Law of Karma and Videha Mukthi

Tattva Bodha - 8

Law of Karma states that every deliberate action one does, produces two types of results; one that  flows from the visible action called dhrishta phala, visible result and another that flows from the invisible motive behind the action called  adrishta phala. invisible result. The positive invisible result is called Punyam, with a pleasurable impact and the negative invisible result is called Papam with a painful impact. While the dhrishta phala fructifies soon after the action, the adrishta phala takes its time to fructify, maybe now or later in this janma or in next or in one of the subsequent janmas.  This uncertainty of the gestation period gives rise to three categories called, Agami Karma, Sanchitha Karma, and  Prarabhdha Karma. 

The actions wilfully performed by a Jeeva in human form with a sense of doership result in Punyas and Papas which come under Agami karma. Living beings other than humans have no sense of doership and no judgemental capacity to discriminate actions as good and bad and so they all have no Agami Karma.  Some of the Agami Karma may fructify during jeeva’s current lifetime.  The unfructified Agami Karma at death gets added to the unexhausted, accumulated stockpile of Karma called Sanchitha Karma. Sanchitha Karma is the unexhausted accumulated punyas and papas over the countless births in the past.   Cycle of birth and death continues until Sanchitha Karma is reduced to nil balance with no unfructified Agami Karma to add at the time of the death of Jeeva. 

Prarabhdha karma is that portion of Sanchitha Karma that comes to fruition at the time of Jeeva’s birth.  Prarabhdha Karma determines जातिः आयुः भोगाः (Jathihi, aayuh,bhoghah),  as per sutra 13 of Sadhana pada of Patanjali Yoga Sutra.   जातिः stands for environments of birth like birth in a particular country, society, family and other characteristics at birth like sex, defects or peculiarities. आयुः  stands for the life span. When Prarabhdha is totally exhausted death of the body occurs.  भोगाः stands for experiences of life pleasant, painful and mixed. Prarabhdha is commonly called fate or destiny.

So in a nutshell,  Agami Karma is the freshly acquired punya, papa in the current janma;  Sanchitha Karma the stockpile of unexhausted  Agami Karma  accumulated  over countless births and  Prarabhdha Karma  the portion of Sanchita Karma that matures at  jeeva’s birth to be exhausted in jeeva’s  lifetime.

Law of karma is not fatalism. Rightly understood it can be an antidote for fatalism.  From the study of Prarabhdha Karma we understand that past "I" as kartha is responsible for the present  "I".  Extending this logic we can say future "I" can be shaped by the present "I" as kartha by managing the circumstances intelligently in this janma.  So the responsibility for our future lies in our hands only and  that is why Sri Krishna says in Gita(6-5) “उद्धरेदात्मनात्मानं (uddhareth athmanaathmanam)”- one should lift oneself by one’s own efforts. 

Every experience we undergo in our life is because of Prarabhdha Karma and Agami Karma i.e. our own actions in the present and past janmas.  So we cannot blame the world or any other beings for our experiences. When we understand this we will stop blaming the world or others for our sufferings; and accepting responsibility as a past or present karta, will improve our mental health.  So right understanding of the law will help us to stop blaming others or the world including God for our ills and sufferings.

We are experiencing in the present janma not only the Agami phalam (action done as current kartha) but also the Prarabhdha Phalam (action done as previous kartha).   That is the reason why some good people appear to suffer and some not so good people appear to prosper.  If the reason is rightly understood that it may be the effect of past karma, this understanding will help us retain our faith in the Lord and not turn cynical. 

Swami Paramatmananda talks of the availability of Prayaschitha Karma to mitigate the effects of Prarabhdha in his talk on Law of Karma.  Prarabhdham is adrishtam, not visible.  So this cannot be dealt with normally. Planetary positions as revealed in the horoscope give an indication of the Prarabhdha in store, but they themselves do not cause joy or sufferings.  Through the clock we see the time of sunrise and sunset but clock itself does not cause sunrise or sunset. By knowing what is in store for us, we can create an Agami, to counter or mitigate the Prarabhdha effects to come. This is called Prayaschitha Karma which like medicine can cure the disease or help to manage the disease or only be just a temporary palliative. In the case of weak Prarabhdha it can relieve the suffering, in intermediate case it can help to manage the suffering and in a strong case give the mental strength to accept it.  When the Prayaschitha is general it is called prayer, when it is specific, it is called parihara.

Before going into Videha mukthi let us see what happens to the bodies at the time of death. The gross body of ajnani as well as Jnani  disintegrates to merge with the Pancha bhuthas at death.  The subtle body and causal body of the ajnani along with the reflection of Chaithanyam in Sukshma Sareera, Chidabasa, leave the gross body to take up a new body according to the fructified portion of Sanchitha Karma, Prarabhdha Karma; and continues in the new body accumulating Agami Karma until the Prarabhdha Karma is exhausted when again it continues the journey in another new body with fresh Prarabhdha Karma.  Liberation from this cycle of journey from body to body is called Mukthi. What happens in Mukthi we can see from the life of Jnani.

A Jnani is one who is  firmly established in Athma Jnanam.  Whatever Sanchitha Karma was to his credit along with the unexhausted  Agami Karma in his account , they all get totally destroyed  on the date of his firm realization that he is neither the doer nor the enjoyer but only the witness Consciousness. This Sri Krishna points out in Bhagavat Gita (4-37) 

“यथैधांसि समिद्धोऽग्निर्भस्मसात्कुरुतेऽर्जुन।(yathaidhamsi samiddhognih bhasmasath kuruthe Arjuna)

ज्ञानाग्निः सर्वकर्माणि भस्मसात्कुरुते तथा ॥ (Jnangnih sarvakarmani bhasmasath kuruthe tatha)

As a blazing fire reduces all fuel to ashes, O Arjuna, so does the fire of Self-knowledge reduces all karma to ashes.

But this applies only to Sanchitha and Agami Karma.  Prarabhdha Karma has to be exhausted by living it through.  That is why we have seen Jnanis like Ramakrisna Paramahamsa and Ramana Maharishi suffering from body afflictions before death.  Their illness only brought grief to others but they remained indifferent to it with the firm conviction that it is only the body that is affected and they are not the affected body. Because of this Jnanam the Jnani lives as Muktha Purusha until death and is called Jeevanmuktha and his state is called Jeevanmukthi, liberation while living.  Agami karma does not accrue to him after he attains Jeevanmukthi as he has no sense of doership.  At death Jeevanmuktha’s  subtle body merges with the subtle bhuthas and the casual body gets liquidated as there is no residual karma to give rise to gross body or to sustain subtle body. Since the subtle body is dissolved,  Chithabasa, the reflected Consciousness, also gets dissolved  and the witness consciousness becomes one with the total Consciousness like pot space becoming one with the total space when pot is broken.  This is called Videha Mukthi, liberation at death.

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Jeeva Iswara Aikyam – A startling equation

Tattva Bodha – 7

Aikyam  is a Sanskrit word meaning identity or sameness.  Jeeva Iswara Ikyam means Jeeva and Iswara are identical.  Expressed as an equation it is Jeeva=Iswara.  The equation will startle any individual who knows from knowledge of oneself  that Jeeva is finite, of limited knowledge (alpajna), having only limited strength (alpasakthiman), occupying even less than a mini micro-dot space in the universe (alpavyapi), a slave of maya (mayadasa),  full of sorrows and problems (samsara); while on the other hand Iswara is known  from the study of scriptures to be infinite, omniscient (sarvajna), all powerful (sarva sakthiman), all-pervading (sarvavyapi), master of maya (mayapathi), and is all bliss untouched by sorrows (asamsari).  But this Ikyam is the central theme of Advaita Vedanta.  So let us see how the seeming difference is reconciled and the identity established, in a simple manner.

An equation is possible between two entities only when they appear to be different but on analysis reveal identity as in the case of “9-4” and “3+2”.  Equating both sides is not possible if they not only appear different but are also really different for then any amount of analysis cannot establish identity as in the case of “9-4” and “4+3”.  And an equation is not necessary between same two entities like”9” and “9”.

On the face of it the omniscient, omnipotent, all-pervading, mayapathi, infinite, asamsari Iswara cannot be the same as alpasakthiman, alpajna, alpavyapi, mayadasa, finite, samsari Jeeva as both appear totally different.   So to explore the identity let us analyse and find the essential nature of each of them.

We had seen earlier in the blog on Avastha thriam that a human being has three states of experience, waking state, dream state and deep sleep state. In waking state all three bodies gross, subtle and causal are active and he is called Viswa. In dream state only subtle and causal bodies are active and he has the name Taijasa. In causal state only causal body is active and he has the name Prajna.  We can say Viswa, Taijasa and Prajna are three dimensions of human personality.  Mandukya Upanishad states that besides these three dimensions, there is a fourth dimension to human personality which it simply calls as fourth and says that is the Athma.   

“चतुर्थं मन्यन्ते स आत्मा स विज्ञेयः॥ (chathurtham manyanthe sa Athma sa vijvijneyaha) - Considered the fourth this is Athma and this is to be realised”.      

In the Mandukya Karika,  Gaudapada calls it Turiya.  This Turiya is not a name for a separate state as this is the Athma only, which is present in all three states blessing Viswa, Taijasa and Prajna.  Jeeva is this Athma but in Self-ignorance, he considers himself as Viswa, Taijasa and Prajna depending upon the state he is in. This Athma is the essential nature of Jeeva. And Athma is the infinite, all-pervading, omniscient, eternal Consciousness principle.  So in a nutshell the essential nature of Jeeva is the Consciousness principle.

Iswara is Brahman with maya sakthi, that functions through prapancha thriam; sthula, sukshma, karana prapanchas which are also matter only.  So the essential nature of Iswara is Brahman which is also the infinite, all-pervading, omniscient eternal Consciousness principle only.  So the essential nature of Jeeva as well as Iswara is Consciousness principle only and on that basis their identity is established.

We can illustrate it with an example. Waves rise and fall in the ocean. Some waves are big, some small, some are short-lived and some comparatively long-lived. Compared to the waves ocean is vast and it is also the srishti, sthithi, laya karanam for waves as they rise in it, are sustained by it and perish in it.  So superficially looking they cannot be equated.  But if you take their essence, wave in essence is water defined by the chemical formula H₂O and essence of ocean is also water with the same chemical formula of H₂O.  So looking from the angle of their essence we can pronounce the wave –ocean-identity.

Now a doubt may arise that if Jeeva’s essential nature is omniscient all-powerful ever-in-bliss Brahman why one is not aware of it anytime during one’s life.  It is because of maya’s powers that one is not only aware of one’s blissful Brahmatvam  but also in Self-ignorance mistakenly considers oneself as a miserable samsari  jeeva.   Maya has two powers; avarana sakthi, the veiling power and vikshepa sakthi, projecting power.  Under the spell of the avarana sakthi Jeeva is ignorant of his true nature as Brahman and under the influence of the vikshepa sakthi  Jeeva mistakenly considers that he is the body-mind complex with a particular name and form.  Because of this mistake of identifying himself with the body-mind complex, he suffers from all the ills and woes that body and mind are prone to. When he realizes through self-knowledge, his own Real nature as Athma, he becomes a Jeevanmuktha, and is unaffected mentally by the ills and woes of the body and mind.

This identity translates into Jeeva-Brahma Ikyam, when we consider jeeva shorn of upadhi, limiting adjunct, of bodies, which is Athma and Athma is the name for Brahman in microcosm.  Brahman and Athma are only two names for the same entity one in the context of macrocosm and the other in the context of microcosm, as one who is referred to as C.E.O in office is called Beta, son, by his father at home.  The statements in the Vedas that spell out this Ikyam are called Mahavakhyas, important statements.  Other Vedic statements that talk about Brahman without referring to Ikyam are called avanthara vakhya, ordinary statement.  One famous Mahavakhya which is often quoted is  “तत् त्वं असि” (Tat tvam asi), - you are That, you standing for jeeva and That for Brahman, which occurs nine times in chapter six of Chandogya Upanishad of Sama Veda. This Mahavakhya is discussed in detail in my earlier blog titled "Mahavakhya"

This knowledge of Ikyam is called Athma Jnanam and is the end goal in the quest for Self-knowledge or the quest for knowledge of “Who am I’.  This is achieved through the sadhanas of Jnana Yoga; Sravanam, Mananam and Nidhidyasanam.  Let us see briefly the benefits that this knowledge confers on one who is firmly established in the knowledge that he is not any of the three bodies but the Pure Consciousness behind them all.   

1)    He enjoys emotional independence as he is not emotionally disturbed by the presence of problems or absence of comforts in the life’s set-up and  accepts with a sense of detachment all that life has to offer in pairs of opposites like loss and gain, pain and pleasure, union and separation, heat and cold etc.   

2)    He develops  emotional strength to face undisturbed  all life’s challenges.

3)    He enjoys a sense of fullness, purnatvam, that gives complete peace and tranquillity as he has no compelling wants  or desires

4)    He attains Videha Mukthi on death, liberated from the cycle of birth and death.

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Panchikarana – Process of Creation

Tattva Bodha – 6

In the opening Mantra of Brahmandavalli of Taittreya Upanishad comes a statement सत्यं ज्ञानं अनन्तं ब्रह्म।(Sathyam, Jnanam, Anantham Brahma) – Brahman is Satyam, Jnanam, Infinity. This has the same meaning as Sat, Chit, Anand that describes Athma. What is called Athma in Vyeshti, microcosm, i.e. individual, is referred to as Brahman in samashti, macrocosm, i.e. Cosmos. So Brahman is eternal, devoid of attributes (Nirguna) and not subject to modification (Nirvikara).  The Upanishad goes on to say that from this Brahman, Akasa was born and later from Akasa other elements were born one after the other and one from the other, naming them without going into details. These details are given in Tattva Bodha, which we shall be seeing now.

Before we go into the process of Creation, let us see about karanam, cause and karyam, product in general. In the case of a product like gold ornament, gold is the material cause, upadhana karanam as gold is made into ornament. Gold, upadhana karanam, is the srishti, sthithi, laya karanam for the ornament, as the ornament form is sustained by gold and when ornament is destroyed through melting it goes back to its gold status.   The  intelligent cause, nimitta karanam, here is the goldsmith who makes the ornament.  Further we notice the karyam, ornament, has the property of the karanam, gold.  In the case of a spider web, both the intelligent cause and material cause are the same as the material for the web, spider draws out from itself which it later draws back into itself when threatened.  

Brahman by itself is nirvikara  and is not subject to any modifications.  But  Brahman has Maya sakthi and this Maya, which is also called prakrithi, undergoes modifications in the presence of Brahman to evolve into Cosmos. So Brahman with Maya is the material cause of Universe and it is also the srishti, sthithi, laya karanam for the Universe as Universe goes back into Maya in seed form in pralaya.  Brahman in the form of Consciousness with infinite intelligence is the intelligent cause as well for the Universe.

When describing Maya, the text says ब्रह्माश्रया सत्वरजस्तमोगुणात्मिका माया (Brahmasraya satva rajas tamo gunathmika Maya) - Maya is dependent on Brahman and is of nature of the three qualities Satva, Rajas and Tamas.  Maya is the sakthi of Brahman and so as power of Brahman it has only dependant existence. Further it is of the nature of the three qualities, Satva guna, representing the faculty of knowledge, jnana sakthi; Rajo guna, the power of action, kriya sakthi; and Tamo guna, the power of inertia, dravya sakthi.  Brahman without Maya is called Nirguna Brahman and associated with Maya is called Saguna Brahman.  The Saguna Brahman, called Iswara, has form and assumes different forms and names in its various manifestations. 

From this Maya sakthi of Saguna Brahman only, space, Akasa tattvam, was born first and from Akasa tattvam, air, Vayu tattvam; from Vayu tattvam, fire, Agni tattvam; from Agni tattvam, water, Jala tattvam: and finally from Jala tattvam, earth, Prithvi tattvam. Thus the sukshma Pancha bhuthas were created first. These subtle elements of pancha bhuthas are called Tanmatras. Of these subtlest is space which has one property only, sound. Human ears are not sensitive enough to pick up this sound and so we are not conscious of the sound in subtle space but we know sound waves travel through space. Grosser than space is air, which has two properties, sound and touch and so this can be heard and felt. Grosser than air is fire, which has three properties, sound, touch and form; and so this can be heard, felt and seen. Grosser than fire is water which has four properties, sound, touch, form and taste; so it can be tasted as well.  The grossest is the earth and it has the special quality of smell, besides the other four and so it can be also smelt.  These tanmatras of five elements space, air, fire, water and earth with their special properties of sound, touch, sight, taste and smell form the first stage of Creation.

Each of these tanmatras being the karyam of Maya have the three qualities satvam, rajas, tamas, the gunas of the karanam, Maya.  From the satva guna of the tanmatras are born the five subtle Jnanendriyas; from their collective satva guna is born Anthakaranam with its four constituents of manas, buddhi, ahamkaram and chitham.  From satva guna of space, air, fire, water and earth, are born organ of hearing, the ear; organ of touch, skin; organ of seeing, eyes; organ of taste, tongue; and organ of smell, nose respectively.  These do not refer to the physical organs but their subtle power in Sukshma sareera.  From the rajo guna of tanmatras are born the five subtle Karmendriyas and from their collective rajo guna is born Prana with its five variations, prana, apana, samana, vyana and udhana.  From rajo guna of space, air, fire, water and earth, are born organ of speech( mouth),organ of grasping(hands), organ of locomotion(legs), genitals and anus respectively.  Thus the manifestations of the satvic and rajasic aspects of the five elements constitute the samashti subtle body or the subtle world and this forms the second stage of Creation.

From the Tamo guna of the tanmatras the grossified five elements are formed through the process of Panchikarana and the gross world is formed from these five gross elements. The process of Panchikarana is as follows:

1)    The Tamas aspect of each of the five elements divides into two halves

2)    One half of each remains intact.

3)    The other half of each element divides into four equal parts. That means the other half of each element becomes a group of four 1/8 portions.

4)    Then the intact half of each element combines with one eighth portion of the other four elements to form the new gross element. That means each gross element is a combination of all five elements, 50% of its own element and 12.5% of each of the other four elements.

For example after grossification, gross space contains 50% space, 12.5% air, 12.5% fire, 12.5% water and 12.5% earth.  Similarly other elements as well.  These elements being gross can be perceived by the senses.  The grossification of the elements through Panchikarana forms the third stage of Creation.

The permutation and combination of these gross elements forms the gross world including the gross body and forms the fourth and final stage of Creation of the Universe in its subtle and gross form.  Individual gross body is part of the total gross body and individual subtle body is part of total subtle body. The individual gross body, microcosm, is called Pindanda and total gross body macrocosm, is called Bramanda. And the original cause of both Pindanda and Bramanda is Brahman only.  

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Athma - One's Real Self

Tattva Bodha - 5

The sthula sareera of an individual is matter only as the Pancha Bhuthas, of whose gross matter it is made of, are matter only.  The sukshma sareera is also matter only as it is made of subtle matter of these material Pancha Bhuthas.  The karana sareera is also matter only as it is nothing but the seed of these two bodies.  So all the three bodies of an individual are matter only, and do not contain a sentient substance. But the human body is sentient, conscious of itself and the environs and is capable of intelligently reacting to the environs and not inert like a table or chair which are matter only and not sentient.  From this we infer that there must be an independent inner sentient entity, Consciousness principle, lending sentience to sukshma, stula sareeras. That invisible inner entity, the Consciousness principle, is called Athma. Tattva Bhodha introduces Athma with these words:

स्थूलसूक्ष्मकारणशरीराद्व्यतिरिक्तः पञ्चकोशातीतः सन् अवस्थात्रयशाक्षी सच्चिदानन्दस्वरूपः सन् यस्तिष्ठति स आत्मा।(sthula sukshma karana sareerad vyathiriktaha panchakosatheethaha san avasthathraya sakshi sachidananda svarupaha san yas thishtathi sa Athma)

That which is other than the Sthula, Sukshma, Karana sareeras, beyond the five Kosas, the witness of the three Avasthas and of the nature of Sat, Chit and Anandha (Existence, Knowledge, Bliss) is Athma.

We had seen earlier that sentient Athma is different from three sareeras. Since five kosas are only the three sareeras seen from another angle Athma is beyond the five kosas as well. Avasthas relate to the sareeras, and Athma which is different from sareeras, exists only as a witness to the avasthas. These descriptions tell what Athma is not.  What is not Athma is referred to as anathma. So Sareera Thriam, Kosa Panchakam and Avastha Thriam all come under anathma. After describing Athma negatively by telling what it is not through the listing of the anathmas, the text proceeds to describe positively Athma as Sat, Chit, Anandha. They are not three separate attributes but the nature of this Consciousness principle, Athma, described in three different ways. 

Swami Paramatmananda lists the properties of Consciousness as follows:
1)    Consciousness is not a part, product or property of the body. It is not a part like hair, nails etc.; it is not a property like birth, growth etc., and it is not a product like enzymes, cells etc.
2)    Consciousness is an invisible, independent entity that pervades the body and makes it alive.  Kena Upanishad describes in Mantra 2 thus:

श्रोत्रस्यश्रोत्रं मनसो मनो यद् वाचोहवाचं स उ प्राणस्यप्राणः। (strosya strotram manaso mano yad vachohavacham sa u pranasya pranaha)

चक्षुषश्चक्षुः (chakshushas chakshuhu)

Ear of the ear, mind of the mind, speech of speech, prana of prana and eye of eye.  

That  means Consciousness is the power behind all the faculties of the body that makes them carry out their respective functions.
3)    This Consciousness is not limited by the boundaries of the body. It is boundless or infinite.  When associated with the upadhi of body it is called Athma; when associated with the whole Universe it is called Brahman.   This concept of Athma as Brahman is something unique to Advaita Vedanta and from this flows property 4.
4)    Consciousness will continue to survive the body medium even after the body perishes.
5)    The surviving Consciousness is not recognisable by us because the medium through which it was recognised is absent.  Through its reflection in the anthakaranam, Chithabasa, Consciousness lends sentiency to the human body. At the time of death, as sukshma sareera with Chithabasa leaves the body, the medium that reflected Consciousness is not available and so the surviving Consciousness is not recognisable.

This can be illustrated with the analogy of electricity.   Electricity passing through filament of the bulb makes it glow, which in turns makes the bulb shine with light and illumine the environs. Electricity is one and it makes aglow bulbs of all sizes and shapes and powers. So we can say:
1)    Electricity is not part, product, property of the bulb.
2)    It is an invisible entity that pervades the filament and make the bulb shine.
3)    It is not limited to the boundaries of the bulb.  It is infinite.
4)  It will continue to survive the bulb medium even after the bulb is fused out.
5)    The surviving electricity is not recognisable as the medium for recognition is not there.

The text defines Sat, Chit and Ananda as the inherent nature of Athma.  “Sat” stands for Existence i.e. pure existence.  This existence principle is not bound by time and is valid for all the three periods of time, past, present and future. So it is eternal.  Athma being eternal and unchanged in the three periods of time is indicated by ‘Sat’.  “Chit” stands for Knowledge, not knowledge about anything but Absolute Knowledge that illuminates for one  the objects of experience in the outer and inner world.  The Consciousness principle illuminates all it comes across without any preference and irrespective of their nature and quality.  The Consciousness being boundless or infinite is complete, पू्र्णः purnaha.  Purnatvam is total bliss as nothing is lacking and no shortness or deficiency is felt.  This is the “குறையொன்றுமில்லை” state that Sri Andal attributes to Lord Govinda in Thiruppavai verse 28.

This Athma is our real self.  It makes the Anthakaranam  sentient through its manifestation in the Anthakaranam as its reflection, called Chithabasa. The sentient Anthakaranam in turn makes the whole body sentient. One mistakes the ego as the real self, not knowing about the invisible inner self that has lent sentiency to the ego itself  due to which the ego identifies with actions, pleasures sorrows, emotions etc. and claims doership and enjoyership.  We can say that Athma is the ego’s Ego on the analogy of Kenopanishad Mantra we saw earlier.  The ego is only the imposter “I” and the Real “I”, is Athma, that cannot be known directly as it is invisible and is not available for perception by the senses or for conceptualisation by intellect.  The goal of Self enquiry is to discover the Real “I”, Athma, rejecting  all anathmas and claim identification with it as one’s Self, disowning the imposter, ego, and through it  disclaim the body-mind  complex as “me” 

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Avastha Thriam – Three states of Experience

Tattva Bodha – 4

The existence of a human being is divided into three states of experience. These are Jagrat avastha (waking state), Swapna avastha (dream state) and Sushupthi avastha (deep sleep). During Jagrat avastha, one is aware of one’s body, senses and anthakaranam and with their help one is aware of the external physical world of objects, persons and events and also of one’s thoughts and emotions.  During Swapna avastha one is not aware of the body and senses and only partially aware of anthakaranam with whose help one projects an inner world of objects, persons and events which is subjective and not open to others and which is as real to dreamer as the external world was at the time of Jagrat avastha. In the Sushupthi avastha one is not aware of anthakaranam also and one experiences total ignorance and the bliss born of ignorance which one recognises only when one wakes up.  With this brief introduction to three states we shall now see them in a little more detail now.

Jagrat avastha, the waking state

During the waking state all the three bodies sthula, sukshma and karana sareeras are active. Stula sareera is active making interaction with external world possible.  For contacting sensory objects and reacting to contacts, sthula sareera needs sense organs and anthakaranam. So sukshma sareera is active.  Sukshma sareera always goes with karana sareera and so all three are active. In fact waking state is the only state where all the three sareeras are active, sthula sareera in particular.  Since anthakaranam is active, the waker enjoys pleasure and pain and the consequent emotional reactions like happiness, sorrow, anger etc. due to the interaction with the external world. As one is fully functional the waker has a technical name Viswa which means fully complete.

Swapna avastha, the dream state

During the dream state, the sthula sareera  is not operational and sukshma sareera is only partially operational as besides prana, only the chitham, the memory faculty of anthakaranam is functional So the dreamer is not alive to the external world but experiences a new internal world of people, objects and events that is projected by the chitham from a cocktail mix-up of impressions stored in the conscious and subconscious chitham during the waking state.  Anthakaranam functions like a sophisticated video recorder in the waking state recording in chitham not only the sound and form but also smell, taste and sensation of touch and also of emotions including imaginations, phobias, etc.

In the dream state, chitham functions like a video player playing out a new script crafted from the stored data, which the dreamer experiences as a subjective world. This is very much real to the dreamer and to the dreamer a dream is not a dream in dream.  Only when he wakes up he realizes that it is all a dream and not real. This internal experience is limited to the dreamer only and he cannot let anybody share it even if he wants to in the dream. Why, he himself cannot continue the dream even if he wants to if dream is broken or if he becomes awake. 

For the dream world, the chitham is the srishti, sthithi laya karanam for chitham projects the dream world, sustains it and also dissolves it in itself.  It is also the upadhana karanam, material cause, as well as the nimitha karanam, efficient cause for the dream world.  For chitham creates the dream world out of itself only. One may wonder as to how, many of the things experienced in dream had not been encountered in real life.  Because it may be of things read, imagined, desired or seen in a movie or T.V. show in the waking experience, all jumbled up in a random order, or of objects connected to them.  For instance you may dream about Everest, if you had read about a trip to Mount Kailas.  Or the dream may be about a monkey wearing a bikini carrying an umbrella that may be a jumble from memories of a street performer with monkey, a bikini clad model seen in a T.V. show and an umbrella you had desired to buy.  Rarely the previous janma’s memory gets projected in the dream. Seeing exactly future events to come, in dream is not dreaming but it is the extra sensory power in operation. The dreamer has a technical name Taijasa, meaning internally illumined, that is what the dream world is for the dreamer.

Sushuthi Avastha, deep sleep state

During deep sleep state, sthula sareera is not operational and sukshma sareera except prana is also not operational and only karana sareera is operational. Anthakaranam which was fully operational in waking state and partially operational in dream state is also not fully operational in deep sleep state with the result the sleeper neither experiences the objective external world nor the subjective internal world of dreams.  There is total blankness and an agitation-free peace and relaxation that comes of anthakaranam going blank. This blankness is the blankness of total ignorance.  So it is called सुख अज्ञान अनुभवः(sukha ajnana anubhavaha), an experience of relaxing ignorance. This experience is recorded in the dormant anthkaranam which at that time stands resolved. It is claimed only when one gets up, not at that time of deep sleep. The reaction is “I don’t know anything. I slept well. I feel relaxed”.  And blankness is not vacuum for there is an entity that stands witness to this state of peace and ignorance and makes possible the recollection of relaxation and ignorance in this state.  This entity is our Real Self, Athma. Since in this state there is no tension, no stress and no pain, everybody loves to be in it.  The sleeper in deep sleep state has a technical name Prajna, which means blissfully ignorant.

So the same individual, Jiva, has three names, Viswa, Taijasa and Prajna depending upon the current state of experience. It is similar to one person being called father, husband and son depending upon the state of relationship of the person calling. But the Real Self of the Jiva is neither of these and it is Athma, the invisible, immortal, inner Self, as Swami Paramathmananda beautifully puts it.

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Kosa Panchakam - Five layers of personality

Tattva Bodha - 3

In the previous blog “ Sareerathriam – Three bodies” we saw that each individual is constituted of three bodies, Sthula, Sukshma,  and Karana sareeras.  This division as three bodies was from matter angle; gross, subtle and causal that they were composed of.  In this blog we shall see the same three bodies divided into five layers based on another functional angle. These layers are called Kosas. Kosa means a sheath and it is as if they were the sheaths encasing the Athma.  I said as if because Athma is all-pervasive and it cannot be encased either by the three bodies or by the five kosas. The kosas are  Annamaya, Pranamaya, Manomaya, Vijnanamaya and Anandamaya in the increasing order of subtlety.  Before going into the study of kosas let us see how they stand in relation to the three bodies.

Annamaya kosa the grossest corresponds to the Sthula sareera and the Anandamaya kosa, the subtlest to Karana sareera. So there is no difference between Annamaya kosa and gross body and also between Anandamaya kosa and causal body. It is as if each one of them is having two different names from different standpoints. The remaining three kosas Pranamaya kosa, Manomaya kosa and Vijnanamaya kosa are the three functional sub-divisions of the remaining body, Sukshma sareera.  Now we shall see each one of these kosas separately.

Annamaya Kosa

Maya means modification and annamaya means modification of food.  Annamaya kosa as gross body is a product of annam, food. The foetus in the womb is sustained by the food mother takes.  Moreover its origin itself is a result of the union between father’s sperm and mother’s egg, both products of food they have taken. After birth it is sustained by food it takes and after death it becomes one with the soil to become eventually the food for others.  Being gross body, it is subject to the six modifications viz., existence, birth, growth, modification, decay and death.  Anatomical organs of the human body are the parts of annamaya kosa.  When one identifies oneself with annamaya kosa one says “ I am fair/dark, tall/short, thin/fat etc.”

Pranamaya Kosa

This can be called as the energy sheath or vital air sheath as it contains the five pranas that are vital to the body and carry out the physiological functions of the human system.  Besides the five pranas viz., Prana, Apana, Samana, Vyana and Udhana this kosa contains the five Karmendriyas viz., Tongue/Mouth, Hands, Legs, Anus/Excretory organ and Genitals. Pranas and Karmendriyas are described in the blog on Sareera Thriam. The five pranas function continuously all time all through life, naturally and involuntarily. They energise the body through their actions and the energy is expressed through the organs of action.  So pranamaya kosa represents Kriya sakthi and so long as it functions efficiently, one remains healthy and active.  Through Pranayama yogis try to control and regulate prana and through that the mind to progress in yoga to acquire Siddhis, supernatural powers. When one identifies oneself with pranamaya kosa one says “ I am hungry, thirsty etc.”

Manomaya Kosa

Manomaya kosa can also be called the mental sheath as it contains Manas of anthakaranam.  This kosa is a combination of Jnanendriyas viz Eye, Ear, Tongue, Nose and Skin, and Manas, Chitham and Ahamkara of anthakaranam. Jnanendriyas as well as chitham and Ahamkara are common to this and Vijnanamaya kosa, which is to be discussed next.  Jnanendriyas and anthakaranam are described in the blog on Sareera Thriam.  This is the seat of emotions and this is where the desires arise irrespective of one’s resources and energy; and vacillations occur in choosing between alternatives. So manomaya kosa represents Iccha sakthi. Identifying with mental sheath one says “ I am happy or sad “or one feels “I want this/that etc.”

Vijnanamaya Kosa

This can be also called the rational or knowledge sheath as it contains Buddhi of Anthakaranam, a faculty of cognition.  This kosa is a combination of Jnanendriyas and Buddhi, Chitham and Ahamkara of Anthakaranam. This represents Jnana sakthi. For an action to take place, desire must be there.   For desire to arise, knowledge must be there. For instance, if you have no knowledge of smart phone, you will not desire it.  If you do not desire, there will be no action of purchase.  Here also when Manas desires, it is evaluated by Buddhi with the help of the Chitham and a decision taken and relayed to Manas which transmits it to organs of action. Further all desires presuppose knowledge; but all desires may not result in action.  It is Buddhi that discriminates between right and wrong, possible and not possible  and decides on proper course of action. That is why in Kathopanishad it is said “बुद्धिं तु सारथिं विद्धि (Buddhim tu sarathim viddhi)”-Understand buddhi as the driver (of the body-chariot). 

Anandamaya Kosa

This kosa is also called Bliss sheath. We have seen that Anandamaya Kosa is another name for Karana Sareera and so this has also the properties of causal body. So it is in the form of undifferentiated ignorance and contains the other kosas in seed form. Deep sleep is a miniature version of pralayam for at that time the external world stands as though dissolved for the sleeper and all one’s faculties with the exception of pranas are also resolved for the time of deep sleep in this kosa.  So as memory, mind, ego, and intellect  stand resolved temporarily, one is free of past worries, present tensions and future anxieties in deep sleep state. In fact one is blissfully ignorant of everything around him and everything about himself and others. Even one is not aware that one is in sleep while sleeping.  Only when one wakes up, one is aware that one has slept.  One cannot say that one is sleeping in sleep and if one says “I am sleeping” then that one is not really sleeping. One enjoys in sleep the peace and quiet that comes of Athma Jnanam, but only here it is from total ignorance. So this bliss is "impure" bliss; born of ignorance and it is of temporary duration as it disappears when one wakes up and other kosas become active.  Ignorance and "impure" bliss constitute the Anandamaya Kosa. The suffix maya used here is in the sense of saturation and not in the sense of modification as in other kosas.

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