21/10/2026
The three types of bodies
Information that you must know.
Do not be attacked to your body.
According to Advaita Vedanta and Hindu philosophy, human existence is comprised of the three bodies (Sharira Traya), which wrap around the true Self (Atman or Jiva).
1. Gross Body (Sthula Sharira)
• What it is: The physical, tangible body made of the five elements (earth, water, fire, air, space).
• State of consciousness: Active during the waking state.
• Characteristics: Subject to birth, growth, disease, decay, and death. It is sustained by food (annamaya kosha).
1. Subtle Body (Sukshma Sharira / Linga Sharira)
• What it is: The inner energy and mental vehicle containing the mind (manas), intellect (buddhi), ego (ahamkara), the five organs of perception, the five organs of action, and the five vital breaths (pranas).
• State of consciousness: Active during the dream state.
• Characteristics: It carries desires, thoughts, and emotional impressions (samskaras), and survives physical death to accompany the soul into future incarnations.
1. Causal Body (Karana Sharira)
• What it is: The root-level seed or blueprint of the other two bodies, consisting of primal ignorance (avidya) of one's true divine nature.
• State of consciousness: Active during deep dreamless sleep.
• Characteristics: It stores the cumulative impressions of past karmas and is associated with a state of undifferentiated form and inner peace/bliss (anandamaya kosha).
Note: In Hindu philosophy, liberation (Moksha) is attained when a person realizes through self-inquiry (Jnana) that the eternal Atman is completely distinct from these three transient bodies.