The Primordial Energy resides in all bodies as Kundilini. Although the theme "Kundilini" is present in the Gurbani (Sri Guru Granth Sahib, SGGS), however, its mention is relatively little. Therefore, to gain a better understanding of it, it will be useful to reflect on the related themes such as the Chakras (rings, wheels or discs, which signify subtle energy centers), the Kosa (sheaths), the "three bodies", the three states of consciousness, and the five elements, as well as their interrelationship.

The Five Kosa

An individual's personality consists of Panch Kosa or five sheaths. These five sheaths are:

These five sheaths are briefly described as follows. The physical body is called the food sheath. As the name implies, the physical structure arises out of food, exists in food, after death goes back to become food for other living organisms. This sheath consists of the five organs of perception and five organs of action.

The vital-air sheath represents the internal physiological functions of the body. This sheath consists of five faculties of its own: (1) Prana or perception, (2) Apana or excretion, (3) Samana or digestion, (4) Vyana or circulation, and (5) Udana or thinking. This sheath controls and regulates the food sheath. With age, all of these five faculties become weaker.

The next is the mental sheath which controls and regulates the food sheath and the vital-air sheath. Being the source of emotions and feelings, the mind is always in the state of flux. The mental sheath is controlled by the next sheath called intellectual sheath, which is the seat of judgment, decision, and directed thinking.

The sheath next to the intellectual sheath is called the bliss sheath. This is the innermost or subtlest of the five sheaths, which regulates the intellectual sheath. It consists of Vaasanaas (innate tendencies or undigested desires) before they become manifest into thoughts and actions.

Three Bodies

To gain true understanding of the totality of the subjective life of a man, the ancient sages revealed that the five sheaths mentioned above constitute the human personality, which also consists of "three bodies". These three bodies are used for experiencing the outside world of objects in various states of consciousness. These three bodies are:

Sthula Sarira or Gross Body ( or Asthool)

Suksma Sarira or Subtle Body (or Sookham)

Karana Sarira or Causal Body.

The gross or physical body is made up of five elements, ten senses, the five vital airs (Paraanas), and four subtle inner faculties namely mind, intellect, consciousness, and egoity. The subtle body is made up of the mind, intellect, consciousness, egoity, and five elements. As the name implies, the causal body is the cause of the other two bodies.

The gross body consists of the food sheath and the vital-air sheath. It is made of five elements: space, air, fire, water, earth. Through this gross body we contact the outer world to gather stimuli for our experiences.

Paanch tatt ko tanu rachio jaanahu chatar sujaan: Your body is made up of the five elements; O clever and wise one, know this well (sggs 1427).

The mental and intellectual sheaths together constitute the subtle body. It is made up of thoughts. In other words, the mind and the intellect is the subtle body.

The bliss sheath constitutes the causal body. It consists of Vaasnaas in unmanifest form. The causal body is the Maya attached to the Jeeva (individual being). Due to ignorance, the Jeeva remains attached to it, whereby, becomes separated from its True Self. To put it otherwise, our actions constitute the causal body.

Sookham asthool sagal Bhgawaan: Auspicious God is contained everywhere including Sukshma and Sthula (sggs 299).

Three States Of Consciousness

Through spiritual inquiries (Vichaar), the sages recognized that the three bodies are active in experiencing the outside world through the three facets of life: the state of waking (Jaagrat), the state of dream (Swapna), and the state of deep sleep (Sushupti). Even though the Aatmaan (Pure ego, Consciousness or Self) is the same in all states; but, due to material conditioning, we act differently in these states as though we in ourselves are three different entities. In other words, the Infinite Consciousness is one and the same, the Reality is one and the same, though it functions differently in the three planes of existence and, in these three states, it seems to gain three different sets of experiences. Accordingly, the waker in us seems to act different than the dreamer in us, and the ego manifesting through the sleeper in us seems to act different from both the waking and dream-state in us.

Chaare Beda kathahi vakhiaan. Teen avasthaa kahahi vakhiaan. Turiya Avasthaa satigur te jaan: The four Vedas describe the world of objects. They explain and expound three states of consciousness. The Turiya Avasthaa, the Fourth state of consciousness, is known through the True Guru (sggs 154).

The first state of waking-state-ego results from the false ego enjoying the expression of consciousness through the gross body. In the waking-state-ego, we are aware of our body, mind, and experiences gained in the external world of the sense-objects. To put it otherwise, in the waking-state the consciousness becomes dissipated through the mind and the sense organs in the external world of sense-objects and registers knowledge of them. That is all. To put it otherwise, while awake, the only enjoy known to man is these five fields of the objects of the five cognitive senses �?forms, taste, sounds, smells, and touches. Hence, conditioned consciousness (false ego) confounded itself with the frame of the body, seeing through the ignorance of its own True Nature, perceives a world of sense-objects, and thus deluded by its own false perceptions, experiences the waking-state. Our knowledge of the world-of-objects in this state is the sum total of our perceptions gathered through our senses.

The second field of consciousness, the dream-state-ego, results from the play of consciousness in the subtle body. When the same awareness playing in the outer world-objects withdraws and identifies itself with the subtle body, it creates a distinct personality called the dreamer, who has for its sphere of activity the world of dreams. In other words, the state of dreamer is created when the consciousness is withdrawn from the gross body and it functions through the subtle body. As the dreamer is unaware of the gross body, he functions in the world of dreams, because he is conscious only of the inner world of objects. The dream world is nothing but a mental creation of the dreamer himself. During the waking-state, the mind experiences the world of sense-objects and gathers impressions. During the dream-state, one part of the dreamer's mind observes these impressions in another portion of his own mind!

In the third state, the deep-sleep-state-ego, the sleeper does not desire any sense-objects, nor does he see any dreams. It is the withdrawing of consciousness from the gross (waking) and subtle (dream) bodies and functioning through the causal body that creates the state of deep-sleep. In other words, this state takes place when we are conscious of neither body nor the mind, therefore it is a state of living in which usual instruments of cognition are closed down! Here the Self identifies Itself with the causal body which is made up of nescience. The only thing we experience in deep-sleep-state is utter ignorance or negativity; for there is neither form, nor sound, nor smell, nor taste, nor touch. It illumines nothing in particular, except the one single idea: "nothingness". Here in the deep-sleep-state-ego, thus, the entire consciousness available in the human form is consolidated and conserved. As a result, there is no agitation in the mind, because none of the forces that create mental agitation and sorrows in the waking and dream states are present here. Therefore, in this state of homogeneous solid mass of pure consciousness, the Jeeva experiences complete joy and bliss, by means of the subtle nescience. It is the gateway (cause) for the projection of consciousness into other two states of consciousness, the dream and the waking. For example, when the consciousness from the sleep-state is projected upwards, it illuminates the dream-state, and again, when the projection increases and come to the outer world, the same consciousness makes it possible for us to know the external world of sense-objects outside, in the waking-state-ego.

The waking-state-ego and the dream-state-ego are conditioned by both cause and effect. Ignorance or non-apprehension of the Reality is the cause, and the resulting phenomenal world of names and forms is the effect. In the dream-state-ego, although we are unaware of the world of outer gross objects, but we are aware of the world of plurality or inner objects. The deep-state-ego is different than the waking and dream states in that it is conditioned by only the cause. Again, ignorance of the Self is the cause which gives rise to plurality, finitude, doubts, limitedness, and misunderstanding. There are no effects in the deep-sleep state as we are unaware of the multiple world of phenomenon.

Teeni biaapahi jagat kayu turiya paavai koyi: The world is in the grip of the three; only a few attain the Fourth state of consciousness, Turiya Avasthaa (sggs 297).

The Self, which is absolute bliss, is the witness of the three states of consciousness (i.e., the Self is common factor present in all three states). The true nature of the Self is pure, absolute bliss. Then, what inhibits us from realizing this Self, our true nature? As the Gurbani says, our pure Self is covered by the layers of material contamination or undigested Vaasnaas. These layers are created by our delusion caused by our false association with the mundane world. As a result, we constantly try to find bliss in the outer world. These efforts provide us temporary joy, followed by long spells of miseries and sorrows. Realization of this Pure Self (i.e., the "witness") is called the Traya, Chauthaa Pada or the Fourth state (Turiya Avasthaa or the highest plane of consciousness).

The Chakras

It is said that the soul enters into matter as a spark of omnipotent life and consciousness. Its instruments are subtle and causal in nature. The soul enters the primal cell of life wearing two forms: a causal body, which in turn is encased in a subtle body. As the name implies, the causal body is the cause of subtle and gross bodies. Thus, the soul is encased in these three bodies.

The powers in the various elements of the subtle body help build, maintain, and enliven the gross physical form. The Yogis mention that the centers of life and consciousness from which these powers function are the subtle brain ("lotus" of rays of light or vibration), and the subtle cerebrospinal axis (or Sushumanaa) containing seven Chakras. Sushumanaa, central spinal channel, is said to be thelocated between the Irhaa and Pingla channels. In Eastern thought, the Chakras are thought to be levels of consciousness, and states of the soul. The SGGS says:

Khat nem kar kothree baandhee bastu anoop beech paayee: The Creator has fashioned this body chamber with six rings (Chakras), and placed within it the incomparable thing -- Soul (sggs 339).

Also known as the psychic centers, rings, wheels or discs, the Chakras signify the subtle energy centers of the superconscioueness. These Chakras and the seven planes of consciousness described in the Vedas are essentially the same.

According to the Yogic phylosophy, the total count of Chakras is generally mentioned to be seven: located in the center of the body; five are located in the spine, and other two are located above. More specific location of the Chakras, and their associated functions, elements, colors, and cosmic sounds are briefly summarized as follows:

The top most Chakra or subtle center is the "Sahasrara Chakra". It is located in the brain, and the top of the cerebrum ("lotus" of rays of light). This is the powerhouse of life force and consciousness. It supplies power to all the subtle centers. This crown Chakra relates to non-dual consciousness, pure awareness or Universal connection. It is our connection to the greater world beyond false ego-sense ("I" or Haume), to a timeless, spaceless place of all-knowing. When developed, this Chakra brings us Knowledge, Wisdom, understanding, Spiritual connection and Bliss. This Chakra is said to be the ultimate, because now one has crossed even the "Sansaar- Saagar or world-ocean" (the world of causation). Here one is linked with the Original Source that is Eternal. If one clings to the world of objects (Ajna or the sixth Chakra), this clinging will prevent one from moving to this crown Chakra. That's why entry into the this last Chakra is said to happen instantaneously. Associated element: all the elements. Associated color: golden/violet/white. This Chakra is related to the brain and especially the pituitary gland, and the connection to the spiritual Self and the divine. In other words, his seventh Chakra is the Chakra of highest spiritual evolution. Associated color: violet/white/gold; may assume color of dominant Chakra. Associated element: none (some mention thought to be the element of this Chakra).