Pancha Tattva (

Devanagari Devanagari ( ; , , Sanskrit pronunciation: ), also called Nagari (),Kathleen Kuiper (2010), The Culture of India, New York: The Rosen Publishing Group, , page 83 is a left-to-right abugida (a type of segmental writing system), based on the ...

: पञ्चतत्त्व; IAST: ''pañca-tattva'', from

Sanskrit Sanskrit (; attributively , ; nominally , , ) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in South Asia after its predecessor languages had diffused there from the northwest in the late ...

''pañca'' meaning "five" and ''

tattva According to various Indian schools of philosophy, ''tattvas'' () are the Classical element, elements or aspects of reality that constitute human experience. In some traditions, they are conceived as an aspect of deity. Although the number of ' ...

'' "truth" or "reality") in the

Gaudiya Vaishnava Gaudiya Vaishnavism (), also known as Chaitanya Vaishnavism, is a Vaishnavism, Vaishnava Hindu denominations, Hindu religious movement inspired by Chaitanya Mahaprabhu (1486–1534) in India. "Gaudiya" refers to the Gaura or Gauḍa region o ...

tradition of

Hinduism Hinduism () is an Indian religion or '' dharma'', a religious and universal order or way of life by which followers abide. As a religion, it is the world's third-largest, with over 1.2–1.35 billion followers, or 15–16% of the global p ...

refers specifically to the Five aspects of

God In monotheistic thought, God is usually viewed as the supreme being, creator, and principal object of faith. Swinburne, R.G. "God" in Honderich, Ted. (ed)''The Oxford Companion to Philosophy'', Oxford University Press, 1995. God is typically ...

or Absolute Truth.

Background

In Gaudiya Vaishnavism these five features of God (

Krishna Krishna (; sa, कृष्ण ) is a major deity in Hinduism. He is worshipped as the eighth avatar of Vishnu and also as the Supreme god in his own right. He is the god of protection, compassion, tenderness, and love; and is one ...

) are believed to have incarnated on

Earth Earth is the third planet from the Sun and the only astronomical object known to harbor life. While large volumes of water can be found throughout the Solar System, only Earth sustains liquid surface water. About 71% of Earth's surfa ...

as five people in the late 15th century,

Chaitanya Mahaprabhu Chaitanya Mahaprabhu (; born Vishvambhar Mishra) was a 15th-century Indian saint who is considered to be the combined avatar of Radha and Krishna by his disciples and various scriptures. Chaitanya Mahaprabhu's mode of worshipping Krish ...

Nityananda Nityānanda (; born circa 1474), also called Nitai, was a primary religious figure within the Gaudiya Vaishnava tradition of Bengal. Nitai was Chaitanya Mahaprabhu's friend and disciple. They are often mentioned together as ''Gaura-Nitai' ...

Advaita Acharya Advaita Acharya (; 1434–1559), (born Kamalaksha Bhattacharjee; কমলাক্ষ ভট্টাচার্য),"Shantipur parichoy"-Kalikrishna Bhattacharaya&"Samajer Pratichhabi Bises Shantipur Sankhya."-editor-Satya Narayan Goswam ...

, Gadadhara Pandit and Srivasa Thakur. They famously spread the

mantra and the practice of devotion ( bhakti) towards Krishna throughout

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

The Five Features

* Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu is Kṛṣṇa Himself ( Svayam Bhagavan). * Śrī Nityānānda Rāma Prabhu is Kṛṣṇa's first personal expansion with the combined power of

Balarama Balarama ( Sanskrit: बलराम, IAST: ''Balarāma'') is a Hindu god and the elder brother of Krishna. He is particularly significant in the Jagannath tradition, as one of the triad deities. He is also known as Haladhara, Halayudha, Bala ...

. * Śrī Advaita Ācārya is the combined power of Śri Viṣṇu & Śri

Śiva Shiva (; sa, शिव, lit=The Auspicious One, Śiva ), also known as Mahadeva (; ɐɦaːd̪eːʋɐ, or Hara, is one of the principal deities of Hinduism. He is the Supreme Being in Shaivism, one of the major traditions within Hindu ...

(

Harihara Harihara (Sanskrit: हरिहर) is the fused sattvika characterisation of Vishnu (Hari) and Shiva (Hara) from Hindu theology. Hari is the form of Vishnu, and Hara is the form of Shiva. Harihara is also known as Shankaranarayana ("Shankara" ...

). * Śrī Śrīvāsa Thakura is Kṛṣṇa's pure devotee and symbolizes devotion ( Bhakti). * Śrī Gadadhāra Pandita is the combined power of Kṛṣṇa's internal energy (

Śakti In Hinduism, especially Shaktism (a theological tradition of Hinduism), Shakti (Devanagari: शक्ति, IAST: Śakti; lit. "Energy, ability, strength, effort, power, capability") is the primordial cosmic energy, female in aspect, and re ...

Pancha Tattva mantra

Within the Gaudiya tradition a

mantra A mantra ( Pali: ''manta'') or mantram (मन्त्रम्) is a sacred utterance, a numinous sound, a syllable, word or phonemes, or group of words in Sanskrit, Pali and other languages believed by practitioners to have religious, ...

formed from the names of the five members of the Pancha Tattva is often spoken or sung as a means of devotional worship or ''

japa ''Japa'' ( sa, जप) is the meditative repetition of a mantra or a divine name. It is a practice found in Hinduism, Jainism, Sikhism, and Buddhism, with parallels found in other religions. ''Japa'' may be performed while sitting in a medit ...

''. Often this mantra is sung or chanted prior to the Krishna mantra. It is believed by followers to be the most merciful mantra available in this age of Kali. :''śrī-kṛṣṇa-caitanya prabhu-nityānanda,'' :''śrī-advaita gadādhara śrīvāsādi-gaura-bhakta-vṛnda'' An alternative version features another name for Chaitanya, "

Gauranga Gauranga is another name for Chaitanya Mahaprabhu (or Gauranga Mahaprabhu), the 16th century Bengali avatar and founder of Gaudiya Vaishnavism. The term ''Gauranga Mahaprabhu'' references Lord Chaitanya possessing the golden complexion of Sri ...

": :''śrī-gaurāṅga nityānānda, śrī-advaita-candra,'' :''gadādhara śrīvāsādi-gaura-bhakta-vṛnda''

References

* Rosen, Steven J. ''Sri Pancha Tattva: The Five Features of God'' 1994 Folk Books, New York {{DEFAULTSORT:Tattva, Pancha Gaudiya religious leaders Medieval Hindu religious leaders Indian Hindu spiritual teachers Vaishnavism Bengali Hindus People from West Bengal 16th-century Indian people

Background

The Five Features

Pancha Tattva mantra

See also

References