Explanation of the 5 coverings and the 4 bodies

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The Self is said to be cocooned in five sheaths (panch kosha), or coverings:

1. The Sheath of the Food: This is the gross body, the material elements.

2. The Sheath of Pranas: The Self is full with the life energy of the five Pranas.

3. The Sheath of Manas (Mind): It is due to discrimination, and the "determination" of the mind that the Self is full of intelligence; cognitive ability.

4. The Sheath of Vidnyana (Higher aspects of intelligence): The Self is occupied with concepts, and subtle functioning, etc.

5. The Sheath of bliss: This is the causal body. Forgetfulness, forgetting all objectivity brings in bliss whether done consciously, or in deep sleep. The Self is full of this oblivion.

The mind is similar to the Saint Narada who traverse the three worlds and play tricks on people in order to help them take to the path of devotion. Everybody’s mind is limited to the three states of deep sleep, dreaming, and waking.

Wandering through the five sheaths, one must go on a pilgrimage to Lord Vishnu, the Lord of the Universe, the Inner-Self. The five sheaths are rooted in the interplay of the five elements constituting the body. The Self is itself the description of the 330 million deities of Hindu mythology. The body itself is the "Place of Realization," Kashi. Whatever is in the microcosm is included in the macrocosm. What does it mean to go Rameshwar? Rameshwar (Hindu pilgrimage place) means "Rama is Ishwara," the "Self is God." To visit Rameshwar means to be conscious of Him, the Inner-Self.

What is the difference between a Jiva (the mortal individual) and Ishwara (Supreme Lord)? Jiva is similar to the expressed meaning (visible), whereas Ishwara is the meaning derived from signs and indications (invisible). Jiva is the expressed form (Vaachya) while Ishwara is the indicated form (Lakshya).

Like the Jiva, Ishwara also has four bodies.

1. The gross body, the physical universe.

2. The subtle body which consists of the 330 million deities represented by Brahma, Vishnu and Mahesh; all of the animation of manifestation.

3. The Causal body, this is the most subtle expressed form, the curtain from behind which the world appears.

The gross, the subtle, and the causal are the expressed form of the Jiva. Ultimately, the expressed form and the indicated form of the Jiva are one.

Air is one of the five constituent elements of our body. This air is the same as that in the macrocosm. This explains that the world appearance of the Lord and the gross body of the individual are the same. Both possess the same five elements.

The subtle body of the Jiva and that of the Ishwara are one, and the same. Hence, the three bodies, which can be expressed in words, are the same in Jiva, as well as Ishwara.

The expressed form and the indicated form of the Supracausal body are the same. That is Satchidananda. The "expressed form" of Jiva, and "the expressed and indicated form" of Shiva (God), are the same. The "True Form," or Swaroopa of both Jiva, and Shiva, is the same.

They, who say that the Jiva (individual) and Shiva (God) are distinctly apart, do not know their true nature at all. The first body is the gross body and the eighth body is the primordial illusion (Moolamaya, Satchidananda ). That which remains when the four bodies of both Jiva and Ishwara are quelled, is beyond imagination. It is steady. It cannot be expressed in words.

A Dnyani should not get carried away by the individual, "Jiva," or God, "Ishwara." Both are untrue. Do not get carried away by Knowledge born of ignorance (Vidya) or by ignorance (Avidya) itself, and recognize the eternal Supreme Self, "Paramatman"

- Shri Siddharameshwar Maharaj from a talk on Dasbodh (date not given) this post is a continuation of the talk that was posted on April 30, 2005