3 Types of Bodies: Gross (Sthula), Astral (Linga) and Causal body (Karana)
Topics:
Three bodies where five Koshas reside
Gross body or Sthula Sharira
Subtle or Astral body or Linga Sharira
Swami Vivekanandas view on Linga Sharira
Swami Sivananda Sarasvati about Linga Sarira
Causal body or Karana Sharira
Summary
Hinduism
identifies man in terms of 3 Bodies, 5 Koshas (sheaths), and 3 States.
This page provides details about 3 types of bodies.
Human beings have three bodies where its Koshas reside.
Gross Body (Sthula Sharira)
Subtle Body or Astral Body (Linga Sharira)
Causal body (Karana Sharira)
The soul is different from these three bodies.
Gross body or Sthula Sharira
Gross
body is physical body that is made up of the Panchmahabhutas – the
five primordial elements, i.e., Akash (vacuum), Vayu (air), Agni (fire),
Jal (water) and Prithvi (earth) and is subject to a sixfold change:
birth, subsistence, growth, maturity, decay, and death. This is the
dense physical body. Gross body is simply the vehicle of all the other
Principles (bodies) during physical incarnation. Annamaya & part
(physical manifestation) of Pranamaya Kosh reside in Gross (physical)
body. Gross body needs gross food, drink and air which it gets from
Annamaya and Pranamaya Kosha. At death the physical body perishes and
its five constituent elements are dissolved.
Subtle or Astral body or Linga Sharira
Subtle
or astral body (Linga Sharira) is where lives mind and intellect.
Manomaya and Gyanamaya Kosh and part of pranamaya kosha resides in
Astral or Subtle body. Linga Sharira contains pranamaya kosha, movement
of the pranic force directing our physical and mental activities. This
movement happens through nadis or channels, conductors of energy which
are controlled by the six chakras. Vital sheath is a subtler sheath when
compared to annamaya kosha. This is composed of vital energy. As long
as this vital energy exists in the organisms, life continues. This
sheath is responsible for our physiological functions namely breathing,
digesting, metabolizing, circulation, endocrinal, neural, skeletal,
muscular etc.
The Linga sharira (subtle body) surrounds the Sthula Sharira (physical body) as an aura of energy.
The
Nadis (subtle energy channels) exist in this subtle medium through a
fine merger into the physical medium. This is the "vital body" and the
prototype and reflection of the physical body. It comes into existence
before the physical body as the latter is built and formed upon and
around it and it only fully fades out and dies when the very last
remaining particle of the deceased physical body disappears and
disintegrates. In the internal astral body there are counterparts of
organs outside. They are called astral senses. A yogi hears through
astral ears and sees through astral eyes. Thus he can hear sounds from
distant lands, he can see objects in distant localities. This is called
clairvoyance and clairaudience.
When a person dies, his or her gross body (sthula sharira) is burnt.
This
being in fact the antyeshthi -the last sacrifice offered in fire, but
the soul cannot quit the gross body without a vehicle of some kind. This
vehicle is the Linga-sharira or subtle body, sometimes described as
angustha-matra (of the size of a thumb), invested in which the deceased
person remains hovering near the burning ground or crematorium. It is
the vehicle for and of Prana.
The Upanishadic texts reiterate the
existence of a purusha (being) of the size of the thumb (angustha
matram) enshrined in the interiors of the heart - "The self (purusha),
that is of the size of a thumb (angustha), resides in the cave of the
heart. The self who is the size of a thumb is a light (jyoti) without
smoke." This "being" dwelling inside the heart has been equated with the
jiva or the self which carries the consciousness and a meta-physical
body (prakriti), also termed as the karana sharira. Kathopanishad says
This shining, luminious angustha-matra entity residing in the cave of
our heart is “vibhrajate because of which the whole world is
illuminated.
Astral Body’s Lower Mind: This sheath is the also
energy of action. This mental sheath is composed of two qualities, mana
(mind) and buddhi (intellect). Mana is the rational, linear, sequential,
thoughtful mind. Buddhi is the quality of discrimination which comes
after knowledge, after the removal or the absence of ignorance. The
former constitutes the manomaya kosha, while the latter is called as the
Vigyanmaya Kosha.
Astral Body's Higher Mind: The Vijnanamaya
kosha is the sheath of the intellect (buddhi) and intuitive
knowledge/wisdom which gives us the discriminative capability that helps
to differentiate between virtues & vice, good & bad, right and
wrong, truth & untruth. It controls the mind, the senses, the
fructifying samskaras & all activities of the body. The ego-driven
intellect can lead to actions when it gets co-mingled with the memories
and is clouded over by the manas which result in pain and suffering. Its
knowledge is affected by the moods of the mind and other factors.
Through the practices of meditation, regular self-study & enrichment
of knowledge through libraries & discourses could lead towards
devotion. Our mind becomes purified and the intellect can then begin to
depend more and more on the pure intuitive wisdom rather than be
influenced by the ego. As you begin to experience this aspect of
existence, you discover that this sheath is merely an illusion covering
over the eternal self. Hence the self is different from the body,
unchanging, ever pure and free from modifications. Therefore, the self
is a witness of the Vijnanamaya Kosha.
Swami Vivekananda says
The astral body is what we call the Linga Sharira. When this body dies,
how can it come to take another body? Force cannot remain without
matter. So a little part of the fine matter remains, through which the
internal organs make another body for each one is making his own body;
it is the mind that makes the body. If I become a sage, my brain gets
changed into a sage's brain; and the Yogis say that even in this life a
Yogi can change his body into a god-body.
Swami Sivananda Sarasvati about Linga Sarira
"The
mind performs all actions very speedily in the linga sarira (subtle
body) and fluctuates thereby. But the gross body knows not anything and
is inert. Should this gross body be dissolved, the mind quickly assumes a
fresh body. This physical body is the mould, as it were, of the mind.
It is made by the mind for the outpouring of its own energy, for its own
enjoyment. Thereby it gains different experiences of this world through
the organs of knowledge or perception.
The body is really our
thoughts, moods, convictions and emotions objectivised, made visible to
the naked eye. Every cell in our body suffers or grows, receives a life
impulse or a death impulse, from every thought that enters the mind. You
tend to grow into the image of the thing you think about most. When the
mind dwells on a particular thought, a definite vibration of matter is
set up. This tends to repeat itself, to become a habit.
The body
follows the mind and imitates the changes. Every change in thought makes
a vibration in your mental body (linga sarira) and this, when
transmitted to the physical body, causes activity in the nervous matter
of the brain. And this activity in the brain and nerve cells causes
electrical and chemical changes in the body."
Causal body or Karana Sharira
Anandmaya
Kosh resides in Causal body (Karana Sharira). Causal body needs bliss
or peace which it gets from Anandmaya Kosh. Karana Sharira or Causal
body is the map template which is the sole cause for the gross and
subtle bodies in the future birth of the soul that is not liberated or
detached from the causal body. Karana Sharira controls the formation and
growth of the other two bodies, and determine every aspect of the next
birth.
Karana Sharira is the doorway to the higher consciousness.
It is associated with the state of dreamless sleep and samadhi. It
links individual consciousness with the collective consciousness.
Experiences (samskaras) from our past lives are stored in the causal
body, it carries the information and knowledge acquired during the
previous births. The attachment of Maya and intense desires for the
worldly objects and pleasures, called vasanas also go along with Karana
Sharira.
At the time of death, both the causal and astral bodies
(that remain together) separate from the physical body. Once the soul is
completely detached from its causal body it goes to the abode of God.
The soul never needs to come back to the world again except for the
God's wish. When they come back to the world they come in the form of
Gurus (Perfect masters). Guru is the one who leads the created to the
creator. Guru is the descent of the Divine in human form to create the
right conditions for the seekers to ascend to his Divine essence (Moksha
or Enlightenment or Chaitanya).
(Sadgurus or Perfect masters are
in reality, the seers who have realized the Absolute or have reached
the highest realm of spiritual attainment, are present forever in the
whole universe whether in an embodied or in an un-embodied state. They
operate in gross, subtle, or mental world. They have been chosen to
execute the Divine Mission and work together for the execution of the
Divine Mission - Liberation of the seekers.)
Summary
According
to Hinduism human individual has three bodies: physical or gross body
(Sthula Sharira), subtle body (Linga Sharira), and causal body (Karana
Sharira).
Life span of each of the bodies is different. Gross
body depends on gross food therefore has very less life, compared to
subtle body that depends upon thoughts and feelings, therefore can
survive longer. Causal body survives longest since it needs only peace.
The soul is different from these three bodies. Soul does not need
anything since it is the experiencer, observer and therefore it is
eternal.
The term
which we call
death is fall of gross body. The soul survives along with subtle and
causal body where samskaras are stored. Man must take birth again and
again with the help of gross body till all the Samskaras are consumed.
You can consume Samskara (karma-phala) only in human life with the help
of conscious living and power of will. It is not possible in any other
life and that is why human life is considered as extremely important
from the liberation point of view