Each of the faces of Panchmukhi Ganesha faces a different direction and hence the name. The classical Upanishads were concerned with addressing the nature of the self and one's relationship to the universe, and pancha kosha is thought to be one of the earliest conceptualizations of the human being.
The description of pancha kosha in Taittiriya Upanishad is highly symbolic; the fuller exposition as taught in the yoga tradition comes from later Vedantic texts such as Adi Sankara’s Vivekacudamani or Vedantasara of Sadananda.
Central to Vedantic philosophy, the concepts of Brahma and atman had a key influence on the development of the kosha model. A gradual process of moving inward through the five sheaths and resolving imbalances is believed to reveal a true understanding of the nature of the self as one with universal consciousness.
Annamaya kosha, (the sheath which consists of food)
‘Anna’ means food. This sheath is our physical body and is the densest of all the koshas. It includes our bones and also the tissues which make up our muscles and organs. It is the lowest vibration of ourselves. Here, energy is solidified into matter and it is made of the five elements, of which the earth element is the dominant one. It is called the food layer because it is created by the food that we eat. It is the structure that contains both the prana and the consciousness. If one gets ‘stuck’ into this layer, then one becomes over obsessive about form.
Pranamaya kosha, (the sheath that which consists of energy)
‘Prana’ means energy. This kosha is the vital life force that moves through the body. It literally consists of the breath and the five pranas, namely: prana, apana, udana, samana and vyana. These forms of prana control various functions within the physical body, and without prana, the body would be lifeless, and unable to move or think. It is the prana that makes the blood flow, carries impulses through the nerves from our body, to the brain and back. Prana also circulates between the physical body and the different sheaths through the agency of the nadis. Prana is in the form of vital, mental, psychic and spiritual energy. It is what allows us to travel from gross, to subtle and causal bodies.
Manamaya kosha, (the sheath that consists of the mind)
‘Mana’ means mind. This kosha is made up of our thoughts, feelings, mind and emotion. This is what we commonly call the ‘monkey’ mind and it is through the prism of this dimension that we perceive the world and our likes and dislikes (raga and dvesha) via the agency of the five senses. We continuously experience pain-pleasure opposition in our life, which destabilizes us and is also responsible for our happiness and unhappiness.
Consciousness is the act of being connected to the outer world through our senses, which are connected to the brain through the mind. Mind functions on three levels: Conscious: mind connects the outer world to the brain, Subconscious: mind stores of all the experiences and Unconscious mind: the ‘Real Self’ or ‘Atman’
Many people are ‘stuck’ in this sheath as they are abducted by their mind. In order to shift from this dimension, practices such as pranayama and pratyahara (mental withdrawing of the senses,) are very efficient. Patajajali tells us in the yoga sutras: "Yogash chitta vritti nirodhah. Tada drashtuh svarupe avasthanam”. Yoga is the mastery of the activities of the mind-field. Then the seer rests in its true nature.
Vijnanamaya kosha, (that which consists of subtle knowledge)
‘Vijnana’ means subtle knowledge or wisdom. In this kosha we reach intuitive knowing and higher levels of consciousness. In this sheath the awareness of the body and mind is lost, and awareness is established as the ‘higher’ mind. We know, decide, judge, and discriminate from the wisdom part of ourselves, our higher consciousness. Consequently, the higher mind turns within towards the soul, seeking the Truth, and searching for the eternal center of consciousness.
Vijnanamaya kosha, through the agency of the nadis, links the conscious mind, the higher mind and the universal mind. Practices such as dharana, (mental focus on an object) and dhyana, (meditation on the divine,) are inner disciplines that progressively help us to channel our focus towards a deeper level of consciousness.
Anandamaya kosha, (the sheath that consists of Bliss)
‘Ananda’ means bliss. It is the spiritual or causal body, where, finally, you become one with the “divine spark,” which is our soul. Anandamaya kosha is connected to the unconscious or superconscious mind. It is only when the higher mind fuses with the superconscious mind, (or unconscious mind,) that one awakens to the Presence with a sense of connection to all. It is the highest level of vibration in this life. It is said that when you realize the Self or God, you reach “Mukti,” or liberation. Very few people have managed to reach anandamaya kosha, only saints and realized souls. This is when we reach Samadhi.
These five sheaths envelop the Atman. Atman is like electricity in a bulb. As without electricity one cannot expect light in a bulb similarly we cannot expect any activity in the body without Atman. Also the electricity alone cannot give us light, in the same way Atman alone cannot show any activity, it needs the Body or these five layers to express itself.
Food Sheath is the outer most layers. It is the physical body. The five organs of perception (Jnana-Indriyas), five organs of action (Karma-Indriyas), the three doshas namely vata, pitta and kapha, the seven dhatus i.e. the seven bodily tissues, the 13 Agnis i.e. digestive juices and metabolic hormones and enzymes, the malas of the body i.e. waste products of the body namely urine, feaces and sweat are a part of it. It is called food sheath because it is caused by food, maintained by food and finally ends up as food.
Nutrients from food get deposited into tissues of body and mind. All the food stuffs are made up of same elements our gross body is made up of. They are made up of five basic elements namely earth, water, fire, air and space. The amount of these elements differs in various food stuffs. They impart their qualities in our body when eaten by us. Likewise they affect our thinking process too. So to have a healthy body and healthy and positive thoughts you need to eat healthy and satvik food.
There are five faculties functioning within you. They correspond to the five physiological functions (five Pranas). Together they constitute the vital air sheath. They have been given that name because they are related directly to air you breathe. The air we breathe is the vehicle of Prana.
The five Pranas are; Prana – Faculty of Perception, Apana – Faculty of Excretion, Samana – Faculty of Digestion, Vyana – Faculty of Circulation, Udana – Faculty of Thought / Absorption. Vital Air Sheath is subtler than food sheath. It controls the food sheath. When your pranas functions properly your physical body remains healthy and strong. When they slacken (as in old age) and work inefficiently the body is adversely affected.
If all these factors are healthy then only we can realize our real self (Atma-Satkarkshat), which is of utmost importance according to Ayurvedic definition of health. Wellbeing is said to arise when all five sheaths are integrated and balanced, a state in which the veil of maya (illusion) is lifted and any sense of separation between atman and brahman (universal consciousness) is dissolved.
Vedas say that the Bliss sheath is the causal body when it expresses itself, it takes the form of other two sheaths and finally works out as perceptions and actions in the gross body. It means if we instilled our causal body with the suggestion of health and positivity, the subtle body will entertain positive thoughts of health and the gross body is bound to be healthy.
Because of this philosophy only Ayurveda perhaps is the only medical system which while describing a disease, tells about the dietary changes, lifestyle changes and changes at the level of thinking process along with the treatment proper of that particular disease. It says that a disease starts when we go away from these factors.
The treatment of a disease cannot be achieved only by administering some medicines, we need to cut the source of the disease, we need to correct all the factors responsible for that disease then only the treatment would be complete. On the other hand if we keep these entire psycho-somatic factors in a balanced state and generate a habit of positive thinking there is no question of a disease.
Authored by Dr Anadi Sahoo
