The truth principle/Atman is behind the ego (ahamkara or "I-sense"). It is mutually exclusive to have both ego and self-realization, and upon dissolution of ego self-realization is only achievable. The Atman is not an objective experience (as the everything else) 1/9

but a subjective experience. Objective experience is perceived by the Body, mind and intellect which constitute the five sheaths (pancha kosha).
Pancha kosha (5 sheaths), are like coverings of the Atma (symbolized by Om). 2/9
The outer most is the food sheath as it is truly limited to the actual space it occupies, whilst as you go nearer to Atma it gets subtler and pervades a far greater space. The sheaths, in brief, are as follows: 3/9
1)Food sheath(annamaya-kosha)

The physical body which arises from the grains of the earth and returns to it on decomposition. This includes the 5 organs of perception(jnanendriyas), viz, eyes, ears, nose, tongue, skin and 5 organs of action (karmaendriyas), viz, speech, 4/9
hands, feet, genitals, and organs of evacuation.

2)Vital-air sheath (pranamaya-kosha)

These are the physiological functioning capacity of the physical body. These are prana (faculty of perception), apana (faculty of excretion), samana (faculty of digestion), 5/9
vyana(faculty of circulation), Udana(faculty of thinking)

3)Mental sheath(manomaya-kosha)

The mind, a continuous flow of thoughts, regulates the pranamaya kosha and receives the external stimuli from sense organs. The mind is limited to realms it has previously experienced. 6/9
4)Intellectual sheath (vijnanamaya-kosha)

The judging capacity of the brain which helps discriminate and discern the external stimuli. The intellect is the river bank when the mind is the river of thoughts. The intellect is less limited than the mind as it is able to think 7/9
about concepts that have not been previously experienced.

5)Bliss sheath (anandamaya-kosha)

The innermost of the sheaths, is even more subtler. It consists of our vasana's/ignorance/deep sleep. In our deep sleep we experience this relative bliss, however, it is transient 8/9
and not infinite. From the bliss sheath (causal body) our grosser intellect is borne and influenced. 9/9

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