ExploreVedanta.

com ≡ Menu


7.1 The 3 Bodies
This sub-module is based on the teachings of Swami Paramarthananda and
James Swartz.

Expand All Sections

Introduction
In this chapter we will take a look at the “3 Bodies” (Sharira Trayam) teaching
of Vedanta. An individual is called a “Jiva” in Vedanta. According to Vedanta a
Jiva is composed of 3 bodies.

These 3 bodies are:

1. Gross Body (Sthula Sharira)

2. Subtle Body (Sukshma Sharira)
3. Causal Body (Karana Sharira)
While analysing each body we will study the 4 factors associated with each
body. These 4 factors are:

1. The Material out of which each body is made.

2. The Components in each body.
3. The Function of each body.
4. The Nature of each body.

I. The Gross Body

Close this section
1. Material
What is the material out of which the Gross Body is made?

The scriptures say that the Gross Body is made out of gross matter,
which in turn is in the form of 5 gross elements. Gross Matter is
composed of 5 gross elements:

Space
Air
Fire
Water
Earth

That a human body is composed of these 5 elements can easily be

proved by analysis. A human body occupies space, has fire element in
the form of body temperature, has air element in the form of life breath,
has a significant amount of water within it, and has earth element to
give it solid form.

2. Components
The scriptures divide the body into 4 components; the head, hands,
legs & the central body.

3. Function
The scriptures say that the body is a temporary residence used by an
individual (Jiva). It is like a house taken on rent.

The rent payment is in the form of Karma; both good Karma (Punya) &
bad Karma (Papa). As long as there is Karma waiting to fructify, the
body is available.

If there is no more Karma, then there is no reason for the Jiva to keep
occupying a body.

Therefore a body is a temporary residence we use to transact with the

world.

4. Nature
These are 3 features of the gross body:

a. Firstly, the body is of a changing nature. It is subject to

modification.

b. Secondly, the body is visible to both myself as well as others. It is

not only I who can experience my body, but others can also
experience, see and touch my body.
 c. Thirdly, the body has a limited natural life, and it ceases to exist
beyond a specific age set by nature.

Close this section

II. The Subtle Body

Close this section
1. Material
Scriptures say that Subtle Body is born out of subtle Matter, which in
turn is composed of 5 subtle elements. Just as there are 5 gross
elements, there are corresponding 5 subtle elements:
 Subtle Space
Subtle Air
Subtle Fire
Subtle Water
Subtle Earth

So even though the elements are subtle, the subtle body is material in
nature.

2. Components
The Subtle Body has 19 instruments of experience:
A. The 5 Sense Organs Of Knowledge
There are 5 sense organs of knowledge: eyes, ears, nose, tongue
& skin. By sense organs we do not mean physical organs which
belong to the physical body. We are referring to the subtle power of
perception.

The subtle body is the instrument of perception. The points on the

physical body where sense perception seems to occur are not the
actual sense organs. Perception is only possible when the mind is
behind the sense organ.

The eyes may be open but the visual data received from the eyes
will have no meaning if the mind is day dreaming or occupied
elsewhere.

B. The 5 Organs Of Action

Where the first 5 organs of knowledge are meant to perceive the
world, the next 5 instruments are organs of action meant to
respond to the world.

These 5 organs of action are: speech, hands, legs, anus & genitals.

C. The 5 Pranas
Close this section
The next 5 instruments are called the five-fold Prana (Life force).
Prana controls the activities of the 10 organs of knowledge &
action. Prana is also responsible for the health & vitality of the
body. The 5 Pranas are:

1. Prana – The respiratory system.

2. Apana – Responsible for any sort of waste removal from
the body.

3. Vyana – Responsible for circulating oxygen & nutrition

throughout the body.

4. Samana – Responsible for converting food into nutrition.

5. Udana – Operates the reversing system at the time of

death when all processes of the body are reversed because it
is time for the body to die. It also ejects the Subtle Body from
the Gross Body at the time of death. Udana also handles the
reversal function at the time of emergencies. For e.g. if we
ingest a toxic substance it is thrown out of the body.

Close this section

E. The 4 Internal Organs
Close this section
The last 4 instruments are the 4 internal organs of the Subtle
Body. These are the Mind, Intellect, Memory & Ego. These 4
internal organs can also be collectively called the Mind, or
Antahkaranam in Sanskrit.

1. Mind (Manas) – Mind stands for the emotional faculty in the

Subtle Body, the feeling function, or what we call the “heart”.
The mind also integrates the various sense perceptions
received from the organs of knowledge and passes them on
to the intellect. It also relays instruction from the intellect to
the organs of action.

Another function of the mind is to act as the doubting faculty.

For e.g. “Should I do this, or should I do that?”

2. Intellect (Buddhi) – We can call the intellect as the rational

faculty or the judging faculty or the knowing faculty or the
reasoning faculty.

The intellect gathers knowledge, remembers, analyses,

inquires into problems and discriminates. From the
enlightenment perspective intellect is the most important
aspect of the subtle body since liberation is nothing but
removal of ignorance from the intellect.

3. Memory (Chittam) – The function of memory is to receive

and record our experiences. The sense data received from all
5 organs of knowledge are stored in the memory.
 Sometimes even memories from past lives can be
remembered by the mind. For e.g. a musical prodigy feels
that she knows the music even though she is hearing it for
the first time or a spiritual prodigy feels that he has learnt the
scriptures before.

4. Ego (Ahamkara) – When awareness seemingly forgets its

limitless nature and identifies with the Subtle and Gross Body,
and creates a secondary and limited identity which it calls “I”.
This “I” is called the Ego.

The term Ego can be a very misleading term. In the modern

spiritual world, the term Ego can mean a lot of things. So to
clarify the meaning of Ego in Vedanta, we have included a
section at the end of the chapter.

When through inquiry, self-knowledge arises in the intellect, it

destroys this “I”, freeing the ever-free awareness from its
apparent limitations.

Close this section

3. Function
The function of the Subtle Body is to transact with the world using
these 19 instruments.
In the above diagram we can see a detailed explanation of how the
Subtle Body functions internally in response to stimuli from the external
world.

These are the steps:

1. The 5 organs of knowledge receive sense data from their

counterparts in the Gross Body. This sense data is passed on to
the Mind.
 2. The Mind integrates the sense data and passes it to the intellect
for analysis and decision making.

3. The Mind also stores the sense data in Memory.

4. The Intellect analyses the sense data. It also retrieves past

experiences, past decisions and things previously learned, from
Memory, to help in decision making.

5. The decision arrived at is passed to the Mind and also stored in

Memory for future use.

6. The Mind parses the decision and instructs appropriate organs of

action to respond to the external world.

7. When all this is happening the Ego plays a very peculiar

function. The Ego is responsible for the “I sense” within us. When
the stimuli is received from the external world by the organs of
knowledge, it is the Ego which causes us to believe that “this is
happening to me”. And when the organs of action respond, it is the
Ego which causes us to think “I am doing this”.

Liberation or Moksha is nothing but the ability to observe the Ego

dispassionately and impersonally; not identifying with the Ego, and
seeing that everything is happening on its own. The Subtle Body is an
inert mechanism which performs various functions when illumined by
Awareness.

As we mentioned in the Knowledge vs Experience chapter, the Ego

need not be killed, nor can it be killed. We just need to stop identifying
with the Ego as our real identity, and to make Awareness our primary
identity.

Swami Paramarthananda says that we need to convert our

“identification” with Ego to an “association”. Because I can observe the
Ego, I am “associated” with it, but since I am not the Ego, I should not
be “identified” with it.

Enlightenment And The Intellect

So how and where does this change from “identification” to
“association” takes place?

The 4 internal organs can collectively be called the Mind. It is

important to understand that the 4 internal organs – Mind, Intellect,
Memory and Ego – are not actual divisions within the Mind; these
are functional divisions. The Mind is called 4 different names based
on the function it performs.

Ignorance resides in the Intellect. The Intellect is where you have

all the ideas about yourself. The Intellect thinks it is not Awareness.

So enlightenment is making the thought “I am Awareness” hard and

fast in the Intellect. This thought is called Akhandakara Vritti. Once
this knowledge operates through the Intellect without any
misconceptions, suffering based on limited ideas about yourself will
end.

The Value Of A Clear Mind

How fast this knowledge gets assimilated depends upon how clear
the Mind is. If the Mind is always agitated either by desires or fears,
it will not dwell on the thought “I am Awareness”. Constant
repetition of the thought “I am Awareness” is the key.
 The Amritabindu Upanishad says:

The mind is, verily, the cause of bondage as well

as liberation; engrossed in objects of sense, it
leads to bondage; free from attachment to objects,
the same mind leads to liberation.

This is why Vedanta places such a heavy emphasis on preparing

the Mind. Karma Yoga, Upasana Yoga and Universal Values are all
important to acquire a calm, tranquil mind; a mind conducive for
Self-Inquiry.

4. Nature
There are 3 features of the Subtle Body:

a. The Subtle Body is also subject to change. The instruments of

the Subtle Body can improve or weaken. For e.g. the eyes become
poor, the memory fails or the intellect gets sharper or dull etc.

b. The Subtle Body has a longer life compared to the Gross Body.
The Gross Body exists for only one birth, whereas the Subtle Body
continues into future lives as well. Bodies after bodies are changed
but the Subtle Body continues. That is why we are able to
sometimes remember past life events. The Karma from past lives is
also carried forward because of the continuity of the Subtle Body.
The Subtle Body continues until the dissolution of the Universe
(Pralaya) where it gets dismantled.
 c. The Subtle Body is only evident to myself, not others. Only I can
know my thoughts and feelings, not others. Because it is only
available to me and not others, it’s called the Subtle Body.

Close this section

III. Causal Body

Close this section
1. Material
The Causal Body is made out of causal matter, which is the subtlest
form of matter. Technically it’s called Avidya. Normally Avidya stands for
ignorance but in this context it is different. Sometimes the words
Prakriti or Maya is also used.

2. Components
The components of Causal Body are nothing but the Subtle and Gross
Body in potential form. Before creation the Subtle and Gross Bodies
exist as seed form in the Causal Body, and during creation they
manifest.

It is similar to a tree sprouting from within a seed, where it existed in

potential or un-manifest form.

Matter can never be produced or destroyed. Matter always exists. So

before creation too the Subtle and Gross Bodies must have existed in
potential form. That potential form is called the Causal Body.

So the Causal Body evolves into the Subtle and Gross Body, just as a
seed evolves into a tree.

3. Function
The Causal Body serves as the source from which the Subtle and
Gross Body arises, and into which eventually the two bodies dissolve
back. During creation (Shristi), the Subtle and Gross Bodies arise from
the Causal Body, and during dissolution (Pralaya), they go back into
the Causal Body.

4. Nature
The Causal Body has got the longest life compared to the other two
bodies. Even the Subtle Body gets dismantled during dissolution
(Pralaya), but the Causal Body continues even after the dissolution of
the universe.

Also, the Gross Body is visible to everyone, the Subtle Body is known
only to me, but the Causal Body is not evident even to myself. Since
the Causal Body is more subtle than the mind, it is not known even to
me.

A Note On Vasanas
Close this section
So far we have looked at the 3 bodies. We saw how the Causal Body
acts as a source for the Subtle and Gross bodies. But there is still a
very important component of the Causal Body which we haven’t
discussed; the Vasanas.

What Are Vasanas?

The topic of Vasanas is very important for an inquirer. When we
forget our identity as Awareness, we pursue objects which we
feel will complete us. Fear and desire motivate our actions.

When we act from a feeling of lack (fear) and the desire that
springs from it, the action leaves a subtle trace. The unseen
result is called a Vasana. The literal meaning of Vasana in
Sanskrit is a fragrance. Like the fragrance emitted by a flower,
the actions taken by us carry on unbeknownst to us.

For e.g. a certain experience gives you pleasure. When the

experience is over physically, it is still no over. You may go about
your business and seemingly forget about the experience, but a
Vasana for that experience has been created in your mind. When
you find yourself in a situation to have that same experience, you
want it once more. The desire for objects that lie hidden in us and
spring out from time to time are our Vasanas.

This applies to fear as well. When you have a bad experience,

you will try to avoid that kind of experience like a plague.

Vasanas are your conditioning, your tendencies, the objects and

activities that you are attracted to and repelled by.

Everything that moves in the world is driven by Vasanas.

Vasanas are not inherently good or bad. They are the seeds
(knowledge) that drive creation.

A Vasana is a momentum from past action, the tendency to

repeat it. It is just a technical term. There are positive Vasanas,
and there are negative Vasanas.
The belief that all Vasanas are negative has given rise to the
erroneous idea that enlightenment happens when all the Vasanas
are removed. Enlightened people also have Vasanas. If you’re
alive, you have Vasanas.

Binding Vasanas
A Vasana for food is natural. It is nature maintaining the body. I
eat to live. But when I feel emotionally upset for any reason and I
use food to calm myself, then the Vasana becomes a problem
because it masks my real motivation.

I am no longer eating to sustain my body, but to distract myself

from my emotional pain. I have perverted my food Vasana.

When a Vasana is constantly repeated, the behaviour associated

with it becomes binding. The Vasana-driven habit becomes an
obsession or a compulsion which finally morphs into an addiction.
These are called “binding” Vasanas.

This vicious cycle can be illustrated in this way: Vasana –> Kama
(Desire) –> Karma (Action) –> Vasana. A Vasana gives rise to a
desire (Kama), the desire causes us to act (Karma), the action in
turn reinforces the Vasana, and the cycle keeps repeating.
 So an enlightened person does not need to get rid of all his
Vasanas; he just needs to make all his binding Vasanas non-
binding, so that the Vasanas no longer dictate his actions.

Location Of Vasanas In The Jiva

Vasanas can be said to be directly located in the Subtle Body, but
are indirectly located in the Causal Body because the Subtle
Body itself exists in un-manifest or seed form in the Causal Body.

Close this section

Close this section

Further Clarification On Ego

Close this section
The term Ego can be confusing and misleading. You might have your own
ideas as to what ego means; ideas you formed from reading other spiritual
books. So it’s important to understand the Vedantic concept of Ego, so that
there is no confusion further down the road.

Vedanta has 3 basic concepts regarding the Ego:

1. Jiva
The first is “Jiva”. Any being with the 3 Bodies (Gross, Subtle and
Causal) is a Jiva. All plants, animals and human beings are Jivas.
Rocks, cars and computers are not Jivas.

2. Ahamkara
The second is Ahamkara; the Ego component of the Subtle Body as we
saw earlier in this chapter.

Ahamkara is not an independent volitional entity; it is simply the notion

that I am a separate individual entity, and the consequent belief that I
am a doer and an enjoyer/experiencer.

It is the one who claims responsibility for all the decisions the intellect
makes, and all the actions the mind and the body take.

In more specific terms, Ahamkara is the plethora of ideas the apparent

individual has about himself or herself such as “I am a male or female; I
am black or white; I am fat, skinny, healthy, sick, artistic, business-
minded, pragmatic, neat, messy.”

As James Swartz says, the world is a super market of identities. And

the ego is that aspect of the apparent person that identifies with these
identities, and defines itself in terms of them.

3. Abhimanam
The third is Abhimanam. We can say that Abhimanam is an extension
of Ahamkara. It is the sense of ownership; the idea “This is mine. This
belongs to me.”

It is the definition of the ego that is closest in meaning to the common

Western definition of ego as “self-importance” or “conceit”.

Though it does not necessarily connote an attitude of arrogance,

Abhimanam does suggest a feeling of pride associated with one’s
possession of particular objects, be they tangible items, physical
characteristics and skills, mental acuity and creativity or personal
experiences and accomplishments.
In all three cases, there is a sense of a personal identity, a sense of being
an “I” who is separate from and different than other “I”s. In Vedantic terms,
this sense of separation is the essence of egoism.

Vedanta says that it is the sense of separation that needs to be

transcended, not the sense of egoism per se. In other words, while the
association with the mind-body-sense complex will continue, one needs to
cease identifying oneself in terms of it.

One needs to understand that despite appearances to the contrary, all forms
are essentially nothing other than Awareness, the singular “substanceless
substance” that is the substratum (Adhishthanam) supporting the entire
manifestation.

Transcending the ego is entirely a matter of understanding.

The Ahamkara is necessary in order to allow the individual the ability to

function as a discrete entity within the dualistic apparent reality.

If the individual wasn’t equipped with the sense of duality, he wouldn’t even
be able to find the door through which to leave his house in the morning,
much less be able to drive a car or take care of business at his place of
employment.

And if he isn’t able to tell himself apart from other entities, he wouldn’t even
know what mouth he was supposed to feed when he felt hungry, much less
be able to play with his dog or interact with his friends and family.

Moreover, you need a highly refined intellect and healthy sense of “I” in
order to engage in effective self-inquiry, and make the discrimination
between the Self and the “not-Self” that facilitates the assimilation of Self-
knowledge and the “attainment” of ultimate inner freedom.
Ironically, you need the ability to effectively operate the instrument of the
apparent individual person in order to eradicate your identification with it.

Is Transcending The Ego Same As Ego Death?

One’s sense of being an apparent individual person is not actually the
problem. Suffering happens only when one believes the apparent
person is real and one’s true identity.

When you understand that you are whole, complete, perfect, pure,
limitless, attribute-less awareness and that as such no apparent object
or experience can enhance, diminish or otherwise affect your essential
nature in any way, then you are free.

Through the instrument of the mind-body-sense mechanism that

constitutes the apparent individual person you seem to be, you will still
encounter the ups and downs that characterize the drama of life.

However, while the experience of pain and pleasure persists, suffering

ceases once and for all.

One’s association with the mind-body-sense complex therefore need

not and, for that matter should not, be eradicated. Self-realization does
not mean dissociative identity disorder or death; but one’s identification
with the body-mind-sense complex should be negated through the
assimilation of self-knowledge.

Close this section

Summary
Close this section
1. The Gross Body is made out of the 5 gross elements: space, air, fire,
water and earth. The scriptures divide the Gross Body into 4
components: head, hands, legs and central body. The purpose of the
Gross Body is to transact with the external world. The Gross Body
has limited natural life; when the Karma for a body ends, it dies.

2. The Subtle Body is composed of the 5 elements in their subtle form:

space, air, fire, water and earth. You can call the Subtle Body the
engine for the Gross Body. It runs the various physiological functions
of the body. The Subtle Body receives sense data from Gross Body,
processes the data, and tells the body how to respond to the external
world.

3. There are 19 instruments in the Subtle Body: the 5 organs of

knowledge, the 5 pranas, the 5 organs of action and the 4 internal
organs (collectively called the Mind). We saw the significance of the
Mind from the enlightenment perspective. Why it is important to
cultivate a tranquil mind. The Subtle Body has a longer life compared
to the Gross Body because it continues into future lives.

4. The Causal Body is made out of Causal Matter and contains the
Subtle and Gross Body in seed form. The Causal Body is
indestructible and survives even the dissolution of the Universe, to
again sprout the Subtle and Gross Body during the next creation
cycle.
 5. Weof action
also covered the topic of Vasanas. Vasanas are both the source
(karma) and the unseen result of action. All desires and
fears are nothing but subconscious tendencies in our mind. When we
act out these tendencies, they reinforce the Vasanas. There are both
negative as well as positive Vasanas. To become enlightened we
don’t need to get rid of all Vasanas, we just need to render the
binding Vasanas non-binding.

6. Finally the topic of ego was covered. We learned about the 3

different concepts of ego in Vedanta – the Jiva, Ahamkara and
Abhimanam. We saw how transcending the ego is not the same as
“ego death”, which seems to be widely propagated in the modern
spiritual world. An enlightened person also has an ego, but he or she
does not identify with it.

Close this section

Sources:

1. Swami Paramarthananda – Talks on Tattvabodha

2. James Swartz – How to Attain Enlightenment
3. James Swartz – Essence of Enlightenment
4. S.N.Sastri – The Mind According to Vedanta
5. Ted Schmidt – Transcending Ego

previous table of next

6.3 The Teaching Tradition of contents 7.2 The 3 States
Vedanta