Three bodies
The Acharya beckons his fired up disciple to
know about 3 bodies and then about
3 states of consciousness and then about 5 sheaths or 5 koshas, before
introducing the Grand TRUTH about BRAHMAN, which is the essence of Vedanta and
essence of all Upanishads.
Three bodies
Human is identified in terms of 3 Bodies, 3
States and 5 Koshas or Sheaths.
They are given below:
·
Gross Body or Sthula Sharira
·
Subtle Body or Astral Body or Linga
Sharira
·
Causal body or Karana Sharira
Gross Body or Sthula Sharira
The "Gross body" is one of the three
bodies which is dense in nature and is known as the physical body. It is made
up of the "Basic Five Elements of the Nature" or the
"Panchabhutas".
They are Earth, Sky, Water, Air and Fire.
This body is subjected to change in 6 stages
i.e. Birth, Existence, Growth, Disease, Decay and Death.
Expressing through the physical body or the
Gross body, the Jiva or the individual gathers his quota of pleasures by
indulging in sense objects.
Adi Sankara explains beautifully in Vivekachudamani
about Gross body in a verse:
He says, "Know the gross body to be the
shelter for the individual to conduct all his dealings with the world outside
just as a house is to a householder".
Man resides in his house and then goes out daily
into the world to strive for his livelihood. After earning his means of
existence, he returns to his house to enjoy what he has earned and then to rest
for a while.
Similarly, the ego moves out of the physical
body to conduct the sense of objects and with senses, the ego accumulates
karma, only to return to its physical body to suffer / enjoy the earnings the
ego gathered with its sense objects.
The physical body is born out of earth. How?? The
body is born out of the strength gathered by parents with the food they have
partaken.
At the end, the gross body returns to the earth,
after death. Either it is cremated or it is buried and in both cases, it merges
and ends into the earth.
And, How much we glorify such a physical body in
our life???
The author often narrates story of a king who
used to love his wife so much, who was mesmerized by the physical beauty of his
wife so much that he preferred to be in her company 24/7.
One day, his wife dies. After the death, the
king is unable to bear the foul smell of the same body of his wife which he
used to adore and admire!!
Does it not call for a serious contemplation on
how we have to rise above glorifying our physical existence????
However, this does not mean that we have to
condemn our body. The body is a vehicle, an instrument which has to be used by
us to progress in our sadhana, to reach the ultimate Goal. To that extent, the
body needs to be cared and protected and thus far and no further!!!
Hari Aum Tatsat.
