sixteen kalas

16 kalas = mind + 5 elements + 5 vital airs + 5 senses of perception

mind + panchabuthas + panchapranaas + jnanendriyaas

Jnanendriyas - senses of perception

Jnanendriyas are:

1. eyes: seeing; this is based on Thejas. Thejas is divine - use it properly - see what is good.

2. ears: Hearing comes from Sabdha. Hear only what is good

3. nose: Fragrance: good smell improves health; foul smell causes illness and distemper

4. mouth / tongue: rasa; taste

5. skin: touch or sparsa; avoid unnecessary contact to avoid contamination; there is a divine electric current in man - "chit-sakti" or energy of consciousness - that gets contaminated when in contact with another body. Good of yours can mix with bad of theirs. This is partly the reason why Sages and Saints of yore left for the forests.

Panchapranas - 5 vital airs of man

There are 12 crores of nerves in the human body. The Panchapranas are:

• Praana:
• Apaana:
• Samaana:
• Udaana:
• Vyaana: pervades the entire nervous system; health of the human body is maintained by this; it also contributes to the experience of happiness; vyaana + 7th sahasraharaa chakra contributes to intelligence

These are all divine and should be used appropriately by man.

Source: Sathya Sai Baba, Pg 16, vol 2, Fundamentals of Sri Sathya Sai Educare

Panchabhutas - five elements

The Panchabuthas are:

• Akaasa: Ether
• Vaayu: Air; with vibrations in space (Sabda), Vaayu is produced
• Thejas: Fire; fire emerges from Vaayu / air
• Jala: Water; water emerges from Thejas
• Prithvi: Earth; solidified water is earth

These are all divine and should be used appropriately by man.

Source: Sathya Sai Baba

Three Gunas

The visible universe, inclusive of man, ismade up of three "Gunas".

• Sathva(guna): represents forebearance, compassion, love
• Thamo(guna): modesty, bashfulness, fear and lethargy
• Rajo(guna): courage sacrifice and adventurous spirit

The term "Sthree" when used in conjunction with "Prakrithi" or visible universe, is often mistaken to mean lady, women ... it is actually a label for these three Gunas.

Sthree = Sa + Tha + Ra

In this sense, even a man is a Sthree!

Source: Sathya Sai Baba, Pg 13, Vol 2, Fundamentals of Sri Sathya Sai Educare

levels of consciousness

Apparently there are multiple levels of consciousness:

1. Jagratha(avasta) - waking state;

2. Swapna(avasta) - sleeping state;

3. Shushupti(avasta) - deep sleep state

It appears that the mind is constructing and conjuring in consort with the environment in the Jagrath / waking state. In Swapna, the mind is on its own imagining and creating on its own power - this being termed as Swapna / sleeping state. And finally, in Shushupti, there appears to be a transcendence of the mind; every abberation of the mind seems to be absent. Here the person is said to be in "Samadhi".

When consciousness is linked with body and senses, it may be termed as "conscious". When the same consciousness is linked with the mind, the term used is "conscience". Similarly when the same consciousness is linked with the higher self, the term used is "pure consciousness".

Source: Sri Sathya Sai Baba

Five fires in man

Apparently there are five kinds of fire principles (or "Agni") in man:

• Udara(agni): burning caused by hunger; fire in the stomach
• Manda(agni): burning caused by excessive eating; indigestion in the stomach
• Kaama(agni): burning sensation in the mind due to excessive passions and desires
• Soka(agni): burning sensation due to grief (due to worldly losses and disappointments) and sorrow (due to yearning for God)
• Badavaa(agni): burning feeling caused due to dire diseases and death

Source: Sathya Sai Baba, Pg 40, Vol 2, Fundamentals of Sri Sathya Sai Educare

levels of happiness

Apparently, Happiness has levels:

• First there is the joy experienced through our body. This is termed as "Dehananda" (transliteration: body-happiness)
• Higher than that is the joy experienced by the mind. This is termed as "Chittananda". (transliteration: mental-pleasure)
• Apparently, one can transcend the mind and experience something bigger than mental-pleasure. The pleasure derived beyond the mind is termed as "Chidananda".
• The universal bliss (into which our personal bliss is to be merged) is termed as "Brahmananda". This latter is eternal.

It is said that our journey is the process of progressing from our body-happiness, to mental-pleasure, to transcending the mind, to ultimately merging with the eternal and universal bliss.

That is, we are to progress from Dehananda -> Chittananda -> Chidananda -> Brahmananda. This is said to be the way to eternal bliss.

Source: Sathya Sai Baba, pg 124, Vol 2 of Fundamentals of Educare book.