Tadany Um refúgio para a alma e um convite à consciência.
Tattva Bodha – Class 40 Summary
Māyā and the Three Guṇas – The Faculties of the Universe
Acharya Tadany | March 30, 2025
In this important class, Acharya Tadany continued the exploration of samaṣṭi (cosmic level) by explaining how māyā operates through its three fundamental guṇas, which manifest as the three essential faculties present in all living beings.
Core Concept: The Three Guṇas of Māyā
Māyā possesses three inherent powers/faculties:
1. Sattva Guṇa – Jñāna Śakti (Power of Knowing/Learning)
– Operates through the five jñānendriyas (sense organs of knowledge: ears, skin, eyes, tongue, nose).
– Enables acquisition, registration, and processing of information throughout the day.
2. Rajas Guṇa – Kriyā Śakti (Power of Acting/Doing)
– The faculty of response and action.
– Example: When crossing the street and a bicycle approaches, the senses register it (jñāna śakti), but you must act to avoid collision (kriyā śakti).
– Represents all doing, performing, and responding in life.
3. Tamas Guṇa – Dravya Śakti (Power of Resting/Withdrawing)
– Activated when exhaustion sets in from learning and acting.
– Primarily manifests as sleep, providing rest, recharge, and rejuvenation for all organs.
– After deep sleep, one wakes up refreshed and ready to resume the cycle of knowing and acting.
Pre-Manifestation State
Before the universe manifested, Brahman (consciousness) and māyā (with its three guṇas) existed in a dormant, potential, seed-like form. At this stage, the three guṇas remained in perfect equilibrium — not yet operational.
How Manifestation Begins
– The three guṇas stay in balance until disturbed.
– This disturbance is caused by the Law of Karma at the samaṣṭi level (collective cosmic karma), not individual karma.
– Once disturbed, the equilibrium breaks and the process of evolution/manifestation begins.
Acharya drew a parallel with Newton’s First Law: an object remains at rest until acted upon by an external force. Similarly, the guṇas remain balanced until cosmic karma disturbs them.
Evolution of the Universe – A Gradual Process
Unlike the sudden “Big Bang” model, Vedānta describes manifestation as a gradual, orderly evolution (like a seed slowly becoming a tree).
Two Main Stages:
1. Kāraṇa Prapañca → Sūkṣma Prapañca (Causal Universe → Subtle Universe)
2. Sūkṣma Prapañca → Sthūla Prapañca (Subtle Universe → Gross/Physical Universe)
The Five Subtle Elements (Sūkṣma Bhūtāni) & Their Properties
| Element | Sanskrit Name | Unique Property (Viśeṣa Guṇa) | Sense Organ | Total Properties |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Space | Ākāśa | Śabda (Sound) | Śrotra (Ears) | 1 |
| Air | Vāyu | Sparśa (Touch) | Tvak (Skin) | 2 |
| Fire | Agni/Tejas | Rūpa (Form/Color) | Cakṣu (Eyes) | 3 |
| Water | Jala/Āpaḥ | Rasa (Taste) | Rasana (Tongue) | 4 |
| Earth | Pṛthivī | Gandha (Smell) | Ghrāṇa (Nose) | 5 |
Inheritance Pattern: Each element inherits all properties of the previous ones and adds its own unique quality.
Special Notes:
– Ākāśa: Omkāra (A-U-M) is the primordial sound pervading all space. All other sounds are modifications of Omkāra.
– Jala (Water): Described as “tasteless,” yet this tastelessness is a potential state containing all tastes in dormant form (similar to white light containing all colors).
– Pṛthivī (Earth): After the first rain in a dry season, one can smell the unique fragrance of the earth (gandha).
Creation from Subtle Elements
From the five subtle elements are created simultaneously:
– Sūkṣma Prapañca — the entire subtle universe
– Sūkṣma Śarīra — all subtle bodies of living beings
Later, these evolve into gross elements, giving rise to the physical universe and gross bodies.
Post-Class Q&A
Q1: Can we experience the subtle (sūkṣma)?
Acharya clarified that everything in the universe is experienceable, but our sense organs have limited range. Science expands this capacity through instruments (telescopes, microscopes, etc.). As we age, even basic perception diminishes (hence the need for spectacles). Subtle phenomena like thoughts, memories, and energies exist and can be experienced, though not always by everyone equally.
Q2: How to distinguish sūkṣma from sthūla?
– Sthūla (Gross): Universally perceptible — everyone can experience it equally.
– Sūkṣma (Subtle): Individually perceptible — experienced primarily by the specific person (e.g., your own thoughts and memories). Others cannot directly perceive them unless expressed.
Some people claim to perceive subtle bodies or auras, but according to the śāstra, for most individuals the subtle body is experienced only subjectively.
Key Takeaways
1. Māyā functions through three guṇas/faculties: jñāna śakti (knowing), kriyā śakti (acting), and dravya śakti (resting).
2. These three powers operate in daily life as learning, acting, and sleeping.
3. Manifestation is gradual and evolutionary, not sudden creation.
4. The five subtle elements evolve sequentially, each inheriting previous properties.
5. Everything in the universe is experienceable, though our perceptual capacity is limited.
The class beautifully connects the micro (individual daily experience) with the macro (cosmic evolution), showing how the same three guṇas operate at both levels.
Hariḥ Om
Acharya Tadany
