Adi Sankaracharya compares the Atman to a crystal in Atma Bodha verse 15. Crystal is transparent. When a piece of crystal is placed on a colored material, it will take the color of the material. A crystal placed on a blue cloth will appear blue, a crystal placed on a red cloth will appear red, and a crystal placed on a yellow paper will appear yellow. So too, he says, the Self/Atman is crystal clear. It takes the qualities of the five sheaths that are closer to it in each individual.
The experience of the Self in the limited form as jivatman goes through the various modifications of the body like birth, growth, disease, decay, old age and death along with joy and sorrow, which is the bondage. Atman when identifies with these five kosas or sheaths is jivatman which experiences the pleasure & pain, and the six modifications of the physical body just like the example of a crystal above.
The five kosas are:
Annamaya kosa: constituted of skin, flesh, blood, bones etc. The physical body is impermanent, temporary in existence, made up of inert elements and undergoes modification with time. Birth, growth, disease, decay, aging and death pertain to the physical body not the SELF..
Pranamaya kosa: also made up of five elements of nature and are independent of the Self, but operates by the power of the Self. Thoughts such as 'I am hungry, I am sick' and all 'I am' are irrelevant to SELF, the witness and separate from these.
Manonmaya kosa: is constituted by the mind, memory and the five organs of knowledge. These sensory organs alone cannot perceive objects. The mind plays a part in recognizing the object by going through the organ.. The mind also goes through agitations and modifications like desire, doubt, faith, courage etc. It is an object of awareness as the SELF is the seer and the mind is the seen and they cannot be the same.
Vigyanamaya kosa is comprised of Buddhi, ahankara and Jnana-indriyas. Buddhi is the thoughts of the nature of analysis like differentiation, judgement and reasoning. Ahankara is the thought of doership and enjoyership. Jnana-indriyas are the organs of knowledge eye, ear, tongue, nose and skin.
The final core is the Anandamaya kosa, is made up of the ignorance (of Self) and vasanas (tendencies).
The bliss that we experience during deep sleep (due to being unaware of the non-self, body, mind, intellect, all worldly objects) is called the Anandamaya kosa. We make the bed with soft pillows, adjust turn light, and reduce the volume of the music to glide into the sleep but once we're in deep sleep none of these matters. The deep sleep is because of it being in close proximity of the Self without the knowledge of the non-self..
We experience bliss momentarily when we are one with the nature near water or mountain or during karma where we're single pointed.
The intellectual differentiation of the Self from the non-self, which is composed of five sheaths, by the method of negation of each sheath, is called panca-kosa viveka. Removal does not literally mean removing these sheaths but intellectual negation that none of these sheaths is SELF, which is independent, separate witness and that, which illumines these sheaths. This understanding or differentiation of the Self from the five sheaths is called as removal in Vedanta.
Negation of five kosas...
Annamaya-kosa is not the Self - physical body
The physical body is made up of the food eaten by the parents, grows with the food eaten by the mother in the womb, grows with the food eaten by the individual and becomes food to other living creatures like birds, insects etc. upon the death of the physical body.
• This physical body, which is made up of flesh, bones and blood is not the Self because: The body is temporary in existence, has a specific time frame for its existence after which it disintegrates, whereas the Self is permanent.
• The physical body is subject to modifications on a consistent basis like birth, growth, age, disease, decay and finally death. Self is 'nirvikari'-'changeless' and therefore this body cannot be that Self.
• The body is inert: Body is made up of Calcium, Carbons and other elements, which are inert in nature while the Self is of the nature of consciousness.
Pranamaya-kosa is not the Self - physical body
The five pranas (prana, apana, vyana, udana, samana), and the five organs of action (hands, legs, organs of speech, genitals and anus) form the pranamaya kosa. These also originate from the five inert elements of nature by the panchikarna. Therefore pranamaya kosa is not the Self.
Therefore actions are not of SELF, functions like breathing are not of SELF. The statements like 'I am hungry, angry, happy or sad' do not belong to SELF. I am ever-free SELF, existing as witness and I AM the same in all.
Mononmaya-kosa (mental body) not the Self
This is the mental sheath made up of mind, memory and five organs of action. These organs of actions cannot function by themselves. The mind reaches the object thru' the particular organ and generates an experience. It is amazing to understand that the mind alone is the experiencer- experienced-experience in the dream state. The mind alone creates man's attachment to the body & sense objects.
Mononmaya-kosa not the Self because
• the mind arises while waking and ceases while in deep sleep state but the Self has a no beginning (anadhi) and no end (anantha).
• The mind is erratic, with desire, doubt, courage, fear, joyful, sorrow etc. It is not steady or changeless like the Self (nirvikari).
• The mind is constantly afraid or has the fear of change, constantly restless and pain. The mind, which is under the grip of sorrow, fear, and doubt, can never be the blissful Atman.
When we say that 'my mind was not here' it simply confirms that 'I' is different from the 'mind'. It is an object of awareness; it is not me, the 'SELF'.
Viganamaya kosa (causal body) is not the Self
Sankaracharya explains in his Vivekachudamani verse 206, that the Vijanamaya kosa cannot be the supreme Self because it is subject to change, is inert, limited, remains as the object of knowledge and is not always present. A perishable temporary thing cannot be the imperishable SELF.
a. Vijanamaya kosa is subject to change: the intellectual ideas change. When sattva is predominant, it is steady & clear, when rajas takes over it is restless & hasty and when tamas dominates, it is dull & sleepy. Since Self is changeless (nirvikari), vijanamaya kosa cannot be the self and is not Self.
b. Vijanamaya kosa is inert: It is born out of five elements (tanmantras) by the process of pancheekarana; they're inert in nature. It is only by the light of consciousness it is illumined and functional. Therefore it is not-Self.
c. Vijanamaya kosa is limited: Every thought that appears in the intellectual space dies and give raise to a different thought. Therefore that which is not permanent cannot be the Self, which is vibhu (all-pervading) and ever present.
d. Vijanamaya kosa is an object of knowledge: Vijanamaya kosa, which is an object of awareness (like I am aware of my mood today) cannot the source - a subject that never becomes the object.
e. Vijanamaya kosa is not constantly present: This kosa is absent in deep sleep. When one is asleep, the body, mind and intellect are absent. The ability to reason & decide is the intellectual function. That which is not permanent cannot be the Self, which is nithya.
Ananadamaya kosa (causal body) is not the SELF
a. Anandhamaya kosa is conditioned by the sense of perception, desire and possession. That which relies on the external objects cannot be the Self, which is nirvikalpa.
b. When one is in deep sleep one does not recognize anything else except bliss. When the individual is awake, he acknowledges the fact that he did not know anything during the sleep. So Anandhamaya kosa is subject to modification and cannot be the Self, which is nirvikara.
c. According to the law of causality, every action has a consequence that is borne by the individual. The experiences of Anandhamaya kosa are due to the punyas/good deeds from pervious births and these have a beginning and an end. Anandhamaya kosa cannot be the Self, which has no beginning or end. It is perpetual -nithya.
d. Anandhamaya kosa is associated with other matter: This kosa is ever attached to other kosas - annamaya, manonmaya, pranamaya and vijananmaya kosas. That which remains with the association of something outside can never be the Self - nirguna and nirangana
I, the SELF is totally free from anything and everything in between. I neither have qualities nor attributes. I simply exist as witness!
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The author of this article is a Life Coach, Changing Agent, Motivational Speaker, Professional Writer, dedicated to make a difference in other's lives.
The author is also deeply interested in spiritual studies and believes our life is the consequences of our own actions and that the spiritual study is the way for inner peace. We are on this earth to realize that all is ONE and that ONE is in all.
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