Here you have the list of the thirty-six levels of universal manifestation according to Trika. In order not to write their names in Sanskrit, I will use descriptive names for some of them:
- Self
- Power of the Self
- Supreme Will
- Supreme Knowledge
- Supreme Action
- Ignorance
- Limited activity
- Limited knowledge
- Limited will
- Notion of time
- Notion of space
- Individual self
- Undifferentiated matter
- Intellect
- Ego
- Mind
- Power of hearing
- Power of feeling by touch
- Power of seeing
- Power of tasting
- Power of smelling
- Power of speaking
- Power of handling
- Power of locomotion
- Power of excreting
- Power of sexual activity and repose
- Sound-as-such
- Touch-as-such
- Color-as-such
- Flavor-as-such
- Odor-as-such
- Space
- Air
- Fire
- Water
- Earth
Now, I will define the groups:
- Highest Reality: Self – Power of the Self
- Divine Reality: Supreme Will – Supreme Knowledge – Supreme Action
- Ignorance and her progeny: Ignorance – Limited activity – Limited knowledge – Limited will – Notion of time – Notion of space
- Veiled Self and Power of the Self: Individual self – Undifferentiated matter
- Inner psychic organ: Intellect – Ego – Mind
- Powers of perception: Power of hearing – Power of feeling by touch – Power of seeing – Power of tasting – Power of smelling
- Powers of action: Power of speaking – Power of handling – Power of locomotion – Power of excreting – Power of sexual activity and restfulness
- Subtle elements: Sound-as-such – Touch-as-such – Color-as-such – Flavor-as-such – Odor-as-such
- Gross elements: Space – Air – Fire – Water – Earth
Finally, I will succinctly describe each of the levels as I did on the main website but in simpler terms:
The Highest Reality
- Self: Even though He is beyond description, it may be said that He is the real “I”. The Self is full of Power of Consciousness. He is absolutely inconceivable and does everything not directly but through His own Power..
- Power of the Self: It is also beyond description. However, it may be said that It is the real “am”. Self and Power of the Self constitute the real “I am”. The Power of the Self makes the Self conscious of Himself, but no separation between them both may be stated anyway. The Power of the Self is, as it were, a very subtle “stress” on the infinite and static body of the Self. From It the rest of the categories arise and, in fact, they are a form of the very Power of the Self. There is absolute unity between His Power and the rest of the categories. The Power of the Self is essentially the Power of Bliss. It is Power of Bliss beyond all description. It neither begins nor ends. Both Self and Power of the Self constitute the Highest Reality. They are divided into two in order to study them. They are not categories as a matter of fact, but the Origin of all categories.
Divine Reality
- Supreme Will: This is the abode of the Power of Will. Here a foggy universe appears. The consciousness is “I am This” (I am this foggy universe). The universe is still “newborn”, hence it is indistinct. Since the universe is not fully formed, the side “I” is predominant. The side “This” (universe) is still foggy, not full-grown.
- Supreme Knowledge: This is the abode of the Power of Knowledge. Here a distinct and clear universe appears. The consciousness is “This is I” (This distinct universe is I). The universe is now full-fledged, hence it is distinct. Since the universe is fully formed, the side “This” is predominant. The side “I” is still there but overwhelmed by the divine wonder unfolding itself before Him.
- Supreme Action: This is the abode of the Power of Action. Here the consciousness is fully balanced between “I” and “This”. “This” is the universe, of course. The consciousness is “I am I and This is This”. The side “I” is now balanced with the side “This”, that is to say, both are equally predominant. This is the unity in the difference, because there is a universe which is different from the Self (“real I”) but at the same time there is underlying unity among them.
Ignorance and her progeny:
- Ignorance: This Ignorance is a category or a rea” level of Creation, and not mere illusory power. Ignorance is in charge of drawing a veil over the essential nature of the Self, so to speak. Ignorance brings about differences and thus marks the end of unity. The arrival of differences is the starting point for the rest of limitations.
- Limited activity: This is the first Sheath of Ignorance. It gives the notion of “limited activity” to the consciousness which was veiled by Ignorance. It is Power of Action (Omnipotence) having undergone contraction. It infuses the erroneous notion: “I have limits regarding action, I cannot do this, I cannot do that, etc.” This category is the root for the future Karmic Law, that is, Karma can work on a limited individual because of the operation of this limitation which restrains his inherent Omnipotence.
- Limited knowledge: This is the second Sheath of Ignorance. It gives the notion of “limited knowledge” to the consciousness which was veiled by Ignorance. It is Power of Knowledge (Omniscience) having undergone contraction. It infuses the erroneous notion: “I have limits regarding knowledge, I do not know this, I do not know that, etc.”
- Limited will: This is the third Sheath of Ignorance. It gives the notion of “limited will” –leading to attachment– to the consciousness which was veiled by Ignorance. It is Power of Will (Absolute Will) having undergone contraction. It infuses the erroneous notion: “I lack in something, I need something”, and consequently the final result of that need in the form of “I am attached to something” arises.
- Notion of time: This is the fourth Sheath of Ignorance. It gives the notion of “parts” –leading to the notion of time– to the consciousness which was veiled by Ignorance. It is Power of Bliss (Supreme Bliss) having undergone contraction. It infuses the erroneous notion: “I am not everlasting, eternal, I just live a few years, I am old, I am young, etc.”
- Notion of space: This is the last Sheath of Ignorance. It gives the notion of “space” to the consciousness which was veiled by Ignorance. It is the Power of Consciousness having undergone contraction. It infuses the erroneous notion: “I am here and that is over there, I am not all-pervading, etc.”
Veiled Self and Power of the Self:
- Individual self: It is the Self Himself having undergone all previous limitations. Despite the self-imposed limitation, the Self remains the same. This individual self is the inner Self in all beings.
- Undifferentiated matter: This is merely that state in which the three qualities remain completely balanced. These qualities are the ones of goodness, passion and darkness. They are the well-known Power of Knowledge, Power of Will and Power of Action, respectively, having undergone one more contraction. When the Supreme Witness (the Self) is covered by the veil of Ignorance and its Sheaths, He is “apparently” transformed into the individual self. This individual self beholds His Power, which appears now to be formed from three forces known as qualities. Neither the Self nor the Power of the Self are “essentially” modified, but the Self, through a self-imposed limitation, changes His viewpoint and begins to consider Himself to be an individual soul. This is deliberate!
Inner psychic organ:
- Intellect: It is the first product of undifferentiated matter. The intellect constitutes the determinative faculty by which one decides a course of action in his life. The quality of goodness predominates in this category, that is, knowledge prevails in it. The intellect is also that principle which allows you to abstractly catalog a particular object, animal or person under a definite category. For example, “That is a dog. This is a hat”.
- Ego: It is the second product of undifferentiated matter. Ego constitutes limited “I-ness”. The remaining categories emerge from and are sustained by ego. Its main characteristic is “self-appropriation”. It makes “pure I-ness” a doer, hence one of its names is “I-doer”. It associates pure “I”, a mere witness, with a particular action or concept. For example, “I do my job”, “I construct buildings”, “I love you”, “I am poor”, etc. Ego also gives “volume” to all. It is the cause for this 3D universe. The quality of passion is predominant in it.
- Mind: It is the third product of undifferentiated matter. The mind constitutes a net of thoughts. In short, it is the ordinary mind which is the source and the controller of the future Powers of perception and Powers of action. Another of its functions is to straighten and color the primitive image formed in the retina. The mind works only in 2D, not 3D. To assign the third dimension is the work of ego. The quality of darkness predominates in it.
Powers of perception:
- Power of hearing: It is this energy that ordinarily circulates through the organs of hearing (ears).
- Power of feeling by touch: It is this energy that predominantly circulates through the skin.
- Power of seeing: It is this energy that ordinarily circulates through the organs of seeing (eyes).
- Power of tasting: It is this energy that ordinarily circulates through the organ of tasting (tongue).
- Power of smelling: It is this energy that ordinarily circulates through the organ of smelling (nose).
Powers of action:
- Power of speaking: It is this energy that ordinarily circulates through the organ of speaking (mouth).
- Power of handling: It is this energy that ordinarily circulates through the organs of handling (hands).
- Power of locomotion: It is this energy that ordinarily circulates through the organs of locomotion (legs and feet).
- Power of excreting: It is this energy that ordinarily circulates through the organ of excreting (anus).
- Power of sexual activity and restfulness: It is this energy that ordinarily circulates through the organs of sexual activity and restfulness (genitals).
Subtle elements:
- Sound-as-such: One can recognize different sounds because of this sound pattern.
- Touch-as-such: One can recognize different kinds of touch because of this touch pattern.
- Color-as-such: One can recognize different colors because of this color pattern.
- Flavor-as-such: One can recognize different flavors because of this flavor pattern.
- Odor-as-such: One can recognize different odors because of this odor pattern.
Gross elements:
- Space: The 3D framework within which the entire physical world exists.
- Air: Since it comprises all that is gaseous, it is not only the ordinary “air”.
- Fire: Since it comprises all that contains heat and color, it is not only the ordinary “fire”.
- Water: Since it comprises all that is liquid, it is not only the ordinary “water”.
- Earth: Since it comprises all that is solid, it is not only the ordinary “earth”.
Aside from the thirty-six categories there are also three impurities:
- Primordial impurity: It is a contraction of the Power of Will. It gives rise to the notion that “I am imperfect, I am not full”. It arises between the categories 5 and 6 (Supreme Action and Ignorance). It can be removed by His Grace alone, i.e. it cannot be overcome by effort, however hard one may try.
- Impurity pertaining to Ignorance: It is a contraction of the Power of Knowledge. It is generated by Ignorance (category 6), hence its name. It brings about differences by breaking the inherent unity of all the things.
- Impurity pertaining to action: It is a contraction of the Power of Action. It is generated by the union of the primordial impurity and the category 7 (limited activity). It brings about the notion of “doer”.
In my next post, I will expand my explanation of what has been summarized above. See you there then!