The Constitution of Man: The Jiva

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All:

 

Beautiful articulation of the Mahan Atma in this article.

 

As quoted in the Katha Upanishad "Beyond the senses are the objects

and beyond the objects is the mind. Beyond the mind is buddhi and

beyond buddhi is the great self (Mahan Atma)"

 

Aum Shanti Shanti Shanti.

 

--Sanjay Aggarwal

 

The Constitution of Man: The Jiva

In Hinduism man is the microcosm who contains within himself all the

constituents and manifestations of the Universal Self. It is by

looking into oneself, by knowing and understanding oneself, one can

experience the Truth of the Supreme Self. In the Katha Upanishad,

Lord Yama declares to Nachiketa that it is through self-

contemplation (adhyatma-yogadhigamena) that the wise man realizes

the Primal God and leaves behind him both joy and sorrow (mortal

existence).

 

The mysteries of creation and the mysteries of the Universal

Existence of Supreme Self can be known only by knowing the mysteries

of ones own creation and ones own existence. All the divinities that

exists in the universe have their corresponding divinities in the

human personality.

 

The creation and evolution of man is same as the creation and

evolution of the entire universe. It is based upon this concept and

analogy that the Upanishads unfold to us the grand vision of the

Universal Self and the secrets of creation.

 

The Virat ( manifest world) is the waking consciousness, the visible

reality, the Vaishwanara mentioned in the Mandukya Upanishad.

Hiranyagarbha (the World Spirit), the creator of this world and the

various forms in it, is the dream state, the Taijasa, who has all

the forms and ideas already existing in him and who manifests

reality through his creative ability.

 

Iswara, the Creative Spirit, the Saguna Brahman, the first Being

manifested by the Non-Being, "in the beginning when nothing

existed", is the deep sleep state called pragna. Finally, at the

apex, is Brahman, the Absolute, the One without attributes, the

state that is beyond sleep, who is Atman , the immortal and

transcendental aspect hidden in each of us.

 

According to Hindu scriptures at the center of man is Atman and

encircling it are five different sheaths or bodies. First is the

physical body, called variously as the gross body, sthula sarira or

annamaya kosa. It is made of food or earth and contains the senses

and the organs of action. From food verily are produced all

creatures of earth. Food verily is the eldest born of beings (annam

hi bhutanam jyeshtham).Food is eaten and eats things. (Taittiriya

II.2.1).

 

The second is the vital body or the breath body, called pranamaya

kosa. Air is the food for this body. Breath is the life of beings

(prano hi bhutanam ayuh). It is called sarira atma (the embodies

soul of the gross body). It is part of the subtle body, sukshma

sarira in contrast to the gross body. The autonomous nervous system

is under its control.

 

While a person can easily control the movements of his gross body,

the same is not possible in case of his breath body unless he gains

mastery over the movements of his breath. (It is interesting to note

that the aim of hatha yoga is basically to establish this control

over the movements of breath and achieve mastery over the breath

body.)

 

The third is the mental body, called manomaya kosa which uses the

five senses and the five organs of action (speech, hands, feet,

excretory organs and sexual organs). The breath body and the mental

body together constitute the subtle body, or sukhsma sareera.

Thoughts are its food.

 

The fourth is the intelligence body, called vignanamayakosa or

buddhi. It is the reasoning aspect of man, the discriminatory,

regulatory, selecting and directing awareness in us, which provides

direction to our activities and shapes our destinies and our very

existence. It is also called the casual body, because it is the

cause of an individual's karma. It directs the sacrifice as well as

the deeds ( vignanam yagna tanute, karman tanute). The gods (senses)

worship buddhi is the eldest Brahman (brahma jyeshtham). Sometimes

buddhi is also described as a constituent of subtle body. But these

distinctions do not effect our understanding of the different

sheaths.

 

The fifth is the bliss body, called anandamaya kosa, which is

transcendental and beyond ordinary human experience. Very few

individuals are capable of knowing it or experiencing it, as it is

beyond the sensory and mental fields. It is only through restraining

of the senses, the mind and the buddhi one can gain access to it. It

is the very essence (rasa or ether) of our existence for who can

live in this world unless there is bliss in the space? (Taittiriya

II.7.1). We further learn from the same Upanishad that the Non-Being

who was alone in the beginning produced the Being who made itself a

soul which was the Bliss Body called the well made.

 

The sixth is the Atman, the eternal soul, the real self, the very

Brahman in Its pure microcosmic state. It is the First Being , the

unchanging, imperishable self in man. It is beyond the senses,

beyond all conscious human experience. It is also called Purusha. It

is the Truth Body. Words return from it not attaining it along with

the mind. He who attains it becomes freed from fear. He is not

perplexed or tormented by conflicting thoughts. His mind becomes

tranquil.

 

It may be noted that while Shri Sankaracharya considered the bliss

body and Atman to be different, Shri Ramanuja regarded the bliss

body and Atman together as the one pure transcendental state.

 

The first four sheaths, namely, the gross body, the two subtle

bodies and the casual body (which is sometimes grouped together with

the life and mental bodies as casual body), constitute the Jiva.

Jiva is the living element, the product of Prakriti who comes under

the influence of illusion and develops ahamkara or the ego

consciousness which gives rise to feelings of separation and

alienation from the rest of the creation and failure to perceive the

omnipresence of God.

 

It is the Jiva which together with Atman goes through the chain of

repeated births and deaths. While Atman is impervious to change and

suffering during this process of evolution, the Jiva remains at the

center of desire oriented sensory activity and suffers from its

consequences. At the time of death it leaves behind the gross body

and goes to the other worlds with his subtle and casual bodies,

where after exhausting its karma it returns again to take birth in

this world in accordance with its previous samskaras or residual

memories of its past lives.

 

The Taittiriya and Katha Upanishads are important sources of

information for our understanding of the constitution of man. In the

Katha Upanishad says Lord Yama, " Beyond the senses are the objects

and beyond the objects is the mind. Beyond the mind is buddhi and

beyond buddhi is the great self (mahan atma)".

 

In the Taittiriya Upanishad we come across the description of the

various stages of Brahman starting with matter and life (II.2.1),

life and mind (II. 2.1), mind and buddhi (II. 2.1), buddhi and bliss

(II.2.1) and Brahman (II.2.1). The Taittiriya Upanishad ends with a

mystical chant which is a joyous expression of a liberated soul who

has realized the true nature of his self.

 

In an outburst of pure joy he declares to the world:

 

I am food, I am food, I am food.

I am the eater of food, I am the eater of food, I am the eater of

food.

I am the combining agent, I am the combining agent, I am the

combining agent

I am the first born of the world order, before the gods, at the

center of immortality.

I am food. I eat the eater of food.

I am the whole world.

I have conquered the whole world.

I am the resplendent golden light.