Summary:

Atma Bodha, Verse 15: The five koshas (sheaths) create apparent conditioning of the pure Atma, similar to how a crystal appears colored by nearby cloth. These koshas are: annamaya (food sheath/physical body), pranamaya (vital-air sheath), manomaya (emotional mind), vijnanamaya (intellectual sheath), and anandamaya (bliss sheath). Each kosha becomes a limiting adjunct (upadhi) when mistakenly identified as “I.” True understanding comes from recognizing these as functional layers rather than one's identity. Even spiritual happiness through anandamaya must be understood as a reflection rather than one's true nature.

Atma Bodha, Verse 16: Through discrimination (viveka), one must separate the pure Self from the five koshas, like separating rice from its husk. This is accomplished through two methods: (1) Drg–Drsya–Viveka: Making all koshas objects of perception (drsya) while recognizing Awareness as the unchanging witness (drk), and (2) Anvaya–Vyatireka: Identifying what remains constant (anvaya/Self) across all states versus what comes and goes (vyatireka/koshas). The koshas should be used as tools for liberation through karma-yoga rather than being rejected – maintaining health, emotional balance, proper discrimination, and understanding enjoyment as a pointer to one's true nature.

Verse 15: Self seems conditioned by koshas

पञ्च कोश आदि योगेन तत्तन्मय इव स्थितः ।
शुद्ध आत्मा नील वस्त्र आदि योगेन स्फटिकः यथा ॥
pañca kośa ādi yogena tat tat maya iva sthitaḥ |
śuddha ātmā nīla vastra ādi yogena sphaṭikaḥ yathā ||

Due to its association with the five kośas, the pure self seems to take their form and condition. As in the proximity of blue cloth, etc. a clear crystal also appears to be blue, etc.

Introduction:

So far we used 3 bodies prakriya to take you to Brahman. This verse uses 5 koshas prakriya (from Taittiriya Upanishad). Kosha as-though covers nature of Atma, because Atma is satya and koshas are mithya.

3 Bodies are looked at from 5 Koshas (Covers) Standpoint:

1. Annamaya: Body is digested food. Do you mistake carrot for “I”, but when it becomes the body, becomes “I”. Digested food becomes your identity, thus becomes a cover of my real nature.
2. Pranamaya: Think of pranamaya-kosha as Intelligence assigned for digestions, circulation, inhalation, exaltation. It's automatic. Doesn't need thought. All of them become your identity, thus it becomes a kosha (cover). EG: Whole life become about improving your physiology, pranayama, exercise, asanas, Martial arts, etc. It's no longer a cover when recognize it as a mere incidental function. Why is prana/pranamaya sometimes called “vital air”? External air become energy (prana) when breath it in. 
3. Manomaya: Emotional life. Whole life goes into fixing emotions through various modalities. EG: Tony Robbins teaching is all about changing your emotional states. Becomes a cover when dedicate life into changing states.
4. Vijnanamaya: Cognitive capacities. Buddhi is called “doer” because decisions are made at level of Intellect. Can make responsible/irresponsible choices. Knowing things. It becomes a cover because you’re all about making decisions/being responsible/knowing things. Decision maker & doer.  Behind every action I perform, my intention is for happiness which is next kosha…
5. Anandamaya: Experiential happiness sheath. Doer is doing things for enjoying. Can find infinite ways to entertain yourself. Entertainment/porn industry.  Meaning, my purpose of action is to enjoy life, but what I end up getting is pain/anger. As you begin to understand source of pleasure isn’t things of world, but knowledge of what-is (Ishvara/my nature), then you begin to relax and take things lighter. Life quality improves.  It's interesting to note the happiness from recognizing your Oneness, also comes from Anandamaya kosha, but it's not binding happiness, because your knowledge doesn't exclude anything. Whereas happiness from “my wife” is in reference to one object out of billions throughout the universe.

Summary:

Ignorance makes 5 functional layers into upadhi (meaning they’re taken as “I”), thus covers your true nature. Consequently life goes into doing things and dealing with situations.

If whole life goes into one or more of these 5 functions, then it becomes a kosha (covers nature of Atma). Otherwise functions of themselves are not a kosha. The very 5 functions which cover atma, have to be sharpened to figure out Atma.

Examples how we fool ourselves:

• 1. Your vijnanamaya understands “Atma is free from sadness”. Then attempt to make manomaya free from sadness, thus still within kosha.
  2. Atma is Ananda-svarupa (from which all pleasurable experiences are possible). Instead of understanding atma like that, the erroneous seeker tries to produce it in their life, thus anandamaya becomes a kosha for them — as is frequently seen with ISKCON followers or any religious group, including Christianity and Islam — where the happiness is based on a future event (going to heaven in the future).

Discrimination Between Self & Not-Self: Verse 16-29

Discrimination between Self and Non-Self – Inquiry into the Meaning of ‘You'
(Ātma Anātma Vivekaḥ – Tvam Pada Vicāraḥ)

Verse 16: Separate the self from the koshas

वपुः तुषादिभिः कोशैः युक्तम् युक्त्या अवघाततः ।
आत्मानम् अन्तरम् शुद्धम् विविच्यात् तण्डुलम् यथा ॥
vapuḥ tuṣādibhiḥ kośaiḥ yuktam yuktyā avaghātataḥ |
ātmānam antaram śuddham vivicyāt taṇḍulam yathā ||

The pure and inner self should be separated through discrimination from the kośas, like the rice kernel is separated from its covering husk, by pounding [repeatedly, not one-time] rice in a mortar.

How to discriminate Self and Koshas by help of pramana?

Drg-Drsya-Viveka Prakriya:

• Atma is seemingly in same category as body, prana, emotional mind, intellect, enjoyer. What we need to do is make koshas the drsya (seen).
  1. Annamaya/Pranamaya: There is presence of awareness in whose awareness body/prana is changing.
  2. Manomaya: Mind is producing different emotions.
  3. Vijnanamaya: Some days I’m so sharp, others so dull. Take different roles as doer/enjoyer. One presence remains.
  4. Anandamaya: If you become great singer (vijnanamaya capacity), you enjoy yourself listening (anandamaya); meaning joy has come and gone. Musicians try to get constant anandamaya kosha kicks (drugs, fame, attention, sex).
• Drk is that which remains constant throughout the variable functions, and itself is not involved in any functions. If Awareness was involved, then the moment you become aware of a thought, it would change that thought into something else. Compared to rice shell separated from rice.
• Through discrimination, you make the 5 koshas drsya (seen) — and Atma is the Drk (seer).

Anvaya-Vyatireka Prakriya:

• Definitions:
  1. Anvaya: Means “invariable concomitance” or “co-presence.” It is what remains constant even after something else is negated. Non-negatable.
  2. Vyatireka: Means “absence” or “exclusion.” It is available in one circumstance, but in another circumstance. Thus it’s negatable.
• Inquiry:
  • In waking, annamaya-kosha is present, and Self is present as the seer of the body conditions. In dream, annamaya-kosha is absent, while manomaya/vijnanamaya-kosha is present, along with Self. In deep sleep, manomaya/vijnanamaya-kosha is absent, while anandamaya-kosha is present (experienced as contentment), along with Self. Shows Self is Anvaya (non-negatable). While the sheaths are vyatireka (negatable) in different circumstances.
  • However we haven’t negated anandamaya-kosha in above example. It’s also negatable because your happiness can be covered with sadness and fluctuates. Whereas Awareness can’t be covered by anything.

How to use these 5 endowments until get to final knowledge?

By applying karma-yoga, you're able to use 5 koshas to help you liberate yourself. For example…

1. Annamaya/Pranamaya: Maintain physical health to keep brain healthy.
2. Manomaya: Putting emotional life in order (for sake of moksha).
3. Vijnanamaya: Should I give my life as musician/engineer? No. Just have to ascertain that music can’t give me final fulfillment I’m searching for, but music becomes means to an end (recognizing svaras/raga’s are glory of Ishvara). You can sing the Upanishads.
4. Anandamaya: Can appreciate any enjoyment you have as miniscule of your true nature.

Conclusion: Don’t need to disown anything. Just see it as means to an end.

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Recorded 11 Jan, 2025