Vivekachudamani 36 Anamaya Kosha: The Outermost Sheath - By Swami Tattwamayananda

151st verse: “A lake has pure water underneath but is covered by moss, grass and leaves at the top. The pure water is hidden. Similarly, our true nature stays hidden by five sheaths. The five sheaths are: Anamaya Kosha, Pranamaya Kosha, Manomaya Kosha, Vijnanamaya Kosha and Anandamaya Kosha.”153rd verse: “When the five sheaths are taken away, we identify with our true dimension, which is self-effulgent, directly experienced and the source of eternal bliss.”155th verse: “There is a type of grass whose core is covered by leaves. When the outer layers of the leaves degenerate, the core comes out. Similarly, we should be able to separate the five sheaths and identify with our inner divinity.”The 156th verse describes Anamaya Kosha, the outermost layer.156th verse: “The body is the outermost layer and is a result of the food that we eat. It comes into existence by food, lives by food and dies without food. This body is like a skin bag that contains all that we eat. If anything were to come out of this skin bag and touch our hands, we instinctively wash our hands, as we consider the contents of the skin bad as impure. This body is made of skin, flesh, blood and bones. Every cell in the body changes every single moment. Therefore, it cannot be our true identity, Atman, which is unchanging. “While there is nothing remarkable about the physical body physically, it is important as it helps us go beyond body consciousness. Having a healthy body is not the goal of life. It is a means for higher realization.We often define ourselves with our physical body. This is similar to a billionaire behaving like a beggar. People who only identify with their physical body are quickly forgotten. Many great personalities, such as Lincoln, Gandhi and Stephen Hawking, were not physically remarkable but achieved great things by identifying with higher dimensions of their personality.Buddha reflected on the sufferings of the physical body - the miseries of birth, death, sickness and old age. He went to Bodh Gaya, sat under a tree and took a vow to not leave his seat until he realized the spiritual truth.Everyone intellectually knows that the physical body will be gone one day. However, at an emotional level, we live in delusion forgetting this truth. Even a crematorium manager, who sees dead bodies every day, lives under similar delusion. Yaksha posed a question to Yudhishthira – “What is the most mysterious fact of life?” In answer, Yudhishthira said – “Every minute and second, we see so many creatures moving towards the abode of death. Still, we believe that we will not have to join this procession. This is the most mysterious fact of life.”The 157th verse explains the impermanence of the physical body.157th verse: “This body did not exist some time ago, and it will cease to exist some time in the future. It only appears to exist in the present. Every split second, it changes and becomes old. It is like a pot that is insentient. It is not eternal, and therefore, not our true nature, which is Atman.”If we become slightly introspective, we can infer the higher dimensions of our personality. When we say: “I am happy” without being aware of it, we identify with the mind, which is beyond the physical body. The body, which is skin bag, cannot be happy or unhappy. That state belongs to the mind.Our true nature is as the seer or witness, which is aware of all the changes happening to the body. When we observe our anger or anxiety, we objectify them, thereby reducing their effect on us.158th verse; “This body has hands and feet. Even if we lose our hands or feet, we continue to live. This body cannot be our true nature, which is permanent. “These physical parts do not define us. Our true nature can only be experienced. It cannot be verbalized. When we remove all wrong notions, what is left behind is our true nature.