Illness and the Vital Sheath

There are historical examples of individuals who were caught in the middle of a major epidemic, such as the plague, who worked daily among the infected populace, yet failed to become ill. Invariably we can see that they maintained a strong vital envelope, or aura, around themselves and never accepted the suggestion of the contagious illness. There are also examples of those who maintained this strength for some time, but got worn down, and through stress and exhaustion, weakened their vital sheath sufficiently to eventually succumb to the disease.

There are numerous ways to either weaken or strengthen the vital sheath. Physical causes include lack of proper diet, lack of proper sleep, over-indulgence in sex, or otherwise overstraining of the physical body. Vital causes include desire, ambition, fear, worry or anxiety, anger, lust, greed, jealousy, or other strong vital or emotional reactions which, although they may in some cases temporarily cause an apparent increase in the force of the vital sheath, eventually rebound as the individual falls back into some form of exhaustion or despair. Mental causes may include acceptance of suggestions about the virulence of a disease or epidemic, thoughts of hopelessness, suicide or depression.

The vital sheath can be strengthened through providing the antidotes to the above. One way that yogic practitioners have found to increase the strength of the vital envelope is to chant various mantras. Devotional songs, development of calm and peace in the being, concentrated attention all may help. A researcher in Jipmer hospital in South India tried an experiment on a visitor to the facility whereby he photographed with Kirlian photography the normal ‘aura’ of the individual and then had that person undertake some chanting for a few minutes, at which time, a new Kirlian photograph showed a vibrant, much expanded and strengthened aura exuding from the individual.

One of the most important issues remains the acceptance of the suggestion. The suggestion is sometimes coming in through the mind, when an individual hears about a particular illness in the vicinity and its virulence, or about an epidemic that is predicted, and takes in this suggestion as something that will potentially impact him. Sometimes it comes through a vibration penetrating through the vital sheath by taking advantage of various ‘holes’ or weaknesses that show up in the aura as noted above. Sometimes, it comes as a suggestion, subconscious to our waking awareness, of a vibration by a medium of communication, such as bacteria or virus, that, once inside the body, begins to vibrate its unique force and communicates this directly to the cells of the body.

It should be noted, however, that many individuals have reported that they can “sense” the vibratory attack on the vital sheath or the penetration of that sheath, and they are able to set up a counter-vibration and essentially overcome the suggestion and avoid the illness entirely, or minimize its impact. Sometimes they use a supplement or pharmaceutical drug to act as the carrier to the body of the suggestion of strength and immune support, sometimes they do it through will or through enhancing the vital envelope immediately.

Sri Aurobindo observes: “This is how illnesses try to come from one person to another — they attack, by a suggestion like this or otherwise, the nervous being and try to come in. Even if the illness is not contagious, this often happens, but it comes more easily in contagious illnesses. The suggestion or touch has to be thrown off at once.”

“There is a sort of protection round the body which we call the nervous envelope — if this remains strong and refuses entrance to the illness force, then one can remain well even in the midst of plague or other epidemics — if the envelope is pierced or weak, then the illness can come in.”

“What you felt attacked was not really the physical body, but this nervous envelope and the nervous body (prana-kosa) of which it is an extension or cover.”

Sri Aurobindo and the Mother, The Hidden Forces of Life, Ch. 3 Hidden Forces Around, pp. 73-74