Sankaracarya's Vivekachudamani 498

स्थुलादिभावा मयि कल्पिता भ्रमाद्

आरोपितानुस्फुरणेन लोकैः ।

काले यथा कल्पकवत्सराय

णर्त्वादयो निष्कलनिर्विकल्पे ॥

sthulādibhāvā mayi kalpitā bhramād

āropitānusphuraṇena lokaiḥ |

kāle yathā kalpakavatsarāya

ṇartvādayo niṣkalanirvikalpe ||

(Sankaracarya's Vivekachudamani 498)

Concepts of gross etc., are wrongly imagined in me by people due to the continuous manifestation of superimpositions---just as in time, which is the indivisible and absolute, cycles, years, half-years, seasons, etc. are imagined.

Sthula sharir: It is a gross physical body of the soul or jiva. Sthula body is made of different parts and organ systems called “Anga” and “Upānga” in Sanskrit. For the lower animals and microbes, their gross body is microscopic and they have tiny angas and upangas. Out of 24 elements, the actual body of living beings consists of five gross elements known as Panch-bhutas. They are: Pruthvi, Jala, Teja, Vayu, and Akasha. These five bhutas are created from Tāmas Ahamkāra, which in turn is created, along with Rājas and Sātvik Ahamkāras, from Mahattattva. Mahattattva, which is equivalent to Chitta, is the primordial element of the body. Sthula sharir is perceptible by our five senses. According to dharma, an important function or the main purpose of Sthula sharir is to gain the ultimate knowledge of the Truth, to enjoy the bliss of God and God-related spiritual pleasure in this very life, and to transcend to the abode of God after the death. But because of its nature of experiencing happiness and sorrow of pancha-vishayas it has become an object or vehicle for Bhoga-vilās (worldly pleasures) causing more attachments to them, instead of achieving moksha, detaching from worldly pleasures, or achieving the highest spiritually enlightened state.

Sukshma sharira: It is the subtle, psychological or functional body. For higher animals, it is the psyche or mental body for the soul. It is not perceptible by our senses or sensory organs but its existence can be inferred and experienced in our day-to-day life. For the lower animals and plants, sukshma sharira is functional and can be understood by their intelligence and activities related to survival and feeling of pleasure and pain, such as, food gathering, cell division and multiplication, mating, hibernation, running away from danger, and developing bodily resistance against harsh environment, experiencing shock, sadness, crying, etc.

Sukshma sharira carries with it the basic instincts for the protection and survival of a living organism, such as āhār (to eat food), nindrā (to sleep), bhaya (to fear), maithun (to procreate), sukh (to feel pleasure), and dukha (to feel plain). In the modern time of luxuries we still feel unhappiness in our life. In the modern time of comfort we still feel that our world’s peace is at stake. This is because we are still harboring, in our sukshma sharira, the vices, such as, lust (kāma), avarice (vāsanā), anger (krodha), greed (lobha), egotism (mada), infatuation (moha), jealousy (irshā), enviousness (matsar), hope (āshā), deep and intense desire or crave (ishnā, trishnā or trushnā), grudge or animosity (vera), etc.

Those concept Sthula and Sukshma is cannot be imagined for such personalities as Sankaracarya or even any avatar of Vishnu and Shiva. They are eternal