Kosha
Kośa (IAST)
Translation: "Sheath"A Concise Dictionary of Indian Philosophy
Sanskrit: कोश
Transliteration: Kośa
Translation: "sheath; cover; subtle body; treasury; lexicon (from the root kuś – "to enfold")"
Definition: "The individual self is enveloped within five subtle bodies: physical (Annamaya), vital (Prāṇamaya), mental (Manomaya), consciousness (Vijñānamaya), and bliss (Ānandamaya). Each sheath is within the previous one and, thus, they become subtler and subtler, one within the next."
सथूलशरीर – Sthūla-Śarīra (Gross Body)
अन्नमयकोश – Annamaya-Kośa (the sheath of food)
It is the outermost sheath enveloping the individual soul. It is made of food and is also called the physical body or the gross body.
सूक्ष्मशरीर – Sūkṣma-Śarīra (Subtle Body)
प्राणमयकोश – Prāṇamaya-Kośa (the sheath of vital air)
The second sheath encasing the body, with its instrumentality of vital airs and the nervous system. It is located within the physical sheath. It is permeated by mental, consciousness, and bliss sheaths.
It is part of the subtle sheath (Sūkṣma-Śarīra), with its patterns of desires, motives, etc., which form the complex called mind. It is the third sheath of the body composed of thought.
विज्ञानमयकोश – Vijñānamaya-Kośa (the sheath of the intellect)
It is located within the mental sheath (Manomaya-Kośa). These two, together with the Prāṇamaya-Kośa, constitute the subtle body.
करणशरीर – Karaṇa-Śarīra (Causal Body)
आनन्दमयकोश – Ānandamaya-Kośa (the sheath of bliss)
- The innermost of the five sheaths enveloping the self.
- Truly speaking it is infinite, transcendent, and perfect and not really a sheath, according to some schools, but the very essence of the self.
- It is also known as the causal body (Karaṇa-Śarīra), according to Advaita Vedānta.
"What is Advaita Vedānta?" (James Schwartz)
"The non-apprehension of the self as oneself gives rise to five misconceptions about its nature. These misconceptions are called sheaths because they apparently hide the self and need to be removed if the self is to be apprehended as it is.
The most obvious misunderstanding we entertain about ourselves is that we are our gross bodies. The notions that ‘I am mortal,’ ‘I am fat,’ I am male/female’ indicate an association of the ‘I’ with the physical. Association of the ‘I’ with the physiological systems causes one to say, ‘I am hungry,’ ‘I am thirsty,’ when in fact the I, awareness, does not suffer these sensations. The universal statements, “I am happy,’ ‘I am sad,’ show that the I is taken to be the emotional body. When the intellect entertains the idea ‘I am a doer,’ ‘I am a knower’ it reinforces the belief in oneself as the body or mind. This idea is untrue because the self is non-dual actionless awareness. Finally, the I is commonly associated with enjoyment, the state of feeling good, which motivates endless activities. The self is not a feel good ‘state.’ It needn’t feel good because it is good, in the sense of what is always auspicious. So the sense of enjoyership is also illegitimate.
The application of this teaching follows a certain type of logic. First the self is introduced as the gross body, a common belief. Then it is shown that there is another subtler body, the feelings and emotions, which also are considered to be oneself. When one’s feelings are hurt one will instinctively say, “I was hurt by what she said.” This ‘self’ negates the previous self because for a self to be a self it cannot be two, modern theories of multiple personalities notwithstanding. The word ‘self’ means essence, that which is not made up of parts. Once the belief in oneself as the physical body is dropped and one accepts oneself as the emotional body, the teaching brings in the intellect ‘self’ which shows up in experience as the concept ‘I am the doer’...which is meant to remove the notion that one is only the feelings and emotions. When one can see that he or she thinks of his or herself as a doer and understands the limitation inherent in that concept, the idea of the bliss body is introduced. The ‘bliss body’ is responsible for pleasure and its companion concept ‘I am an enjoyer.’ The doer will give way to the enjoyer in every case because doing is for the sake of enjoying but enjoying is not for the sake of doing. Finally, the self is introduced as the source of bliss. Thus by tracing the ‘I’ concept from the gross to the subtle one is led to the self, the fundamental ‘I’. The realization of the whole and complete ‘I’ negates all the lesser selves, meaning one lets go of one’s belief in oneself as them and embraces the unlimited identity."
The Upanishads: Volume I (Swami Nikhilananda)
"Vedāntists analyze the material body into five Kośas, or sheaths, namely, the gross physical sheath (Annamayakośa), the sheath of the Prāṇa (Prāṇamayakośa), the sheath of the mind (Manomayakośa), the sheath of the Buddhi or intellect (Vijñānamayakośa), and the sheath of bliss (Ānandamayakośa). They are called sheaths because they conceal Ātman, as a sheath conceals a sword. They are described as being one inside another—the physical sheath being the outermost and the sheath of bliss the innermost. Each succeeding sheath is finer than the preceding one. As a fine substance permeates a gross one, so the finer sheath permeates the grosser sheath. Ātman is detached from the sheaths. Its light and consciousness permeate them all, though in varying degrees according to their density. By cultivating detachment toward these sheaths, one by one, and gradually penetrating deeper, a man realizes Ātman as Pure Consciousness."
References:
- Grimes, John (1996). A Concise Dictionary of Indian Philosophy: Sanskrit Terms Defined in English. Albany: State University of New York Press
- Swartz, James (2003). What is Advaita Vedanta? Experience and Knowledge. Retrieved from https://www.holybooks.com/what-is-advaita-vedanta-experience-and-knowledge/
- Nikhilananda, Swami (1949). The Upanishads: Volume I—Katha, Iśa, Kena, and Mundaka. New York, New York: Harper & Brothers Publishers. p. 91.
