Q: What is three bodies?
Let us contemplate the three bodies that we have. “What is these three bodies? I have only one body”, you may say. There are three bodies for all of us. You can imagine it like a coconut. Coconut has an outer covering when it is taken from the tree. If you remove that outer sheath, a hard shell is there. And deep inside, the kernel is there. So, there are three layers that are present. These are three different parts of the coconut.
Similarly, we have three different bodies. The outer body – the physical body, which is called the gross body. This is the vehicle. It is something similar to a car. A car is a vehicle for you to go anywhere. You can use the car to go anywhere and drive anywhere. Similarly, the physical body is the vehicle. It is your vehicle which is used to travel. You have to operate it.
The physical body is used by the subtle body and the causal body. The subtle body and the causal body are the other two bodies. Together, we have three bodies: the gross body, causal body and subtle body. You can see the gross body. It is made up of the sense organs, five organs of action, and mostly made up of different elements called the panchabhutas. Panchabhutas are the space, the air, the water, the fire, and the earth. This body is maintained by the food you take, and energized by the prana, the breath.
When you die, this body is left behind. It is a vehicle. The vehicle is dropped. The subtle and causal bodies together move to another body. It is like, you change your car or vehicle. You drop the old vehicle and go to a new vehicle. The subtle and causal bodies together move into another body or vehicle. So, death is not really the end of life. From the outside perspective, the body has become dead and motionless. But inside, the Jiva, the being, the soul, has moved with two other bodies, subtle body and causal body to another vehicle.
What is this subtle body? A subtle body is made up of subtle elements. It is the same panchabhutas, the five elements. A subtle aspect of Akasha, Prithvi, Vayu, Jala and Agni. Space, wind, fire, water and earth elements. Subtle elements, it is also a matter. You can think of gross matter and subtle matter like this: the gross matter is visible, and the subtle matter is at a molecular level, at a very subtle level.
With these bodies, with this subtle matter, even the subtle body has five organs of perception – subtle organs of perception, the eyes, ears etc. And, five organs of action, and five pranas( pancha pranas). Then manas and buddhi (mind and intellect). These two together are 17 aspects. With these 17 aspects, the subtle body, along with the causal body, moves to another vehicle.
Why does it move into the vehicle? Because, the vehicle is used for experiencing the world, for karma, enjoying the karma. So, you are not happy. You are not satisfied with whatever is experienced. So, you want to use another vehicle. So, this subtle body and causal body together move into another vehicle. So, what does the subtle body consist of? It consists of 17 aspects. Pancha jnanendriyas, pancha karmendriya( five organs of perception, five organs of action), five pranas (pancha pranas), manas and buddhi. So, together, this is called the subtle body.
The subtle body moves from one vehicle to another vehicle. Then, there is another body, which is much subtler. It is called the causal body. The causal body is the body of ignorance and deep-rooted ignorance. Ignorance, which separates us i.e., the Jiva, from the Paramatma. The deep-rooted ignorance, which makes the Jiva, forget the Atma, its true nature, and identify with the body, identify with the subtle body. It is called the causal body. Identify with bodies. It forgets its true nature, which is called ‘Avarana’.
And then, there is ‘Vikshepa’ which means projection. It believes that the subtle body is me. This ignorance is rooted in the causal body. Together, with the subtle and causal body, the Jiva moves to another body.
Q: So, is it this ego, which is causal body?
A: The cause of the ego, is the causal body.
Now, what is Jiva? Jiva is the soul. It is actually, the buddhi, intellect, which is a subtle matter. It has a reflection of Consciousness in it. That reflected Consciousness, along with buddhi, is called Jiva. Because now, reflected Consciousness takes its own form, its own life. Because Consciousness is reflected. It starts thinking that I am limited.
When you put water into a pot, water takes the shape of the pot and starts thinking that I am the shape of the pot. Similarly, Consciousness reflected in buddhi starts thinking that I am limited. That’s ignorance. Which is not true.
The Consciousness reflected in buddhi starts thinking that, I am of the nature of buddhi. Buddhi will undergo modification, and I am of the nature of the buddhi. So, the buddhi becomes alive and starts thinking that body is me. So, the Consciousness, which is associated with buddhi, starts thinking that, I am the body. This is ‘Avidya’.
The avidya causes impressions which are stored in the causal body.
Q: Is intellect part of causal body?
A: Intellect is part of the subtle body.
Q: But causal body has avidya, and avidya is in intellect know?
A: The avidya is in intellect. The cause of avidya is in the causal body. What is the cause of avidya? The forgetfulness. The Consciousness, which has actually, associated with buddhi, starts feeling separate from the overall Consciousness. So, that is the cause.
Q: The cause is in the causal body?
A: Yes.
Now, the causal body and subtle body, together move to another body. So, enlightenment means, the dropping of the avidya or the ignorance. This leads to the destruction of the causal body. The causal body is the seat of avidya or the seat of ignorance. That causal body gets destroyed in liberation. After that, there is no more migration from one body to other body.
As long as this causal body is there, there is migration from one body to other body. Once the causal body is gone, the subtle body will not be there. The Consciousness, associated with buddhi, will merge directly, with Brahman, the Supreme Consciousness.
But, from the Supreme Consciousness or Brahman point of view, there is no body and there is no other body. There is nothing. From the Supreme Consciousness or Brahman point of view, there is no creation, nothing is there. All that is there is awareness only. Because everything is made up of that only. Everything is made up of consciousness only.
If you look from the point of view of the Supreme Consciousness, then there is no creation. Whereas, if you look at it from the point of creation, there is no Supreme Consciousness. There is only creation, that is Maya. So, there are two teachings. One is the teaching of Gaudapadacharya. He says, “Ajatavada”, there is no creation at all.
Shankaracharya speaks of the creation, the Maya. There are two different viewpoints. If you start looking at, from the Supreme reality, Brahman point of view, there is no creation. But, if you look at, from the creation point of view, there is no visibility of Brahman or Consciousness. That’s Maya.
Pranams
References:
Self Knowledge – Talk 10_Three Bodies_06Apr2016