Swami says: How, then, is the Atma to be seen? By unraveling the five sheaths that cover up the personality, by negating each of them, experiencing “not this”, and passing beneath and beyond to the substratum of the Atma, the Brahman, which all the while appeared varied and manifold.

Anything misplaced in the home must be searched for in the home itself; it can’t be found by a search in the woods. The Brahman hidden by the five sheaths must be searched for in the five-sheathed body, not in the woods of scriptural lore.

Though Brahman cannot be discovered in the scriptures (sastras), the scriptures do tell you of the five sheaths (pancha-koshas) and of their identification marks and characteristics, so, by exercise of the intellect, it is possible to reach down to the Atmic truth.

In this quiz, we will try, with Swami’s guiding words, to understand the physiology of the spiritual body of humans in an attempt to help us begin the inward spiritual journey.

1. The Five Sheaths

Swami says: A sheath is a case, a cover. A sword is put into a scabbard. Money is kept in a treasury. You must realise that the thing kept in this five-fold case is the real “I”. To see one’s own truth, one has to remove the five cases.

Starting from the outermost sheath, the Annamaya Kosha to the innermost sheath, the Anandamaya kosha, match them to the corresponding descriptions:

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2. The Four Forms of the Body and the Related States of Awareness:

Swami says: In every human body, there are four forms, which can be understood through proper Tathva (enquiry).

The pure Atma is enveloped by five sheaths; and due to its association with these sheaths, it acquires their traits.

The physical body is referred to as the Annamaya Kosha (food sheath). The Atma associated with gross body in its waking state is called ‘Viswa’ as it is endowed with jnanendriyas and karmendriyas (organs of perception and action). As this body is involved in various external activities, it is also known as Vyavaharika. Thus, the Vedas have given various names to this sheath which comprises the sthoola sareera (gross body).

The Pranamaya Kosha (life sheath), Manomaya Kosha (mind sheath) and Vijnanamaya Kosha (wisdom sheath) form the sukshma sareera (subtle body) as they are not visible to the naked eye. Mind in its subtle form is all-pervasive. That is why it is said, Manomoolam Idam Jagat (mind is the basis for the entire world).

Anandamaya Kosha (bliss sheath) refers to the karana sareera (causal body).

One should go beyond all the five sheaths in order to experience bliss. This state is known as turiya, which is beyond sushupti (deep sleep state). This refers to the Mahakarana Swarupa (supreme causal aspect). This is Paramarthika (the ultimate spiritual principle). The bliss experienced in this state is true bliss. This bliss cannot be obtained through the senses, mind or intellect.

http://www.sssbpt.info/ssspeaks/volume33/sss33-05.pdf

The four forms mentioned above correspond to four states of awareness. After reading the above passage, try to match the four forms of the body to the four states of Awareness:

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3. Three Qualities of Each Sheath

Swami says: Taking the examples of the tamarind fruit, you find that it has the outer rind, the fruit inside it and the seed within the fruit. All these are associated with one another. Our body is like the outer rind of the tamarind fruit. Our mind can be compared to the fruit within. Our causal body is comparable to the seed in the fruit. The human entity is the combination of these three. And in this entity, there are five Koshas (sheaths) - the Annamaya (the food sheath), the Pranamaya (the vital air sheath), the Manomaya (the mental), Vijnanamaya (the intelligence) and the Anandamaya (the Blissful) Koshas.

He further explains that there are three qualities for each of the koshas. Try to match the three qualities which you think would describe each kosha.

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4. Human Values and the Five Sheaths

Swami says: The values of truth, righteousness, love, and peace are not to be acquired from somewhere else. They are all present in the food sheath, life sheath, mental sheath, wisdom sheath, and bliss sheath within you (annamaya, pranamaya, manomaya, vijnanamaya, and anandamaya koshas).

Try to match the Values with the sheaths to which they are related. Some of the values arise from more than one sheath.

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5. The Gross Body

Swami says: The body, the senses, the mind, and the intellect are only vestures put on by man. Only when we understand the nature and significance of these adjuncts can we make proper use of them. You wear trousers, banian, shirt, and coat. Only when you know how to use each of these things correctly can you use them in the proper way and get the benefit therefrom. Otherwise you may make bizarre use of them, like putting on the banian over the shirt or wearing the pant in the reverse direction. Hence you generally ensure that you wear your daily attire correctly so as to give a decent and attractive appearance. Likewise the body is our garment. It is only when we know how to wear it and use it appropriately that we can make good use of it and get the best out of it.

He goes on to explain the characteristics of the gross body by explaining the various names used to describe the body.

We have listed here the names He used. Can you try to match it with what you feel could be the appropriate meaning of the name?

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6. Effect of Food on the Koshas

Swami explains that the food we eat and the water we drink is broken up into gross and subtle elements and put into different uses by our koshas.

Match the gross and subtle components of the food and water to the uses you think they would be put to.

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7. The Pancha Pranas:

Swami describes the Pranamaya kosha as the vital sheath which is the sheath of the five senses and the five vital airs (pranas). In the Prasnottara Vahini, He names the Pancha Pranas (Vital airs) as digestive, circulating, upward-moving, life breath, and downward-moving (samana, vyana, udana, prana, apana) and the five subsidiary vital airs: belching, blinking, sneezing, yawning, and one that fills the body and causes it to grow fat (naga, kurma, krukara, devadatta, and dhananjaya). These subsidiary vital airs, He says, affect the body and cause changes in the corpse even after death.

While expanding on the Prasnopanishad, Swami further links the five pranas to their source.

Try to match the 5 pranas to their respective source element.

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8. The Five Senses:

Swami says: The senses are the prime motive forces for the mind and the illusion it suffers from. The Five Elements have each a characteristic that affects and attracts one of the five senses.

Match the Element with the characteristic sense and sense organ through which it attracts the mind:

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9. Antahkarana:

Swami explains the four constituents of the Antah karana (inner instruments) and their location in the koshas:

In the human being, the Antah karana (the inner psycho-somatic instrument) is made up of the mind, the intellect, the will and the ego. The ego is linked to the Prana (life principle). It is encased in the Vijnanamaya Kosha (the sheath of integrated awareness). The mind is linked to the Chitta (Will) and is encased in the Manomaya Kosha (the mental sheath). Thus between the individual soul and the Prana (vital principle), the mind functions. The life principle functions between the mind and the body. The Buddhi (intellect) functions above the level of the mind. The vital principle functions below the mind. Both the intellect and the Prana are surcharged with Agni (heat). It is their combined presence in the body that accounts for the heat in the body.

http://sssbpt.info/ssspeaks/volume21/sss21-27.pdf

He further says: The word “antah karana (inner instrument)” is used in everyday worldly context as well as in the spiritual parlance. What is its form, its nature, its role, its importance, and its destination? When we enquire along these lines, we will find that mind itself assumes the subtle form of antah karana, consisting of four aspects, namely, manas (mind), buddhi (intellect), chitta (memory), and ahamkara (ego), the last three being the subtle aspects of the mind.

The particular name is given, based on the functions performed, just as one and the same Brahmin is called a priest (pujari) when he performs worship in a temple, a cook when he works in the kitchen, a teacher when he teaches students, and a ‘panchanga brahmin’ when he interprets the almanac (panchanga).

Match the function of the mind to each of the inner instruments:

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10. The Five Elements and the Human Body:

Swami says: From Brahman originated all universal cosmic principles; from these was born ether; from ether, air; from air, fire; from fire, water; and from water, earth. The human body is the result of the combination of all five.

He states: Each element has again become fivefold and has gone into the composition of the body.

Can you match each element with its fivefold form in the body?

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