We speak a lot about the Upanisads, but they are still a kind of obscure part of our philosophy. Apart from a few quotes from Srila Prabhupada, we don’t know much about them. One difficulty with the Upanisads is that they are written usually in very cryptic language, demanding familiarity with different advanced philosophical concepts to be understood (the Upanisads are parts of the original Vedas that contain philosophical truths). The second problem is that exactly because they are difficult texts, the translations available rarely make sense.

In case you are curious, here is an interesting passage from the Taittiriya Upanisad that describes the different stages of existence: annamaya, prāṇamaya, manomaya, and vijñānamaya. This verse concludes the discussion by offering a still higher stage, the ānandamaya.

It starts with a description of Brahman and then of the material elements, similar to the description of creation connected with the Virat-rupa we find in the 2nd canto of Srimad Bhagavatam:

“He who knows Brahman, which is cause, not effect, which is conscious, which is without end, hidden in the depths of the heart, in the highest sky, enjoys all blessings in the company of the all-enjoying Brahman. From that Self (Brahman) sprang ākāśa (ether); from ākāśa sprang air; from air, fire; from fire, water; from water, earth. From earth sprang herbs; from herbs, food; from food, semen; from semen, man. Man thus consists of the essence of food. This (food) is his head, this is his right arm, this is his trunk (ātman), this is his seat (the support).”

With this, Brahman is established as the creator of everything. From Brahman came ether and from ether the different material elements, culminating with the element earth, which in turn leads to a sequence of manifestations, culminating with food, which is the source of subsistence. Food leads to the production of semen, from which all human beings are created. Food is thus the support for the human being.

This description continues in the next verse, which describes the first level of consciousness, annamaya:

“All creatures that dwell on earth are produced from food (anna). They live by food, and in the end, they become food for others. Food is the source of all beings, and therefore it is called sarvauṣādha (the essence of all herbs) or panacea. All creatures are produced from food; when born, they grow from food. Because it is fed upon, therefore it is called annamaya.”

The word anna means food and maya means a permutation of the energy of the Lord. Like everything else, food comes from the energy of the Lord. What about consciousness? In a lower stage of existence, the consciousness of a living entity is centered on just getting enough food and growing his body. This is the consciousness of a very small child or of lower beings, like lower animals, plants, etc. At this stage, the soul is completely covered by ignorance and there is no higher aspiration, one feels satisfied by just eating.

The next passages describe the next stage of consciousness, Prāṇamaya:

“Different from this annamaya, which consists of the essence of food, is the other inner Self, consisting of prāṇa. The annamaya is filled by prāṇa. He also has a human shape; prāṇa is it His head, vyāna is His right arm, apāna is His left arm, ākāśa is His trunk, the earth is His seat.”
“The devas breathe after prāṇa, as do men and cattle. Prāṇa is the life of all beings, therefore it is called sarvāyuṣa (all-enlivening). Those who worship prāṇa as Brahman obtain the full energy of life (prāṇamaya). For prāṇa is the life of all beings, therefore it is called sarvāyuṣa. The inner Self of prāṇamaya is the same as that of annamaya (a human form).”

The verse describes that there is something more subtle than the gross body composed of food. This is prana, the vital air, or life itself. While the annamaya consciousness is centered on the body’s most basic need (eating), the prāṇamaya consciousness is higher, centered on other aspects of material life. It consists on becoming conscious of the idea of maintaining one’s life, finding shelter, defending against others, and so on. At this stage, the consciousness is focused on collecting different resources one needs to remain alive. One can observe this stage in higher animals like birds and mammals, who build nests, accumulate food for the winter, defend themselves, and so on. This animalistic stage of existence is of course also found in human beings who are absorbed in material consciousness.

The next passages describe the manomaya the next stage of consciousness:

“Different from this prāṇamaya which consists of prāṇa, is the other, the inner Self that consists of mind. The prāṇamaya is filled by the mind (manomaya). Similar to the human shape of prāṇamaya is the human shape of the manomaya; the Yajur-veda is His head, the Ṛg-veda is His right arm, the Sāma-veda is His left arm, the Brahmaṇa is His trunk, the Atharva-veda is His seat.”
“He who knows the bliss of that Brahman, from whom all speech and mind turn away unable to reach Him, attains fearlessness.’ The inner Self of the manomaya is the same as that of the prāṇamaya.”

The stage of manomaya is still materialistic, but superior to the other two. While on the prāṇamaya one is concerned about maintaining his body, in the manomaya stage one becomes concerned about the activities of the mind. In this stage, obtaining knowledge and reasoning about different topics becomes the center of one’s activities. In this stage, one becomes a philosopher or someone interested in finer knowledge. In a higher stage, one starts to study the Vedas, starting with the Atharva-veda and other passages that deal with material subjects, and gradually progressing to the Yajur-veda, Ṛg-veda and Sāma-veda, heard from Brahmanas.

The next stage is the vijñānamaya, the stage where spiritual consciousness finally becomes prominent and one starts seeing himself as a soul. This vijñānamaya stage of consciousness is described in the next passages:

“Different from this manomaya, which consists of mind, is the inner Self that consists of
understanding (vijñāna). The manomaya is filled with this vijñānamaya. He also has the shape of a
man, like the human shape of manomaya: faith is His head; what is right is His right arm; what
is true is His left arm; absorption in yogic trance is His trunk; great intelligence is His seat.
“Understanding (vijñāna) is the basis for the performance of sacrifice; all the sacred acts are performed thanks to it. All the devas worship this understanding as Brahman, the oldest. If a man knows understanding as Brahman, and if he does not devitate from it, he leaves all evils behind in the body, and attains all his wishes (in the transcendental platform).”

So, in what exactly this vijñānamaya stage of consciousness consist of? We can see that material civilization is based primarily on the first two stages, with intelligent people often reaching the third stage. The fourth stage, vijñānamaya, is reached when one reaches the platform of spiritual understanding (vijñāna). This is the stage where one understands he is not the body or the mind, but the soul. In this stage one understands the temporality of this world and starts looking for what is eternal. In the Bhagavad-Gita, Krsna gives us an idea of how rare this stage is: manuṣyāṇāṁ sahasreṣu kaścid yatati siddhaye. Out of many thousands of ordinary people, maybe one will endeavor for perfection. When of comes to the perfection of this stage one reaches the beginning of the transcendental platform, the stage of liberation, or Brahma-bhuta.

However, what is beyond the vijñānamaya stage? One may endeavor for perfection, but what perfection is? How can it be found? This leads to the next passage:

“Higher than the vijñānamaya stage is the ānandamaya stage of existence. The ānandamaya stage is a person whose head is pleasure (priya), whose right side is joy (moda), whose left side is delight (pramoda), and whose identity is bliss (ānanda). This ānandamaya is Brahman.”

The last stage of evolution, the ānandamaya stage, where one realizes his eternal relationship with the Supreme Lord and attains the platform of eternal spiritual bliss. Both the Supreme Brahman and the fragmental spirit soul are blissful by nature. Both are spiritual, by nature full of knowledge, eternity, and bliss. The difference is that the Supreme Brahman never falls into illusion, while the infinitesimal jiva sometimes does. However, when a jiva recovers his original consciousness, his life of spiritual enjoyment is revived. Thus, the ānandamaya stage is reached when one comes in contact with the ānandamaya Person.