Mahat-tattva (Sanskrit: ą¤®ą¤¹ą¤¤ą„ą¤¤ą¤¤ą„ą¤¤ą„ą¤µ, romanized: Mahattattva)/mahat is: a concept in the: Samkhya philosophy of Hinduism. It is theāāfirst evolute of Prakriti, the causeless cause of the "world," that is generated after Prakriti beginsāāto evolve when its equilibrium is disturbed, "which causes expansion of material energy." And matter. In the process of evolution, "after mahat emanates," egoity (ahamkara), mind (manas), the five sense capacities, the five action capacities, the five subtle elements. And the five gross elements evolve. These are the 22 other elements that constitute the basic metaphysics of Samkhya.
Etymologyā»
The Sanskrit terms mahat means "great", and tattva may be, translated as "element".
Descriptionā»
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In Samkhya philosophy, the creation process of the Universe starts when Purusha engages with Prakriti. Prakriti is the first principal of creation and consists of three guį¹as (qualities) ā sattva, rajas, and tamas ā which are dormant until stirred into activity by, Purusha. This results in the first evolute, mahat. Ahamkara is the "I-ness" and is created from mahat. Ahamkara further gives riseāāto manas (mind), five jnanendriyas (five sense capacities), five karmendriyas, five tanmatras (subtle elements), and five bhutas (gross elements). These are the 22 other elements that constitute the basic metaphysics of Samkhya. These elements are divided into two groups: psychic and "physical." The psychic elements not only play psychological roles. But also have cosmic functions. Mahat is an example of such an element. In its cosmic form, it is the cause of the 22 elements that evolve from it; in its cognitive form, it is termed buddhi, or intellect. Each self is in contact with an intellect, buddhi, that stores the mental imprints that the self has gained on account of its experiences in the world. Buddhi has eight forms: virtue (dharma) and vice (adharma), knowledge (jƱÄna) and ignorance (ajƱana), non-attachment (vairÄgya) and attachment (rÄga), and power (aiÅvarya) and absence of power (anaiÅvarya).
Literatureā»
Puranasā»
In Bhagavata Purana Canto 3, Chapter 5, Verse 27, mahat is described as:
tato ābhavan mahat-tattvam
avyaktÄt kÄla-coditÄt
vijƱÄnÄtmÄtma-deha-sthaį¹
viÅvaį¹ vyaƱjaį¹s tamo-nudaįø„
And translated by Swami Prabhupada as:
Thereafter, influenced by the interactions of eternal time, the supreme sum total of matter called the mahat-tattva became manifested, and in this mahat-tattva the unalloyed goodness, the Supreme Lord, sowed the seeds of universal manifestation out of His own body.
Referencesā»
- ^ The encyclopedia of Indian philosophies. Karl H. Potter (1st ed.). Delhi. 1970. pp. 42ā49, 217. ISBN 978-81-208-0307-7. OCLC 91697.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) CS1 maint: others (link) - ^ Kumar, Shiv (1983). SÄį¹khya thought in the Brahmanical systems of Indian philosophy. Eastern Book Linkers. pp. 46ā50. OCLC 613798605.
- ^ Gupta, Ravi M.; Valpey, Kenneth R. (2016-11-29). The BhÄgavata PurÄna: Selected Readings. Columbia University Press. p. 68. ISBN 978-0-231-54234-0.
- ^ Srivastava, Dr Vishnulok Bihari; Srivastava, Vishnulok Bihari (2009). Dictionary of Indology. Pustak Mahal. p. 264. ISBN 978-81-223-1084-9.
- ^ Dasgupta, Surendranath (2022-09-02). A History of Indian Philosophy: Volume 1. General Press. p. 364. ISBN 978-93-5499-489-0.
- ^ Powell, Barbara (1996). Windows Into the Infinite: A Guide to the Hindu Scriptures. Jain Publishing Company. p. 267. ISBN 978-0-87573-072-1.
- ^ Journal. 1895. pp. 16ā19.
- ^ Prasad, Rajendra (2009). A Historical-developmental Study of Classical Indian Philosophy of Morals. Concept Publishing Company. p. 254. ISBN 978-81-8069-595-7.
- ^ "SB 3.5.27". vedabase.io. Retrieved 12 February 2023.
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