Purusha and Prakriti – The two realities of Presence

Hinduism recognizes two eternal principles mentioned in the Vedas, the Bhagavadgita and other Hindu scriptures. They’re Purusha and Prakriti. Also known. as Brahman and Brahmi, Isvara and Isvari, Siva and Shakti, Narayana and Narayani. The Gita declares that seated in Prakriti, Purusha manifests the worlds and beings.

Vedicology program facilitators explain the significance of the eight key pointers on Prakriti, quoting various scriptures.

1. Prakriti is the set of eternal, indestructible, and indivisible realities that produce modifications.
2. Maya is the modification of Prakriti. It represents the natural universe we experience.
3. Tattvas are the collection of ceaseless and original realities which constitute Prakriti.
4. Asambhuti is the original unmanifested Prakriti in which all are latent.
5. Sambhuti is the manifested Prakriti. It is Another name for Maya. It is both a modification and an illusion.
6. Gunas are the three processes which impart motion and actions to Prakriti’s alterations.
7. Nature in the English sense of the word represents the modifications of Prakriti, but maybe not Prakriti itself. It’s the same as Sambhuti or Maya.
8. Asambhuti or Mula Prakriti is your second ceaseless Principle of existence, alongside Unmanifested Brahman in which everything stays in a state of latency.

Prakriti means the natural condition or State of whatever, or even the most original or primordial condition of whatever that’s found in the entire creation. It denotes the State of conditions at the beginning of creation, or the pristine condition of existence as it had been at the outset of creation.

Thus, in Hinduism just those that existed in the beginning of creation are natural or Prakritic. The rest are the alterations of anything that existed obviously at the time. From this perspective, the natural world is not Prakriti but merely a reflection of it. Hence, it’s a natural world just in a derivative sense, not in the original sense. For example, a tree isn’t a natural or original object in the true feeling of Prakriti, since it did not exist at the beginning of production.

What existed was that the idea or the design You never have to see it. The tree which you perceive through your senses manifests as the effect of a cause, the seed. The seed is also not natural or original, since it is arises as a modification of algae and egg. The pollen and egg are also not original or natural. They are the modifications of the cells where they originated.

Thus, neither the tree, the seeds, the pollen, nor the eggs represent the first natural condition of Prakriti. They are its alterations, projections, or manifestations. The same applies to a human being, who is a modification of the semen and egg, which can be in turn modifications of the power present in the parent bodies.

Everything in creation is a modification of something else. The world is filled with those modifications, which create the illusion of existence just as the light does. Since the world is filled with alterations and all the objects inside it are made by alterations and in themselves are subjects to alterations, the world is known as unreal (asat) or an illusion (Maya).

Mr Praveen Saanker explains how the Tattvas are the multiple realities that signify Prakriti jointly compared to the Supreme Reality of Purusha, one and independent of anything. The course on Prakriti explains the 24 tattvas according to Samkhyas.

1. Intelligence (Buddhi)
2. Mind (Manas)
3. Ego ( Aham)
4. Five subtle sensations (Tanmatras)
5. Five organs of understanding (Jnanendriyas)
6. Five organs of activity (Karmendriyas)
7. Five great elements (Mahabutas), namely earth, water, fire, air, and space.

Of these Some scholars include the person Soul (Isvara tattva) and make it 24. These independently, alongside the Self (Atman) and the Supreme Self (Brahman) are deemed eternal or original realities. The remainder are modifications originating from them. Delusion (moha) appears when these alterations are taken for actual and confused as the eternal reality.

Apart from the Tattvas, Prakriti includes three additional eternal realities. They aren’t included with the tattvas since they act upon the Tattvas and trigger the modifications. They’re Sattva, Rajas and Tamas, the three gunas or the triple realities offering movement and dynamism to the Tattvas.

Conclusion

Vedicology Awareness program on Prakriti explains the below concepts in a simple yet elaborate manner so that every one understands the same.

1. Purusha: The Eternal Supreme Truth
2. Prakriti: The first or latent State of creation.
3. Asambhuti:
4. Sambhuti Prakriti: The manifested, original, eternal, Indestructible, indivisible but mutable set of realities called tattvas.
5. Maya: A modification of this Sambhuti Prakriti that seems to the senses as actual.
6. Tattvas: The set of Realities that constitute the Sambhuti Prakriti.
7. Gunas: The triple Realities offering movement and dynamism to the Tattvas.
8. Vikriti: The altered Prakriti. It’s the perceptual world, we encounter through our Senses, which is distorted by our senses, expectations and desires.

Course on Prakriti is conducted at the Vedicology Center for Spiritual Empowerment, Annanagar, Chennai and is facilitated by Mr. Praveen Saanker, Mr. Abhishek Mohan and Mr. Eswaran Namboothiri.