Tattva Bodha - Post 16

SUBTLE BODY

(Continued…)

Pancha Karma Indriyani — Five Organs of Action 

These are five sense organs of action. So one is meant for input and receiving the stimuli (the previous one) and one is meant for output or expressing our responses (this one). 

- Organ of speech – Vag Indriyam. Verbal response.

- Organ of Hands – Pani by which we do varieties of action.

- Organ of Legs – Pada by which we move from place to place.  Organs of locomotion. 

- Organ of evacuation - Payuhu – wastage removing organs. 

- Organ of Procreation - Upastham – organ of reproduction because of which alone the species continues as a lineage. 

Pancha Pranaha – Five-fold Energy functions 

The five fold Pranaha. The energy generating system or fuel-converting system. If you have to keep on acting, we have to generate energy constantly. We have Prana Shakti behind the organs of action. Prana Shakti lends energy. There are five-fold Pranas well known as: 

- Respiratory system - Prana – Inhalation and exhalation which alone has to absorb the Prana Shakti or oxygen. Then the Carbon dioxide has to go out, oxygen has to go to lungs, blood has to absorb and it has to be circulated. 

- Evacuating system – Apana – Energy behind functioning of the evacuation system or waste removal. Any form of removal of waste can be called Apāna. 

- Circulatory system - Vyana – Oxygen has to be circulated, the nutrition that is generated in the stomach has to be carried to all parts of the body. 

- Digestive system - Samanaha – This converts various eaten food into various nutrients – carbohydrates, proteins, fats, salts, minerals etc. 

- Reversing system - Udanaha – This operates at the time of death generally when all the processes are reversed because it is time for dying. 

They are the life-giving ones and function behind the Karma Indriyas giving energy to the Karma Indriyas. 

That is why on a fasting, no Karma Indriyam will function properly because you are weakened and hence you cannot walk properly, talk properly etc. 

That is why we chant the prayer 

Om Pranaya Svaha Om Apanaya Svaha Om Vyanaya Svaha Om Udanāya Svaha Om Samanaya Svaha

Chatvari Antaha Karanani – Four-fold Internal Organs 

These are four-fold internal organs. 

Manaha or Mind : Stands for all forms of emotional faculty. Roughly can be translated as the emotional faculty and also the doubting faculty. Sankalpa Vikalpatmakam Manaha – should I do this or should I do that? To be or not to be. 

Buddhihi or Intellect : Rational faculty or the discriminating faculty or the knowing faculty or the weighing faculty or Reasoning Faculty. 

Chittam or Memory : To receive or to record our experiences in our mind. This records all the five of Shabda, Sparsha, Rupa, Rasa and Gandha. 

According to Shastra, we can remember not only the past of this life but the past of our past lives as well. 

Without knowing the details sometimes, we feel that something is already known. A musical prodigy feels that he knows the music already, a spiritual prodigy feels, he knows the scriptures before. 

Ahankara or Ego : the faculty of self-reference. Reflexive faculty which is well developed in a human being. 

Aham Karanam Ahankara – that which refers to myself is called Ahankara. 

Function

The function is transactions. All forms of transactions are done by the Sookshma Shareeram with the help of these 19 instruments. Some instruments are meant for input and some instruments are meant for output and some for both (for example - mouth).

Change

This is also subject to change. So they improve and sometimes weaken. Eyes become poor, memory fails, intellect is dull. So change is one feature and the next feature is visibility.

Visibility

Sookshma Shareeram is evident and recognizable only for oneself and it is not available for others. What is my mind, I know, what are my feelings I know, but you are not able to see my mind or know my feelings or my memory. Because it is available only for me and not for others, it is called subtle body – not concrete like gross body. 

The indweller relates through the Indriyas 

Observe the ten senses during daily life: What the ten doors have in common, is that they are all doors. By observing these ten in daily life through meditation in action, or mindfulness, we become increasingly aware of the indweller. We see more and more clearly how the indweller relates to the external world through the means of these ten instruments.

 

"Who I really am is independent of my actions and senses".

"I" am independent of actions and senses: As we come to see that the actions and senses are only instruments (though very good at their jobs), we increasingly see that "Who I am is independent of my actions and sensory input and fulfillment". It does not mean that we do not enjoy life, and its actions and sensory experiences. Rather, these are enjoyed more fully, in a spirit of wisdom, freedom, and non-attachment. 

When we see through direct experience of observation how the ten senses are doors serving the indweller, we increasingly become aware of the true nature of that indweller.

   

Manas and the Ten Senses 

The ten senses are like employees: The ten senses are like the employees in the factory of life, and they receive their instructions from manas, one of the four functions of the mind. 

  

This is an important part of the practice of meditation in action and witnessing our inner process. Being able to see that this is how the actions and senses operate helps a great deal with the cultivation of non-attachment, vairagya. 

Beyond the fact that manas  is giving instructions to the ten senses, is the very important question of whether manas  is acting out of unconscious habits (stored in chitta) or the wisdom of  buddhi. 

Withdrawing the senses and sitting still at meditation time naturally come much more easily as a result of an ongoing mindfulness of the ten senses. 

Love.