Sharira Traya (शरीरत्रयम्)

Sharira Traya (Samskrit: शरीरत्रयम्) refers literally to 'three bodies'. Yet another unique paradigm in Indian philosophy, the human being is composed of three shariras or "bodies" emanating from Brahman or the Supreme Being as a result of avidya, "ignorance" or "nescience". They are often equated with the five koshas (sheaths), which overlay the atman. This is an essential doctrine in Indian philosophy, especially Yoga, Advaita Vedanta, and Tantra.

They are an integral part of human existence unlike many Western views proclaiming that humans are mere physical bodies. According to them the mental faculties or the mind are also directly controlled by the physical brain. However, Indian traditions are all rooted in the fact that the human body and mind are bound as one entity until a certain stage when the being is able to overcome the karmas that make the Jiva travel in a loop of births and deaths. This concept is also a fundamental principle on which the explanation of Punarjanma or Reincarnation rests on; as the Jiva travels from one body to another with a Sukshma Sharira or subtle form in the cycle of births and deaths.

The Three Bodies

Sharira in Indian philosophy is not limited to the external visible gross physical form. The Pancha koshas, described in Taittriya Upanishad, are said to be instrumental in designating what are called the three Shariras, which have distinct roles in this grand system of Sristi. They are

1. स्थूलशरीरम् ॥ sthūla-śarīra (gross body)
2. सूक्ष्मशरीरम् ॥ sūkṣma-śarīra (subtle body)
3. कारणशरीरम् ॥ kārana śarīra (causal body)

In Vedantic terms, all the three shariras are Anatman, or not the Atman because it is described as eternal and unchanging. All the three shariras characteristically and etymologically undergo change, decay and destruction. Tattvabodha describes Atman as that beyond the sharira-traya, and avastha traya (three states of consciousness - jagrat, svapna, sushupta).

स्थूलशरीरम् ॥ Sthula Sarira - Gross body

Shadbhava vikaras

Tattvabodha defines

स्थूलशरीरं किम् ? पञ्चीकृतपञ्चमहाभूतैः कृतं सत्कर्मजन्यं सुखदुःखादिभोगायतनं शरीरम् अस्ति जायते वर्धते विपरिणमते अपक्षीयते विनश्यतीति षड्विकारवदेतत्स्थूलशरीरम् । sthūlaśarīraṃ kim ? pañcīkṛtapañcamahābhūtaiḥ kṛtaṃ satkarmajanyaṃ sukhaduḥkhādibhogāyatanaṃ śarīram asti jāyate vardhate vipariṇamate apakṣīyate vinaśyatīti ṣaḍvikāravadetatsthūlaśarīram.

Meaning: What is the Gross Body? That which is made up of the five great elements that has undergone the process of panchikarana (divisions of five), born as a result of the good actions of the past, the counter of experiences like joy, sorrow etc., and subject to the six modifications namely, to potentially exist, to be born, to grow, to mature, to decay and to die is the gross body.

Sthula sarira or the gross body is the material physical mortal body that eats, breathes and moves (acts). It is composed of Panch Mahabhutas: Prithvi (पृथ्वी, Earth), Apas/Varuna/Jal (जल, Water), Agni(अग्नि, Fire), Vayu (वायु, Air), Aakash(आकाश, Ether) and includes the gross Indriyas (eyes, ears, nose, skin, and tongue).

The Sthula sarira’s main features are Bhoga (being the actual experiencing agent), Sambhava (birth), Jara (old age or ageing) and Maranam (death), and is mostly in the Jagrat and Svapna (Waking and Sleeping States) states of consciousness.

The outermost layer of the Panchakoshas, called the annamaya kosha, is the sheath of material existence. It is the primitive identification with Ahamkara (ego) encapsulated in the physical body (sthūla-śarīra, the gross body). Food aids in the formation of the five gross sense organs (eyes, ears, nose, tongue, and skin) and organs of action (speech, hands, feet, genitals, and evacuation). Through the process of panchikarana the sense organs and their subtle essence are formed as given below.

Indriya (Sense Organ)	Indriya Dravya (origin of Indriya)	Indriya Adhishthan (Site of Sensation)	Indriya Artha (Sense Object)	Indriya Buddhi (Sensory Perception)
Chakshu (Visual)	Tejas – Jyoti	Eyes	Rupa (Vision)	Visual Perception
Shrotra (Auditory)	Kha – Akasha	Ear	Shabda (Sound)	Auditory Perception
Ghrana (Olfactory)	Bhu – Prithvi	Nose	Gandha (Smell)	Olfactory Perception
Rasanam (Gustatory)	Apa – Jala	Tongue	Rasa (Taste)	Gustatory Perception
Sparshanam (Tactile)	Vayu	Skin	Sparsha (Touch)	Tactile Perception

सूक्ष्मशरीरम् ॥ Sukshma Sharira - Subtle Body

Tattvabodha states

सूक्ष्मशरीरं किम् ? अपञ्चीकृतपञ्चमहाभूतैः कृतं सत्कर्मजन्यं सुखदुःखादिभोगसाधनं पञ्चज्ञानेन्द्रियाणि पञ्चकर्मेन्द्रियाणि पञ्चप्राणादयः मनश्चैकं बुद्धिश्चैका एवं सप्तदशाकलाभिः सह यत्तिष्ठति तत्सूक्ष्मशरीरम् । sūkṣmaśarīraṃ kim ? apañcīkṛtapañcamahābhūtaiḥ kṛtaṃ satkarmajanyaṃ sukhaduḥkhādibhogasādhanaṃ pañcajñānendriyāṇi pañcakarmendriyāṇi pañcaprāṇādayaḥ manaścaikaṃ buddhiścaikā evaṃ saptadaśākalābhiḥ saha yattiṣṭhati tatsūkṣmaśarīram .

Meaning: What is the subtle body? That which is composed of the five great elements which have not undergone grossification, born of the good actions of the past, the instrument for the experience of joy, sorrow etc., constituted of seventeen items, namely, the five sense organs of perception, the five sense organs of action, five pranas, the mind and the intellect is the subtle body.

Suksma sarira or the subtle body is made up of seventeen (17) elements:

1. Five organs of perception: (ज्ञानेन्द्रिय): Eyes, Ears, Skin, Tongue and Nose
2. Five organs of action: (कर्मेन्द्रिय): Speech, hands, legs, anus and genitals
3. Five vital forces (Pranas) : Prana (respiration), Apana (evacuation of waste from the body), Vyana (blood circulation), Udana (actions like sneezing, crying, vomiting etc.), Samana (digestion)
4. Manas loosely translated as mind.
5. Buddhi, the Intellect, discriminating wisdom

Prana (Vital air) refers to the activities that support the body and take place as a result of the air that we take in for physiological functions that result from the food sheath (but do not require direct interaction with the world). Mental refers to the mind, which regulates the vital air sheath, such as the connection between breath and emotions. The intellectual sheath refers to the mind and the intellect. The intellect discerns and makes decisions and the mind communicates these decisions within the body. The three layers together constitute what is called the “subtle body” (sūkṣma-śarīra), and they are the sheath of vitality (prāṇamayakośa), the sheath of emotions (manomayakośa), and the sheath of ratiocination (vijñānamayakośa). The sheath of vitality roughly corresponds to the subjective vitality. Taittriya Upanishad describes the mechanism of sense of identification of self with the two bodies.

The self or the "I” is different from the intellect (buddhi) and the mind (manas). If it is identified with any of them, it is a case of superimposition (adhyasa) due to ignorance. On account of the erroneous identification with buddhi, the self looks upon itself as a knower, engages in the acts of cognition, considers itself as the agent and the enjoyer of the fruits of actions. In the same way, its identification with manas makes it think that it performs the various mental operations such as Upasana. So the Self must be differentiated from the vijnanamaya-kosha and the manomaya-kosha.

कारणशरीरम् ॥ Karana Sharira - Causal body

Tattvabodha refers to the karana sharira thus,

कारणशरीरं किम् ? अनिर्वाच्यानाद्यविद्यारूपं शरीरद्वयस्य कारणमात्रं सत्स्वरूपाऽज्ञानं निर्विकल्पकरूपं यदस्ति तत्कारणशरीरम् । kāraṇaśarīraṃ kim ? anirvācyānādyavidyārūpaṃ śarīradvayasya kāraṇamātraṃ satsvarūpā’jñānaṃ nirvikalpakarūpaṃ yadasti tatkāraṇaśarīram

Meaning: That which is inexplicable (अनिर्वाच्य), beginning-less (अनाद्य), in the form of ignorance (अविद्यारूपं), the sole cause of the two bodies (gross and subtle), ignorant of one’s own true nature (सत्स्वरूपाऽज्ञानं), free from duality (निर्विकल्पकरूपं)-is the causal body.

The innermost layer, the sheath of bliss (ānandamayakośa), comprises the “causal body” (karana śarīra), and it is experienced by everyone in the state of deep, dreamless sleep (suṣuptī), as well as during certain forms of meditation. Dualities and distinctions are not completely destroyed at this level, but they are harmonized so completely that this state is experienced as the one of profound relaxation and bliss (Ananda). The bliss sheath is considered to be blissful because it is free of the agitation of the other sheaths. It is experienced only in states of deep sleep and is composed of our innate tendencies before they become thoughts or actions. It is also called “causal body” because it is the ground and cause of all the other sheaths. Finally, this also is peeled away, the pure reality of the center alone remains, absolute non-duality, ineffable, indescribable, Brahman-consciousness, underlying the five sheaths and the three bodies. This is what Vedanta suggests as the highest spiritual goal of human life. Variety and distinctions in paths of yoga can be attributed to their emphasis on different Kośas of the self.

Karana sarira or the causal body is merely the cause or seed of the subtle body and the gross body. It has no other function than being the seed of the subtle and the gross body. It is nirvikalpa rupam, "undifferentiated form". It originates with avidya, "ignorance" or "nescience" of the real identity of the atman, instead giving birth to the notion of jiva. In Samkhya philosophy, which does not acknowledge a causal body, it is also known as the linga-sarira.

In the search for the "I am", this is a state where there is nothing to hold on to anymore. Ramanujacharya concludes that it is at this stage that consummation of the Atman with the Paramatman is reached and the search for the highest Purusa, i.e., of Ishvara, ends. According to other philosophical schools, the causal body is not the atman, because it also has a beginning and an end and is subject to modification. Shankaracharya, not seeking a personal god, goes beyond Anandamaya Kosha in search of the transcendent Brahman.

The Indian tradition identifies it with the Anandamaya kosha and the deep sleep state, where buddhi becomes dormant and all concepts of time fail, although there are differences between these three descriptions.

The causal body is considered as the most complex of the three bodies. It contains the impressions of experience, which results from past Karma.

Sharira-traya and Panchakoshas

The Taittiriya Upanishad describes the five koshas, which are also often equated with the three bodies. The three bodies are often equated with the five koshas (sheaths), which cover the atman.

Sharira	Characteristics	Kosha
Sthula Sharira	It is seen by the physical eyes, composed of flesh, bones, fat, skin, nerves, hair, blood, etc., and is called the physical body. It has six changes: birth, existence, growth, modification, decay, and death.	Annamaya kosha
Sukshma Sharira	The subtle body develops through intense Abhimana or egoism and strong Raga-Dvesha, and decays when egoism and Raga-Dvesha are destroyed, or decreased. The subtle body is burnt by the three kinds of Tapas, viz., Adhyatmic, Adhibhautic and Adhidaivic.	Pranamaya, Manomaya and Vijnanamaya Koshas
Karana Sharira	Ajnana or Avidya alone constitutes the Karana Sarira. The causal body develops through the idea, I am Jiva, and decays when this idea is annihilated or decreased, when 'I' is identified with Brahman/ Paramatman	Anandamaya kosha

States of Consciousness and Turiya

The Mandukya Upanishad describes the three states of consciousness (Avastha Traya), namely waking consciousness, dream, and deep sleep, and the turiya, which is different from the above three states and is called the base-consciousness. Waking consciousness, dream, and deep sleep are equated with the three bodies, while turiya is a fourth state is equated with atman and purusha.