Tulyata

Tulyata (Bhumi: तुल्यताय), literally meaning 'balance' is a syncretic faith native to the Bashurat Valley in Satria. Often referred to by Eucleans as 'Bashurati Badi', its classification as a separate religion rather than a variant of Badi has been a matter of much debate among religious scholars over the 20th century, while a small minority believe it should instead be included as a distinct tradition of Satyism. Tulyata includes heavy influences from both Satyism and Badi on its theology, practice and religious organisation.

Beliefs

Tulyata retains the Badi belief about the nature of elements as the invisible component parts of creation; two key differences between Tulyata and Badi are that Tulyata has always maintained that elements are conceptual rather than physical as Badi did historically, and that Tulyata holds the existence of the elements of Atman (Bhumi: आत्मन्), literally meaning 'spirit' or 'soul' but sometimes translated to mean 'life' by Euclean scholars and Divyata, normally translated as 'divine essence' or 'divine nature'. Tulyatan belief holds that Atman, like every other element, is a component part of the universe, and is what is responsible for setting the alive from the dead and the inanimate from the animate; death occurs when the elemental balance that composes a living thing is disrupted enough that the Atman that provides it life becomes detached, while Divyata is the element that forms divine spirits and demons.

Similar to Satyism, and influenced by pre-Satyism religions in the Bashurat Valley, Tulyata believes in the existence of spirits and demons; rather than living in an alternate realm, however, they instead live in the same realm and but due to their elemental composition are imperceivable and may interact directly with the elements composing both living and unliving things. Tulyata also believes in reincarnation, where someone's Atman, after leaving their previous body, is reattached in whole or in parts as part of the process of growth by a spirit or a demon, with the quality of one's Atman being used to determine what one's Atman should be given to or if it should be used for a new spirit or demon.

The quality of an Atman is determined by its Tulyata; the moral balance of its experiences and actions in life, affected by the other elements around it. Tulyata believes that a perfect Atman requires both physical and mental perfection, which has led to a strong monastic movement among its adherents.

Organsiation

Monasticism

Unlike Badi, Tulyata has a strict hierarchical system for the ranking of adherents. The ordinary practitioner outside of a monastery is referred to as a Abhyasi, lit. 'one who seeks'. A newly-initiated member of a monastery is referred to as a Sādhaka, lit. 'achiever'. Above these two basic ranks, which serve to distinguish between the non-monastic practitioner and the monastic practitioner, lie several more specialised ranks. The first rank above a Sādhaka is a Purohita, usually being translated as 'priest'. There are no specific requirements for the increase in rank, but it is usually only given after several months of time within the monastery training under an Acārya. A Purohita is not allowed to remain within the monastery permanently, and is instead expected to travel between communities to help Abhyasi while simultaneously meditating and exercising to mentally and physically balance part of their Atman.

Above a Purohita is an Acārya, lit. 'teacher', who is an instructor to newly-initiated Sādhaka, although in many monasteries a Purohita may be instead promoted to another rank if it possesses a sufficient number of Acārya to instruct its Sādhaka. Some may be promoted to Mahat, lit. 'great', under which they assume responsibility for the administration and upkeep of the monastery and any surrounding lands the monastery may own while also being expected to continue to improve the balance of their Atman. Other Purohita may become either a Sawai, lit. 'one and a quarter man', or Pandit, lit. 'wise man' if they are believed to have balanced their a physical element or conceptual element to perfection according to a Mahātmā, allowing them to focus solely on the perfection of one of the others to maintain the physical-conceptual balance of their Atman. Many Sawai and Pandit often leave the monastery to train in solitude or with other Sawai and Pandit from the same monastery.

Mahātmā, lit. 'Great Soul' is the second-highest rank and is the head of a monastery, responsible for the management of all the ranks below them and determining when one may advance to the next step. Paramahamsa, lit. 'supreme swan', is the final rank and refers to someone who has obtained physical and mental balance in multiple elements and perfected their Atman as much as they can in one lifetime. Paramahamsa do not have any responsibilities within the monastery, except to determine when another has reached the level of being a Paramahamsa, and they primarily focus on maintaining their own perfected Atman and physical and mental balance. Many Paramahamsa use their lack of responsibilities to travel to inspire and advise lower-ranked adherents on practices. Historically, Paramahamsa often travelled in large groups to keep order in the lands around their monasteries and to protect the communities of Abhyasi from marauding armies or bandits.