Sahasranama position 253 of the 1,000 names

Tattvaya

तत्त्वाय

Tattvāya

What Tattvaya means

Tattvaya is name 253 in the Kalabhairava Sahasranama, the 1,000-name devotional text to Kalabhairava. Salutations To The one who is the ultimate principle, the fundamental reality, and the absolute truth.

Also spelled

  • Tattva
  • Source transliteration: TATTVAAYA

Sanskrit names travel into English in several romanizations. This page keeps the common spelling, the IAST form, and the source transliteration together so the same name is discoverable under each spelling readers use.

Meaning and elaboration

Meaning: Salutations To The one who is the ultimate principle, the fundamental reality, and the absolute truth.

Elaboration

The name Tattvāya signifies the profound philosophical essence of Kalabhairava. "Tattva" is a Sanskrit term of immense significance in Indian philosophy, particularly in Yoga, Samkhya, and Tantra.

The Ultimate Principle The word "Tattva" literally means "thatness" (tat-tva) or "the true state," referring to the ultimate truth or reality of a thing. In a metaphysical sense, it designates the fundamental principles or categories that constitute the universe. For example, in Samkhya, there are 25 Tattvas that describe the evolution of consciousness and matter. By bestowing this name upon Kalabhairava, we acknowledge Him as the supreme, all-encompassing "Tattva" from which all other principles originate and into which they ultimately dissolve. He is the first cause, the underlying principle of existence.

Fundamental Reality As the "fundamental reality," Kalabhairava is depicted as the unwavering, immutable ground of being. He is not merely an aspect of reality but the very substratum upon which all realities are built. He represents the unchanging amidst the changing, the eternal amidst the ephemeral. This implies that for a spiritual seeker, understanding Kalabhairava is akin to grasping the bedrock truth of existence.

Absolute Truth The "absolute truth" aspect of Tattva points to His nature as Brahman, the ultimate, unconditioned reality. All relative truths, phenomena, and experiences derive their existence and meaning from this absolute truth. Kalabhairava, as Tattva, is beyond dualities, beyond conceptualization, and beyond the limitations of time and space. He embodies the singular, non-dual truth that encompasses all knowledge and existence.

Immanence and Transcendence This name also subtly conveys both His immanence (being present within all Tattvas or principles) and His transcendence (being beyond all Tattvas and their limitations). He is the essence within every atom and the vast, boundless void beyond the cosmos. Adoring Him as Tattva is to acknowledge Him as the very fabric of existence, both manifest and unmanifest, perceivable and unperceivable.

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Text and sources

The name list follows the Kalabhairava Sahasranama as compiled for this project. The English meaning and elaboration are interpretive notes for devotional study, not a translation of a single critical edition.

Read the editorial method and source notes →

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