Ananadmay Kosha

The fifth or the Anandmaya Kosh is the innermost Kosh in close proximity of the Soul. In Advaita Vedanta the Anandamaya kosha is the innermost of the five koshas (Pancha koshas) or “sheaths” that veil the Atman or Supreme Self. Unlike the next three more outer koshas, it constitutes the karana sharira or causal body. It is associated with the state of dreamless sleep and samadhi.

The Anandamaya kosha or “sheath made of bliss” (ananda) is in Vedantic philosophy the most subtle or spiritual of the five levels of embodied self. Anandamaya means composed of ananda, or bliss. Bliss or ceaseless joy not connected with body or mind. Anandamaya, or that which is composed of Supreme bliss, is regarded as the innermost of all.

This kosha is a reflection of the three divine qualities of the Soul, namely Sat, Chit and Anand. Sat means that it believes in truthfulness and its eternalness. Chit means that it is alive and conscious and can therefore interact with various situations in an appropriate way. This characteristic separates the living and the non-living. Anand means that it is everjoyful-full of pleasure in itself. It does not need any outside stimulus to be cheerful, though if they are present the effect is only compounded. Being joyful is a prominent characteristic of this Kosh. Since the Soul itself is a non-doer of anything, its qualities are manifest through this innermost Kosh.