What Does
Ashuddha Tattvas Mean?
In the Hindu school of Saivism, the ashuddha tattvas are the impure realities or truths. The term comes from the Sanskrit prefix a, meaning “not”; shuddha, meaning “pure”; and tattva, which is usually translated as “thatness.” Other schools of Hinduism classify tattvas in different ways.
In Saivism, there are 24 ashuddha tattvas that consist of material, mental and sensory realities as well as perceptions and actions. There are also five suddha (pure) tattvas, which are spiritual energy, and seven shuddha-ashuddha (pure-impure) tattvas, which consist of limited individual experience.
Yogapedia Explains Ashuddha Tattvas
The ashuddha tattvas, also sometimes called the atma (individual self) tattvas, include:
- Four manifestations, or antakaranas – prakriti (energy of the soul), buddhi (intuition), ahamkara (ego) and manas (mind)
- Five cognitive senses, or jnanendriyas – ghrana (nose), caksu (eye), rasana (tongue), tvak (skin) and srotra (ear)
- Five organs of action, or karmendriyas – payu (anus), upashta (sexual organs), pada (legs), pani (hands) and vak (mouth)
- Five sensations, or tanmatras – gandha (smell), rupa (form), rasa (taste), sparsa (touch) and sabda (sound)
- Five elements of matter, or mahabhutas – prithvi (earth), tejas (fire), jala (water), vayu (air) and akasa (ether)
During These Times of Stress and Uncertainty Your Doshas May Be Unbalanced.
To help you bring attention to your doshas and to identify what your predominant dosha is, we created the following quiz.
Try not to stress over every question, but simply answer based off your intuition. After all, you know yourself better than anyone else.