Tanmatra
Tanmātra (IAST)Translation: "Subtle Essence"
A Concise Dictionary of Indian Philosophy
Sanskrit: तन्मात्र
Transliteration: Tanmātra
Translation: "the subtle essence of the five elements; the pure elements; elemental essence (from tad = "that" + mā = "to measure")"
Definition: "They are sound (Śabda), touch (Sparśa), sight (Rūpa), taste (Rasa), and smell (Gandha). The five elements (Mahābhūta) are derived from the Tanmātras: from sound comes ether; from touch comes air; from sight comes fire; from taste comes water; and from smell comes earth. The Tanmātras are said to evolve from the Tāmasa aspect of egoity according to Sāṅkhya."
The Serpent Power (Arthur Avalon)
"The experiencer is affected by Matter in five different ways, giving rise in him to the sensations of hearing, touch and feel, color and form and sight, taste, and smell. But sensible perception exists only in respect of particular objects and is thus perceived in its variations only. But there exist also general elements of the particulars of sense-perception. That general ideas may be formed of particular sense-objects, indicates, it is said, their existence in some parts of the Jīva's nature as facts of experience; otherwise the generals could not be formed from the particulars given by the senses as the physical facts of experience. This general is called a Tanmātra, which means the "mere that-ness," or abstract quality, of an object. Thus, the Tanmātra of a sound (Śabda Tanmātra) is not any particular sensible form of it, but the "that-ness" of that sound — that is, that sound apart from any of its particular variations stated. The Tanmātra have, therefore, aptly been called the "generals of the sense particulars" — that is, the general elements of sense perception. These necessarily come into existence when the senses (Indriya) are produced; for a sense necessitates something which can be the object of sensation. These Sūkṣma (subtle) Bhūta, as they are also called, are not ordinarily themselves perceived, for they are supersensible (Atindriya). Their existence is only mediately perceived through the gross particular objects of which they are the objects of immediate (Pratyaksa) perception only to Yogis. They are, like the gross sense-objects derived from them, five in number namely, sound (Śabda Tanmātra), touch and feel (Sparśa Tanmātra), color and form (Rūpa Tanmātra), flavor (Rasa Tanmātra), and odor (Gandha Tanmātra) as universals. Each of these evolves from that which precedes it."
References:
- Grimes, John (1996). A Concise Dictionary of Indian Philosophy: Sanskrit Terms Defined in English. Albany: State University of New York Press
- Avalon, Arthur (1950). The Serpent Power: Being the Shat-Chakra-Nirūpana and Pādukā-Panchakā. Adyar, Madras: Ganesh & Co. (Madras) Ltd.p. 57-59.
