Sthula-Sukshma Sharira
(स्थूल-सूक्ष्म शरीर)Literal Meaning
The gross and subtle bodies
Etymology & Sanskrit Root
'Sthula' (gross, physical) and 'sukshma' (subtle); Vedantic anatomy distinguishing the visible physical body from an invisible subtle body carrying mind, prana, and the senses, which survives physical death and travels on to the next birth.
Spiritual Insight & Context
This distinction explains how reincarnation is understood to work mechanically — it is the sukshma sharira, not the sthula sharira, that carries accumulated karma and personality traits from one life into the next.