Musing on the Sheaths of body as on Panchadasi

The soul according to panchadasi is covered by five states namely Annamayokosh, Pranamayaokosha, Manomayokosha, Vijanmayakosha, Anandamayakosha. The sheath of Annamayokosha is the food covering, looking deeply we see that our gross body is a conversion of food we eat. Our bulk of body has grown from small size baby, what is that, that has increased; obviously the input given is food. The second sheath called Pranamayaokosha translated as life force is always working, we keep breathing in and out of various body functions. The third sheath called mind sheath, it thinks, discriminates and takes in to input from all sense organs. The three sheath i.e. Body, Life Force and Mind function together as if like a machine. Now coming to fourth and fifth sheath through the vijanayakosha and ananandamayakosha is translated as “Intellect Sheath” and “Bliss Sheath”, it is rather tricky to understand it. In our daily life we see that we usually say, “I am working”, “I am eating”, the “I” consciousness always remains. The body eats, life force works, mind works but the “I” consciousness takes the credit. It is similarly like the machine operator, although the machine does the work but when someone asks, he says, “I am working”. The Mind, Prana and Body works but the “I” consciousness seems to be working. When the body says, “Am tired” and shuts itself, the other three Sheath (Prana, Mind and Intellect) keeps working. We go in to a dream state and again when the “mind” and “I” as doer stops we are in a deep sleep state. The “I” as bliss only remains. We can by deep contemplation see that “I” always remain as “I” doer and “I” enjoyed. That’s why we say, “I had a good sleep”. Although we don’t know about how we are in a state of deep sleep can feel freshness, enjoyment etc. Also karma theory as understood explains that we wake up from sleep state and spends our karma and at night we again enjoy the casual state to wake up again with the sprout of karma seed ready to flower as work and energy to spend during the day. The process repeats itself until the body lasts. But some people in their life realize the utter uselessness of life for enjoyment and they carve for something permanent. So the search for that permanent takes us to higher state of consciousness where we realize the spiritual entity outside these five Sheaths and then say as Buddha said thousands of years ago:-  “I have realized the extreme state of ego extinction where there is no decay, disease, death and defilement.”