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The Twenty-Four Cosmic Principles

October 7, 2012byskladum3721

BRAHMA, PURUSHA, ATMAN AND ISHVARA

Brahman is the Supreme Reality of all things. It is the Super-conscious Being, which is all-pervading and all-manifest. It is the Transcendental and is God in the most unfathomable,

ineffable sense. The only way to know Brahman is to be one with Brahman. Brahman is Pure

Being and possess the quality or state of Satchitananda, Being-Consciousness-Bliss. Thisconsciousness is further manifest as Purusha.

Purusha is the Ultimate Consciousness behind the cosmos. It is the Intelligent Design that is the

Progenitor of Creation. It is the masculine principle of divinity, that is, the Creator. However,Purusha also carries within itself the feminine principle, which is the power of vision, movement

and transformation calledShakti

.

Purusha within us, which is our Higher Self, our Self-Realised pure consciousness, is called the

Atman.

Purusha is further manifest as I shvara, the Cosmic Lord, and Creator. Ishvara is a special type of

Purusha which possesses Perfect Intelligence. Ishvara also has a feminine sideas Purusha hasShakticalled I shvari. Ishvara-Ishvari is threefold:

Brahma | Sarasvati

Vishnu | Lakshmi

Shiva | Kali

`

The relationship between Ishvara and Purusha is intricate. Purusha possesses Ishvara as does

Ishvara possess Purusha. A simple way to understand this is that, God possesses Supreme

Consciousness (Purusha), while anything that is supremely conscious is God. In many cases,they are interchangeable. The same explanation is taken in regard to Shakti. In fact, Goddess and

Shakti are seldom seperate ideas.

From Brahman to Purusha, leads us to the Twenty-Four Cosmic Principles below.

TATTVAS

THE TWENTY-FOUR COSMIC PRINCIPLES

1. Prakriti

Prakriti is the unmanifest creationnature in its subtlest form. It is molded by the will of God

and is what provides the experience for Purusha. For either Purusha itself, or for the Atman,Prakriti contains the potential of all creative power. It is composed of the three Gunasor Primal

Qualities called Sattva(Light), Rajas(Energy) and Tamas(Matter).

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2. Mahat or Cosmic Intelligence

Mahat is the manifest Prakriti, it is Prakriti come into actionmolded by the will of God(Purusha/Ishvara). Using the example of an artist, the Purusha/Ishvara is the Artist, whose mind

is the blank slate of Prakriti. When and idea materialises in this consciousness, it then becomes

Mahat.

In the individual soul (Atman), however, Mahat is called Buddhior Individual Intelligence. The

attunement of Buddhi to Mahat is the Path of Self-Realisation.

3. Ahamkara or Ego

Ahamkara or I-frabrication is the process whereby the ego or unique self is developed, divided

from the Mahat. Prakriti, the basic energies inherent in matter and Mahat, the fundamental laws

of the cosmic intelligence work through the three Gunas of Sattva, Rajas and Tamas to create theFive Elements, the Five Sense Organs and the Five Motor Organs. Attachment of the Ego, which

resides in the Ego, is the main cause of the moving away from spirituality and Self-Realisation.

4. Manas or Outer Mind

The first motor organ and first sense organ (Manas is usually called the sixth, setting it after the

previous five. However, It is the cause of the other five and indeed regulates them.), is the

automatic projection of the Ego and is the principle of Sensation, Emotion and Imagination.From Ahamkara, Manas derives its power of Illumination (Sattva) and power of action (Rajas),

which are expressed through the five sense organs and five motor organs respectively.

59. The Five Tanmatrasthe Subtle Elements

The three Gunas are ideas, which are the causal energies of creation: balance, motion andresistance, called Sattva, Rajas and Tamas respectively. On a subtle level (when the ideas give

rise to motion to become something), they are the five tanmatrasthe roots of the five senses.

Shabda Tanmatra, called Ethertanmatra of Sound

Sparsha Tanmatra, called Airtanmatra of Touch

Rupa Tanmatra, called Firetanmatra of Sight

Rasa Tanmatra, called Watertanmatra of Taste

Gandha Tanmatra, called Earthtanmatra of Smell

The tanmatras are called subtle elements because they are the primal force behind the elements.

Meaning, before the Elements themselves of Ether, Air, Fire, Water and Earth can manifest as

we know them in the physical, the tanmatras of the same elements must give rise to them.

1014. Pancha Jnanendriyanithe Five Sense Organs

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The Five sense organs are the paths through which we experience the outer world. This is the

manifestation of the latent potential which we all possess. These are also called the Pathways of

Knowledge also possess subtle forms beyond the physical which give rise to ExtrasensoryPerception (ESP).

Ear, the organ of soundEther Skin, the organ of touchAir

Eyes, the organ of sightFire

Tongue, the organ of tasteWater

Nose, the organ of smellEarth

`

1519. Pancha Karmendriyanithe Five Motor Organs

The expressive counter parts to the receptive sense organs are the five motor organs. While thesense organs are more connected to the five tanmatras (subtle elements), the five motor organs

relate more to the five gross elements (physical manifestations of the elements) upon which theoperate/act. They also possess more subtle forms such as Telekinesis, which is action by a

thought or at a distance.

Mouth, the organ of expression (sound)Ether

Hand, the organ of grasping (touch)Air

Feet, the organ of motion (sight)fire

Urino-genital, the organ of emission (taste)Water

Anus, organ of elimination (smell)Earth

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24. Pancha Mahabhutani

the Five Elements

In gross form, these are representative of the various phases of matter in the outer world: Solid,Liquid, Gas, Radiation and Ether. As their subtle natures, they are the five tanmatras.

Ether: the idea of space and vibration; connection, communication, self-expression

Air: the idea of subtle movement; direction, velocity, change, the basis for thought

Fire: the idea of light; perception and movement

Water: the idea of liquidity; fluidity in motion

Earth: the idea of solidity; resistance in action