Sheats of Living Energy

You're standing in line at the bank waiting to cash a check. Suddenly the man in front of you has a heart attack and falls down dead. How is the dead man so different from you, anyway? you're both made of physical matter and since he just died a few seconds ago, the matter in his body is pretty as good as the matter in yours.

The major difference between a living person and a dead one, according to the yogis, is the dead one isn't breathing. When the breath stops cranking, the prana maya kosha of life force can no longer animate the body, or keep the mind and body connected. The man's mind may still actually be present, perhaps hovering over his body wondering what the heck is going on. But he can no longer manipulate his fingers or toes the pranic connection to his body has been severed.

Suppose the man doesn't die. Suppose he just goes into a coma.

This means his pranic body is still operating so his physical body keeps breathing and doesn't start decompose. But now the mano maya kosha, or mental body, has gone missing. You're shouting, " Sir, sir can you hear me? " But he can't because his mental body has closed down. He's slipped into an unconscious state, and his ability to think or to connect with his body through his sense organs has shut off.

Let's consider another scenario. A teenager walks into his high school and shoots a dozen of his classmates. How could any human being kill another without the slightest feeling of remorse? In his case, the Vijnana maya kosha is not working properly. This very subtle of living judgments and decisions. When it operates normally it works as the conscience, the will, and the higher intellectual functions. A sociopath has no conscience. His Vijnana maya kosha is barely functioning.