[citation needed] It originates with avidya, "ignorance" or "nescience" of the real identity of the atman, instead giving birth to the notion of jiva.
Swami Sivananda characterizes the causal body as "The beginningless ignorance that is indescribable".
[2] Ramanuja concludes that it is at this stage that consummation of the atman with the Paramatman is reached and the search for the highest Purusa, i.e., of Ishvara, ends.
[3] According to other philosophical schools, the causal body is not the atman, because it also has a beginning and an end and is subject to modification.
[citation needed] Shankara, not seeking a personal god, goes beyond Anandamaya Kosha in search of the transcendent Brahman.
[3] The Indian tradition identifies it with the Anandamaya kosha,[web 1] and the deep sleep state, where buddhi becomes dormant and all concepts of time fail, although there are differences between these three descriptions.
Yoga aims at controlling the vital energies of the bodies, thereby attaining siddhis (magical powers) and moksha.
[citation needed] According to the Advaita Vedanta tradition, knowledge of the "self" or atman can be gained by self-inquiry, investigating the three bodies, and dis-identifying from them.