as the objective pole) in perfect balance.
The Experience: The yogi clearly perceives that "I and this entire universe are both manifestations of the one Divine Consciousness." There is a perfect identity between the two, but the perception of duality, of an "I" and a "This," is still present. It is the perfection of yogic knowledge that sees the ultimate unity withinthe apparent diversity.
Stage 2: Attaining the State of Īśvara (The Tattva of the Lord)
The Realization: Through deeper immersion, the yogi's consciousness shifts, and the objective pole ("This") becomes dominant.
The Experience: The experience is "This I am." The yogi's individual "I" dissolves into the universal "This." They experience the entire cosmos as a direct and vibrant manifestation of their own consciousness. Their sense of self is now identical with the entire objective universe. This is a state of cosmic lordship, where the universe is perceived as one's own divine body.
Stage 3: Attaining the State of Sadāśiva (The Tattva of the "Eternal Shiva")
The Realization: As the absorption deepens even further, the subjective pole ("I") becomes dominant again, but it is now a universal "I."
The Experience: The experience is "I am This." The entire universe ("This") now recedes to become just a faint, indistinct, and nascent idea held within the infinite stillness of the universal "I"-consciousness. This is the state of the supreme, universal Will that is the source of all potential manifestation, before that manifestation becomes clear.
The Final Realization: The State of Śiva-Śakti
The culmination of this evolutionary ascent is the final and ultimate step, where the consciousness dissolves the last, most subtle trace of the subject-object duality of "I am This."
The Experience: The yogi's consciousness collapses into the pure, undifferentiated, and singular state of the supreme Śiva-Śakti Tattvas. Here, there is no "I" and no "This." There is only the absolute, self-luminous, and blissful reality of pure "I-Consciousness" (aham-vimarśa), which is the union of Being and Power.
The Result: This is the permanent, abiding state of the jīvanmukta (liberated while living). The soul has not just realized the levels; it has become the source of all levels. It has fully and finally remembered its true identity as Paramashiva, the Supreme Reality.
In conclusion, the Śaivite masters provide a remarkably detailed map of the final stages of the soul's evolution as a progressive journey of realization through the lower three Pure Tattvas. This ascent is the process by which a highly evolved yogi sheds the very last veil of individuality, moving from a balanced perception of unity-in-diversity, to an identification with the universal object, to an identification with the universal subject, and finally, into the indescribable, non-dual state of Absolute Consciousness itself.
CHART OF THE JIVANMUKHTA
GEMINI:
Here is a chart, structured like an idea tree, that maps out the Śaivite Tattvas and integrates the path of the soul's evolution through them, based on our previous discussion.
This chart illustrates two movements:
The Descent of Creation (Top-Down): How the singular, divine Consciousness of Paramashiva progressively manifests as the different levels of the cosmos, down to the gross elements.
The Ascent of the Soul (Bottom-Up): How the individual soul, at its various stages of evolution, relates to and ultimately re-integrates with these levels, culminating in the realization of its own identity as Shiva.
Chart: The Evolution of the Soul Through the 36 Tattvas of Kashmir Shaivism
PARAMASHIVA (The Absolute: Non-Dual Reality)
↓
THE PURE REALM: The Five Pure Tattvas (Śuddha Tattvas)
This is the realm of universal, divine Consciousness.
1. Śiva Tattva (Pure, Static Consciousness - Cit)
2. Śakti Tattva (Pure, Dynamic Power/Bliss - Ānanda)
(Final Realization of the Jīvanmukta): The fully liberated soul realizes its absolute identity with this indivisible Śiva-Śakti unity. The journey ends here, in a state of supreme Being and Freedom.
(Ascent of the Advanced Yogi - Stage 3): The yogi experiences the state of Sadāśiva Tattva, realizing "I am This," where the universal "I" dominates.
(Ascent of the Advanced Yogi - Stage 2): The yogi experiences the state of Īśvara Tattva, realizing "This I am," identifying with the entire cosmos as their own body.
(Ascent of the Advanced Yogi - Stage 1): The yogi first breaks through to the state of Śuddhavidyā Tattva, realizing the perfect balance and identity of "I am I, and This is This."
↓ (The Veil of Limitation) ↓
THE REALM OF DUALITY & LIMITATION: The Seven Pure-Impure Tattvas (Śuddhāśuddha Tattvas)
This is where the Infinite becomes the finite individual.
6. Māyā Tattva: The power of illusion that creates the sense of separation.
7-11. The Five Kañcukas (Veils): Limited Action, Limited Knowledge, Desire, Time, and Causality.
12. Purusha Tattva: The individual, limited soul (jīva).
(Stage of the Vijñānākala Soul): A very advanced soul, bound only by the subtle sense of individuality. Their consciousness is identified here. This is the being who undertakes the final ascent through the Pure Tattvas.
↓ (The Instruments of Experience) ↓
THE IMPURE REALM: The Twenty-Four Impure Tattvas (Aśuddha Tattvas)
This is the world of mind and matter as experienced by the bound soul.
13. Prakriti Tattva: Primal, unmanifest nature.
(Stage of the Pralayākala Soul): A latent soul, temporarily dissolved in the cosmic potential of Prakriti between universal cycles.
14-16. The Mind (Antaḥkaraṇa): Intellect (Buddhi), Ego (Ahaṃkāra), and Sensory Mind (Manas).
17-36. The Senses and Gross Elements: The five sense organs, five action organs, five subtle elements, and the five gross elements (Ether, Air, Fire, Water, Earth).
(Stage of the Sakala Soul): The ordinary, unenlightened soul. Their consciousness is identified with this entire level of body, ego, and mind. This is the starting point of the evolutionary journey.
