Sthula Shareera - The Gross body

Sthula means gross. Sthula means large, big, bulky, huge. You have seen the people with a large size, or a big head, or a huge body.

Sthula shareera is the gross or material and perishable body.

Sthula shareera, the gross body is made up of many components.

There are five objects of sense-perception. These are called tan-matras; the essence of the five elements. shabda – sound, sparsha – touch, rupa – form, vision, rasa – taste, gandha – smell

Sthula shareera, the gross body is obtained strictly on the basis of the karma performed in the past lives. There are three types of karma. They are punya, paapa, mishra.

The features of Sthula shareera are: Birth, Growth, Boyhood/girlhood – an immature or inexperienced person. Youth is having any quality such as vigour, enthusiasm, rashness, inexperience, freshness.

You hear a lot about Varna (the caste) and ashrama (the stages of life) in the Hinduism. These two, the caste and the varna, the stages of the body are again for the gross body.

Varna, the caste of the body is of four kind - brahmana, kshatriyavysya, and sudra.

Ashrama, the stages of the life are again four - brahmcharya, grihastha, vanaprastha, and sanyasa.

This sthula shareera is basic, sacred, and important. The individual performs all his actions in this sthula shareera. Without this sthula shareera, there are no other bodies.