Types of Bodies a Jeev Can Receive
The Jeev can receive many different kinds of bodies. Material bodies arise in several ways, ranging from ordinary forms of birth to bodies produced through extraordinary means. Beyond all material bodies are divine bodies, which are not made of material matter.
So, here we briefly describe the types of embodiment of the souls found in the creation and divine world. Total there are 8.4 million embodiments in the material world.
चतुरशीतिलक्षाणि निर्मिता योनयः पुरा ।
उद्भिज्जाः स्वेदजाश्चैव अण्डजाश्च जरायुजाः ॥
caturaśītilakṣāṇi nirmitā yonayaḥ purā ।
udbhijjāḥ svedajāścaiva aṇḍajāśca jarāyujāḥ ॥
“In the beginning of creation, 8.4 million yonis were created.”
— Garuda Purana 2.31.42
The forms described below include nine kinds of material bodies and, categorically distinct from them, divine bodies.
Let us briefly discuss them here.
Material life forms
Most material life forms that propagate in the world can be divided into two types -
शरीरं द्विविधं योनिजमयोनिजं च ।
śarīraṃ dvividhaṃ yonijamayonijaṃ ca ।
"Body is formed inside the mother's womb called viviparous or yonij, and those whose body is not formed inside mother's womb or non-viviparous or ayonij”.
नर नारी योग से ही गोविंद राधे ।
बने प्रायः तनु प्राकृत बता दें ॥
राधा गोविंद गीत 7238
nara nārī yoga se hī goviṁda rādhe ।
bane prāyaḥ tanu prākr̥ta batā deṁ ॥
rādhā goviṁda gīta 7238
"Most often, material bodies are created by union of male and female form”.
Viviparous life forms
1. Yonij sharir (योनिज शरीर | yonija) refers to bodies formed through the union of male and female and developed within the mother's womb. These include humans and many animals such as cows, goats, and whales.
Not Viviparous life forms
Ayonij (अयोनिज | ayonija) refers to material bodies that do not arise in this ordinary way. Of the ones listed below first three are very well known to us since those are within our everyday experience on earth.
Born from sweat
2. Sved sharir (स्वेद शरीर | sveda ) means sweat. When the body is formed from the sweat the body is called svedaj (स्वेदज शरीर | svedaja ). Everyday examples of this type of bodies are those of lice, bacteria, viruses etc.
Born from eggs
- The bodies born from eggs are called andaj sharir (अंडज शरीर | aṁḍaja ). All birds, snakes, frogs etc have this form of birth.
Born from land
4. The life forms that are born from land are called udbhij sharir (उद्भिज शरीर | udbhija ). Ud means ‘created’, and bhij means ‘from earth’. E.g. of these life forms are trees, shrubs etc.
The scriptures also describe other extraordinary ways in which material bodies may arise. Among the following forms, each successive type is superior to the preceding one.
Born from Touch
5. When conception of a baby happens by a man touching a woman above the waist that child is called urdhvreta sankalpaj sharir (ऊर्ध्वरेता संकल्पज शरीर | ūrdhvaretā saṁkalpaja śarīra ).
Born by glance
6. When conception of a baby happens by a man casting a glace at a woman such a child is called to be born by glance (दृष्टि से उत्पन्न शरीर | dr̥ṣṭi se utpanna śarīra).
In Mahabharat Ved Vyas cast his glance on Ambika, Ambalika and their maid. Subsequently, a child was born from each of those women. Three children respectively were Dhritarashtra, Pandu and Vidur.
Born from resolve
7. manas sharir (मानस शरीर | mānasa śarīra) is when the body is generated purely by the mental resolve or intention (Sankalpa), without physical union.
Lord Brahma created the Sapta Rishis (Seven Sages), the Sanat Kumaras, and Sage Narada using this exact mental manifestation. They did not undergo any physical gestation or reproductive cycle.
Kalavati, Menaka, Rantanmala are manas-puttri (daughters) born from resolve of pitra Arjmadi.
काम जन्य तनु हो या गोविंद राधे। ऊर्ध्वरेता संकल्पज बता दे ॥
राधा गोविंद गीत 7239
kāma janya tanu ho yā goviṃda rādhe। ūrdhvaretā saṃkalpaja batā de ॥
rādhā goviṃda gīta 7239
"Regardless of whether the body came into being due to union of male and female, or just by touch"...
दृष्टि मात्र हो या गोविंद राधे। बिना दृष्टि के ही देह हो बता दे॥
राधा गोविंद गीत 7240
dr̥ṣṭi mātra ho yā goviṁda rādhe। binā dr̥ṣṭi ke hī deha ho batā de॥
rādhā goviṁda gīta 7240
"it might be born by sight or otherwise"...
मैथुनी अमैथुनी गोविंद राधे । सभी देह हैं प्राकृत ही बता दे ॥
राधा गोविंद गीत 7241
maithunī amaithunī goviṁda rādhe । sabhī deha haiṁ prākr̥ta hī batā de ॥
rādhā goviṁda gīta 7241
"irrespective of whether the body was created by union of man and woman or not all such bodies are always material."
There are two more types of even superior material bodies. Those are not formed by union of male and female, yet they too are material.
Born by yogic power
8. Nirman sharir (निर्माण शरीर | nirmāṇa śarīra) is a material body created through yogic power.
A yogi can burn the existing body through yogic fire, produced through yogic austerities, and create another body. This newly created body is called Nirman Sharir.
The Mahabharat gives the example of Amba, who burnt her body to ashes and was later born as Shikhandi.
Nirman Sharir is superior to the material bodies described earlier.
योग निर्माण काय गोविंद राधे । शुद्ध है किंतु है प्राकृत बता दे॥
राधा गोविंद गीत 7242
yoga nirmāṇa kāya goviṁda rādhe । śuddha hai kiṁtu hai prākr̥ta batā de॥
rādhā goviṁda gīta 7242
"Body created by yogic power is pure yet it is a material body".
Ethereal body
9. Taijas Sharir (तैजस् शरीर | taijasa śarīra) is the luminous material body of celestial beings. It is composed of tej, the fire element.
देवों का दिव्य देह गोविंद राधे । रक्त मांस अस्थि आदि रहित बता दे॥
राधा गोविंद गीत 7243
devoṁ kā divya deha goviṁda rādhe । rakta māṁsa asthi ādi rahita batā de॥
rādhā goviṁda gīta 7243
"Bodies of celestial-beings ( devi-devata ) do not have blood, flesh, bones, fat, bone-marrow etc. Their bodies do not produce urine or stool".
They have no flaws such as old age or physical ailments. These bodies are fragrant, their eyelids don’t blink, they walk in air. Their feet never touch the earth, they do not cast shadows and they don’t feel hunger or thirst either.
किंतु देव देह भी गोविंद राधे । प्राकृतिक देह है देवों ते बता दे ॥
राधा गोविंद गीत 7244
kiṃtu deva deha bhī goviṃda rādhe । prākṛtika deha hai devoṃ te batā de ॥
rādhā goviṃda gīta 7244
"Even the bodies of devi-devatas are material.” These bodies are far superior than all other forms of material bodies. Still, after its prescribed duration has elapsed this body also dies.
Types of divine forms
10. Divine bodies are not composed of material matter. God and His descensions possess divine bodies. God Himself and His descensions all have divine bodies (सच्चिदानन्द | saccidānanda). These bodies are not made of any material matter.
After Bhagavadprapti (God-realization), the Jeev also receives a divine body.
Although the bodies of God and God-realized Saints are divine, there is a great difference between Shri Krishna's divine body and all others.
Read more in What is so special about His Divine Form?
