8. Types of bodies (Introduction)

So now the question arises, if the soul is omnipresent and everywhere, what leaves the body when someone dies? I will answer this below.

Our body is made up of three types of bodies:
1. Gross body (Sthul Sharir)
2. Subtle body (Sukshm Sharir)
3. Causal body (Karan Sharir)

When a person dies, the causal body and subtle body leave, but the soul does not go anywhere. Because the soul is everywhere and immovable, as mentioned in the Gita 2.24 and many other scriptures.

The soul merely imparts consciousness to the body.
The soul is present everywhere but we think that we are limited to only this body. How does this thinking arises. This arises due to the causal body. The causal body generates ignorance due to which the soul thinks that it is only limited to his body. At that time, it is called Jivatma. That is, when the soul resides with the body it is called Jivatma. Jivatma = Jiv (body/living beings with individual consciousness) + Atma (soul).

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9.

Gross Body (Sthul Sharir) - The body that we can see right now is the gross body. This is the body that dies.

Subtle Body (Sukshm Sharir) - Inside the gross body of all beings, there is a subtle body. This body is destroyed during the great dissolution (Maha Pralay). Through this body, we experience happiness, sorrow, and emotions. All the karmas and impressions (sanskar) from our past lives are stored in this body.

The subtle body (sūkṣma śarīra) is composed of 19 elements, which are derived from the five subtle elements (tanmātras). These 19 elements are:

I. Five Organs of Perception (Jñānendriyas) – Related to acquiring knowledge

1. Śrotra (Ear) – Hearing
2. Tvak (Skin) – Touch
3. Chakṣus (Eye) – Sight
4. Jihvā (Tongue) – Taste
5. Ghrāṇa (Nose) – Smell

II. Five Organs of Action (Karmendriyas) – Related to performing actions

6. Vāk (Speech) – Speaking
7. Pāṇi (Hands) – Grasping, working
8. Pāda (Feet) – Movement
9. Upastha (Genitals) – Reproduction, pleasure
10. Guda (Anus) – Excretion

III. Five Prāṇas (Vital Energies) – Govern physiological functions

11. Prāṇa – Controls breathing, circulation
12. Apāna – Governs excretion
13. Vyāna – Circulates energy throughout the body
14. Udāna – Governs upward movement, speech, and departure of the soul at death
15. Samāna – Aids digestion and assimilation

IV. Four Antaḥkaraṇas (Inner Instruments) – Mind-related faculties

16. Manas (Mind) – Doubt, thoughts, emotions
17. Buddhi (Intellect) – Discrimination, decision-making
18. Ahaṅkāra (Ego) – Sense of individuality (thinking yourself different from others)
19. Chitta (Memory) – Retentive power, impressions (saṃskāras)

These 19 elements function together to form the subtle body, which carries karma and saṃskāras (past impressions) from one life to another.

Causal Body (Karan Sharir) - As the name suggests, this body is the cause of our entanglement in this world. This body binds beings in ignorance (avidya). If this body is destroyed, we attain liberation (mukti) and are freed from the cycle of birth and death. The existence of this body ensures the existence of the other two bodies. If this body is destroyed, the other two bodies will also be destroyed. This body can be destroyed through knowledge (Vidya/Gyan), which can be attained through practices like devotion (Bhakti), knowledge (Gyan), Ashtanga Yoga, and Karma Yoga.

These are the three bodies.

Note
Gross body is made up of 5 gross elements; Akash, Air, Fire, Water, Earth while subtle body is made up of 5 subtle elements; subtle akash, subtle air, subtle fire, subtle water. That's why we can't be able to see this body. While Casual body is Avyakt (Non manifested).

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The Seven Limbs of Vaiśvānara

The idea of seven limbs comes from the Vedic cosmology where the universe itself is seen as the body of Vaiśvānara (the universal being, cosmic form of consciousness). The Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad (2.5.11) and Chāndogya Upaniṣad (5.18.2) elaborate on this, identifying the seven limbs as:

1. The heavens (Dyuloka) – as the head

2. The sun (Sūrya) – as the eyes

3. The air (Vāyu) – as the breath (prāṇa)

4. The sky (Ākāśa) – as the middle body (trunk)

5. The water (Āpaḥ) – as the bladder (urinary organ or blood system)

6. The earth (Pṛthvī) – as the feet

7. The fire (Agni) – as the mouth

These seven elements symbolically represent the cosmic form of consciousness in its waking state.

Srimad Bhagvatam (Bhagvat Puran) 11.28.4
Bhagvan krishna kah rhe hain ki dvait nam ki koi vastu hi nahi h. Aur vishva ki sabhi vastu mithya hai.

If you have habit of reading and want to know about the sanatan dharm. Then I am sending you some PDFs.

Study in this sequence
1. Sadhna panchakam
2. Tattva bodh
3. Atma bodh
4. Bhaja govindam
5. Manisha panchakam
6. Vivek Chudamani
7. Understanding Advait Vedant

Now I am sending Vivek Chudamani by Adi Shankaracharya which are in 9 parts.