ESSAYS

Taijasa is the individual self in the dream state — inward-turned consciousness illumining a private world of vasanas. It points to the mithya nature of both dream and waking.

Sukshma sharira is the subtle body of mind, senses, and vital forces. Inert by itself, it reflects consciousness and carries impressions across lifetimes.

Hiranyagarbha means “Golden Womb,” the cosmic subtle body. It is Brahman reflected in the total mind, sustaining the dreamlike subtle universe. Vedanta honors it as a teaching concept, while pointing beyond it to the Self.

Antahkarana means “inner instrument” — the subtle body’s core faculty that appears as mind, intellect, memory, and ego. Vedanta shows it is not the Self but a tool, which, when purified, reflects the light of consciousness.