Scribd
Upload
141 views2 pages

Pancha Kosa

A few thousand years ago, in a beautiful hermitage in the middle of the forest, lived a learned Guru. Among his many talented disciples, perhaps the most talented was hi s own son, though the Guru showed him no special favour. The boy plunged into an in tense study of prana, mastering the techniques of controlling the life force ene rgy through pranayama and related disciplines.

Uploaded by

Santhosh Addepalli
Copyright
© Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as TXT, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
141 views2 pages

Pancha Kosa

A few thousand years ago, in a beautiful hermitage in the middle of the forest, lived a learned Guru. Among his many talented disciples, perhaps the most talented was hi s own son, though the Guru showed him no special favour. The boy plunged into an in tense study of prana, mastering the techniques of controlling the life force ene rgy through pranayama and related disciplines.

Uploaded by

Santhosh Addepalli
Copyright
© Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as TXT, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 2

DON'T FORGET TO TAG IT AND SHARE IT IF YOU LIKE IT Pancha Kosha : The Five Sheaths Many many years

ago, a few thousand to be precise, in a beautiful hermitage in t he middle of the forest, lived a learned Guru. We will leave speculation about h is name and the exact time to the historians, and focus instead on the knowledge he gave us. Among his many talented disciples, perhaps the most talented was hi s own son, though the Guru showed him no special favour. One day, the boy approached his master with due respect, and, when granted permi ssion to ask a question, reverentially asked, What is God? The Guru replied, Food is God, and was silent. The boy correctly surmised this to mean that he must study not only food but all things corporeal in the environmen t, and to understand the true nature of matter. Long years passed as his observa tion deepened, and at last he concluded that there was more to God than matter. Once more he approached his father and asked, What is God? This time the sage repl ied, Prana (the life force) is God (Brahman). The boy plunged this time into an in tense study of prana, mastering the techniques of controlling the life force ene rgy through pranayama and related disciplines. But some years later, there came a day when he went to his father once again and reverently repeated his query, Wh at is Brahman? Mind is God, intoned the Guru, and sank once again into the depths of his meditati ve bliss. Living up to his talent, the disciple wasted not a moment but plunged into a deepening experience of mind and consciousness through meditation. Stilli ng the modulations of the mind, he prepared himself once more to receive the bes t that the master had to offer. Intelligence is God, was the next message he received from the Guru a few years fu rther on. By this time he was able to plumb the depths of intuitive perception a nd unravel the mysteries of self-knowledge which have formed the basis of Indian spiritual thought for centuries. But there was still another step to take; and once more he asked his father, thi s time with the confidence of the true seeker, What is God? With a satisfied smile and infinite love, the master replied with an air of fina lity, Bliss is God! When the ripened seeker delved into the experience of bliss, h e dissolved in it totally the ecstasy of Divine realization became his very bein g, and thus he was enlightened. This episode underlines the basic premise of Hinduism, the realization of the Se lf and of the unity of all of creation through a combination of knowledge, disci pline, intuition, experience and devotion. Of these, much has been discussed abo ut knowledge, discipline and even devotion for that matter, but the key lies per haps in the remaining two factors experience and intuition. In our culture, a student has always been encouraged to trust his own experience and sharpen his intuitive perception. This path is the path of experience, of s ubtlety and of beauty; it is not the realm of dry theorization and rhetoric. In fact, through the ages, the self-realized souls have sung out in bliss and dance d in ecstasy; they have showered love on all around them. In addition, they have also shown a keenness of perception and sharpness of logic that would put the g reatest intellect to shame. The icing on this cake has been their focus on social reconstruction and rural d evelopment; from Chaitanya Mahaprabhu to Sri Ramakrishna, Vivekananda to Aurobin do, the sages have expressed selfless service and love with equal passion and co mmitment, and sought to mould not just a nation but a generation of young minds through their message.

The gurus sought to inspire their disciples by giving them not just ideals but a genuine experience of their true nature. They also became role models for the y outh; role models who would never shatter or get mired in controversy. These bea cons of humanity shine bright as ever today, and hold out a ray of hope for a ge neration that is constantly starved of yet craving for idols and ideals

You might also like