Prasad's Tattvas

My first encounter with the tattvas was in India in the 1960’s, where I was studying Tantra, under Vivandatta. Many years later when I was studying tattvas in the Golden Dawn system, I had a difficult time of matching what I had learned in India with Prasad’s hybrid system. I was more familiar with the Shaiva Tantra, tattvic development, particularly in its non-dual Kashmir Shaivism form, which presents a profound metaphysical system built around thirty-six tattvas, which represent the stages of divine manifestation from pure consciousness to material reality. Unlike Samkhya’s dualistic model, Shaiva Tantra sees all of existence as a play of Shiva’s consciousness, unfolding through layers of subtle and gross principles. The tattvas are divided into three broad categories: the pure tattvas, which reflect the divine nature of Shiva and Shakti; the pure-impure tattvas, which represent the soul and its limitations; and the impure tattvas, which encompass the physical universe and sensory experience. This descent is not viewed as a fall but as a creative expansion, each tattva a pulse of divine will, knowledge, and action.

The system begins with the ineffable Paramashiva and gradually crystallizes into the five elements, senses, and organs of action, offering a complete map of reality that is both cosmological and psychological. In ritual and yogic practice, these tattvas serve as gateways for returning to the source, allowing the practitioner to retrace the divine descent and realize their identity with Shiva.

Rama Prasad’s metaphysical framework is a fascinating blend of classical Indian philosophy, Tantric energetics, and Western esoteric interpretation. His work, especially in The Science of Breath and the Philosophy of the Tattvas, reimagines the tattva system not as static metaphysical categories but as dynamic vibrational fields that cycle through breath and consciousness. Drawing loosely from Samkhya’s structure, he focuses on five elemental tattvas; Akasha, Vayu, Tejas, Apas, and Prithivi, and treats them as rhythmic forces that influence mental states, physical health, and spiritual evolution. Unlike orthodox Samkhya, which presents a dualistic and atheistic cosmology of 25 tattvas evolving from Prakriti, Rama Prasad filters this through a Tantric lens, emphasizing experiential engagement and energetic timing.

His mental framework diverges from classical metaphysics by introducing functional sub-tattvas that mirror Tantric triads: Ichha (will), Jnana (knowledge), and Kriya (action). These are not part of Samkhya’s original concepts, but serve as practical tools for understanding how breath and intention interact with elemental vibrations. Manas, the coordinating mind, receives tattvic pulses through breath; Ichha directs volition and energetic flow; Jnana discerns the quality and timing of tattvas; and Kriya manifests intention into ritual or movement. This layering allows practitioners to work with tattvas not just intellectually but ritually and rhythmically, aligning breath cycles with cosmic forces.

Compared to other systems, Samkhya offers a precise metaphysical scaffold, detailing the evolution from subtle principles like Buddhi, Ahamkara, and Manas into sensory faculties and material elements. Shaiva Tantra expands this into a 36-tattva descent from pure consciousness to matter, rich in symbolic nuance but often inaccessible without initiatory context. Vedanta reframes Samkhya’s categories within a non-dual framework, emphasizing liberation through knowledge and dissolution of ego. Rama Prasad’s approach, by contrast, is embodied and accessible, ideal for ritual timing and vibrational mapping, though it lacks the philosophical consistency of its sources and introduces Theosophical overlays that may distort traditional meanings.

For a practitioner designing elemental calendars or ritual cycles, Rama Prasad’s system offers a living scaffold. His breath-based tattva timing can be mapped onto planetary hours, lunar phases, or seasonal transitions. The sub-tattvas, Ichha, Jnana, Kriya, and Manas, can be aligned with elemental directions and mythic archetypes, forming a symbolic matrix that breathes with cosmic rhythm. For example, Vayu and Ichha might govern the East and intention-setting; Tejas and Jnana the South and purification; Apas and Kriya the West and emotional flow; and Prithivi with Manas the North and grounding. This hybrid model bridges metaphysical theory with ritual practice, allowing for a synthesis of breath, myth, and elemental timing that resonates deeply with both esoteric and symbolic traditions.

Where Prasad’s system was fluid, embodied, and vibrational, the Golden Dawn’s was formal, symbolic, and hierarchical. Prasad saw the tattvas as subtle energetic tides that could be felt and timed through breath, while the Golden Dawn treated them more like symbolic gateways for visualization and astral travel. Moreover, Prasad’s metaphysics were grounded in Indian cosmology, with its emphasis on Purusha (consciousness) and Prakriti (nature) whereas the Golden Dawn operated within a Western esoteric framework that prioritized divine archetypes, planetary forces, and the Tree of Life. The result was a symbolic mismatch: Prasad’s tattvas were living energies, while the Golden Dawn’s use of them was more abstract and disconnected from their original context.

Rama Prasad offered a system of elemental energetics that could be practiced and felt, while the Golden Dawn incorporated those elements into a broader symbolic architecture without fully grasping their experiential depth. For someone working with ritual cycles and elemental calendars, Prasad’s system offers a more embodied and rhythmic approach, whereas the Golden Dawn provides a rich symbolic tapestry that can be layered on top for mythic and archetypal resonance. The key is knowing where each system breathes, and where it merely points.