Етимология и семантична история на думата „коша“, вместилище, в древноиндийската литература
Etymology and Semantic History of the Word „Kośa”, a Receptacle, in Ancient Indian Literature

Summary/Abstract: The concept of the ātmān, manifesting as jīvātmā in the living form of the individual being, is considered in the philosophy of Advaita Vedanta as being present in a series of “sheaths” (kośa) or successive bodies, representing the various manifestations of its presence. This study aims to trace the etymology and semantic history of the word “kośa” in the Ṛgveda, Atharvaṇavedaḥ, Brāhmaṇam, and the principal Upanishads, including a brief examination of Śaṅkara's commentaries on these texts. The objective is to elucidate why this particular term is used in its abstract sense to denote the “Receptacle of Brahman” (TU 2.4), which confines its primordial infinitude and perfection within the human being. The concept of pañcakośa is believed to have been introduced by Śaṅkara in his commentaries on the Taittirīya upaniṣad or earlier in his commentaries on the Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad or Brahmasūtra 1.19. However, it is likely that the term pañcakośa was actually introduced by Śaṅkara's teacher, Gaudapada, as it appears in his commentary on the Māṇḍūkya Upaniṣad, Māṇḍukya Kārikā 3.11. This research represents a novel investigation in the field of indology.

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