Panca Koshas

The concept of the five sheaths (pancha koshas) is integral to understanding the inner journey that is undertaken in sAdhanA. In increasing order of subtlety these are:

1. annamayakosha: the sheath composed of food

2. prANamayakosha: the sheath composed of energy, although sometimes it may refer to prANa vAyu or energy in the breath

3. manomayakosha: the sheath composed of manas, the lower mind

4. vijnAnamayakosha: the sheath composed of buddhi, the discriminating, non-attached observing part of the mind

5. Anandamayakosha: the sheath of bliss

On the inner journey these sheaths are successively recognized and pierced through meditation, until the true nature of the Self as pure Consciousness is realized. For this the nature of these five sheaths that clothe the Self needs to be understood.

The outermost sheath is called the sheath of food, and consists of the gross body. In meditation one sits in a specific Asana, such as siddhAsana or svastikAsana, to keep the body still in a comfortable posture. That is why in the Patanjali Yoga SUtra is is said:

sthira sukham Asanam

The pleasure of being still is Asana (posture)

This kind of Asana for meditation stills the gross prAnas, or gross energies in the body. When the little twitches and jerks in meditation posture are slowly eliminated, then one attains Asana jaya, or victory over Asana. This takes some time. The twitches and jerks in posture are a reflection of perturbations in the mind, so steadiness in meditative posture is a direct indicator of steadiness of the mind. 

After the body sheath has been stabilized, it can then be penetrated in the sense that the next subtle sheath is allowed to come forward. This is the prANamayakosha, or the sheath of energy. This sheath is stabilized through prANAyAma, which literally means the prolongation of energy: in this case, the energy contained in the prANa vAyu. Most beginning meditators and even many yoga teachers think that prANAyAma means breath control. But in fact breath is only one vehicle through which energy flows and is experienced. There are many other pathways of energy in the body, and these are experienced as meditation deepens. For instance, after vigorous exercise we experience a flooding of energy throughout the body, and this is the experience of vyAna vAyu. Through meditation, the sAdhaka becomes increasingly aware of everyday experiences of energy flow.

The human being is also classified as consisting of three sharIras or bodies: sthUla (gross), sUkshma (subtle) and kAraNa (causal). Through prANAyAma the sUkshma sharIra is experienced.  The prANamayakosha may be experienced as vibrations, or tingling in the finger tips, when meditating on the breath through prANAyAma. These initial experiences can be very encouraging. However, quite some time and effort can be spent in piercing the annamayakosha and stabilizing the prANamayakosha. There are many subtle energy pathways to explore in the energy sheath, but the yogi focuses on the sushUmna nADi, since that is the most direct route to kunDalini awakening.

Energy is generated by consuming food in the annamayakosha, and also through the breath (prANa vAyu).  With the opening of the sUkshma sharira now one has to consider energy balance in the subtle koshas also. The trick is to cultivate awareness of energy dissipation in the subtle realms. Slowly the sAdhaka realizes that one should expend energy in annamayakosha only as needed in physical activity and speech. 

The path to Atman leads beyond energetic manifestations. The vibrations one feels in meditation all exist in the prAnamayakosha, once it is realized that prAna is not just breath but actually energy. 

However, even prior to kunDalini awakening it is useful to try and penetrate the sheaths in succession so that it becomes a part of meditation practice. The bhUta shuddhi practice is useful in prANayAma because it systematically takes the mind through the panca mahAbhutas, which are the five great elements. In increasing order of subtlety these are: 

1. pRthvI: Earth

2. apas: Water

3. agni: Fire

4. vAyu: Air

5. Akasha: Space

Once the breath is stabilized and the prANamayakosha is pierced,  the meditator then concentrates on stilling and stabilizing the conscious mind, which is part of the manomayakosha. Considerable time and effort can be spent at this level also. This is where mantra meditation, or visualization can be useful. This is also where the pratyAhAra rung of Yoga is practiced. One begins to notice that the senses that should be under the control of the mind are liable to be distracted as easily by subtle objects, as they were by gross objects. Slowly the mind becomes one-pointed through repeated training, and fixes itself more readily and easily on the object of meditation. Now the sAdhaka is at the dhAraNa rung of Yoga. Deepening this concentration leads to dhyAna, or true meditation.

The sAdhaka then realizes that the description of the mind as composed of manas, ahamkara, buddhi and citta is accurate and this is directly experienced at the level of the manomayakosha that is attained in meditation by going through the prANamayakosha. Through dhyAna the various levels of mind are explored, including the conscious and unconscious portions of the mind. These are done from the vantage point of the vijnAnamayakosha, or the sheath of buddhi, so this requires the stilling of the conscious mind so that it can be pierced or transcended. From this observing or witnessing stance, the train of thoughts can be observed as an uninvolved spectator. From the standpoint of the vijnAnamayakosha, or pure buddhi, the operation of the mind is seen clearly in meditation. This insight can be brought forward into the waking state to witness thoughts and functions of the mind.

The key point is that there is also energy generation and dissipation in each of the inner sheaths. KuNDalini and prANa are experienced and sustained in the prAnamayakosha, and energy can be dissipated through ejaculation or anger. This is why ojas gets dissipated through sexual activity. Warm milk with almonds strengthens ojas. Again the rule is to minimize dissipation and maximize generation. Straining too hard in meditation also dissipates prANic energy. If a particular sheath is not amenable to being pierced, the sAdhaka should back off for a bit. Straining is just not a good idea. There is generation and dissipation of energy in the manomayakosha as well. Mental churning or running over lists and deadlines all dissipate energy, as do negative thoughts and emotions. Obsession with a particular thought is a great sink of energy. Anger and frustration are also great sinks of mental energy.

Beyond the vijnanamayakosha is a state of bliss, the Anandamayakosha. This state is attained by reducing the mind’s activity so that buddhi doesn’t have to do anything. Manas sits sleepy because there is no input coming from the indriyas, and citta becomes still so there are no thoughts arising from the storehouse of memory. Consequently neither ahamkara or buddhi have anything to do. This can be accomplished by drawing a thread from Consciousness manifesting as Spanda or the anahata nada, to breath (through breath awareness), thereby ensnaring the mind. Once the mind is ensnared, pure Consciousness pervades the entire frame and one feels like a vibrating ball of bliss. Within this there are several frequencies. The vibration is the energetic manifestation of Atman, or the Self whose nature is pure Consciousness. 

The samskAras or deep impressions that reside in the subconscious mind, together with the Atman constitute the kAraNa sharIra, or causal body. This causal body can detach from the subtle and gross bodies, and this is what happens at death, or in near death or out-of-body experiences.

Once Atman has been directly experienced, there is another stage in which the panca koshas are relevant. In this stage, the Manifestation of the Self in the external world through these five sheaths is to be understood. The second stage is the subject of Adi ShankarAcArya's PancIkaraNam, or quintuplication.

The quintuplication of Consciousness into the five sheaths can be understood through a simple analogy. Just as we see the colors of the rainbow when white light refracts through a rain drop or prism, so also is the case with Consciousness. The lower frequency colors correspond to the less subtle bhUtas, such as pRthvI and apas, while the higher frequencies correspond to vAyu and Akasa. When this connection is fully known in all states of consciousness, the jIva is in sahaja samAdhi and there is nothing further.