Because of the large number of possible blendings and re-blendings, the
36th tattva - Shiva Shakti - may seem to become identified, conditioned and
confused. This illusion is called Maya, the Devi of the five sheaths. The
individual (jiva) forgets her or his unlimited nature, considering herself or
himself to be a limited individual (Purusha) with a certain nature (Prakriti).
This is a reflection or shadow of the 36th tattva with a mental apparatus which
is itself also a reflection of Iccha, Jnana and Kriya Shaktis. For instance,
the ''I'', the ahamkar, is the reflection of Iccha. This limited individual has
powers of action and powers of knowledge and focuses on the tanmatras, or
impression objects, considering herself or himself to be different from the
five verities. In this form, she or he plays in the world until realising the
36th tattva which is Shiva-Shakti itself, immanent in the universe and
vibrating with the power of sound. From another point of view, the 36
consonants are Shiva and the 15 vowels are Shakti - the whole being the
universe as sound. The five verities are also sometimes described as the five
Shiva corpses.
Artwork is © Jan Bailey, 1995. Translations are © Mike Magee 1995. For more information, send e-mail to ac70@cityscape.co.uk