Vivekachudamani

The subtle body

   The sense of hearing, the sense of touch, the sense of sight, the sense of taste and the sense of smell are known as jnanendriyas or organs of perception. It is through these organs that external objects are experienced. These organs are produced from the sattva part of space, air, fire, water and earth respectively. It must be noted that these are not the physical organs, such as ear, skin, etc, in the physical body. These physical organs are known as golaka. The indriyas are the subtle counterparts of these physical organs and form part of the subtle body. The presiding deities of these five indriyas are, respectively, the deities of the quarters, the deity of air, the sun, Varuna (the god of the waters) and the two Asvini devas. (See also Panchadasi.1.19).  

   It may be noted that each sense-organ is produced from  the particular subtle element whose distinctive quality it has the power to reveal. For example, the organ of hearing which is produced from the sattva part of the subtle element, space, reveals sound, which is the distinctive quality of space. The organ of smell is produced from the sattva part of the subtle element earth whose distinctive quality, smell, it reveals. Sri Sankara says in his commentary on Br.up.2.4.11�The sruti considers the organs to be of the same category as the objects, not of a different category. The organs are but modes of the objects they perceive. 

   The subtle counterparts of the vocal organ, hands, feet, anus and genitals are known as karmendriyas or the organs of action. These are produced from the rajas part of the five subtle elements. The presiding deities of these organs are, in order, the deity of Fire, Indra, Vishnu, Yama and Prajaapati.

   From the sattva parts of all the five subtle elements together is produced the antahkaranam or internal organ which is known by four different names according to the different functions performed by it. The four names are-manas, buddhi, chittam and ahamkaara. (Sometimes only two names, manas and buddhi, are mentioned, as in Panchadasi.1.20, the other two being included in them). These four functions are explained in Vivekachudamani, verses 95 and 96 thus. When any situation arises, a person first considers various alternatives to explain or understand the situation. When the internal organ performs this function of cogitation it is known as the manas or mind. When ultimately a determination is made or a decision is taken, it is known as buddhi or intellect. The function of storing experiences in memory is called chittam. Behind all these three functions there is the notion of �I� in the form �I cogitate�, �I decide�, and �I remember�. This �I-ness� or ego is named ahamkaara. Very often the word �mind� is also used to denote the antahkaranam as a whole, when these distinctions are not relevant. We shall use the word �mind� in this sense hereafter.

   There is difference of opinion among Advaitins on the question whether the mind is an indriya, organ, or not. Vaachaspati Misra, the author of Bhaamati, considers the mind as an indriya. Prakaasaatma muni, the author of Vivarana, takes the view that the mind is not an indriya. The author ofVedanta paribhaashaa also takes the same view. This point assumes importance when the question as to how realization takes place through the mahaavaakyas is considered.

   From a combination of the rajas aspect of the five subtle elements, is produced praana, or vital air. This has five divisions, according to the function performed. These are described in the Bhashya on Prasna upanishad, 3.5, thus:--- He (praana) places apaana, a division of himself, in the two lower apertures, as engaged in the work of ejecting the excreta.  Praana himself, who occupies the position of the sovereign, resides in the eyes and the ears and issues out through the mouth and nostrils. In the navel is samaana, which is so called because it assimilates all that is eaten or drunk, distributes them equally in all parts of the body and effects digestion. Udaana, another division of praana, moves throughout the body and functions upwards. It leads the soul out of the body at the time of death and takes it to other worlds according to one�s punya and paapa. Vyaana regulates praana and apaana and is the cause of actions requiring strength. (See also Br.up.1.5.3.S.B).

Br.up. 3.9.26.S.B.�The force called praana would go out (through the mouth and nostrils) if it were not held back by apaana. The force called apaana would also depart (through the lower orifice) if it were not held back by vyaana. All these three forces would go out in all directions, if they were not fixed to udaana. All these four forces rest on samaana.

Taitt.up. 2.2.S.B. Praana is that aspect which goes out through the mouth and nostrils.             

Vedantasaara�Paras 84 and 85---According to Sankhya, there are five more vital forces known as naaga, koorma, krikala, devadatta and dhananjaya.Their functions are, respectively, causing vomiting, winking, creating hunger, producing yawning and nourishing the body.

   The aggregate of these eight, namely,

   (1) the five organs of action (karmendriyas),

   (2) the five organs of perception (jnanendriyas),

   (3) the five forms of praana or vital air,

   (4) the five subtle elements beginning with space,

   (5) the four divisions of the antahkaranam (manas, buddhi, chittam and ahamkaara),

   (6) avidya,

   (7) desire, and

   (8) the impressions of all actions,

is what is called the subtle body or sookshma sarira. This is also known as the linga sarira. The word �linga� is derived from the root �ligi� which means �that which reminds�. The subtle body reminds us of the atma and so it is called linga sarira. The word �sarira� is used in the sense of �that which perishes�.  The subtle body will cease to exist on the realization of the self and so it is also called a sarira though it does not have any shape or form like the gross body. The subtle body is made up of the five subtle elements as they exist before the process of quintuplication described earlier. It has in it the impressions of past actions. It is the experiencer of the fruits of actions. It is the beginningless limiting adjunct (upadhi) of the atma. The dream state is the special state of the subtle body. In this state the gross body is not active, but the subtle body projects various objects and experiences based on the vasanas in it. In this state the atma itself illumines the objects projected, since the sense organs do not function then and there are no sources of light like the sun.

   The intellect (buddhi) is the limiting adjunct of the atma. The atma is the mere witness of all the modifications of the intellect, but is not tainted by the modifications or their results. It is compared to the sun which enables all creatures to act by providing light, but is not in the least affected by their good or bad actions. The atma is therefore described as unattached. The subtle body is the cause of all activities. It is the instrument of the self, just like the tools for a carpenter. A carpenter cannot do his work without his tools. So too all activities are possible for the atma only when it is associated with the subtle body. In deep sleep the atma is not associated with the subtle body and so there is no action. However, even in the waking state the atma does not perform any action but is a mere witness; it is wrongly looked upon as a doer and an enjoyer because of identification with the subtle body, as a result of ignorance.

   The qualities such as blindness, poor vision, clear vision, etc., belong only to the eye and not to the atma. Similarly, deafness, dumbness, etc., pertain only to the respective organs. Inhalation of breath, exhalation, yawning, sneezing, secretion, departure from the body on death, hunger and thirst are qualities or activities of the vital air (praana). It is the internal organ that experiences sound, etc., through the respective sense organs. Because of the reflection of the atma which is pure consciousness in the internal organ, the latter itself appears to be conscious, like the moon appearing as bright because of the reflection of the light of the sun on it.

   Sri Sankara says in his Bhashya on Br.up.4.3.7 :--

Just as an emerald or any other gem, dropped into a vessel of milk, imparts its lustre to the milk, so does this luminous self, being subtler than even the mind and the intellect, impart consciousness to the whole body, mind and organs. (When an emerald is dropped into milk, the latter gets a green hue. Similarly, the self, being pure consciousness, makes the insentient mind, body and organs sentient.)

   Why people identify themselves with the body, mind, etc.    

   Sri Sankara says in his Bhashya on Br.up.4.3.7:--

   The intellect, being transparent and next to the self, easily catches the reflection of the consciousness of the self. Therefore it is that even wise men identify themselves with the intellect first; next comes the mind which catches the reflection of the self through the intellect; then the organs through contact with the mind; and lastly, the body, through the organs. Thus the self successively illumines with its own consciousness the entire aggregate of body and organs. This is the reason why all people identify themselves with the body, mind and organs, to a greater or lesser degree, according to the extent of their discriminating capacity.

   The ahamkaara or ego-sense is the internal organ (antahkarana) with the reflection of consciousness in it. It identifies itself with the body and sense organs and looks upon itself as a doer and an enjoyer. It assumes the states of waking, dream and dreamless sleep by association with the three gunas. The waking state is the result of association with rajoguna, the dream state with sattva guna, and dreamless sleep with tamoguna, according to the commentary of Sri Jagadguru Pujya Swami Chandrasekhara Bharati of Sringeri Peetham. Though all the three qualities are present in all the three states, the particular quality mentioned above predominates in each state. 

   When sense objects are favourable, the person is happy. If they are not, he is unhappy. Happiness and unhappiness are the qualities of the ego and not of the atma which is ever blissful.

    All objects in the world are dear only for the sake of the atma; they are not dear in themselves. But the atma is dear to every one by itself. This sloka in Vivekachudamani (sloka 108) is based on Br. up. 2.4.5.

  It is said in the Brihadaranyaka upanishad (2.4.5) that the husband is dear to the wife not for the sake of the husband, but for her own sake. The wife is dear to the husband not for the sake of the wife, but for his own sake. Everything is dear only for one's own sake. The idea is that the wife, son, wealth, etc, are dear to a person only because he derives happiness from them. The self (the person himself) is thus the real object of love and not others. When the wife, son and others dear to a person do not act in the way he wants them to, they cease to be dear to him. Even the greatest miser will not hesitate to spend his money when that becomes necessary to save his own life from disease or danger. Attachment to wife, son and others is given up by a person when they become obstacles to the fulfillment of his own wishes. Even attachment to wealth makes way when one's own life is at stake. Attachment to the body however continues because everyone looks upon the body as himself. In order to realize the truth that he is the self or Atma which is different from the body he has to give up attachment to the body also. Attachment is the cause of all sorrow. Thus it is taught here that one should first give up attachment to wife, son, wealth and the like which are known to be external to oneself. Ultimately attachment to the body, which is looked upon, due to ignorance, as identical with oneself should also be given up by one who seeks liberation.

   The atma is ever blissful. It never suffers misery. In dreamless sleep there are no sense objects, but the bliss of atma is experienced then. This is testified by perception, tradition and inference. This matter has been dealt with elaborately in Chapter 11 of Panchadasi. Please see the summary of this chapter given in this website under the head �Panchadasi�.

   The causal body is taken up next. This will form the subject-matter of the next article.

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