What is a Rishi / Sage / Saint? There is a misconception that a Rishi is a monk. A person who has achieved renunciation from the world, and has left society to live in the world in isolation, in a cave or in a jungle. This, however, is a mis-conception. What these spiritually accomplished people do before they are sages, is that they look for the truth about who/what they are. This does not require renunciation of life. This simply requires transcendence of desire for the world. Both good and bad. And all polar opposites in this world. This does NOT require one to be a monk.  Perhaps we will talk about this topic…

In the last article “जीव & शरीर; Jiva, its Microcosm & body” we saw how the three bodies in a human being, correlate to the PanchaKoshas or five layers/sheaths that are manifested from Brahman. Let’s dwell into much detail about these five layers. The Atman:  आत्मन्; Atman, also referred to as Sushuptatman, Antaratman, Parmatman, Brahman or ParaBrahman, is the true self. It is pure cosmic consciousness. It is the reality or the substratum behind the manifested universe. Anatman: The human being and all beings truly are the manifested reality of Brahman. The human being has essentially five sheaths or layers that we are made of. These layers are defined as the PanchaKoshas. By non-realisation of…

The above picture highlights what we call Jiva (a life) and its structure in the case of a human being. It also highlights the three main aspects of a Jiva. The gross body that is flesh, bones and the elements. The Subtle body that contains the mental faculties and energies. The Causal body which stores information that transcends lives. It also highlights the relationship between the bodies, and provides a much detailed view as 5 layers. The pancha kosha. The structure also shows how the 3 states of a being correlate to the bodies. The state of “Turiya” or the 4th state, transcends a being in all three states of waking,…