Creation – Principle and Body – Structure
The original nature first transforms into the intellect, then the ego, then the 5 tanmatras (subtle elements), the 5 sense organs, the 5 sense organs and the mind, then from the tanmatras into the 5 gross elements (Akasha, Vayu, Tej, Water and Earth). Now from these elements we understand the composition of the body.
Body type
Maharishi Dayanand has told (Satyarth-Prakash, Navam Samullas) that the soul has four types of bodies. They are as follows –
1) The gross body – which is visible to us – is visible to the eyes, heard through the ears (voice, clap, etc.), comes to smell through the nose, comes to taste through the tongue and comes to touch with the skin. The surgeon can see this body by cutting it.
2) Subtle body – This body is made up of subtle elements. Hence there is no sense perception. It has two departments-
a) Physical – This body is made up of five subtle elements and five pranas (prana, apana, samana, vyana and udana).
b) Natural – This body is made up of five sense organs, mind and intellect. Their efforts are according to the nature of the living being. Therefore this body actually carries out the nature of the living entity. Because of this, even though the gross body composition is the same, the living entities are different by nature. This body is also inferred from this nature-distinction.
3) Causal body – This body is made of original nature. In fact, it is as pervasive as the sky. And like the sky, we can consider that part of our body as part of our body. Being made of a disorder-free nature, it completely lacks knowledge. Maharishi has called this state of deep sleep.
4) Turiya body – This fourth body is available to the soul in the state of samadhi. With this robe, he is able to feel the divine. Just as in the Bhagavad-gita, Lord Krishna gives the divine eye to Arjuna to show his form (न तु मां शक्यसे द्रष्टुमनेनैव स्व चक्षुषा । दिव्यं ददामि ते चक्षुः पश्य मे योगमीश्वरम् ॥ गीता ११।८॥), something similar is this body. It should not be considered as made of nature.
Thus, we are all bundles of 3 bodies. If we compare them with the creation elements, then this kind of picture emerges –
Creation and body
Gross body – made up of five gross elements
The subtle body is made up of five subtle elements, 5 sense organs, 5 organs of action, mind, ego and intellect, i.e. in the above description we have to add 5 sense organs and ego. The ego is often counted in the mind itself, so there is no difficulty. But it is difficult to connect the sense organs from above. And above are counted the five pranas, which are not counted among the subtle elements. Even matching them is difficult. It is possible that Prana-Vayu are the components of Vayu-Tanmatra. But this raises the question that why then the organs of action were not counted? A possibility arises in the answer to this – is there any relation between Prana and the sense organs? We know that Apana Vayu is related to Payu and the organs of action present, and the relation of speech and Udana has also been pointed out, but other Prana is not said to be related to the organs of action, but related to the process of digestion. How ‘Vayu’ is related to these digestive processes, it is also not clear. On the other hand, we feel that when we have to apply force, we take in apana-vayu and release it as prana-vayu by applying force. Another difficulty is that the subtle-forms of the sense organs are not understood – what are the subtle-forms of the hands and feet? They dance on the signals of the mind. From all these facts it appears that there is some close relation between the 5 karmendriyas and the 5 pranas – though different. Scholars must try to throw more light on this subject.
The causal body – made of causal nature.
Five cells of the body
There is another dimension of the body. That is – the five koshas. These five shells are of the same size as the body, but they become smaller and more subtle. These are –
1) Annamaya kosha – “The community from skin to bone is earthly (Satyartha-Prakash, Nava Samullas)”, i.e. visible body.
2) Pranamaya kosha – made up of five vital airs.
3) Manomaya kosha – The part containing the five sense organs, mind and ego.
4) Vigyanamaya kosha – part of the five sense organs and intellect.
5) Anandamaya kosha – a part of the causal nature.
Equation of Departments
It becomes clear here that the annamaya kosha is the gross body. The Pranamaya, Manomaya and Vigyanamaya koshas are part of the subtle body, and the Anandamaya koshas are the causal body. I have heard many lecturers saying anandamaya kosha – “the soul is the Self” – as such. This statement is not correct. Anandamaya kosha is also natural, but there is the same joy that is found in the state of sleep – and even more!
If the koshas are also the divisions of the body, then why a distinction has been made between the gross-subtle-causality and the five koshas? Analyzing this, one thing we can see right away is that the vigyanmaya kosha has the sense organs, which are grosser than the mind and ego of the earlier manomaya kosha. Therefore the division of the cells is not entirely according to the subtleties, whereas the division of the three bodies is determined accordingly. These koshas seem to be according to our experience – we experience the body in these forms.
That’s why they are there to help the yogi to meditate. While meditating we should first fix the mind on our annamaya kosha, like between the eyebrows, on the navel, etc. After this we should concentrate on the vital body – our breathing. Having become stable here, we should feel the manomaya kosha – which resolves to move, see and hear, etc. Even after this, thoughts will still be coming in our intellects. This is a scientific dictionary. Once the thoughts are settled, we will automatically start experiencing bliss. This is anandamaya kosha.
The living entity is separate from all these bodies and cells, and is independent of being. The subtle and causal bodies are attached to the soul in the creation, then they are released only in the creator. The material subtle-body of the liberated soul is released, but the natural body remains, and is released in the Sargant. But there has been a difference of opinion among scholars on this subject. Some believe that the liberated soul becomes completely devoid of nature
In this way there is a direct relation between the natural elements of sākhya and the structure of the body. The differences that appear in different scriptures do not remain on analysis. In order to understand the essence of the scriptures, this matching is very important.
