Krishna Dharajiya Panch kosha are the 5 dimensions of your existence. They are known as 5 layers or five sheaths of your body.
Description of Panch Kosha in Upanishad
Taiitiriya Upanishad from Yajurveda mentions about these 5 dimensions of human body.
- Annamay Kosha – Layer made of Food
- Praanamay Kosha- Layer made of Praana (vital life force)
- Manomay Kosha- Layer made of Thoughts (mental aspects)
- Vijnanmay Kosha- Layer made of Intellect
- Anandmay Kosha- Layer made of Bliss
Here ‘may’ means ‘made up of’… Every kosha is dependent and interconnected to it’s next kosha. Purity of,
- Annamaykosha – makes you healthy.
- Pranmaykosha – makes you creative, talented and skilled.
- Manomaykosha – makes you sentimental and sensitive.
- Vijnanmaykosha – make you gain wisdom, conscientiousness and power of discrimination.
- If Anandmaykosha is accessed, you become grateful.
Panch kosha further divides into 3 bodies and 24 elements.
The whole Creation is made up of 24 elements. Your body also consists of these 24 elements. They are as below:
24 Elements of Body
The 24 elements of creation consists of
- Panchmahabhuta – earth, water, fire, air, space
- Sukshma tattva – man, buddhi, ahankara
- Karmendriyas – mouth, hand, feet, anus, genital
- Jnanendriyas – eye, ear, nose, tongue, skin
- Tanmatra – smell, taste, sight, touch, sound
- And 1 is Pradhan (main) – The Pradhana is the unmanifest three modes of nature (sattva, rajas, tamas).
Types of Body (physical/subtle/causal)
- Sthul sharir – physical body
- Sukshma sharir – subtle body
- Kaaran sharir – causal body
Sthul sharir is made up of panchmahabhuta and all indriyas.
Sukshma sharir is made up of man buddhi ahankara.
Kaaran sharir is made up of ahankara.
- Annamay is sthul sharir.
- Pranamay, Manomay and Vijnanmay combine to form sukshma sharir.
- Anandmay is kaaran sharir.
Sukshma sharir is what we call “JeevAtman”, that leaves the body when person dies…!!
5 Components of Sukshma Sharir
- Atript ichhaye that are unfulfilled desires
- Good karmas are saved in coded form of punya
- Bad karmas are saved in coded form of paap
- All sadhnas performed by you
- Past life memories. Not all can avail past live memories but they are saved in sukshma sharir.
The overall final frequency of these 5 components at the time of your death decides what type of next birth you will take…!!
PANCH KOSHA – IN DETAIL (With Description & Balancing Method)
Annamaykosha
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Introduction
It is the outermost layer of panch kosha, made up of food we intake provided by Mother Earth. The food gets converted to rasa. That in turn makes blood, muscles, bones, sperms and eggs. Reproduction is also managed by annamaykosha.
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Description
Your physical health, weight, height, muscular body, beauty are the dimensions of annamaykosha. All jnanedriyas and karmendriyas works well if your annamaykosha is strong and balanced.
Annmaykosha acts as medium for other koshas too. For example, if u wish of eating something, your mouth eats it and your tongue tastes it and fulfills desires of manomaykosha. Also other kosha get energy through jnanendriyas and karmendriyas of annamaykosha. Physical attraction and reproduction is possible through annamaykosha only.
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Balancing
AAHAR-SHUDDHI (purified food intake) balances annamaykosha.
Satvik food, food intake in proper amount, asanas-exercises, sufficient sleep, sports activity, upvaas(fasting), control of senses, disciplined life and cleanliness of body strengthens annamay kosha.
Lazyness, hunger, quarrels, bad habits, uncontrollable desires and low nutrition food intake hinders development of annamaykosha and should be avoided.
Praanamaykosha
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Introduction
Praanamaykosha, the second layer of panch kosha, is made up of praana vayu (vital energy force). It is present everywhere and we inhale it through breathing. The whole universe is nourished by this vital energy force. Every matter around us contains less or more amount of praana.
As we know matter gets transformed into energy, our body gets praana not only through breathing, but also from food we consume.
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Description
Praana vayu is vital force required for all your body systems to function properly. The praana we intake in form of breathing gets divided into various vayus inside your body depending on their relative functions.
There are 5 main types of praana – Praana, Apaana, Samaana, Vyaana, Udaana.
All this Panchpraanas are responsible for operating different systems like optical, respiratory, digestive, excretory, cardiovascular, gastrointestinal, neurological and rest all other systems of your body. There are 33000 different types of vayus in human body with all different functions. These vayus are present in GauMata (cow) too. This is the reason her milk is considered to be a nectar for human beings.
The 5 pranas and different vayus moves through 72000 nadis (astral tubes) to various parts of your body.
After child takes birth, he sucks Praana from atmosphere through crying. After inhaling it, his bodily systems starts functioning.
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Balancing
VIHAAR-SHUDDHI (purified deeds) balances praanmaykosha.
Your actions generate frequencies. When your deeds are not compatible with yourself, it depletes your praana. For example, when you are angry, you feel exhaustion of energy. This is because your emotion of anger sucks the praana from your body – in acting itself out.
Moreover, your company with low-vibrating people and places depletes your personal praana.
When your praana gets clear channel of flow in your body, it gains strength. As a result, it provides you with energy, good health, artistic abilities, creativity, talent and feelings.
Doing praanayam, sports activities, dance, and having enough sleep helps you to balance praana.
Manomaykosha
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Introduction
The third and middle layer of panch kosha is manomaykosha. It is made up of thoughts, feelings and desires. Your mind generates 16000 thoughts in a day!!!
It deals with empathy and emotional intelligence.
Manomaykosha, being the middle layer, effects other 4 layers too. If you control your manomaykosha, you can easily control your other 4 koshas too.
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Description
Balanced manomaykosha serves as your best friend. If your thoughts are uncontrolled, it creates problem in working of other layers. For example, if somebody insults you – you will not be able to eat food properly.
There are 6 biggest enemies of humans as per mentioned in shastras. Namely Kaama, Krodha, Moha, Lobha, Mada and Matsar. They hide in our manomaykosha and are supposed to be wiped out consciously.
Your upbringing, your environment, the way your parents treat you, things they teach you when you grow up right from your childhood plays a crucial role in building up of your manomaykosha.
Condemnation, loneliness, slandering, fear, family disputes and bad companies depletes your mental capacity. This in return causes insomnia and further damages the development of manomaykosha.
In MAHABHARATA chapter -6 Arjuna says to Lord Krishna,
चञ्चलं हि मन: कृष्ण प्रमाथि बलवद्दृढम् |
तस्याहं निग्रहं मन्ये वायोरिव सुदुष्करम् || 34||
The mind is very restless, turbulent, strong and obstinate, O Krishna. It appears to me difficult to control than the wind.
श्रीभगवानुवाच |
असंशयं महाबाहो मनो दुर्निग्रहं चलम् |
अभ्यासेन तु कौन्तेय वैराग्येण च गृह्यते || 35||
Lord Krishna said: O mighty-armed son of Kunti, what you say is correct. The mind is indeed very difficult to restrain. By practice and detachment, it can be controlled.
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Balancing
VICHAAR-SHUDDHI (purified thoughts) is must for balancing manomaykosha.
As per the Universal law of cause and effect, what you sow is what shall you reap..!! The whole universe is said to be generated from a thought!!.
Be mindful of whom and what you are thinking of, as your contemplation leads to manifestation and you imbibe qualities of a person you remember.
Refine your thoughts, control them and provide yourself with favourable and compatible things only. This comes only by PRACTICE.
Practice firm determination for achieving control over your thoughts and desires.
Good environment is necessary for development of manomaykosha. As high vibrational people tend to raise your vibrations, company of sajjan, sadhu and intellectual minded is preferable.
Balanced manomaykosha develops simplicity, humility, ambition and determination power.
Effects of sound on your mind and thoughts are very significant. Mantra recitation, mediatation, naam-jap, soothing music helps in balancing your manomaykosha.
Vijnanmaykosha
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Introduction
Vijnanmaykosha is fourth layer of panch kosha. It is region of wisdom, intellect, inventions and special knowledge. In this layer, you start connecting with the truths of universe and understanding the mysteries of Kaala-The Time.
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Description
Vijnanmaykosha deals with memory, decision making , wisdom, foresight and intellect.
It guides and advises your mind on basis of present state, situations and prior experiences available. Significant 10 powers dwells in your vijnanmaykosha.
- Receptive power (without bias)
- Holding power (preserving acquired knowledge)
- Memory power (for presenting preserved knowledge again)
- Monitoring power ( observing with initiative)
- Testing power (analyzing situations using all senses at same time)
- Estimation power (result based analysis)
- Synthesis power (combinig all above and using all together)
- Analysis power
- Reasoning power
- Creative power
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Balancing
VIVEK-SHUDDHI (purified conscience) balances vijnanmaykosha.
Your wisdom don’t work in case of anger, humiliation, defiance, dogma, narrow-mindedness, harshness, suspicion, arrogance, anxiety, superstitions and malpractice. Firmly avoid such practices.
Study of shaastras, meditation, power of discrimination, curiousness, activeness and firmness in your deeds/thoughts balances your vijnanmaykosha.
Anandmaykosha
The fifth layer of panch kosha is anandmaykosha. For reaching up to this layer, you need to balance the other four first.
Very less is written about anandmaykosha as it is state of eternal bliss. There is nothing beyond it. Only void and emptiness exits after anandmaykosha. Words are not enough to express this state as it is more a kind of “experiential knowledge”. Let me make an ignorant act of describing this layer.
It is the highest and connecting point to universal consciousness. Here you experience extremely expanded…. As if you are in everything around you. You feel as if YOU ARE EVERYWHERE…!!! Everything looks bright..!!!
You start realizing the concepts and hidden mysteries of universe after touching this layer. Language of Every single object around you seems known to you….! You become most humble and at peace with self. As if you have achieved everything. As if all your desires fulfills….!!!
You become mindful in everything you do. Fear of death suddenly vanishes…!! You get quality of service and sacrifice as your self-owned jewels.
It’s state of Satta-Chitta-Ananda..!!!
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Love & Light
Krishna
To know more about Chakras click here
A Person with Panch kosha well balanced is called “Panch kosha-Vikasit”. Lord Hanuman is best example of “Panchkoshavikasit Being”. Such person perceives world beyond CharmaChakshu (normal eyes) of Annamaykosha.
