Mandukya Karika, verse 3.11

Sanskrit text, IAST transliteration and English translation

रसादयो हि ये कोशा व्याख्यातास्तैत्तिरीयके ।
तेषामात्मा परो जीवः खं यथा संप्रकाशितः ॥ ११ ॥

rasādayo hi ye kośā vyākhyātāstaittirīyake |
teṣāmātmā paro jīvaḥ khaṃ yathā saṃprakāśitaḥ || 11 ||

11. The Supreme Jīva (i.e., the non-dual Brahman) is the self of the (five) sheaths, such as the physical, etc., which have been explained in the Taittirīyaka Upaniṣad. That the Supreme Jīva is like the Ākāśa has already been described by us (in the third verse of this chapter).

Śanrara’s Commentary

Now statements are made in order to show that the existence of the essence of Ātman which is non-dual and without birth, etc., can¹ as well be proved on the evidence of the Śruti. Rasa, etc., are the five² sheaths such as the physical sheath (Annarasamaya), the vital sheath (Prāṇamaya), etc. These are called “sheaths”

(Kośa) because they³ are like the sheath of the sword, the previous⁴ sheaths being outer than the following ones. These have been clearly explained in the Taittirīyaka, i.e., in a chapter of the Taittirīyaka-śākhā Upaniṣad. It is the Self (Ātman) of these sheaths. By It, the innermost Self, the five sheaths are regarded as alive. It is again called Jīva as it is the cause of the life of all. What is It? It is the Supreme Self which has ' been described before as “Brahman which is Existence, Knowledge and Infinity.” It has been further stated that from this Ātman the aggregates of the body known as Rasa, etc., having the characteristics of the sheath, have⁵ been created by its (Ātman’s) power called ignorance, this creation being like the illusory creation of objects seen in a dream or in a performance of jugglery. We have described this Ātman as the ether (Ākāśa) in the text, “The Ātman is verily like the Ākāśa” (Gauḍapada Kārikā, 3. 3). This Ātman cannot be established by the reasoning⁶ of a man who follows the logician’s method of arguments as the Ātman referred to by us is different from the Ātman of the logicians.

Anandagiri Tika (glossary)

¹ Can, etc.—That Jīva is identical with non-dual Brahman has already been established through reason. Now the same is again proved by the evidence of the Vedas.

² Five, etc.—The five sheaths are the Annamayakośa (the physical sheath), the Prāṇamayakośa (the vital sheath), the Manomayakośa (the mental sheath), the Vijñānamayakośa (the sheath of intellect) and the Ānandamayakośa (the sheath of Bliss).

³ They, etc.—The kośas are compared to sheaths. As the sheath is external to the sword, so also the kośas are external to the Ātman which is the innermost Self of all.

⁴ Previous, etc.—The Annamayakośa is the sheath wherein is encased the Prāṇamayakośa, the Prāṇamayakośa is the sheath wherein is encased the Manomayakośa and so on. The Ānandamayakośa is encased in the Vijñānamayakośa.

⁵ Have been, etc.—This is no real creation. The phenomena of creation, which is illusory, are regarded as such from the empirical standpoint.

⁶ Reasoning— The rational method of arriving at the Truth sought in the Vedānta philosophy is mainly described in the Kārikā of Gauḍapāda. This consists of the analysis of the three states, known as the waking, the dream and the deep sleep and the co-ordination of the experiences of these states.