The System of the Five Koshas Adhara ANNAPURNA/LEIGH ANNE GURTOV
In Vedanta philosophy, Adhara, meaning “container,” refers to those sheaths (koshas) in which Consciousness manifests Itself. There are positive and negative assertions that help the aspirant to distinguish or separate the Atman (the true Self/Soul) from the five sheaths. A traditional analogy explains this by speaking of five kinds of lentils that are all mixed together. In similar fashion, the Atman is mixed with the five koshas and the aspirant must learn which is real (the Self) and which is merely the vehicle or container. The Atman exists temporarily in the sheaths, but It is not the sheaths. This is one of the forms of the Vedanta discipline of discrimination.
DISCERNING THE DIFFERENCE between what is infi- such as space, time, causation, will, desire, and so on. These give nite and unchanging and that which is finite and changeful is a rise to subtle elements, gross elements and finally the universe as universal teaching at the core of most, if not all, spiritual tradi- we see it. The details vary according to the tradition. tions. In Vedanta it is called viveka, discrimination. Precisely The point is that since everything comes from the One, because this teaching has such a universal application, I empha- therefore, it is possible to reverse this process of evolution and size it when asked to speak on Vedanta and spiritual practice at begin the process of involution. This is, in actuality, a mental world religions courses in high schools and universities. To make practice, a method of convincing the mind and intellect that the practice more concrete I draw on the blackboard a diagram one’s true nature is not the changing, but the Unchanging, and of the five koshas according to Vedanta philosophy. The five always has been. It is the creation, nature, that evolves, not the koshas are the different gross and subtle sheaths that serve as Atman. It is only due to a mistake of perception that I have physical, vital and mental mechanisms for the embodied being. come to think I am something other than unlimited These layers float, as it were, in the infinite ocean of pure Consciousness. Consciousness, the ultimate Reality, in which time, space and all levels of existence reside. This Reality, which in Sanskrit is The Seer and the seen referred to as Nirguna Brahman (Brahman without attributes), is In Vedanta philosophy we speak of the Seer and the seen. never in time and space, yet pervades everything as their essence The Seer is always one and unchanging. The seen is always an and substratum. It is the inconceivable One-without-a-second object. The seen can never be the Seer. We habitually mix upon which all else depends. This pure Consciousness is the one these two up, however, when, for instance we say “I am over- unchanging Soul (called Atman when seen through the koshas) weight.” “I,” can only refer to the Seer while, “overweight,” is an expressing through all beings, appearing and behaving different- attribute of the body. These two cannot be the same thing. ly (apparently) in accord with the infinite diversity of the Another common example arises in such statements as, “I feel koshas. depressed” or, “I am angry.” Feelings belong to the mind which Here is where the practice of discrimination begins. The all- operates in the realm of time, space and causation. “I” is always pervasive Reality, of the very nature of awareness and bliss, is the Seer who is never limited by time and space or the dualities also the freedom of absolute potential beyond all possibility of contained therein. The essential lesson here is that we are never physical and conceptual limits. This, say the ancient Vedic what we see. If I can see it — whatever it is — from the body, to seers, is our true nature. This is the Self that we are to identify the functioning of the mind or ego, then I am not that. I cannot with if we wish to transcend the limits of body, energy, mind and be an object. I am also never my reactions to what I see, for ego — these latter are at best vehicles for divine expression and those reactions themselves are seen, are objects. not the true Self. This is not mere mental gymnastics but a form of reason- Yet, identifying with the body and mind is so natural for us. ing that has been proven over thousands of years to release We confuse them with the Soul (Atman) constantly. Most of us people from bondage to matter, gross and subtle, which is the even have a hard time distinguishing between mind and body, let cause of all suffering. As we are fond of quipping in our SRV alone these two and the Soul. The conceptual system of the five sangha, “pain is inevitable for embodied beings, but suffering is koshas clarifies these aspects of embodied existence and makes optional.” the practice of discrimination understandable and accessible. We will begin by describing each kosha, moving from subtle The Five Koshas to gross, and then give the practical application of discrimina- Evolution from Subtle to Gross tion from gross to subtle. There is a reason for proceeding in this manner. In the revelations of the ancient rishis (seers) we have Anandamayakosha learned that the Supreme Being manifests the universe from sub- the sheath of bliss tle to gross. In the beginning is the Word — this idea appears in This sheath is responsible for our sense of separation. It is various traditions — and from the Word comes a blueprint for the seat of the “ego-I,” though it exists in an unmodified state the universe that produces cosmic mind and ego, cosmic laws,
18 FALL 2000 The Five Koshas “These layers float, as it were, in the infinite ocean of pure Consciousness, the ultimate Reality, in which time, space and all levels of existence reside.”
BRAHMAN the all-pervasive Reality, pure Consciousness, substratum of existence, of the nature of unwavering Intelligence, Bliss and Freedom EVOLUTION the universe and all ANANDAMAYA KOSHA living beings evolve ➤ sheath of bliss, source of the sense of separation from subtle to gross
VIJNANAMAYA KOSHA INVOLUTION ➤ sheath of intellect, source of the sense of agency discrimination from gross to subtle MANOMAYA KOSHA enables us to per- sheath of mind, source of the sense of ownership ceive our true nature PRANAMAYA KOSHA sheath of vital energy
ANNAMAYA KOSHA sheath of the physical body
ATMAN the Self, never born in time and space, identical with Brahman “Brahman, the one unchanging Soul, is called Atman when seen through the koshas.” that feels the bliss of close association with the Atman. Bliss is senses and regards them as “mine.” The sense of ownership is most accessible in dreamless sleep (when the mind is discon- especially seated here. One of the shorthand but quintessential nected from the physical body and has dissolved into the causal teachings in our SRV sangha states that three things must be body where it remains in seed form, free from all worry and suf- renounced in order to live a divine life of peace and illumina- fering) and is partially manifested when pleasurable objects are tion: the sense of ownership, sense of agency and the sense of in view during the waking state. In contrast to these ordinary separation. Indeed, those three describe the traits of the jiva, the examples, Sri Ramakrishna tells us that it is due to this sheath embodied soul living in a state of bondage. Again, this sheath, that the devotee, while in states of samadhi, feels the bliss of the along with those of intellect and bliss, pervade the following Divine. Consciously identified at this most subtle of sheaths, denser sheaths. one looks upon the Brahman effulgence and knows that the Pranamayakosha sense of separation is only an appearance. [see end note] Due to the sheath of vital energy its subtlety, this sheath pervades all the following koshas. It should be noted here that these sheaths are not com- pletely “air-tight” structures. We are taking abstract principles Vijnanamayakosha and putting them down in a form that the mind can more easily the sheath of intellect work with. Prana is the insentient dynamic force that moves the This kosha is the seat of our sense of agency. Supported by entire universe. It operates everywhere and is the Divine Being’s the anandamaya kosha with its “ego-I,” the sheath of intellect is vehicle for action in all realms of existence. Here, as the kosha responsible for our sense of being the doer of actions and being of vital energy, we separate out that portion of its operations that identified with those actions and their results. This is also the causes the body to function internally (heart, lungs, nerves and mechanism by which the embodied being reflects most closely so on), and externally (senses and motor organs). It impacts the Intelligence that is the very nature of the Atman, the sub- upon the mind-body connection in the areas of emotion and the stratum of all the sheaths. The intellect is like a plate filled with quality of alertness that results from the good or bad functioning water that reflects the Light of Atman. What is Omniscience in of the body. This sheath is also responsible for transporting the the ever-free Atman, manifests as (limited) knowledge, insight subtle body (made of prana-, mana-, vijnana- and anandamaya and wisdom in the vijnanamaya kosha. This covering of intel- koshas) of those beings still attached to embodied existence to lect, along with the bliss sheath, pervades the following koshas. other realms at death. Needless to say, the vital energy sheath, along with all the others, pervades the final and most dense Manamayakosha sheath. the sheath of mind Annamayakosha This is not mind in the way westerners usually conceive of the sheath of food / the physical sheath the word. It refers only to that part of the mind that is connect- This covering is called the food sheath because food sustains ed to the body, the senses, the vital energy and their processes. the body. Food is also the cause of the body in that it supports The manas takes in the experiences of the body and physical the progenitive power of the mother and father. This sheath is a
ADVAITA-SATYA-AMRITAM 19 great teacher of the transitoriness of embodied existence. The the workings of the pranamayakosha, therefore it is an object. I am body undergoes six transformations, which, due to the presence the Self, unaffected by all temporal conditions, of unwavering aware- of the ego-I, and the manomayakosha, we think of as belonging ness and unbounded energy. to us: birth, growth, disease, old age, decay, and death. I am not the mind. Involution The mind is subject to happiness and sorrow, depression, grief, Returning to our true nature remorse, feelings of unworthiness, pride, anger, jealousy and attach- ment. Its well-being is dependent upon external conditions like heat and cold, food, occupation, money, various objects of practical use or Overcoming false identification luxury, the opinion of others, and so on. I see the mind and its con- The sun reflects on the ripples of the ocean. When a ripple ditions, its thoughts and feelings. Therefore, it is not myself. I am the subsides and the reflection disappears, we do not think the sun Atman, the ever blissful One. The cycles of the mind do not belong has died. From our vantage point as the witness of both sun and to me. ripple we know that the ripple was never the sun and the sun I am not the intellect. never depended upon the ripples for its existence. Recognition The intellect is attached to its knowledge and action. It says “I that the reflected sun cannot be the real sun is a tool of discrim- am the doer,” “I am the knower.” What it does and knows is finite. ination called adhyaropa. We are applying adhyaropa when we Some days it knows much and some days it knows little. Its knowl- perceive that the body and mind cannot be the Soul. This is a edge is affected by the moods of the mind and other factors. When its vital step in the process of discrimination — difficult for many to actions and knowledge have positive results the intellect/mind is happy. grasp — and one which affords a feeling of victory because one When the reverse occurs, it is sad or angry. I see the intellect and its can now discern a difference between Spirit and matter. Many fluctuating powers of reasoning, its insights and obtuseness. aspirants, therefore, stop here, satisfied with this level of under- Therefore, it too is an object and not my Self. I am the Atman, the standing. Seer, the self-effulgent One, of undiminished Intelligence. How can However, unlike the sun analogy, it is not so easy to get over the limitations of the intellect belong to me? the feeling that what happens to the body and mind is happen- ing to us. To address this problem we need a powerful method I am not the sheath of bliss. that enables us to cease identifying the Soul with the nonsoul. The happiness of this sheath is easily covered by the other koshas. This is the apavada method of discrimination. It employs the Its happiness fluctuates in the states of waking, dream and dreamless practice of neti-neti, “not this, not this,” with a concentrated sleep and in accordance with the presence of pleasurable objects. mind that seeks to feel the increasing freedom resulting from the Though extremely subtle, I can see the ego and its repetitious attrac- removal of each layer of misperception. Simple affirmations, tion to limited pleasures, base or refined, therefore it cannot by my such as “I am not the body or mind,” are not enough. true Self. The bliss of the anandamayakosha is circumscribed by the Furthermore, in addition to apavada, we must also remain cog- limitation of the ego which seeks to preserve its separateness. I am the nizant of what we are and have always been: the unlimited, Atman, free from all limits, the ultimate subtlety whose perpetual bliss undying, blissful Atman. Finally, as crucial as this practice is, in cannot be covered, tainted or pervaded by anything. order to attain complete success — realization of the Atman and freedom — the guidance of a competent teacher is essential. Patanjali, the father of yoga, mentions attachment to subtle With this in mind, and with salutations to Sri bliss, experienced as the aspirant “involves” to more rarefied Shankaracharya, whose Vivekachudamani is a primary source for states of awareness, as the final barrier to meditation and samad- this essay, as well as to all my teachers, I will close with an exam- hi. Attachment to the subtle pleasure experienced in divine ple of discrimination and involution using the five koshas. moods and visions is likened to “tasting sugar,” whereas, total immersion in Atman/Brahman is likened to “being sugar.” I am not the body. When asked why one would want to forego the delight of tasting The body is made of the combination of five elements. It is sub- sugar in order to be sugar, a sage replied: “Those who raise the ject to birth, disease and death and has qualities like fat and thin, question have not yet tasted sugar. When they have, they will long for young and old, attractive and unattractive. It depends on food and the intense bliss of being sugar.” dies without it. Atman depends on nothing; It is self-existent. I see the body and its attributes, therefore they cannot be my Self. I can- Note not die, having never been born. Not bound by time, I have no age. Unconscious identification with the anandamaya kosha/causal body is Not bound by space, I have no specific location. I am the Atman, what happens in dreamless sleep. This lack of conscious recognition of the divine bliss experienced in that state is classically used to distinguish unchanging, ever pure and free from modifications. between profound sleep and nirvikalpa samadhi, where ego is tran- scended entirely. In all cases the mind is not functioning or has been I am not the vital energy. dissolved. The vital energy makes the body and mind feel hungry or thirsty, Annapurna lives in Portland, Oregon, where she teaches and lectures energetic or listless. These states come in cycles and depend upon on Vedanta Philosophy. She also serves as president of SRV Oregon external conditions such as food, air, water and other factors. I see and manages the SRV publications.
20 FALL 2000