THE CONSTITUTION OF MAN - THE JIVA

In Hinduism, the constitution of man 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. The Upanishads are rare treasure which unravels the mystery of Life, Birth and the Self.

The mysteries of creation and the mysteries of the Universal Existence of Supreme Self can be known only by knowing the mysteries of one’s own creation and one’s own existence. All the divinities that exist 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 Purusha (manifest world) is the waking consciousness, the visible reality, which we can witness, the Vaishwanara mentioned in the Mandukya Upanishad. Hiranyagarbha 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, with its manifested divine aspects or attributes - the first Being, "in the beginning when nothing existed", is the deep sleep state called ‘pragna’. Finally, at the highest spirit is Brahman, the Absolute and 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 embodied 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.

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.- intellect. 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. The power of discrimination and which entangles us with the theory of Karma.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 fifth is the bliss body, called anandamaya kosa - blissful state 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 intellect 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).

The sixth is the Atman, the eternal soul, the real self, the very Brahman in its pure microcosmic state. It is the 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.When a human being understands this then he never finds himself segregated from the world, he feel one with the many and all as one.

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 (creation), 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.When this concept is not understood well, there will be conflicts, hatred, and all vices.

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 returns again to take birth in this world in accordance with its previous samskaras or residual memories of its past lives.

The Atman – Soul is a witness to all our activities and no one can deny it.

This is when man is born again to settle accounts with people and things and comes across them in accordance to his Karmic effect and nothing beyond. Relationships as family bonds, friends, and enemies all have to be settled here on Earth, without creating any further Karma.

Ref :

The Taittiriya and Katha Upanishads are important sources of information for our understanding of the constitution of man.

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 intellect(II. 2.1), buddhi and bliss (II.2.1) and Brahman (II.2.1).

Mandukya upanishad