Śarīra-Traya
शरीरत्रयनपुंसकलिङ्ग (neuter) · शरीर (śarīra — body) + त्रय (traya — triad)
śarīra-traya
Metaphysics
The three bodies — gross, subtle, and causal
Śarīra-traya are the three bodies constituting individual experience: (1) sthūla-śarīra (gross body — the five gross elements), (2) sūkṣma-śarīra (subtle body — mind, senses, prāṇa), (3) kāraṇa-śarīra (causal body — seminal ignorance). The gross body operates in waking, the subtle in dreaming, and the causal in deep sleep. The ātman is beyond all three bodies — it is the consciousness that witnesses them.
Using this in academic work? Get formal citation
Vishva Vidya (2026). Śarīra-Traya (शरीरत्रय). Vishva Vidya — Vedanta. https://vedanta.com.br/en/glossary/sharira-traya
Vishva Vidya. "Śarīra-Traya (शरीरत्रय)." Vishva Vidya — Vedanta, January 1, 2026, https://vedanta.com.br/en/glossary/sharira-traya.
Vishva Vidya. "Śarīra-Traya (शरीरत्रय)." Vishva Vidya — Vedanta, January 1, 2026. https://vedanta.com.br/en/glossary/sharira-traya.
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