Summary:
Atma Bodha, Verse 13: The subtle body (sukshma-sharira) consists of five pranas, manas (mind), buddhi (intellect), and ten indriyas (sense organs). Prana manifests as five vital functions (breathing, circulation, digestion, excretion, and final breath), operating at a subtle level beyond sensory perception. The jnana-indriyas are subtle capacities of perception, while karma-indriyas are subtle powers of action. This subtle body is formed from apañcīkṛta bhūta (unmixed subtle elements) before they undergo pañcīkaraṇa (densification process), where each element divides and combines with others to form gross matter. One's subtle body configuration is determined by sanchita-karma.
Atma Bodha, Verse 14: The causal body (karana sharira) is beginningless avidya (ignorance), which acts as an upadhi (limiting adjunct) that veils the true nature of Atma. This ignorance is anadi (beginningless) because it precedes time itself as part of Ishvara's design. Maya operates through two powers: vikshepa-shakti (projecting power) and avarana-shakti (veiling power). The causal body contains accumulated karma (punya/papa) that determines future experiences. Liberation comes through removing avarana-shakti through self-inquiry, not by intellectually claiming to be Awareness while still operating from individual identity.
Verse 13: Subtle body: instrument of experience
पञ्च प्राण मनः बुद्धि दश इन्द्रिय समन्वितम् ।
अपञ्चीकृत भूत उत्थम् सूक्ष्म अङ्गम् भोग साधनम् ॥
pañca prāṇa manaḥ buddhi daśa indriya samanvitam |
apañcīkṛta bhūta uttham sūkṣma aṅgam bhoga sādhanam ||
Five prāṇas, the mind, and intellect, together with the ten senses combined, formed from the subtle elements, is the subtle body, the instrument of experience (of pleasure and pain).
What is subtle-body (Sukshma-sharira)?
- Panca-prana: When air is inhaled, it enables circulation, digestion, excretion, exhaling, last breath. Why is prana subtle? Because, for example, the mitochondria converting oxygen to glucose is not available to 5 senses.
- Manas: Enables physical brain to emote/doubt.
- Buddhi: Capacity to think.
- Jnana-indriya: 5 sense organs (not physical eye, but sight. I can’t see what you see, thus it’s subtle). EG: Optometrist relies on you to say whether you can see better through new glasses.
- Karma-indriya: Hand is physical, but paralysis attack disables physical hand moving. Speech, walk, procreation. Enables to transact with world.
How is subtle-body made?
It's made through apañcīkṛta bhūta: Made from the fundamental 5 elements (tanmātrās) before they undergo pañcīkaraṇa (densification into 5 gross elements that makes up time-space-objects).
Pañcī-karaṇa process: Each subtle element first divides into two. One half remains pure. Other half divides into four equal part (12.5% each). EG: 5% of space is given to air, then air becomes densified. 12.5% of air is given to space, then space becomes densified. Etc.
What makes you to get the mind you have?
Sanchita-karma as explain in Verse 12.
NEXT VERSE: Causal Body…
Verse 14: Ignorance as causal upādhi
अनादि अविद्या निर्वाच्या कारण उपाधिः उच्यते ।
उपाधि त्रितयात् अन्यम् आत्मानम् अवधारयेत् ॥
anādi avidyā nirvācyā kāraṇa upādhiḥ ucyate |
upādhi tritayāt anyam ātmānam avadhārayet ||
Ignorance which is beginningless and cannot be expressed categorically (mithyā) is said to be the causal upādhi (body). We should understand the self to be distinct from these three upādhis (bodies).
Purpose of three-bodies teaching:
All forms come from Ishvara, like ornaments from gold. Universe being more complex, we zoom in on what makes the jiva: Physical Body, Subtle Body and Causal Body.
The 3 bodies are upadhi’s because they as-though lend their nature to atma (which is upahita). Thus you don’t recognize self, only forms (just as see cloth over crystal).
NOTE: Don’t use word “form” synonymously with “upadhi”. Forms are only upadhi when they as-though cover Atma. Once know nature of forms, forms are no longer upadhi.
Why did we come with different physical/subtle body?
Because of Causal-body.
What constitutes Causal Body? Every action produces seen and unseen result. The unseen (in form of punya/papa) makes up Causal Body (Karana Sharira). To produce favourable/unfavourable situations, it needs a Physical body. A portion of punya/papa is assigned for one life.
Unseen result implies a doer (sentient entity) who was there in the past, doing for sake of future enjoying. Which implies self always took itself as a doer, and not Awareness. This implies ignorance of nature of self.
How did ignorance (avidya) come?
Ignorance is anadi (without a beginning; it was always true in the past). Thus can’t say it began at some time in the past. Because ignorance is Ishvara’s design, and Ishvara came before time.
Secondly, if say ignorance began, it means knowledge was there before it, in which case ignorance can’t arise out of knowledge.
Beginningless ignorance is result of maya (which has two powers):
Vikshepa-shakti:
Capacity to project/manifest.
Avarana-shakti:
Capacity to cover reality, thus produce duality. But from your standpoint, this covering becomes avidya (ignorance about things). Meaning you don’t know that all that is here is Ishvara, and truth of Iswara is Brahman. Meaning you didn’t choose to be ignorant; you didn’t choose to mistake your true nature for your given body-mind-complex.
IE: You’re born and given eyes. Open eyes and see flat-earth. So reality of round-earth is covered (due to avarana-shakti). But also have potential to know earth-roundness. Same applies to physics. Given intelligence to remove ignorance of atoms/particles. Similarly you’re given potential to figure out that all that is here is Ishvara whose is Brahman. Thus need Isvhara’s grace to overcome avarana-shakti, otherwise would’ve happened long ago.
Summary: Being given potential to remove ignorance, need to choose what you wish to remove ignorance about. Can either remove endless ignorance about relative topics (science, history, etc), or remove ignorance about nature of Ishvara. Long as don’t inquire into Atma, you’ll remain an individual.
When avarana-shakti is removed, who gets liberated? I (Atma) who has taken itself to be these 3 bodies.
Don’t pretend you’re Awareness until know it:
Until know the reality, don’t pretend you are awareness. Rather invest all time in removing the veil. EG This question shows one is fooling oneself: “If I am awareness, whose doing the action?”. Question comes from individual.
—
Recorded 11 Jan, 2025