Panchkosh-Five sheaths
Before sending soul in the Sansaar-The World our beloved father and well-wisher God gives every soul eighteen things. These are namely a mind, an intellect, five karmendriyan and five gyanendriyan, a gross material body and the panch pran.
Trisharir is one way of grouping them in 3 bodies.
Panchkosh (Devanagari: पंचकोष ISO15919: paṁcakoṣa) groups the same eighteen components differently. Panch means five and kosh means sheath. So there are five sheaths.
According to the Upanishads the mind of the jeev is covered by five walls. This is why we identify ourselves as the body and aren't acquainted with our real identity (the soul). These sheaths are called kosh.
Due to identifying ourselves as the body we run helter-skelter in search of physical enjoyments and experience all the Mayic vices.
These 5 sheaths are briefly described below
According to the Upanishads the entire body is covered by five walls. These walls are called Koshas or sheaths.
Annamaya Kosh
1. Annamaya Kosh (Devanagari: अन्नमय कोष ISO15919: annamaya koṣa) is the first and outermost sheath is called Annamaya Kosh. It comprises of gross body called sthool sharir along with 10 senses (5 Karmendriyan and 5 Gyanendriyan). This gross body is created from and is nourished by food.
After death sthool sharir merges into soil to provide food again. This body is the foundation of the other 2 bodies namely sooksham sharir (subtle body) and karan sharir (causal body) and other 4 sheaths. That is why the sthool sharir, formed on Annamaya kosh and maintained by grains, is very important for realization of God.
One fourth part of our food forms the structure and tendencies of mind. Formation of body, nature, skills etc. for the next life depend on Annamaya kosh which is formed by food we intake. Thus, the first step to improve complete personality (physical, mental and spiritual) starts with improving Annamaya kosh. One who penetrates through Annamaya kosh takes is a step closer to God realization.
After crossing the first sheath, a person no longer feels hungry. Eating or not eating does not have any impact on the sthool sharir.
Pranmaya Kosh
2. Pranmaya Kosh (Devanagari: प्राणमय कोष ISO15919: prāṇamaya koṣa) is the second sheath. This is the sheath of vital-air. It is separate from Annamaya kosh, yet it remains inside it. This comprises of Panch pran and 5 Karmendriyan.
Air is imperative in this sheath. It fills the Aannamaya kosh (food-sheath) with air like a bellow.
Pran (air) is commonly mistaken for soul. So, know that unlike the soul (which is divine) this is a material sheath.
This sheath maintains harmony, balance and tranquility, in the body and mind. Pranmaya kosh does not stop working as long as the soul remains in the body.
Pran or air could be perceived by breath. These pran are of 5 types and together they are called Panch pran.
After mastering this kosh lack of air does not effect the being. And the soul enters the higher level of sheaths i.e. Manomaya kosh.
Manomaya Kosh
3. Manomaya kosh (Devanagari: मनोमय कोष ISO15919: manomaya koṣa) comprises of mind and the gyanendriyan. Since mind is predominant it resolves and rejects, feels and desires. The five gyanendriyan (subtle senses of perception namely sight, hearing, smell, taste, touch) are embedded in the mind. Mind is the only cause of both mukti and bondage .
Mind is very powerful ! Yet, the intellect governs the mind. Intellect decides and mind pursues it without any ifs and buts. The dsecision of intellect depends on it’s guide. That’s why our scriptures advocate surrendering intellect to a genuine saints. To know how to distinguish a genuine saint from imposter refer to Saint or Imposter.
When one's intellect decides to follow God-realized saints then, since they will tell the path to true happiness, the mind unwaveringly will move in the right direction i.e move towards true Bliss.
After crossing over the limits of Manomaya kosh, the food, atmosphere, climate etc. affect neither the body nor the mind.
Vigyanmaya Kosh
4. Vigyanmaya kosh (Devanagari: विज्ञानमय कोष ISO15919: vijñānamaya koṣa) is the Intellectual sheath. : Vigyan means a firmly determined intellect. It comprises of intellect and the gyanendriyan. This sheath is subtler than Manomaya kosh and permeates the Manomaya kosh. It is often mistakenly presumed as Jeev. But it is not, because Vigyanmaya kosh is material, inert, ever-changing. Whereas, Jeev is divine, conscious, and unchanging. Reasoning is the main function of this kosh. Ego also originates from this kosh. The soul accumulating firm knowledge of ahankaar (metaphysical realm) is called Vigyanmaya or a soul endowed with Vigyan.
Anandmaya Kosh
5. Anandmaya kosh (Devanagari: आनंदमय कोष ISO15919: ānaṁdamaya koṣa) is a sheath of bliss. Entering in the area of innermost sheath of atma (soul) is attainment of real bliss of Atma. In this sheath the soul feels higher bliss than all others he enjoyed so far. We all have a glimpse of this bliss in the state of Sushupti (sound dreamless sleep). But the one, who crosses the boundary of Vigyanmaya Kosh attains it permanently. Although, it is not the bliss of God, yet it is so elevated that the person voluntarily discards all other kinds of happiness including the happiness of the abode of Brahma.