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Indian PhilosophyOS

prakarana

तत्त्वबोध

Tattva Bodha

Tattvabodha

A short prose primer that defines the basic vocabulary of Vedanta in question-and-answer form.
Primary sourceSource not yet ingested
Tradition
Advaita Vedanta · Vedanta
Difficulty
beginner
Attribution
Traditionally attributed to Shankara; authorship debated by scholars
Period · language
Date uncertain; if not by Shankara, likely a later Advaita primer · Sanskrit
Themes
Vedanta terminology · Three bodies · Five sheaths · Karma · Qualifications

Why read this?

Tattva Bodha is often the first text taught in traditional Vedanta study, because it defines the terms every later work assumes: the three bodies, five sheaths, three states, the elements and the kinds of karma. It is compact and orderly.

Questions it answers

  • ?What are the three bodies?
  • ?What are the kinds of karma?
  • ?What is needed to begin Vedanta study?

Key teachings

Editorial overview
1

The fourfold qualification

It begins by listing the qualifications of a seeker: discernment, dispassion, the six virtues and longing for liberation.

2

Three bodies, five sheaths, three states

It distinguishes gross, subtle and causal bodies, maps them onto the five sheaths, and relates them to waking, dream and deep sleep.

3

Creation from the elements

It outlines how the subtle and gross elements give rise to the body, senses and world.

4

Three kinds of karma

It distinguishes accumulated (sanchita), current (agami) and already-operating (prarabdha) karma, and explains what knowledge does to each.

Structure

  1. Prose, in question-and-answer form

Source not yet ingested

The text of the Tattva Bodha is not part of this version. What you see here is an editorial overview with passage references. No verses have been reproduced or invented. The architecture is ready for the text to be added.

Concepts

ConceptविवेकVivekaDiscernment between the real and the unreal, the Self and the not-Self.Conceptवैराग्यVairagya — dispassionFreedom from craving — the fading of attraction to what cannot satisfy.ConceptशरीरShariraThe body; in Vedanta, understood as gross, subtle and causal layers distinct from the Self.Conceptकर्मKarmaAction — and the way actions shape future experience.Conceptआत्मन्Atman — the SelfThe innermost Self — what you are beneath body, mind and personality.Conceptब्रह्मन्BrahmanThe ultimate reality, the ground from which everything arises.ConceptजीवJiva — the individual soulThe living, embodied individual who acts, experiences and transmigrates.ConceptमायाMayaThe power of appearance — why the world seems other than it is.Conceptतत्त्वTattva — principle of reality'Thatness' — a basic category or principle of reality, counted differently by different schools.Conceptअनित्यAnitya / Anicca — impermanenceEverything conditioned changes and passes away.Conceptश्रद्धाShraddhaFaith or trust; confident commitment to a teaching, teacher or ideal.

Related texts

TextविवेकचूडामणिVivekachudamaniDevelops the same themes at greater lengthTextआत्मबोधAtma BodhaAnother short introductory workTextतैत्तिरीयोपनिषद्Taittiriya UpanishadSource of the five-sheaths scheme

Thinkers

Thinkerआदि शङ्कराचार्यAdi ShankaracharyaTraditionally 788–820 CE; many scholars prefer an earlier 8th-century or late 7th-century date. Dates are debated.

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Traditions

अद्वैत वेदान्तAdvaita Vedantaवेदान्तVedanta

Learning paths

Who am I?

Source type: Primary source. Overview text on this page is editorial.