The entire names and forms universe is the upādhi which is the cause for ātmā to appear as many and divided, but what is the upādhi which effects ātmā the most?
pañcīkṛtamahābhūtasambhavam karmasañcitam |
śarīram sukhaduḥkhānām bhogāyatanamucyate || 12 ||
That which is born of grossified five elements, acquired by karma, an abode for experiencing sorrow and happiness is called (gross) body.
Here, upādhi is seen from the standpoints of three bodies, they are sthūlaśarīra - gross body, sūkṣmaśarīra - subtle body, and karaṇaśarīra - causal body. In this verse, śarīram - gross body is described. It is pañcīkṛtamahābhūtasambhavam - born of grossified five elements, they are space, air, fire, water and earth. But if all gross bodies are made of grossified five elements, why are we having different types of body like bird, dog, male, female, tall, short, etc? All gross bodies are different because they are acquired by punya-pāpa karma - karmasañcitam, since everybody has their own set of karma. Five grossified elements are the general cause and karma is the specific cause. Physical body is also bhogāyatanam - abode for experiencing sukhaduḥkhānām - sorrow and happiness, as a result of our karma. Gross body is an upādhi because it is proximate to the upāhita ātmā, transferring its quality, and yet only as though transferring.
Next is the second upādhi, sūkṣmaśarīra - subtle body is being described.
pañcaprāṇamanobuddhidaśendriyasamanvitam |
apañcīkṛtabhūtottham sūkṣmāńgam bhogasādhanam || 13 ||
Subtle body consists of five vital energy, mind, intellect, and ten organs. It is born of ungrossified elements, and the means of experiencing.
sūkṣmāńgam - subtle body pañcaprāṇamanobuddhidaśendriyasamanvitam - consists of five vital energy, mind, intellect, and ten organs.
Five forms of vital energy - pañcaprāṇāḥ consists of:
ENERGY RESPONSIBLE FOR
1. Prāna respiratory system
2. Apāna excretory system
3. Vyāna circulatory system
4. Samāna digestive system
5. Udāna evacuatory system
manaḥ - mind is a doubting faculty and emotional faculty.
buddhiḥ - Intellect is a rational faculty, where the decision is made.
And daśendriyāṇi - ten organs which are divided into two groups:
Five instruments of knowledge, consist of:
1. Śrōtram organ of hearing (ears)
2. Tvak organ of touch (skin)
3. Cakṣū organ of sight (eye)
4. Rasanā organ of taste (tongue)
5. Ghrāṇam organ of smell (nose)
Five organs of actions , consist of:
FACULTY
1. Vāk organ of speech
2. Pānih organ of grasp
3. Pādah organ of movement
4. Pāyuh organ of excretion
5. Upastah organs of reproduction
Subtle body is born of ungrossified elements - apañcīkṛtabhūtottham, and it is the means for experiencing - bhogasādhanam, through the senses alone, the world can be experienced by us. It is also an upādhi for ātmā because it is proximate and transfers its qualities to ātmā as though.
Next the third upādhi - karaṇaśarīra - causal body is being described.
anādyavidyā’ nirvācyā kāraṇopādhirucyate |
upādhitritayādanyamātmānamavadhārayet || 14 ||
That which is beginning-less ignorance, unavailable for categorically defined, is called causal body. One should ascertain the self as separate from this triad of upādhi.
kāraṇopādhirucyate - causal body is said to be anādyavidyā - beginning-less ignorance. It is called māyā in the total level, and ignorance in the individual level. Being the power of projecting, it becomes the cause of gross and subtle body, therefore it is called causal body. It is beginning-less because it is not part of the creation, it was there without beginning as the power of ever existing brahman. And it is unavailable for categorically defined - anirvācyā, can’t be categorised as real (because it is subject to negation in the wake of knowledge) nor unreal (never comes to experience like rabbit horn) - sat-asatbhyam.
Here the description of upādhi is completed. The next half verse is to complete the entire pictures of the above description. avadhārayet - one should ascertain ātmānam - the self anyam - as separate from upādhitritayād - triad of upādhi. This separation should be cognitive only because they are really not physically mixed up. This is ātmā-anātmā-viveka - discrimination between self and non-self. And when it is done, the upādhi’s problems are no more my problems.
In the next verse, the same idea that qualities of anātmā transfer to ātmā as it were, presented in the form of five sheaths.
pañcakośādiyogena tattanmaya iva sthitaḥ |
śudhātmā nīlavastrādiyogena sphaṭiko yathā || 15 ||
Because of association with five covers, pure self obtains in each cover as though. Just like a crystal associated with a blue cloth.
In the previous verses, upādhi were divided into three bodies, based on the subtle-ness. Here, division is based on five layers of functional level. These layers are said to be covers of ātmā because they are covering ātmā as it were. They are:
1. Annamayaḥ food (modification) sheath
2. Prāṇamayaḥ vital air sheath (physiological function)
3. Manōmayaḥ mind sheath (mental states)
4. Vijñānamayaḥ intellect sheath
5. Ānandamayaḥ sheath of happiness
The limitation of each level is superimposed upon ātmā. yathā - just as nīlavastrādiyogena sphaṭikaḥ - a crystal, appears to be blue color because of association with a blue cloth. Similarly pañcakośādiyogena - by association with five covers etc. śudhātmā - pure self tattanmaya iva sthitaḥ - obtains within each cover as though. It is not that ātmā stays inside each level as different entity, but ãtmā is inferred in every cover, therefore it is said to be obtained inside, just like a razor is inferred in the razor box.
Yoga here means connection which can’t be a real connection, since ātmā and anātma are having different degrees of reality, therefore this connection is erroneous / superimposed. By using the word pure as an adjective for ātmā, it indicates that the association is not real, only as though.
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