Vivekachudamani

The sheath of vital air

   This sheath, known as the praanamaya-kosha, is made up of the vital air (with its five subdivisions) and the five organs of action. It permeates the sheath of food and enables it to perform all its functions. But, as already stated in the previous article, this sheath is also insentient and is enlivened only by the self. The vital air is nothing but a form of wind. So it cannot be the self.

The sheath of the mind

   This sheath, known as manomaya-kosha, consists of the mind and the five organs of knowledge. It permeates the sheaths of vital air and food. It is the cause of the sense of �I� and �mine�. This sheath is very powerful because bondage and liberation depend on the mind. Attachment of the mind to sense objects is the cause of bondage and detachment towards them is the means to liberation. The five organs of perception bring offerings to the mind in the form of experience of sense objects. The sheath of the mind is described as the sacrificial fire, the five organs of perception as the sacrificial priests, and the sense objects are the oblations which are being continuously poured into the sacrificial fire. The vasanas in the mind are the dry fuel for the fire. If there is no fuel, there can be no lasting flame in the sacrificial altar even  though the oblation, clarified butter, is continuously poured into it. Similarly if there are no vasanas, the mere presence of sense objects will not be able to produce bondage. It is the vasanas that obstruct one�s spiritual progress. So it has been said that the elimination of vasanas is liberation. When the mind is functioning, as in the waking state, there is bondage in the form of identification with the body and the sense of possession, which are the cause of sorrow. When the mind is not functioning, as in deep sleep, there is no identification with the body and so there is no experience of sorrow.

   In dream there are no objects, but various objects and experiences are created by the mind. Similarly the objects in the waking state are also not real. They are only an expansion of the mind.

(Note. In this context Mandukya Karika, ch.2, verses 6 and 7 are relevant. Verse 6 says that what does not exist in the beginning and at the end is unreal. By this test things experienced in the waking state as well as those in dream are equally unreal. Verse 7 points out that the objects of the waking state are contradicted in the dream state. For example, a man goes to bed after a full meal, but soon dreams that he is extremely hungry. A man who dreams that he has eaten a hearty meal, wakes up feeling very hungry. Because of these reasons, things experienced in both the states are equally unreal.  But though they are both unreal, it is admitted that there is a difference between the two. In his Bhashya on Brahma sutra 2.2.29 Sri Sankara points out that there is a difference between the dream state and the waking state. The difference consists in the perceptions in dream being sublated immediately afterwards and the other not. To a man who has woken up from sleep the objects perceived in dream never had any existence at all, for he says �I falsely imagined that I was in the company of great men. In fact, I never came in contact with great men; this delusion arose because my mind was overpowered by sleep�. But an object seen in the waking state, such as a pillar, is not thus sublated under any condition. Moreover, dream vision is a kind of remembrance, whereas the visions of the waking state are forms of perception. The difference between remembrance and perception, consisting in the absence and presence of objects, is well known).

   In the state of dreamless sleep nothing is experienced because the mind is dormant. This further establishes that the mind is the creator of objects in dream and waking. Clouds are brought together by the wind and they are also dispersed by the wind. Similarly both bondage and liberation are brought about by the mind. The mind creates attachment for all objects including one�s own body and binds a man. Later the same mind creates aversion for objects by reminding him of their harmful nature and leads the person to liberation. The mind is the cause of bondage when it has a preponderance of rajoguna. When the mind becomes free from rajas and tamas  it leads to liberation. The mind becomes capable of leading to liberation if firm discrimination and strong dispassion are cultivated. So one who seeks liberation should cultivate these qualities. The mind is like a ferocious tiger which roams about n the forest of sense-objects. The wise person should restrain the mind from roaming about in this forest. It is the mind that produces the experiences of sense-objects and creates all kinds of distinction such as body, varna, ashrama, causes and effects.

   The jiva is in reality the pure consciousness which is free from all attachment, but the mind makes him forget his real nature and identify himself with the body, mind, senses and vital airs. As a result he looks upon himself as an agent and an enjoyer with the notions of �I� and �mine�. Avidya by itself cannot cause bondage without the association of the mind. Attachment to the body, etc., is not there in deep sleep even though avidya is present, because the mind does not function then. As the mind is the cause of samsaara, the enlightened persons have declared that the mind itself is avidya. It is by the mind that all jivas are tossed about like clouds by the wind. Therefore one who seeks liberation should purify his mind by ridding it of desire, greed, anger, and all other such emotions. When the mind is pure liberation becomes as clear as a fruit in the palm of the hand. After getting rid of all attachments the seeker should resort to sravana, manana, and nididhyaasana (hearing of the scriptures, reflection and meditation) with faith. This will cleanse the mind of rajoguna. 

   The sheath of the mind cannot be the self because it has a beginning and an end, is always undergoing changes, is of the nature of sorrow, and is an object of knowledge. The self is always the subject and never an object.

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