Hindu cosmology
description of the universe in Hindu texts
Hindu cosmology is the description of the universe and its states of matter, cycles within time, physical structure, and effects on living entities according to Hindu texts. Hindu cosmology is also intertwined with the idea of a creator who allows the world to exist and take shape.
Substance
All matter is based on three inert gunas (qualities or tendencies):
sattva (goodness)
rajas (passion)
tamas (darkness)
There are three states of the gunas that make up all matter in the universe:
pradhana (root matter): gunas in an unmixed and unmanifested state (equilibrium).
prakriti (primal matter): gunas in a mixed and unmanifested state (agitated).
mahat-tattva (matter or universal womb): gunas in a mixed and manifested state.
Pradhana, which has no consciousness or will to act on its own, is initially agitated by a primal desire to create from Purusha. The different schools of thought differ in understanding about the ultimate source of that desire and what the gunas are mixed with (eternal elements, time, jiva-atmas).
The manifest material elements (matter) range from the most subtle to the most physical (gross). These material elements cover the individual, spiritual jiva-atmas (embodied souls), allowing them to interact with the material sense objects, such as their temporary material bodies, other conscious bodies, and unconscious objects.
Manifested subtle elements (a.k.a.
“Hindu cosmology” enters the record as description of the universe in Hindu texts. Crown Archives preserves that source wording while asking what Hindu, cosmology and description can confirm, complicate or overturn.
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Vocabulary and entity names are the principal evidence signals here, because they determine the precision of every later search. The source revision retrieved here is dated Jul 4, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q11680907. None of the 0 selected statements returned an explicit reference.
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This entry incorporates text from “Hindu cosmology” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.