आत्मा कः ? स्थूलसूक्ष्मकारणशरीराद्व्यतिरिक्तः पञ्चकोशातीतः सन् अवस्थात्रयसाक्षी सच्चिदानन्दस्वरूपः सन् यस्तिष्ठतिस आत्मा । Aatmaa kah? What is the Self?Sthoola sookshma kaarana shareeraad vyatiriktah;Pancha kosha ateetah; Avasthaa traya saakshee; Satchidaananda swaroopah san; Yah tishthati sah aatmaa.The gross, subtle and the causal – other than these 3 bodies;Beyond the five sheaths;The Witness of the three states of consciousness;Of the nature of Existence-Knowledge-Bliss.स्थूलशरीरं किम् ?पञ्चीकृतपञ्चमहाभूतैः कृतं सत्कर्मजन्यंसुखदुःखादिभोगायतनं शरीरम्अस्ति जायते वर्धते विपरिणमते अपक्षीयते विनश्यतीतिषड्विकारवदेतत्स्थूलशरीरम् ।sthūlaśarīraṃ kim ?pañcīkṛtapañcamahābhūtaiḥ kṛtaṃ satkarmajanyaṃsukhaduḥkhādibhogāyatanaṃ śarīramasti jāyate vardhate vipariṇamate apakṣīyate vinaśyatītiṣaḍvikāravadetatsthūlaśarīram Sthoola shareeram kim?What is the Gross Body?Panchi-krita panchamahaa bhootaih kritam, satkarma janyam;That which is made up of the 5 great elements that have undergone the process of Grossification; born as a result of good actions of the past;Sukha duhkha-aadi, bhoga ayatanam shareeram;for experiences such as joy, sorrow, etc. –the counter to experience these;Asti, jaayate, vardhate, vipareenamate,apaksheeyate, vinashyatiTo exist, be born, to grow, to mature, to decay and to die –iti shad vikaaravat; etat sthoola shareeram.subject to these six modifications.This is the Gross Body.Asti (Existence): This is confirmed by the ‘presence’ in the womb.ii) Jayate (Birth): The child emerges into the outer world.iii) Vardhate (Growth): With nourishment and Prana the body grows to maturity.iv) Viparinamate (Maturity): It becomes an adult body.v) Apakshiyate (Decay): The withdrawal phase begins (hair greys, sight weakens,etc)vi) Vinashyati (Death): The elements return to where they came from