[Advaita-l] Sixteen kala's of the Jiva

[V Subrahmanian]

On Sun, Mar 24, 2013 at 9:15 AM, Sri Raghavan <sri.raghavan at gmail.com>wrote:

> Learned members of the group,
>
> In the kalisataraNopaniShad, it is mentioned that the sixteen kala's of
> Jiva are removed by the chanting of the Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare
> Hare , Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare. Can someone
> shed some light of what those 16 kalas of Jiva are?
>

I am not aware of the contents of the kalisataraNopaniShad.  However, the
Prashnopanishat 6.4 gives an account of the 16 kalA-s of the jIva.  From
the BhAShyam we gather:

The 'kAryam and karaNam (not kAraNam)' consists of: gross body (called
kAryam, since it is a product of the five panchIkRta bhUtas: AkAsha, vAyu,
agni, ApaH and pRThvI. )  = 5.

The five jnAnendriya-s: chakShuH, shrotram, ghrANam, rasanA and tvak (eye,
ear, nose, tongue and skin)  = 5.

The five karmendriyas: vAk, pANi, pAda, pAyu and upastha ( speech, hand,
feet, excretory and genital organ) = 5  (The karma and jnanendriyams are
products of the pancha bhUtas)

The manas (which is also a product of the sUkShma amsha of the five bhUtas)
= 1.

Thus we have 16 kalA-s or parts.  The bhashyam gives a very nice
explanation of how owing to avidyA these parts are superimposed on the
jIva.  Also, the delineation of these parts by the Upanishad is by way of
adhyAropa and subsequent apavAda since unless this method is employed it
would be impossible to teach the true attributeless nature of the Self.
All these parts remain with the jIva till mokSha when alone the Atman will
be realized to be ever free of these.

regards
subrahmanian.v


> Thanks,
>
> Raghavan
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