The Taittiriya Upanishads explains the sequence of creation – from ether to the human being, from the micro to the macro – i.e. embodiment of the soul (atman) by five layers or sheaths, known as koshas.
The five koshas envelop one another with the Atman, their True Self. They are arranged in an unbroken, continuous series, being manifestation of the same reality. There is a progressive resolution of each into a subtler and more pervasive substratum until all are resolved into pure awareness.
While each of them has unique functions, one cannot be separated from the other. Each is a necessary part of being human. They form one integrated whole and are mutually interrelated. They interweave and interpenetrate suggesting that any action one takes involves all dimensions of the personality —physical, emotional, mental and spiritual.
The Taittiriya Upanishads explains the sequence of creation – from ether to the human being, from the micro to the macro – i.e. embodiment of the soul (atman) by five layers or sheaths, known as koshas.
The five koshas envelop one another with the Atman, their True Self. They are arranged in an unbroken, continuous series, being manifestation of the same reality. There is a progressive resolution of each into a subtler and more pervasive substratum until all are resolved into pure awareness.
While each of them has unique functions, one cannot be separated from the other. Each is a necessary part of being human. They form one integrated whole and are mutually interrelated. They interweave and interpenetrate suggesting that any action one takes involves all dimensions of the personality —physical, emotional, mental and spiritual.
The second covering of the Self is the pranamaya kosha. It is a vital sheath consisting of the five pranas or vital energies and the five karma indriyas or organs of action. This level of being is associated with the breath, the prana and the fundamental life force. It is also associated with the feelings and the emotions. It is the medium of exchange in the whole psychophysiological system.
Consciousness on the level of the Pranamaya kosha is more subtle and powerful than that of the Annamaya kosha.
The third covering, the Manomaya Kosha, is also known as the mental sheath or the emotional body. This ‘covering of the mind’ thrives on the material gathered from the senses of hearing, touch, sight, taste, and smell. This sheath deals with the emotional, mental or perceptual part of the body. It receives impulses from the external world through the senses, organizes the sensory data, processes thoughts, emotions and meaningful patterns, influences the Prana kosha and channels the ways one thinks. This kosha is where all thoughts originate: doubts, anger, lust, exhilaration, depression and delusion.
The fourth covering, Vijnanamaya kosha, is Identified with ‘‘higher’’ mental functions. Often expressed in the term buddhi that consists of the intellect (thoughts), the ego (sense of individuality), and the chitta (informational memory), it represents not only ‘cognition’ but also ‘intellect’ and ‘wisdom.’ It knows, decides, judges, and discriminates. This is the organ of philosophical thought and metaphysical intuition.
Bliss is not a static feeling but rather dynamic and unlimited, flowing uninterruptedly out of Consciousness.
Anandamaya kosha, the blissful sheath, is the outermost kosha next to the Atman, the eternal center of consciousness. When one transcends all the previous layers, one is bliss with life. Bliss is the highest dimension of our existence. It is a state of being in which one can detach oneself from the emotions and live in perfect health of body and mind. This is the most harmonious state of mind possible, associated with states of ecstasy and rapture.