THE GROSS BODY--ATMA BODHA 12

                                              THE GROSS BODY--- ATMA BODHA 12

PANCHEEKRITA-MAHABHOOTA SAMBHAVAM KARMASANCHITAM

SAREERAM SUKHA – DUKHANAM BHOGAYATANAM UCHYATE

“Determined for each and every individual by his own actions in the past and made up of the Five Elements that have gone through the process of a fivefold self division( Pancheekarana) is the gross body, the medium through which it experiences pleasure and pain.”

Sankara  describes  the origin and development of our gross body and the stages it takes to  complete. Under these bodies or layers of matter is the Atma or Self reveling in its bright consciousness! The three bodies are called 1 the gross body, 2 the subtle body, and 3 the causal body.  We call the body as “panchabhouthika sareera  ie it is made up of the Five Elements. The Five Elements are Space, Air, Fire, Water, and Earth. How do we know that the body is made up of the Five Elements?  Soon after death, when life escapes, the heat contents leave the body and it becomes icy cold. ( Fire) Then it bloats and emits gas.(Air)  Later it decays in its juicy contents. (Water) finally the physical structure decays  to dust. (Earth) Thus the space occupied by the body is yielded back. Gross material is derived from the subtler state.There must be a cause for every effect. Sankara says that our gross body undergoes the process of Panchee karana. What is this process?  It is an elaborate process where  the Five Elements  inter mingle  from the subtle  tan-matras and evolve into the gross elements

THE PROCESS OF PANCHEE KARANA:  the Five great Elements Space, Air, Fire, Water, and Earth  are in their pure and natural form before they are grossified. Because of their purity and natural state, they are called TANMATRAS meaning ‘That alone.’  The grossification takes place in five definite scientific stages.  

Stage 1: `They remain in their own individual pure state.

Stage 2:  Each Tanmantra of all the Five Elements shows a tendency to divide into two halves.

Stage 3: They split into two halves.

Stage 4: Half Tanmatra of each Element remains intact and the other half divides itself into four equal bits--- each bit being one eighth of the whole Tanmatra. Thus each Tanmatra has split into 5 segments—one half bit and four one eighth bits.

Stage 5:  Here, each half remains the same and combines with the four one eighth bits borrowed from all other four Elements.           

This gross human body is the equipment with which we perceive things.  It is with the sense organs provided in our body that we derive our quota of pleasure and pain. In their turn, they give us a measure of our success and failure.

The enjoyment of pleasure (Bhoga) and pain (Soka) is wholly dependent on our thoughts and actions during our countless previous births. It is the effect of the sum total accumulated karma in the previous births. Thi is also called Sanchita Karma. The thoughts and actions during our present existence form the Agami Karma which shapes our future. The pleasure and pain we are suffering at present is called Prarabda Karma.  Tha Vasanas or tendencies from our previous birth persist and cling to us. We have to control the bad Vasanas and try to tread the path of righteousness and dharmic conduct! Man is the architect of his destiny. It is he who can make or mar himself. None can be blamed for his rise or fall, elevation or doom. Everything happens as per one’s Karma. God should not be blamed for whatever happens in life. We should  try to release ourselves from the clutches of maya or illusion and follow the path of spirituality so that we can come nearer and nearer to God. The GROSSBODY, therefore, is the result of our sanchita karma for which we ourselves are responsible. In other words , we deserve the body for which our own actions are the cause.