How To Remain Happy All The Time: Path Of Self Realisation.

Panch Kosha: The Progressive path of Self realization-Path of temporary to permanent & unlimited happiness (Blissful). 

Our mind continuously remain disturbed due to surrounding situation. Many times we can not change the situation but of course we can adjust ourselves to adopt the situation to remain happy and stress free. Overall our happiness is depend on our internal or spiritual development. 

All living entities consciousness including humans are covered with 5 shells or sheaths of covering known as Panchkoshas visualized as the layers of onion. Each Kosha represents the different level of development of our consciousness. 

The five sheaths (pancha-Kosha) are described in the Taittriya Upanishad from gross to fine level.

1. Annamaya kosha, "foodstuff" sheath (Anna).
2. Pranamaya Kosha , "energy of life" sheath (Prana/apana).
3. Manomaya   Kosha , "mind-stuff" sheath (Manas).
4. Vijnanamaya Kosha, "knowledge of self, wisdom" sheath (Vijnana).
5. Anandamaya Kosha , "bliss" sheath (Ananda).  

Annamaya Kosha: Anna means food: 1st stage of consciousness: Being and wellbeing stage: Food & fun (consuming meantality) is the only purpose of life: The outermost covering is known as Annamaya Kosha constitutes the gross body and senses. Food & sense enjoyment is the only focus in this stage of life. More sophisticated way of sense enjoyment (eating, sleeping & matting) if we have more wealth and better facilities. Only goal is just food & fun.....nothing else in life like most of us. Fact is that with all these hard work we do to get education, wealth, power, position etc...we can not manufacture basic necessities of life ( food, air & water). I am being maintained- that I can eat, and there is food for me- is very preliminary stage of self-realization.

Vedic hymns:

Eko bahūnāṁyo vidadhāti kāmān: although God is one, He maintains all living ... The small ant is supplied a grain of sugar, and the elephant is supplied tons of ... Because the father, Supreme God  is fully opulent, there is no scarcity of food, 

Pranamaya Kosha: Prana means life: 2nd stage of consciousness: Defending ( from enemies) & protecting ( from diseases) the life to improve longevity, purpose is same food & fun:  After nourishing the body & senses we are concerned about our lifespan. Healthy & longer life but purpose is same food & fun. The 2^nd Pranmaya Kosha is present within the outermost Annamaya Kosha that consists of the life airs (Prana, Apana). Life airs control the various bodily functions such as breathing, digestion of food, blood purification, maintaining body temperature etc...

Advanced Yogis can regulate and control the Prana Vayu or life air by the process of controlled breathing (Pranayama) known as Yoga and  prolong their lifespan. In modern world we perform various kind of exercises to live healthy & longer. From individual to national level we spend lots of money on safety & defense to protect our self, still no control over life. We can not maintain ourselves, can not control natural calamities despite modern science & technology. We like to live longer for more sense enjoyment, fact is that we don't have any control on our life & death. 

Bg 2.18 —(Bhagavad Gita from Vedabase.com) The material body of the indestructible, immeasurable and eternal living entity is sure to come to an end.

1st two stages are self center or very primitive level of development our consciousness worrying about food, senses enjoyment and survival only. Up to these stages of life not much difference between human & animal, only difference is that we have sophisticated way to acquire basic necessities of life, entertain and defense ourselves.

Manomaya Kosha: Mana means mind: 3rd stage of consciousness: Thinking beyond food, fun & longevity. Trying to control irrational behavior and sense gratification to live like a gentleman. Have a discipline in life. The 3^rd Kosha known as the Manomaya Kosha in which the mind of the living entity is present. Amongst all the  8400000 species the human mind is highly evolved and is endowed with the power to control his senses. In this stage we try to think beyond survival & sense enjoyment. It is the mind which controls the urges and desires of the various sensory organs. With the mind we try to control irrational behavior and sense gratification. One who controls the mind like advanced Yogi controls everything. 

Bg 2.60 — The senses are so strong and impetuous, O Arjuna, that they forcibly carry away the mind even of a man of discrimination who is endeavoring to control them.

Bg 6.6 — For him who has conquered the mind, the mind is the best of friends; but for one who has failed to do so, his mind will remain the greatest enemy.

Bg 6.34 — The mind is restless, turbulent, obstinate and very strong, O Kṛṣṇa, and to subdue it, I think, is more difficult than controlling the wind.

Vigyanmaya Kosha: Vigyan means knowledge: 4th stage of consciousness: Stage of Intellectual thinking: Thinking beyond mind control: Trying to find out what is my real identity or who am I? Where is origin of life?

False ego or Ahankar (ego of possessing education, power, wealth, position etc..and material body which is temporary) which exists along with the intellect in the Vigyanmaya Kosha. Under the influence of false ego human being try to possess everything and performs all types of sense gratification activities which leads to Karmic reactions & get entangled in the cycle of birth and death. Finally an individual with his intelligence & spiritual knowledge overpowered false ego and realize that I am eternal spirit soul live in different material body & transmigrating from one body to another body due to material bondage. Our body is constantly changing: infancy, childhood, youth, middle age, old age, and finally death, but we always keep our sense of identity as an eternal soul. 

On the platform of eternal soul we have similarities with each other including other species.

Bg 2.13 — As the embodied soul continuously passes, in this body, from boyhood to youth to old age, the soul similarly passes into another body at death. A sober person is not bewildered by such a change.

Bg 2.20 — For the soul there is neither birth nor death at any time. He has not come into being, does not come into being, and will not come into being. He is unborn, eternal, ever-existing and primeval. He is not slain when the body is slain.

Bg 2.22 — As a person puts on new garments, giving up old ones, the soul similarly accepts new material bodies, giving up the old and useless ones.

Where is origin of any life in this world? Basic principle is that life come from life. Life can not be manufactured from matter.  Gigantic tree has to be originated from tiny seed, same way any animal or human life has to originated from other life and remain alive with spirit soul. Spirit soul bears the matter and live in different material body. Vedic scriptures have mentioned that spirit soul has originated from Supreme soul or God.

Bg 14.4 — It should be understood that all species of life, O son of Kuntī, are made possible by birth in this material nature, and that I am the seed-giving father.

Anandmaya Kosha: Anand means bliss: 5th stage of consciousness: Self realization stage: Inquire about what is purpose of my life & how to execute? 

After coming in contact with the matter we have lost our original identity as an eternal soul & all his godly quality ( compassion, love, great fullness, generosity, tolerance, patience, happiness.....etc).

The 5^th innermost Kosha known as the Anandmaya Kosha is present within the Vigyanmaya Kosha of a living entity in which the Supreme Soul (God) eternally resides with individual Spirit Soul (Aatma) throughout the innumerable lifetimes in the temporary material body until an individual reawaken his original identity & his godly quality to achieves liberation or deathlessness. 

In this stage an individual realize that his Soul is part and parcel of the Supreme Soul or God just like finger is part & parcel of body. My purpose is to serve supreme soul, just like purpose of finger is to serve the body, an individual then gradually executes the path of Self-realization by performing devotional service to God called Bhakti (blissful stage).  By performing Bhakti daily we will develop love & compassion toward God and same will reflects toward other livings entities including nature. Liberation from birth-death cycle is by product of Bhakti. ( The ultimate goal of human life). 

Bg 15.7 — The living entities in this conditioned world are My eternal fragmental parts. Due to conditioned life, they are struggling very hard with the six senses, which include the mind.

Bg 18.51-53 — Being purified by his intelligence and controlling the mind with determination, giving up the objects of sense gratification, being freed from attachment and hatred, one who lives in a secluded place, who eats little, who controls his body, mind and power of speech, who is always in trance and who is detached, free from false ego, false strength, false pride, lust, anger, and acceptance of material things, free from false proprietorship, and peaceful – such a person is certainly elevated to the position of self-realization.

Bg 18.54 — One who is thus transcendentally situated at once realizes the Supreme Brahman and becomes fully joyful. He never laments or desires to have anything. He is equally disposed toward every living entity. In that state he attains pure devotional service unto Me.

Bg 18.55 — One can understand Me as I am, as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, only by devotional service. And when one is in full consciousness of Me by such devotion, he can enter into the kingdom of God.

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I am inspire to hear & read Vedic Scriptures & other philosophy by regularly listening Sri Pandurang Shashtri Athvale known as Dadaji ( speak on Srimad Bhagavad Gita, Veda based discourses & western philosophy ) and association of Swadhyay Parivar every Sunday in Swadhya Kendra. 

FYI: Good source of Vedic literature: Vedabase.com (Srimad Bhagavad Gita is the essence & Srimad Bhagavatam is the nectar of all Vedic scriptures).

I also hear and read discourses & articles on Vedic thoughts & other philosophy from Srila Prabhupada, his disciples & grand disciples (Rasamitra Swami, Chaitanya Charandas Prabhu, Sutapa Das, Amarnath Dasa, Bhakticharu Swami,  Urmila Devi Dasi,  Radhanath Swami, Lal Govind Prabhu ( Gujarati & Hindi) Prahalad Maharaj in Surat (Gujarati) .......and many more from ISKCON......). 

I am posting some article based on Vedic scriptures and literature. Of course I use Google search to collect some data. Thanks to Facebook for providing platform.

It is always good idea to share our good thoughts & knowledge with others. Besides my parents, spouse, teachers, family & friends GREATFUL to EVERYONE WHO HAVE CONTRIBUTED in MY LIFE.

Hopefully my enthusiasm will continue by grace of Guru & God (Absolute Truth).