Understanding the five sheaths that cover the Self like layers over a flame—from the physical body to the bliss body—and recognizing what lies beyond all coverings.
Author
Taittirīya Upaniṣad
पञ्च कोश (Pañca Kośa)
The Five Sheaths
The Taittirīya Upaniṣad presents the teaching of the five koshas—five layers or sheaths that cover the true Self like layers covering a light bulb. Each layer seems to be “you,” but is actually just a covering over your real nature.
Kosha (कोश) literally means:
The Teaching’s Purpose: By systematically discriminating what you are NOT (each kosha), you discover what you truly ARE (the Self beyond all koshas).
अन्नमय कोश (Annamaya Kośa)
The Sheath Made of Food
Literally:
What It Is: The physical body—muscles, bones, organs, skin—built from and sustained by food.
Why It’s Called the Food Body:
Its Characteristics:
The Discrimination: “I am aware of this body. I am not this body. The body changes—childhood, youth, old age—but I, the awareness, remain unchanged. I am not made of food; I am that which knows the food body.”
Common Identification: Most people believe “I am this body.” When the body is sick, they say “I am sick.” When the body ages, they say “I am old.”
The Recognition: You are the consciousness that witnesses the body, not the body itself. You were aware of your small child body; you’re aware of your current body. The bodies changed, but the witnessing awareness did not.
प्राणमय कोश (Prāṇamaya Kośa)
The Sheath Made of Life Force
What It Is: The layer of vital energy (prāṇa) that animates the physical body—breath, circulation, nerve impulses, metabolism.
The Five Prāṇas:
Its Characteristics:
Why You Think This Is You: When energized, you say “I am energetic.” When tired, “I am exhausted.” When breathing deepens in yoga, “I am more alive.”
The Discrimination: “I am aware of energy levels rising and falling. I notice the breath coming and going. I am not the prāṇa; I am the consciousness that witnesses all vital energies.”
The Recognition: In deep meditation, when breath becomes very subtle, you remain aware. In deep sleep, when vital functions slow dramatically, you (as awareness) are still present. You are not the life force—you are what knows it.
मनोमय कोश (Manomaya Kośa)
The Sheath Made of Mind
What It Is: The layer of thoughts, emotions, memories, perceptions—the thinking mind.
Its Functions:
Its Characteristics:
Strong Identification: Most spiritual seekers move from identifying with the body to identifying with the mind. They think “I am my thoughts,” “I am my emotions,” “I am my personality.”
The Discrimination: “Thoughts arise and disappear. Emotions come and go. I observe all mental activity. Who is the observer of thoughts? I am not the mind; I am the awareness that witnesses the mind.”
The Test: Close your eyes and watch your thoughts. Who is watching? The watcher cannot be the watched. You are the watcher, not the thoughts.
The Recognition: In deep sleep, the mind dissolves—no thoughts, no emotions—yet upon waking, you know you slept. What witnessed the absence of mind? That awareness is what you are.
विज्ञानमय कोश (Vijñānamaya Kośa)
The Sheath Made of Intellect/Discernment
What It Is: The discriminating intellect—the faculty that knows, decides, judges, understands, and holds the sense of “I.”
Its Functions:
Why It’s Subtler: This is the deepest personal identification—the sense “I am the knower, the doer, the experiencer.” It’s the inner witness of thoughts, yet still a layer covering the ultimate Self.
Its Characteristics:
The Subtle Trap: Many spiritual practitioners reach this layer and think they’ve found the Self. They experience themselves as the witness of thoughts and claim “I am awareness”—but it’s still a refined ego, still a kosha.
The Discrimination: “I am aware of my sense of being a knower. I can observe my decisions being made. I notice my ego-sense arising. If I can witness the witness, then I am not even this vijñāna; I am beyond even the intellect.”
The Recognition: In deep sleep, there’s no intellect functioning—no decisions, no discrimination, no ego—yet consciousness remains. What is that consciousness beyond even intellect? That is You.
आनन्दमय कोश (Ānandamaya Kośa)
The Sheath Made of Bliss
What It Is: The layer of happiness, peace, bliss—the subtle feeling of contentment and well-being.
Its Characteristics:
When It’s Experienced:
The Most Subtle Trap: This is the most deceptive kosha because bliss feels like the goal. Seekers experience peace and think “I’ve arrived!” But even bliss is an experience, and all experiences come and go.
The Discrimination: “I am aware of feeling peaceful. I notice when happiness is present. I observe when bliss arises and when it fades. I am not the bliss; I am the unchanging awareness that witnesses even the bliss-sheath.”
The Teaching: True Ānanda (bliss) is your nature—not a state you experience. The Ānandamaya Kosha is like moonlight—beautiful but reflected light. Your true nature is the sun—the source of bliss itself.
The Recognition: When bliss comes, you notice it. When it goes, you notice it. But You—the noticer—remain constant. You are not the experience of bliss; you are That in which all experiences (including bliss) appear.
आत्मन् (Ātman)
The True Self
What Remains: When all five koshas are removed—when you’ve discriminated “not this body, not this energy, not this mind, not this intellect, not even this bliss”—what remains?
The Answer: Pure consciousness—unchanging, eternal, self-luminous awareness. Not a thing among things, but the light by which all things are known.
Characteristics of the Self:
The Recognition: You are not any of the five layers. You are the consciousness in which all five appear. Like the sky in which clouds appear, you are the space in which all koshas arise and dissolve.
Sit quietly and systematically discriminate:
“I am not the body”
“I am not the life force”
“I am not the mind”
“I am not the intellect”
“I am not even bliss”
“I am the Self”
When identified with a kosha, ask:
Body identification: “Who is aware of this body?”
Energy identification: “Who notices this tiredness/vitality?”
Mental identification: “Who is aware of these thoughts?”
Intellectual identification: “Who observes this decision being made?”
Bliss identification: “Who is aware of this peace?”
The Answer: Always the same—pure awareness, untouched by any kosha.
Imagine a bright lamp covered by five colored lampshades:
The Question: What happens when you remove all five shades?
The Answer: Pure light shines—colorless, unchanged, as it always was. It was never colored; the shades only made it appear so.
You are the light. The koshas are not your limitations; they’re temporary appearances. Remove identification with them, and your true nature stands revealed—self-luminous consciousness.
The koshas are not bad or obstacles to be destroyed. They are:
The Error: Identifying with them—thinking they are you.
The Correction: Recognizing you are the consciousness using them, not the tools themselves.
The Freedom: Living through the koshas without being bound by them.
A Jīvanmukta (liberated being):
They live through all five koshas while resting as the Self beyond all five.
Five layers cover the light,
Like colored glass before the sun.
Remove each shade with discrimination—
Not this body, not this breath,
Not these thoughts, not this knowing,
Not even this peace.
What remains when all is removed?
Pure light—self-luminous, unchanged,
The eternal Self:
That I Am.
May this teaching of the koshas reveal your true nature—the unchanging awareness beyond all layers, eternally free, always whole. 🪆🙏✨