Come, now let us search this true self in this very body! This self is the witness of, and is distinct from all three bodies - the gross, subtle and causal. This has already been established. Now, we have to search it as the witness of all the five sheaths. The Taittireeya Upanishad has taken the refuge of this process.
The Brahmavalli Prakarana of the Taittireeya Upanishad begins as follows : The knower of brahman attains the supreme brahman. In other words, he who has known his self as brahman has become infinitely big (brahman), this is the meaning. This knowing is the means, and in the ignorant state, the mumukshu who has engaged in "attaining" brahman is the "knower of brahman". It attains only brahman, because "the knowledge of brahman can only gain brahman". Therefore, even the meaning of "supreme" is brahman. Due to ignorance, an "other" brahman is imagined in the self. The mukushu commences his attempt to gain this brahman. But in the end, through the knowledge of brahman (brahma jnyaana), he experiences his own self as the direct immediate (aparoksha) form of brahman.
How is that brahman? Brahman is truth, knowledge, infinite (Taittireeya Upanishad 2.1). It is not the unreal (void) of the Buddhists, it is real. Also it is infinite which means non-disconnected. By being infinite, it is also not momentary. In order to distinguish it from the Prakrti of Saankhya, it is called "knowledge" (jnyaanam) as well! Even the knowledge in brahman is non-disconnected, infinite. Since it is the infinite reality, brahman is the substratum of all (sarvaadhishthaana). In other words, it is the platform behind the absence of all names and forms. By being the infinite awareness brahman is beyond the trifecta of knower, knowledge and known. It is the awareness-only essence. The question of variety of beings does not arise in it and nor does the division between individual soul and Ishvara become proven. Such an infinite existence-aware brahman is established in its glory in the middle of all differences as that which is non-differentiated. This state itself is its infinite bliss. He alone is pulsating in the form of "I" in each being. He alone is the knowledge-supporting self, he is the ever-supporting substratum of all, and he alone is the bliss-supporting bliss-nature brahman.
Why is such a brahman unknown? Then we say that this special fact of brahman is hidden in the cave of the intellect (Taittireeya Upanishad 2.6). Several misnomers in regards to the self such as "I am the body, the senses, the vital forces, the mind, the intellect, the ego, the individual soul, the void, the Ishvara" etc, they as though are the caves where brahman hides.
According to the methodology of Vedanta, one can never negate one's experience without proper contemplation. And superimposition is necessary for contemplation. Therefore, in order to experience the essence of the the Taittireeya shruti "truth knowledge infinite brahman", all these and other misnomers are placed in five classes. In these, brahman-ness is superimposed in sequence. Subsequently, it also negates this superimposition so that the brahman-ness can be known. In the end, even this negation is negated. Then that which is unfit for negation is revealed as the realization of the self in brahman. These five classes alone are known as the "five sheaths". "Koshakaara" is the name of a silkworm, and "kosha" also refers to the container of a sword. Therefore a sheath is that which conceals. These five sheaths or concealers hide the brahman-ness of the self. The self is distinct from these five sheaths.
There are five sheaths : food, vital force, mental, intellectual and bliss.
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