Sharing My Thoughts on Vedanta - Stula Sarira

Definitions:

1. Sthula: means 'gross', that which is perceivable by senses.

2. Sarira: That which disintegrates (subject to destruction)

3. Visva: The experience of the external world of objects by the waker (Jagrud-state) is termed as visva. (Due to the identification with the gross body)

Nava-dvara-pura

The gross body is often compared to or referred as 'a city of nine gates'. The individual jiva lives in the gross body and experience the joy and sorrow through the nine gates. These are the two eyes, two ears, two nostrils, one mouth, and orifice of anus and reproductive organ. It is through these an individual transacts with the outside world. When the nine gates are closed during sleep state, there is a temporary cessation of all experiences because these gates are closed. When one is awake, these are opened and the interaction with the outside world is resumed,

Sankaracharya explains the sthula sarira as Bhoga-ayathanam - i.e. the Counter of experiences.

1. Jagrad-avastha

The term 'Jagrad-avastha' means ' waking state'. Because of the identification of oneself with the body; an individual comes to experience Jagrad-avastha. Only in this waking state, when an individual identifies with the gross body, he perceives the world through his senses. (Absence of Self Knowledge wakes one up). When he is asleep, there is no identification with the body and therefore there is no perception of the outside world.

2. Annamaya-kosa

The gross body or the sthula sarira is the product of the fluids of parents. This generative fluid is the transformation of the food (anna) that they ate. After birth, the body grows and sustains by the food that is eaten (anna). When the body dies, it becomes the food (anna) for other beings. It is therefore called Anna-maya-kosa.

The process of pancikarana

The five elements - (SAFWE - I call it SAFE with a W before E) - Space, Air, Fire, Water and Earth - collectively called panca maha bhuta. When they are subtle and remain in the form that cannot be perceived by senses, they're called tanmántras. These tanmántras undergo the five-fold grossification or pancikarana to create the panca maha bhutas.

From the tamasic aspect are born the five gross elements or the panca-maha-bhutas.
Pancikarana is deliberatively explained in prakarana granthas like Atma Bodha, Tattva bodha etc.

The term pancikarana literally means creating (karana) fives (paÅ^ci) indicated the process of five-fold division and mutual combination of tanmántras.

The stages of pancikarana are:

1. Tannmantras (primoreal stage) remain in their own individual pure state.
2. Tanmántras show a tendency to split into two.
3. They split into halves
4. In this stage, one half of each element remain intact while the other half splits into four equal parts, making each as 1/8th of the whole element
5. In the final stage, half of tanmantra remains in intact and combines with 1/8th of each of the other elements.

Now, each tanmantra has 50% of one element and 1/8th or 12.5% of each of the other elements. This process is called pancikarana or grossification. These newly formed elements could now be perceived by senses.

The permutation combinations of these five elements form the entire gross world including our gross body.

The six modifications of sthula sarira are:

o Asti (it exists)

This refers to the fetal form. This fetal form is specifically described as 'it exists' to emphatically ascertain to gross body's potential existence even before its birth.

o Jayate (it is born)

The fetus develops and is born after the gestation period in the mother's womb

o Vardate (it grows)

When nourished by food and water, the gross body grows in size.

o Viparinamate (it changes)

Even after the body reaches its full maturity, it keeps changing, discarding old cells, generating new ones. The body goes thru' sickness and illness thus experiencing further modifications

o Apaksiyate (it decays)

In course of time, the body slowly weakens, losing its strengths and vitality. The body becomes 'old'

o Vinasyati (it dies)

The body perishes, disintegrates and becomes one with the gross elements from which it was originally created.

Sankaracharya discourages the seeker from a life of mindless sensory pursuit. Here is how:

Sankaracharya in his Veivekacudamani -verse 76 gives the examples of animals' experiences by their mindless pursuit of sensory objects. Swami Chinmayananda explains these in a very simple way for a common person's understanding as below.

The deer is fascinated by the melodious sound (sense of hearing) when the hunter sings the song, the deer is attracted to it and does not realize the danger ahead. Hunter takes advantage and targets the deer.

Elephants are attracted to the sense of touch. As they walk with their mates and not realizing what is coming, without caution, they fall into the pit. These again are taken by men/hunters.

The moth is enchanted by the dazzling form of fire (sense of vision) and as they flutter towards it, gets burnt.

The fish that is ravenously hungry (sense of taste) is drawn to the bait and gets caught.

The honeybee attracted to the sense of smell, collects honey by hard work only to have the greedy men to destroy it hive and loot the treasure.

Sankaracharya concludes as' if this is the end of animals that fall prey to, with just one sense, what would be the condition of a human who is at the mercy of five senses?'

It is definitely necessary to think of our status, as we get distracted to the external objects from the goal of spiritual pursuit of self-realization

It is vital to understand the nature of the gross body and its ephemeral, temporary joyless existence and to terminate the endless attachment to the external world. It is our choice to choose the real from the unreal.

Thought by thought, action by action, we have demanded the current gross body and mental equipment. We order our shape of the future by giving a blueprint to God and we get the body as ordered with précised specifications by the omnipresent creator.

From my own personal experiences I have come to understand and convinced with this statement.. We are spiritual beings going through human experiences based on our karmic actions.

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