Panchakosha Vikaas
The National Curriculum Framework for Foundational Stage (NCF-FS 2022) is a wonderful document that says (and doesn’t say) many things. One of those things is about Panchakosha Vikaas (or the development of the five sheaths) in section 1.2, pg 19. While it does introduce (rather poorly) the perspective of panchakosha, it swiftly (and forcibly) replaces it with 4 aspects of development viz. Physical Development, Socio-emotional and Ethical Development, Cognitive Development and Aesthetic and Cultural Development which are feebly related to the grand ambition of the Panchakosha theory. These 4 could have been presented without the Panchakosha theory and, thereby, could have confused the teachers to a lesser extent.
I would like to present my understanding of the Panchakosha (along with the original sources and translation) to allow an ambitious educator to consider it’s adoption. If you are merely looking for a shortcut to claim that you are “following Panchakosha system as expounded in the NEP”, then you are better off merely sticking to the 4-aspect development domains (cf, pg 54).
tl;dr:
Aspire for Panchakosha but not by assuming that the NCF’s 4-fold implies a realisation of the Panchakosha. There are other ways too to approach a holistic learning. The NCF’s 4-fold approach can be adopted without understanding Panchakosha.
Details:
While different scriptures and texts of this land explore the identity of the ultimate knowledge and realisation (oft referred to as Brahman or Brahmagyaana), the Panchakosha is attributed to one section of the तैत्तिरीय उपनिषद् (or TaittirIya Upanishad). I shan’t go into the etymology, intent and purpose of this text. The Panchakosha is part of the second section known as Brahmananda Valli (ब्रह्मानन्दवल्ली). This section is an exploration into the concept of Atman and Brahman. Those who are interested in listening to the recitation of this, can find a fairly good quality rendition out here.
Before I go into the translation and interpretation, here are two (kinds of) images that are presented as visuals of the Panchakosha theory.
The scriptures clearly state that it each sheath is within (अन्योऽन्तर). While the Outward imagery gels with our general notion of “rising up to”, the Inward imagery is true to text as well as the intention of communicating the kernel residence of Brahman.
Here the origin of “अन्न” or nourishment is outlined. From ether “आकाश” arose nourishing air “वायु”, from such an air arose the fires of transformation “अग्नि”, from such fires arose nourishing fluids “आपह्”, then, the sustaining earth “पृथिवी”. Thus, everything was ready to birth healing elements “ओषधयः” and some of the healing elements served as nourishing foods “अन्न” and from such nourishing foods arose consciousness “पुरुष”. I would hold that this “पुरुष” is not the loosely translated “male/man” but the Samkhya connotation of the word which implies “consciousness”.
I love that they hold a distinction between healing elements and nourishing food. As the subhashitas say:
अमंत्रमक्षरं नास्ति नास्ति मूलमनौषधम्।
अयोग्यः पुरुषो नास्ति योजकस्तत्र दुर्लभः॥
There is no syllable that can’t be mantra, no substance that can’t serve as a healing element, no incapable individual; what is lacking if at all is an alchemist.
Hence, healing elements came before nourishing foods. “अन्न” nourishing foods creates a living body. Like cells in a Petri dish, a nourishing environment can create life forms but it takes more to, literally breathe life into a being! The verse goes on to state that what is visible — the head, the right side, the left side, etc. — is all that is required to identify this outer visible aspect. This is the Annamayakosha or the sheath that receives all nourishment and is formed thus.
Without nourishment there is nothing to speak of or aspire for. Hence, we must seek the necessary nourishment before aspiring for anything. In a simplistic sense one might say, in educating another, ensure that the basic needs are met — food, physical safety, good health, clean air, proper lighting, timely medicare, healthy practices are all assured. Maslow said the same and so did many researchers. Yet, if one were to go into the spirit of this chapter, one might infer that the implications are to go to the root, the nourishment of existence so as to understand the topic under study.
The next stanza goes into declaring that nourishing food is the most essential of all in this world. From this also arises the importance of topics to be explored and taught to children. Rather than fitting in SDG and ESG as an afterthought, children should be made aware of all threats to good health and well-being, including threats to food production as well as the impact of processed foods and the like. To actually worship food as the Eternal being is the recommended path. This would ensure reducing wastage and respect for food, too.
The chapter moves on to introduce what is within the apparent, visible and nourished being — Pranamayakosha or the sheathed vital energy. When the vital energy embues the nourished being that is when it takes life. Merely nourished, an entity might have biological processes functioning in it but no life. Which is also why we haven’t been able to create a single life form purely from the elements. But what does the resulting entity possess that differentiates it from the mere Annamayakosha? For that we look into the remaining chapter which describes the Pranamayakosha. In absorbing the vital energy, the Annamayakosha takes the form most apposite to that energy. In human beings, the vital energy results in a Pranamayakosha that is of human form and attributes. To begin with, the breath is human with its characteristics forms as described in the Yogic texts that go into the 5 prana breaths. Its soul is the very ether/space. And as electrical connections have a ground, the base of this sheath is the very earth.
This is what animates us as human beings. To the educator, this is what we teach the student to help them recognise their humaneness. We introduce them to our/their emotions, feelings, fears, needs and help them recognise the human from the canine or feline or bovine. This awareness can be likened to the learning of our self and emotional side (of the SEL bits). If one goes deeper into the pattern or spirit of this chapter, one begins to look for that which animates an entity or phenomenon, gives it life.
With a replete awareness and a nourished self, we are ready to go further within.
This chapter wishes to impress upon us that the combination of “अन्न” and “प्राण” is common to man and beasts and God (although each combination is unique). Every being can look within and witness the next sheath termed as Manomayakosha. This is seat of knowing within us. And in knowing arises the creation of the image of the self that which is hurt or proud or threatened. Every being has in it an intelligence that is apparent. In the human species, this sheath pinnacle is the import of the Yajur veda flanked by Rig and Sama, seated on Atharva. Commandment or instruction is its soul. This sheath is what can be taught and instructed and led to accumulated knowledge scriptures like the vedas. This is also the seat of want and aspiration.
In the world of education, this is the development of an individual with focus on all existing knowledge and accumulated facts, theories and schools of thought. It is also the fuel that feeds the want to be or recognising one as apart from the rest. Experience has often presented us with people whom we might call dullards or dunces or simpletons and the one thing we recognise in them is their lack of hubris and their sufficiency with the basic needs and love and kindness. They are often ones who haven’t descended (wholly) into their Manomayakosha. In spirit or a meta-pattern, this is the door at which we knock when the pressing ask is to find that which lends itself to perception or evokes emotion or an urge to act (often based on knowledge). Note the clear difference between the identifiers at the Pranamayakosha and here — all that is sufficient to declare me alive and functional falls under the realm of Pranamayakosha. Attributes that are unique to the entity — emotions, perception, urges, etc. — move into the realm of Manas.
When all knowledge suffuses the being and one looks within, one beholds the Vijñãnamayakosha/Vigyaanamayakosha “विज्ञानमयकोश” or the discriminating self. This is a state of being which, having digested what there is to know, distills, discerns and discriminates. Most translations of this chapter have chosen a different interpretation but I find this one to be the most cogent for me to defend. The etymology of “विज्ञान” is “ वि- (vi-, “diverse”) + ज्ञान (jñāna, “knowledge”)” or the ability to cross-pollinate and integrate much knowledge into a discriminating wisdom. It is hence, the seers said of “विज्ञानमयकोश” that its pinnacle is unequivocal sincerity “श्रद्धा” flanked by the absolute awareness of truth “ऋतं” and Truth “सत्यं” itself with Yoga as its soul. This is where the egotistic I (arising from knowledge accumulation) introspects and examines itself (with its discerning and discriminating power).
Shabbily, these are what one might consider as the higher orders of thinking in learning/education — the analytical and evaluating skills. But this is also reflecting and metacognitive. This is the ability to go to the minutest detail while holding the bigger picture, untainted. This is the ability to think critically and extract patterns. This is also the beginning of the end of clinging to knowledge and of any projected self-image. While a lot of Manomayakosha can be taught, Vijñãnamayakosha/Vigyaanamayakosha is an askesis and perhaps even deontic penance.
Zen koans and our very own Upanishads are the best tangential prods to slowly entering Vijñãnamayakosha/Vigyaanamayakosha.
The discriminating sheath spreads the fruits of sacrifice and action. Yet, when we look further within, leaving accumulated and created knowledge and sensory affections behind, we gain a glimpse of the Anandamayakosha “आनन्दमयकोश” or the Blissful Self. In this state the being has Love as the pinnacle, flanked by joy and pleasure (still looking for better words) with bliss as its soul. Brahma is its support. This is a state of flow as described by Mihaly C but at a deeper, more spiritual and even cellular level. This is a non-competitive state because there is a clear identification with Atman. This involves the complete whittling down of self not to a state of ignorance but to a state of unparalleled awareness; where the self becomes the Self.
This is largely a very personal pursuit.
Chapters 6–9 go into the nature of Brahman. Not relevant for this post. Often there is a misconception that one layer controls another or that they are all interconnected. Maybe I will dwell on these in a later post, but no — there is no control and any interconnections are often contrived.
I hope I have impressed upon the reader that the mission to map the 5 koshas to different cognitive domains has remained largely unsuccessful and the attempt by the NCF-FS is no different. Verily, a student taught to the Panchakosha spirit would blossom into a whole being yet a teacher, learned in the theory and deeply immersed in it is necessary. And it is ridiculous to imagine that this is confined to the foundational years.
For the lack of a better analogy, the tale of Po, the Dragon warrior in Kung-fu Panda 1 & 2 can be likened to the movement of a being through the sheaths.
