25 Tattvas According to Samkhya Philosophy (As the Soul Gets Manifested into the Physical World)

Introduction to the 25 Primary Elements of Soul Manifestation in the Physical World

According to Samkhya Philosophy, the matter (Prakriti / प्रकृति) by the force of the soul (Purusha / पुरुष) becomes manifested as a human being. Below we will focus on the 25 Primary Elements (Tattvas) as explained by the Samkhya Philosophy (the oldest of the Shaddarshan, the 6 philosophies based on Vedas).

The Division into 25 Primary Elements (Tattvas) According to Samkhya Philosophy

Soul – Consciousness (Purusha / पुरुष) + Unmanifested Matter (Mula Prakriti / मूल प्रकृति)

The first 3 elements that emerge once the Soul inspires life into the Unmanifested Matter:

Intellect (Buddhi / बुद्धि)

Ego / “I” sense (Ahamkara / अहंकार)

Mind (Manah / मनः)

And they have the following elements and capacities:

The 5 sensory capacities (Jnanendriya / ज्ञानेन्द्रिय):

• Ears – Hearing (Srotra / श्रोत्रः)
• Skin – Feeling/Touching (Tvak / त्वक्)
• Eyes – Seeing (Chakshu / चक्षुः)
• Tongue – Tasting (Rasana / रसना)
• Nose – Smelling (Ghrana / घ्राणः)

The 5 action capacities (Karmendriya / कर्मेन्द्रिय):

• Speech (Vak / वाक्)
• Grasping – Capacity of Handling Outer Object (Hast / हस्त)
• Moving – Changing Place (Pada / पाद)
• Reproducing (Upastha / उपस्थ)
• Excreting (Guda / गुदा)

The 5 subtle elements or modes of sensory content (Tanmatra / तन्मात्र):

• Sound (Shabda / शब्द)
• Touch (Sparsha / स्पर्श),
• Form (Rupa / रूप)
• Taste (Rasa / रस)
• Smell (Gandha / गन्ध)

And the 5 gross elements (Panch Mahabhuta / पांच महाभूत) or forms of perceptual objects emerging from subtle elements:

• Ether (Akasha / आकाश)
• Air (Vayu / वायु)
• Fire (Agni or Tej / अग्नि or तेज)
• Water (Jala / जल)
• Earth (Prithvi / पृथ्वी)