Purification of the Kośas, and Yoga Sádhaná
The beginning and end of dhármika sádhaná hinges on only one point, and that is the purity and sanctity of its base (ádhára). The base alone is solely responsible for the privations and afflictions of humankind. If the base is firm, privations are not privations and afflictions are not afflictions.
A base is indispensable for every finite object. It is on account of the base that a particular object is distinguishable from others. No two living beings have an identical base. Every living being carves out a distinct base for its existence from the Universal Cosmic self, according to its saḿskáras. The root ci with the suffix ghaiṋ forms the word káya, which signifies “selection”. From the mental body of the Supreme Brahma the living being carves out its base. The living being is the mánas putra or mental child of the Supreme Brahma. The mental body of the Supreme Brahma is created as a result of the domination of Prakrti over the Supreme Puruśa. The physical body of the living being is a creation of Prakrti and is bound to abide by the laws of Prakrti.
The Infinite does not require a physical body, and has only a mental body. Only that which is not infinite needs to be bound or limited. Prakrti is a combination of three distinct attributes namely, sattva, rajah, and tamah. It is on account of the influence of these attributes that Puruśa realizes respectively “I am”, “I do,” and “I am the object.” If only one of these three attributes of Prakrti is influencing Puruśa, then there can be no change at all. The fact that Puruśa is constantly changing is evidence that not only one but all the three guńas are operating throughout the universe.
1. Bhúrloka
Crudeness is dominant everywhere in the páiṋcabhaotika world, and the influence of tamoguńa is the strongest here. In both the physical and the subtle body, all three guńas or attributes of Prakrti undoubtedly exist. Brahma has only a mental body and this páiṋcabhaotika world has been created as the crudest manifestation of this mental or subtle body. In every case not one but all these attributes occur, although in varying magnitude. The physical world is characterized by crudeness. Tamoguńa is dominant, rajah is ordinary and sattva is recessive. In Sanskrit this crudest manifestation of Brahma is called bhúrloka.
2. Bhuvarloka
Of the seven strata, the greatest crudeness exists in the bhúrloka. The next stratum or bhuvarloka is less crude than bhúrloka. Here, tamoguńa is dominant, rajoguńa is negligible and sattvaguńa is ordinary. It is the mind which works in conception, concentration and meditation, as well as in distinctions of high and low. Mano karoti karmáńi.
This is the stratum of the mind engaged in the working of the physical body. All tendencies such as appetite, avarice, sleep and indolence, are related to the physical body. The vibrations or pulsations of these potentialities take place in bhuvarloka.
It is from this stratum that the crudest aspect of the mind is created and this is called the káma-deha or kámamaya kośa. Just as Brahma has no physical body, there is no kámamaya body capable of performing of the functions of the physical body. However, from the crudest mental manifestation of the mind of Brahma comes the creation of the bhuvarloka, as the stage which precedes the creation of the bhúrloka. Through the bhuvarloka, Brahma internally enjoys the páiṋcabhaotika world which He has mentally created.
3. Svarloka
It is svarloka which is called the manomaya world and it is in this stratum that a person experiences pleasure and pain. In Sanskrit, “heaven” or svarga, and the svarloka are synonymous. Pleasure-seeking persons perform righteous deeds motivated by the desire to attain heaven after relinquishing the mortal body. Saḿskáras exist in this manomaya world or manomaya-kośa, which is also known as the “pure mental sphere”. Rajoguńa exists in a minor degree and saḿskáras are generated in the svarloka. It is the popular belief amongst Christians, Muslims, Jains and ritualistic Hindus, that the fruits of virtuous deeds are enjoyed in svarloka or heaven.
4. Maharloka
Another name for maharloka in Sanskrit is the atimánasa loka, which means “the supramental sphere”. Here, rajoguńa is conspicuous, sattvaguńa is less conspicuous and tamoguńa is insignificant. It is in this stratum that saḿskáras first pulsate. The human mind is propelled by its saḿskáras to undergo the reactions of its actions. The first vibration of the collection of saḿskáras is created in this sphere. Suppose a person has to visit a cholera-stricken place. Before going there someone whispers to him that he too will contract cholera. On his going there, it happens that he actually gets cholera. This is the function of the atimánasa sphere. The first yearnings for sádhaná or the initial throbbings of strong desire also take place in this sphere. It is here that the inspiration of the soul first becomes active. For this reason the potentialities of sádhaná and the classifications for different persons germinate in this sphere.
5. Janarloka [Subliminal Stratum]
This is called the vijiṋánamaya kośa. True knowledge, wisdom and renunciation dominate this sphere. These attributes are sometimes conspicuous even in pleasure-seeking persons, but there are obstacles [[on]] the way due to the influence of bhúh, bhuvah and the other lower lokas. In janarloka, sattvaguńa is most conspicuous, tamoguńa is less conspicuous, and rajoguńa is insignificant.
6. Taparloka
This is called hirańmaya loka. Here, sattvaguńa is most conspicuous, rajoguńa is less conspicuous and tamoguńa least conspicuous. Knowledge is in an unmanifested state. Even the “I” feeling is not clearly manifest but it exists in a latent state. There are no English equivalents for the names of the spheres above the janarloka.
7. Satyaloka
In this loka the three guńas are present but they are not manifest. Here Puruśa is dominant. Puruśa alone is manifest in this sphere. Satyaloka is the state of Nirguńa Brahma. In the manifested universe, there are seven regions. Except satyaloka, the other six spheres are refulgent on account of the variation in the proportions of the guńas.
All living beings need a base (ádhára). In the absence of a base, they merge into the ocean of the cosmos. Suppose there is a cup of water in a pond. So long as the cup exists, the water in the cup also exists, but if the cup is removed, the water in the cup will merge with that of the pond. The base of that water is the cup. It is only when the cup is removed that the water it contains merges with that of the pond. Similarly, the soul merges into Brahma when there is no base to embody it.
Even after the annihilation of the base from the átmán, the saḿskáras do not separate from the átman or unit soul. How does this phenomenon occur? The hirańmaya loka is the subtlest body of the human being.
The living being carves out a physical body for itself from the bhúrloka, that is, where tamoguńa is presently dominant, rajoguńa is ordinary and sattvaguńa is negligible. Another name for this in Sanskrit is the annamaya kośa. This body is formed through food. [The annamaya kośa is not included in paiṋcakośa.]
The mind works behind the body. The mind is formed by the kámamaya kośa, which is known as the “crude mental body”. Here tamoguńa is dominant, sattvaguńa is intermediate and rajoguńa is insignificant. . . .... This kośa operates the body and is subtler than the crude physical body.(1) [Thus] the portion of mind which deals with indriyas is named kámamaya kośa. This kámamaya kośa controls the physical longings of the microcosm [that is, hunger, thirst, sleep, etc.]. . . .(2) ...The kámamaya kośa, being the crudest in structure and in the case of the microcosm dealing with the external paiṋcabhútas, is called the “crude mind” or sthúla manah.(3)
The force behind the kámamaya body, that is, the crude mental body, is the svarloka, the mental sphere of the Supreme Brahma. Above the kámamaya body there is an ordinary mind which is created by the manomaya kośa. In the manomaya kośa, rajoguńa is dominant, tamoguńa is ordinary and sattvaguńa is insignificant. . . .... The manomaya kośa is subtler than the kámamaya kośa and it has the capacity of recollection and contemplation (smarańa and manana).(4)
[[The force behind the mind is the atimánasa body, or shell, which has been created by the maharloka. Here rajoguńa is dominant, sattvaguńa is ordinary, tamoguńa is insignificant. A kośa, literally "shell", means a body. The four spheres comprehend the four shells.]] This layer is derived from the maharloka, or supramental body, of the Cosmic Mind. It is in this kośa that the saḿskáras originate. The difference between good and bad saḿskáras is also seen in this kośa. Here rajah is dominant; sattva is less and tamah is least.(5)
It is in this sphere that saḿskáras exist. Sattvaguńa is dominant, tamoguńa is ordinary and rajoguńa is insignificant. This mental sphere is known as the vijiṋánamaya kośa and this sphere is the janarloka of Brahma.... In this kośa exists the knowledge of existence, the knowledge of “I”. Here, vaerágya and viveka are also found. In this kośa the desire for sádhaná arises.(6)
[[The tapah loka is also called the hirańmaya kośa in individuals.]] In this loka, sattva is dominant; rajah is less and tamah is least. [Hirańmaya means “made of gold” – this state is as pure and radiant as gold.] ... In this kośa [[or]] body, even the knowledge of “I” [[is]] not much in evidence. The consciousness of individuality is present, but ill-defined and unclear. This is the subtlest layer of mind, around the átman. In fact, the feeling of “I” is reflected in this kośa only because of its close proximity to the vijiṋánamaya kośa.(7)
...The atimánasa, vijiṋánamaya and hirańmaya kośas, being still more subtle and also being the rudimental stages of sthúla and súkśma manah, are collectively termed the “causal” or “astral” mind (kárańa manah). The psychological nomenclature of “conscious”, “sub-conscious” and “unconscious” minds for the crude, subtle and causal minds does not appear to be correct.(8) However, the division of the microcosm into a causal portion is merely a theoretical proposition. There is no separate existence of the unit causal mind from the Cosmic causal mind. In case the crude and subtle portions of the unit mind suspend their work by the process of sádhaná or otherwise, the causal portion of the unit mind will not be able to maintain its separate identity; only the seeds of past actions will remain just to differentiate the microcosm from the Macrocosm. By a process of correct sádhaná, the spiritual aspirant will feel that there is one causal mind in the universe. There is no causal difference between the microcosm and the Macrocosm. Similarly, by the subtleness of projection, subtle and crude portions of the unit mind can connect themselves with the subtle and crude portions of the Cosmic Mind. The way to achieve this subtleness of projection is the process of yogic sádhaná.(9)
The Satyaloka is that state where nothing other than all-pervading absolute truth exists. There is no idea of dualism generated by crudeness, or as an outcome of degeneration. The soul in its subtlest form of body remains in that life-giving sphere of the eternal Satyaloka. Its position is above the hirańmaya kośa.
Tacchubhraḿ jyotiśáḿ jyotiśtad yadátmavidorviduh.
On account of the influence of Prakrti, the same Brahma contains all the seven spheres. That is, only for the manifestation of the seven-fold spheres have Mahattattva etc. been created. It is from the páiṋcabhaotika elements, the crudest manifestation of the mental body of Brahma, that the jiivátman carves out its physical páiṋcabhaotika body or annamaya kośa, in accordance with its saḿskáras. With the aid of the annamaya kośa or the physical organs, the jiivátman seeks pleasure from the objects of the exterior world. In reality, there is all around a single undivided entity. The difference between a unit soul or jiivátmán and the universal soul or Paramátmán is radically connotative. With the connotation universal Mahat or universal Aham, He is the Supreme Brahma. He also becomes a unit soul as composed by the páiṋcabhaotika body acquired in accordance with the saḿskáras.
Na vástvah kashchidupádhireśah.
Iishádyamáyá mahadádikárańaḿ
Jiivasya káryaḿ shrńu paiṋcakośam.
Sádhaná teaches elimination of this connotative difference.
Rájyaḿ Narendrasya bhat́asya khet́akastayorapohena bhat́o na rájá.
The person who may be called a king by virtue of his royal insignia (upádhi), may be called a wrestler if he holds a cudgel. For instance, Vishvanath will be known as a king if he is decorated with royal insignia, whereas he will be called a wrestler if he holds a cudgel. But Vishvanath remains the same Vishvanath on withdrawing the royal insignia and the cudgel. Likewise, the difference between jiiva and Paramátman is on account of the difference in connotation. On eliminating the connotative difference from the unit it merges into Brahma.
Where there is no connotative distinction, there is satya, and that is the true recognition. This is the role of sádhaná, to establish satya by revealing that which is untrue. The lokas and kośas are all degenerations, not the absolute truth.
Satya is immutable. If it mutates it is no longer Satya. Satya is that which does not vary. It remains in one unaltered state for all time – past, present and future. Because of its immutable characteristic for all time – past, present and future – it is not only beyond the bounds of time (kálátiita) but also beyond the bounds of space (deshátiita) and beyond the bounds of form. It is beyond the bounds of time, space and form. It has no differences even in the different parts of its own being. Even one portion does not differ from another. Brahma or Satya is an indivisible, uninterruptible and immutable entity. Satya knows no differences. Then can there be any difference between Him and external objects? No, there can be no difference within or without. Nothing can exist beyond Him. That which is indivisible is infinite. Hence anything identical with Him shall also be contained within Him.
Satya knows no difference, whether of the same species (svajátiiya) or of other species (vijátiiya) or different parts of the same body (svagata). If a mango tree were supreme truth or satya, then other species of trees would be outside the realm of satya Hence the mango tree cannot be the supreme truth, since it differs from other species of mango (vijátiiya bheda), for example bambaii, kishanbhoga, and so on. Hence it is not the Supreme Truth. It is relative [truth] or untruth.
[[Ápekśika satya (relative truth), or mithyá [untruth], is dependent on time, place and form.]] The moon appears like a metal plate from a distance, but as somebody advances towards it, it appears to grow bigger. Then how big is it? Largeness and smallness are governed by space. Hence, it is not the Supreme Truth, it is relative truth.
The nearest route from Bhagalpur to Monghyr would be westward, but one can reach Monghyr even if one goes eastward, around the circumference of the earth. The distance thus solely depends on space. How then can it be called the Supreme Truth? Those suffering from jaundice will find the colour yellow in whatever they see, normal persons will see the same things in their real colours. This is dependent on the person and consequently is not the truth.
It has been observed that place and form are not the Supreme Truth. Now, let us consider the time factor. To what extent can a historical event be called true? Suppose the Mahábhárata was fought 3253 years ago. Now, it is a fact that we see things through the aid of light. The stars in the sky become visible to you only when their light strikes your eyes. Suppose the light waves of the Mahábhárata age will take another eight hundred years to reach a certain star. If you look at the earth now, in this period, with the help of a telescope what will you see? You will see that the Mahábhárata has not yet been fought there and that it will not take place for another eight hundred years. What is past for one is present for another and future for a third. All these are relative truths. The same may be said with respect to sound as well. If someone speaks loudly, a normal person will feel that they are shouting, while a deaf person will say that they are speaking very softly.
Each of the spheres, namely, atimánas, vijiṋánamaya and hirańmaya, is respectively one beyond the other. Satya is beyond even the last. When one is established in Satya, only then can one become the knower of the past, present and future and ultimately of truth itself. For such a person there is no disharmony anywhere. Of course, it is difficult to establish oneself in Cosmic Consciousness, but once having been established in Brahma, a person gets extricated from all disharmony. Human beings can come to know the past, present and future by annihilating the mind through spiritual practices. The mind must be annihilated because it is a relative truth which prevents human beings from knowing the absolute truth.
Where there is action, there is motion. Time or kála is the mental measurement of the dynamism in action. Where there is no action, there is neither mind nor time. If you are unconscious, then you will not be aware of the lapse of even three hours. Action and mind are relative truth and consequently time is also a relative truth. Time is dependent on space and person, and space and form are dependent on time. It is incorrect to say that time is eternity without end and without break or limit. Time cannot exist without space and person.
Human beings derive or try to derive pleasure from objects, great and small, but they cannot get eternal bliss from a relative truth. It is for this reason that sages devote themselves to the Entity free from the bondage of time. The body and mind are not free from the bondage of time; so it is foolish to pursue them. It is, of course, proper to take care of them but they are not to be the objects of devotion. One has to practise sádhaná to establish oneself in the Entity which is free from the bondage of time.
Kośa means ádhára, or “base”. Are the saptaloka [seven spheres] and paiṋcakośa [five sheaths] separate from the átman (soul)? Is the relation between them that of the container and the contained? If we say, Eko Brahma dvitiiya násti. (“There is only one Brahma and no other”), then of ádhára and ádhrta, which is Brahma and which is not? If either the container or the contained is considered as Brahma, does that mean that the other is not Brahma? If it is argued that saptaloka and the paiṋcakośa are the base of Brahma, then the existence of some other entity outside of Brahma has to be acknowledged. For instance, suppose there is a person in a house. The house and the person exist separately. The house is the container and the person is the contained. Hence, the house is separate from the person.
In the paiṋcakosá, the átman is the contained and the kośa is the container. Clearly the container must be bigger than that which it contains. There is nothing bigger than Paramátman; hence it cannot have a container. Should we then consider that saptaloka and the paiṋcakośa do not exist? [[They do exist, for the saptaloka themselves are Brahma.]] Their aggregate is Brahma. [[The paiṋcakośa themselves are thejiiva.]]. There is a subtle difference between the jiiva and Brahma. In the jiiva there are two types of “I” feeling – one is its mind created by Máyá, and the other is its knowledge-filled state – the reflected expression of Paramátmá Himself – that is, its (the jiivaʼs) jiivátmá. The jiivátman is the real “I” feeling of the jiiva, or unit soul. Of the seven spheres, Brahma is unaffected only in the Satyaloka, and in the remaining six lokas, Brahma is affected by Máya. It can also be explained in this way, that the six lokas are created within Brahma, which Itself pervades the expressed universe as imperishable Brahma. Brahma has no base.
Excepting Satyaloka, the remaining six lokas are created within Brahma, in the very midst of Brahma. Is it the case, then, that the light is different from its original source? The śatloka [six lokas] are its evolution – these are the manifestation of Brahma – the relationship is not that of the container and the contained. The difference between the jiivátman and Paramátman exists only so long as there is the [[jiivabháva [“I” feeling of the unit].]]
What is the relationship between jiivátmán and Paramátman? What is the jiiva (unit soul)? The base of the physical body is the kośas. Here, the base is bigger than that which is based upon it. The kámamaya kośa is bigger than the annamaya kośa. Then the manomaya kośa is bigger than the kámamaya kośa. The atimánas kośa is bigger than even the manomaya kośa. The vijiṋánamaya kośa is larger than this. The hirańmaya kośa is bigger than the vijiṋánmaya kośa and the biggest of all is the Satyaloka. All of these aspects are limited to the unit soul and all of them are its base. Now, what is the relationship between the base and the based? The relationship is that of a subject and an object. For instance, the physical body is the object of enjoyment and the mind is the enjoyer. That is, our body is the object of enjoyment of our mind and the mind remains attached to it. The body is the base of the mind and the mind is intimately attached to its base.
Mahattattva is the pure “I” feeling of the subtlest state of the mind. Every jiiva has this “I” feeling, and where the átman assumes a special “I” feeling, it becomes jiivátman. Where the átman remains as the knower “I” of Shyam Babu, it is called Shyam Babuʼs átman. In every living being, all the spheres – right from the kámamaya to the hirańmaya kośa – are to be meditated upon. The knower behind the meditative power of the mind is the átman. The relationship of the átman and the mind is that of a subject and an object. The mind is the thinking subject of the body and the átman is the knowing subject of the mind. Then, are there really innumerable souls, and what is the difference amongst them? The difference is that a soul is taken in different aspects due to the difference in its objects. When there is a singular knowing entity (Saguńa Brahma) behind all minds, then taking the collective view, Brahma is the knower of all the knowers in the perishable and imperishable states (i.e. within or without the influence of Prakrti) of the jiiva. Saguńa Brahma is the knower, the perishable and the imperishable. He who is absolutely perishable and absolutely imperishable is Brahma. The fragmentary or reflected perishable, or fragmentary or reflected imperishable is jiivabháva. Nirguńa is neither perishable nor imperishable. It is beyond these. It is absolutely liberated. .... . .
In day-to-day life people maintain their existence in the physical state. Crude matter forms the object of enjoyment of the mind. On account of crude matter being its object of enjoyment, the mind itself becomes crude. Humankindʼs primary concern regarding food and clothes is the concern of the kámamaya kośa and so, inevitably, the mind associates with crude objects. In such circumstances, how can there be any opportunity for self-elevation? Animals are constantly associated with the crude.
Sámáyametad pashubhirnaráńám,
Dharma hi teśámadhiko visheśo
Dharmenahiináh pashubhih samánáh.
The mental tendencies of appetite, sleep, fear and the sex urge are found among humans and animals. So what is the difference between the two? The distinction between humans and animals is that humans have a sense of dharma. Human beings practise dharma, but animals do not. A person who does not pursue the path of dharma in spite of being endowed with a human form is just like a beast.
Human beings advance from subtle to the subtlest or degenerate from crude to the crudest, according to their own propensity. Many isms are based on the kámamaya kośa. In one socio-economic theory, the economic factor is the only factor, but the kámamaya is only one kośa. Even trees also possess a kámamaya kośa and that is why they derive their vital energy from the earth, water and air. Where the annamaya kośa dominates, all the remaining kośas are dormant. The mind identifies itself with crude objects and therefore has no “I” feeling. For this reason, the átman is also devoid of perception. While the mind is sleeping in a dormant or latent state, it does not permit the jiivátman, which is but a reflection of Paramátman, to reveal itself.
Confinement to the annamaya kośa tends to crudify a person, since it does not allow for psychic elevation. There is some scope for discussion of philosophical controversies which have arisen with respect to the mamomaya kośa, On account of mental differences, different philosophical thoughts have sprung up, such as Buddhism, Jainism, Islam, Christianity, and so on. Only in spirituality do we find discussions on subjects from the subtle to the subtlest, including the átman. The mind is the object of the átman. To attain the átman, blend the mind with its original subject. Unify the object with the subject. The relationship between them is the same as between you and your hand. There is only one way to self-realization and that is to fuse the mind with the knower of the mind and eliminate the crude manifestation of the átman. How is this possible? It is only possible by the introversion of the tendencies, which can be achieved through knowledge and sádhaná. It is not possible to be introverted until each and every kośa is realized. When the mind realizes that the physical body is the vehicle of the mind, then you will know that there is progress in sádhaná. In other words, it is necessary to have a perfect conception of each kośa and for this it is necessary to know where one kośa ends and another begins. There are two minds – one immature and the other mature; one introverted, the other extroverted. Only the knowledge of these five kośas (paiṋcakośas) can be the perfect knowledge. Take a ripe mango, for example. Although the pulp and the seed of a ripe mango remain together they are in fact, separate. Ripeness means perfection.
This is the difference between dharma and sectism. Dharma makes each kośa perfect and enables a person to achieve perfection in sádhaná. Only through the achievement of perfection are different portions differentiated from the original stuff. Sádhaná is based on philosophy and supported by logic. In olden times people were under the impression that the world was comprised solely of matter and they never thought to go beyond the kámamaya kośa. Had they contemplated a little deeper, they would have realized that they were totally mistaken. Similarly, many modern philosophies are solely materialistic. Their propounders did not fully apply their minds and hence they cannot be deemed to be perfect philosophies. Only those philosophies which carry us to the highest levels of the soul by observing every current of the mind are the real philosophies. The rest are only academical logics.
What is sectism, mazhab or religion? Some people encourage us to worship idols, others encourage us to have a dip in the Ganges. All these things are created within the mind and are destroyed there. Happiness and heaven, afflictions and hell – all are mental conceptions in the physical world. They are all destroyed in the mamomaya kośa. The proponentsʼ souls are confined to the mánomaya kośa and they are Bhuktaye na tu muktaye, “seekers of enjoyment and not the seekers of salvation”.
Some sects hold that happiness comes after death, but who will enjoy that happiness? The mind, of course. But where does the mind go after the destruction of its vehicle – the physical brain? Who will enjoy the pleasures? The átman pervades as an indivisible form, as an all-knowing entity. There is no átman in the grave, nor does the question of its waking up arise. In such sectism the manomaya kośa is called the “soul”, however if there is only the soul, then there would be no fear of pain or pleasure. ...
* * *
Ordinarily, sectism terminates in the mánomaya kośa. Idolatry can elevate a person up to the átimánas kośa, but no further. Many persons aspire to achieve happiness by devoting themselves to idolatry. They do not aspire to get absorbed in Paramátman and remain close to Him. Buddhism rises above this, since it also provides for the annihilation of saḿskára. Annihilation of the “I” feeling is called [[laya [dissolution], but who will annihilate “I”? "I" will annihilate “I"!]] Buddhism does not recognize the soul, but speaks of annihilation of [[the "I"; so the "I" must be the subtlest expression of the mind.]]
The subtlest expression of mind is in the hirańmaya kośa, which is the first expression of mahattattva. Establishment in this kośa in a universal manner is savikalpa samádhi. When after emerging from the samśkaras, the hirańmaya merges in attributeless Brahma, then this is called nirvikalpa samádhi. Those who have attained the kámamaya kośa will say that it is not proper to steal since, if we steal, others may also steal from us. This is the trend of thought of the materialists. Their thinking is distorted with selfishness. Rather, one should not steal, [simply] for the sake of keeping the mind pure. This is the correct approach.
The paiṋcakośa shall have to be perfected, but how is it possible? They can be consummated only through the practice of Yama and Niyama. The annamaya kośa is perfected through asanas (physical postures). Yama and Niyama sádhaná perfects the kámamaya kośa. The manomaya kośa is perfected through pránáyáma. Through pratyáhára the atimánasa kośa is perfected. The vijiṋánmaya kośa is perfected through dhárańá, and the hirańmaya kośa through dhyána. Only dhyána samádhi gives access to the soul. Spiritual persons are those who are earnest in their efforts to perfect the paiṋcakośa. Human existence consists of the five kośas, and spiritual practice is eightfold. This spiritual practice is dharma. That which does not provide for the explanation of the paiṋcakośa is not dharma, but sectism. Aśt́áuṋga yoga was introduced for this particular kośa sádhaná.(10)
Why is aśt́áuṋga yoga called “dharma”? The purpose of dharma is to attain perfect happiness, and perfect happiness is the attainment of the soul, there being only partial happiness in each kośa. So long as the soul is not attained, every kośa has to be perfected. Each kośa has to be taken care of. One kośa cannot be perfected to the exclusion of the rest. Where there is perfect happiness there is dharma; everything else yields only partial happiness and is therefore sectism. Sectism leads to preya (superficial and immediate gains) and only dharma leads to shreya (ultimate and real gains.) Everything else leads to crudeness. Dharma leads to the Supreme Consciousness, and only that which upholds and sustains the soul is dharma. The dharma of fire is to burn and the dharma of living beings is to attain happiness. Where there is the pursuit of preya there is Avidyámáya. The happiness of heaven and the fear of hell are creations of the mind. Dharma has no fear since through dharma one attains the original state. Ananda Marga alone is dharma and all the rest are sectisms.
All inspiration for a person practising dharma is derived from Saguńa Brahma, through His grace. For this reason one must be indebted to Saguńa Brahma. The person who does not practice sádhaná is inferior to a tree, for the tree has no capacity for sádhaná, whereas the person has. The wise avail themselves of this beneficence; those who do not are ignorant. You have been given divine grace and a human frame, so make use of this grace properly. Do not waste this golden opportunity.
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You human beings are fortunate that you do not have to live as stones or trees. The entire universe has the grace of Brahma, but human beings enjoy greater grace. They are endowed with the privilege of practising sádhaná. It is the special grace of Brahma to appear as Sadguru and teach spiritual practice to human beings. Is it not His special grace when Brahma attracts a person?
When one person attracts the hirańmaya kośa of another it is termed brahmavidyá. The one who attracts the hirańmaya kośa of a person is the Supreme Guru.
When the hirańmaya kośa of one person attracts the vijiṋánamaya kośa of another it is termed daevii vidyá. When the vijiṋánamaya kośa of one person influences the atimánas kośa of another it is called gandharva vidyá. A person with this capacity is also called madhyama guru. Such a person awakens the sentiments of dharma in the mind of the disciple through sweet sounding kiirtana, and so on. If the atimánasa kośa of one person attracts the manomaya kośa of another it is called rákśasii or paeshácika (demonic) vidyá. When the manomaya kośa of one person attracts the kámamaya kośa of another it is bhúta vidyá or hypnotism. If the kámamaya kośa of one person attracts the annamaya kośa of another, it is known as the force of physical attraction.
Saguńa Brahma graces living beings with divine grace. You have been blessed. Use this properly and attain the state of Nirguńa Brahma by annihilating the barrier between the subjective and objective angles of vision. The highest object, the supreme attainment, is to attain the nirguńa state. The aspirant says:
Parameshvara.
O human beings, you are fortunate. The clarion call of the Universal has reached you. Not only has the call come, but you are hearing it and it is vibrating in every cell of your body. Will you now lie in the corner of your house as an inert being and waste your time by clinging to old skeletons and bemoaning them? The Supreme Being is calling you in the roar of the ocean, in the thunder of the clouds, in the speed of lightning, in the meteorʼs flaming fires. Nothing good will come from idleness. Get up and awaken the clouded chivalry of your dormant youth. It may be that the path is not strewn with flowers and that an inferiority complex will attempt to hold fast your each advancing step, but even then you have to proceed onwards, tearing the shroud of darkness. You will tear the thick darkness of despair as you advance in the racing chariot radiant with the sunʼs brilliance, towards the attainment of the supreme state.
In this sádhaná of stabilizing the citta, the meaning of progress is to gradually cleanse every kośa of its impurities. When the kámamaya kośa is stabilized, the citta will follow the dictates of the manomaya kośa and will not be swayed by the lower propensities, by sensual proclivities. Then again, when the manomaya kośa becomes tranquil, the citta will be free from the influence of the kámamaya kośa. It will then merge its own entity in the atimánasa kośa – the supramental mind. In other words, it will exhaust the remaining saḿskáras. It cannot perform any original action (pratyayamúlaka) without citta shuddhi, (mental purification) because these non-original actions keep the lower kośas active. Thus one must continue with sádhaná ceaselessly with a view to gradually establishing harmony and equilibrium in the kośas one after another. The moment the indistinct sensibility of the hirańmaya kośa (subtle causal mind) is free of the least vestige of impurity, the spiritual aspirant shines with the dazzling radiance of the Satyaloka. That is an auspicious moment for a sádhaka or sádhiká, as it is the unification between átman and Paramátman.
Action is of two kinds – original and reactive (pratyayamúlaka and saḿskáramúlaka). It is due to original actions that saḿskáras accumulate. Saḿskáras are exhausted through reactive actions. In the case of original actions the unit entity enjoys some freedom but not in reactive actions. Original actions, whether in the external world or in the world of thought, are performed in the wakeful state. In most cases the thoughts in a dream are the tightly-woven expressions of the dreamerʼs saḿskáras. In the dream state the kámamaya kośa and even the manomaya kośa have no direct authorship, so original action is not possible. The reason that this dream state is subtler than the wakeful state is that in the dream state, the lower kośas completely sublimate themselves to the higher kośas: it becomes impossible for them to indulge extroversively in original acts driven by the sensual propensities. The unconscious or causal mind, however, remains in its original stance even in the dream state. That is to say, in that state the normal characteristics of the atimánasa kośa [supramental mind], the vijiṋánamaya kośa [subliminal mind] and hirańmaya kośa [subtle causal mind] are not impaired.
The dream world is directly concerned with the atimánasa kośa, and from this atimánasa kośa the manomaya kośa germinates. Because the atimánasa kośa is the creator of the manomaya kośa it is called the pitrloka (supramental sphere). Due to the incessant expression of saḿskáras, this pitrloka also does not remain in a state free of impurities, and for this reason the divine effulgence cannot be properly reflected in this loka. The loka just above it, the vijiṋánamaya kośa or janarloka, being involved with the “I” feeling (asmitá), also has impurities. Although it enjoys a very elevated position, it is still not free from the possibility of downfall. In this loka the mind does experience the semblance of bliss, but the unit may also degenerate into inertness, driven by the saḿskáras – although both these eventualities take place unknown to the unit itself. So one who has made even the least acquaintance with this loka – whether that person does good or evil acts – develops a rather self-forgetful nature. This very loka is also called gandharvaloka in Sanskrit. The semblance of happiness that arises out of music or other fine arts, belongs to this loka. Let us call it in English the “subliminal sphere”. This loka lacks perfection due to the influence of asmitá. Although people may attain the semblance or suggestion of happiness by cultivating the fine arts alone, they cannot fully establish themselves in divine bliss; for this, Brahma sádhaná is indispensable.
The loka above this, where the hirańmaya kośa (subtle causal mind) is established, is what we call devarloka. When spiritual aspirants merge their petty “I” feeling from the realm of the devarloka (where this “I” feeling is not very much evident) – into the bearing of the Great, they establish themselves fully in Saguńa Brahma [Qualified Consciousness – the collectivity of Paramátman, Macrocosm and microcosm]. In this loka, if the whole of the “I” feeling (asmita) is shattered and merged in Puruśa, the unit attains total identification with Nirguńa Brahma [Unqualified or Objectless Consciousness]. This loka is the Satyaloka – this indeed is the Brahmaloka. The one who is established in this loka is alone the Bráhmańa [Brahmin].
Saguńa or nirguńa – whatever be the goal or aspirations of sádhakas on the path of sádhaná, they must avoid the fragmentary pursuits of their organs. So, spiritual aspirants have to properly understand the intrinsic tendencies of their organs, or else it is impossible to bring them under control. Sádhakas and sádhikás must know how the organs and their tendencies have been evolved and why....
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The human body is made of five fundamental factors, which are controlled by práńa [vital energy]. Práńa is controlled by the mind. So, práńa and the mind are respectively the direct and the indirect controllers of those fundamental factors. The different seats of the mind for controlling the fundamental factors indirectly are called plexi (cakras). In these cakras the práńa is active. The nucleus that exists in the centre of these cakras bears the controllership of the mind.
The main controlling station of the citta and mind is located in the sixth plexus – the pituitary plexus (ájiṋá cakra). This plexus also indirectly controls the other fundamental factors. The right petal (the acoustic root of which is ha) controls the aparávrtti [propensity of extroversiality] of the human mind. In this it is assisted by the right subtle nerve current (the piuṋgalá), which primarily controls the left portion of the body and secondarily the right portion.
The left petal of the pituitary plexus (whose acoustic root is kśa) controls the force of spiritual inclination, or parávrtti. With the help of the id́á, the left subtle nerve, it primarily controls the activities of the right portion of the body, and secondarily, the activities of the left portion.
But where the práńa directly controls the cakras, there too the mind has to remain with it. A part of the mind remains intimately and pervasively associated with the práńa that controls the múládhára cakra. Thus the five kośas or layers of the mind – kámamaya, manomaya, atimánasa, vijiṋánamaya and hirańmaya – chiefly control the five subtle energy centres or cakras – the múládhára, svádhiśt́hána, mańipura, anáhata and vishuddha cakra respectively. The ájiṋá cakra does not directly control any fundamental factor, but by its spiritual power it controls the psychic force. Those who are engaged in bringing this seat of knowledge under control are the true spiritual aspirants. For them alone the divine sphere remains open.
The perfect sádhaná is the sustained effort to completely identify every kośa with the inner self, thus the more sádhakas and sádhikás progress on the path of sádhaná, the more their cakras and propensities (vrttis) are gradually controlled by the higher and higher kośas. But the sádhakas must not stop here. At the final stage of their sádhaná, even the stance of the ájiṋa cakra, even their entire mind entity, has to be taken to a higher state of existence – the Brahmaloka – and merged in Puruśabháva, or cognitive bearing. It is in the sahasrára cakra [pineal plexus] that sádhakas establish themselves in the true blissful state and transcend the bondages of pleasure and pain. That state is the ultimate state of attainment for microcosms, it is the original stance of Brahma. There exists neither you nor He, the two become One. It is by means of sádhaná that this supreme rank is attainable. So you see, the destiny of human beings is in their own hands. You are certainly capable of controlling yourself. Here “yourself” means your propensities – the demons within you.
Bear in your mind that the controlling point of each cakra is located in the ájiṋá cakra, but it is with the help of the crude nerves that the kośas control the different cakras as well as the propensities belonging to them. Even without the nerve fibres it is not impossible for the kośas to function; but in the absence of the nerve cells the unit-mind is unable to express its inner thoughts. Thus the mind of a dead person or disembodied soul, being detached from its physical base, loses its capacity of contemplation. It is impossible for a bodiless mind to entertain hopes or desires, or to become involved with any entity or any crude object, or to frighten or help anyone. Ghosts and spirits are the products of human beingsʼ flighty imagination – the fantastic fancies of idle, timid minds. The greater the control you achieve over the kośas through your sádhaná, the more your organs will become submissive to you. Just as peopleʼs internal thoughts and knowledge go on developing as they become established in their higher kośas, due to their control over the mind and the organs, similarly, when they are unaffected by external influences, all their vanity, inertness and superstitions rapidly disappear. The impact of external objects leads to psychic perversion, whereas the impact of subtle, internal ideas due to introspection manifests a synthetic mind in which intuition comes to the surface. In the final phase the prajiṋá mánasa [intuitional mind], the abode of saḿkalpa and vikalpa, free from the psychic bearing, ultimately transforms itself into cognitive bearing (prajiṋá).
Shrii Shrii Anandamurti
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