Understanding Hinduism : Kosas – Sheaths (Pancha-kosas)
Kosas – Sheaths (Pancha-kosas)
From ‘Vedanta Treatise’
By Sri A. Parthasarthy
Vedanta Life Institute, Mumbai.
The structure of man can be divided into five material layers enveloping Atman (indwelling soul). Atman is the core of your personality. It is represented by the mystic symbol of AUM (pronounced OM). The five layers of matter are like five concentric circles around the symbol. They are called sheaths or KOSAS in Sanskrit. The five sheaths (pancha-kosas) are:
Food sheath (Anna-maya kosa)
Vital-Air sheath (Prana-maya kosa)
Mental sheath (Mana-maya kosa)
Intellectual sheath (Vignana-maya kosa)
Bliss sheath (Ananda-maya kosa)
Food sheath
Food sheath is the physical body. The five organs of perception and the five organs of action are a part of it. It is called food sheath because it is caused by food, maintained by food; and finally ends up as food.
Vital-Air sheath
There are five faculties functioning within you. They correspond to the five physiological functions. They are called the five Pranas. Together they constitute the vital-air sheath. They have been given that name because they are related directly to air you breathe.
Faculty of perception (prana): is the functioning of the five senses as seeing, hearing, smelling, tasting and touching.
Faculty of excretion (apana): throws out, evacuates excreta of the body such as faeces, urine, sperms, sputum, perspiration etc.
Faculty of digestion (samana): digests food received by the stomach.
Faculty of circulation (vyana); distributes digested food to different parts of the body through blood stream.
Faculty of thought-absorption (udana): takes in fresh knowledge.