The pancha kanchukas in Kashmir Shaiva Philosophy are kala,
vidya, raga, kaala and niyati. They are the five outer coverings or sheaths of
consciousness. The ‘maya’ is added to the pancha kanchukas they become Shat
Kanchukas (six sheaths that cover the consciousness.)
The real identity of pure consciousness cannot be known by
its external appearance. In reality, the Self is none other than Shiva Himself.
Because of Shiva’s autonomous will, He projects Himself in
the form of limited beings.
The sheaths may be five in number but the background on
which these veils remain steadily abiding is maya, the deluding aspect of
Shiva, who is pure consciousness in essence.
The supreme consciousness, Shiva, while remaining pure,
appears non-conscious.
Its innate consciousness is its lordship, while its
non-conscious aspect is the impurity called mala. This apparent impurity has a
dual aspect; one causes everything to appear non-conscious and the other
pervades every caused object. It is known as the principle called maya. When
maya is counted under the kanchuka, the number becomes sat kanchukas.
Kala is born of maya. It renders one’s power of doership in
a limited way, but doership becomes impossible when it is devoid of knowledge.
Therefore, this limited state of knowingness is born of
kala, that is, omniscience is cut off and the limited being can know only a
little.
This is known as vidya, by which the limited knowing subject
is able to watch the intellect and discern pleasure and pain reflected on its
screen. The agenthood of the subject is further relegated; consequently it gets
attached to a particular object.
The selection on behalf of the subject is the function of
raga (attachment), belonging to the limited subject.
In the same way, time known as kala delimits not only the
object but also the knowing subject: “Thus I did this, I do it now, and will do
in future.”
The very activity of the self shines not as an eternal
present, it shines as the past, present, future.
Niyati further limits the limited subject by restricting its
doership to a particular object, not to all objects.
These five kanchukas appear as impure so long as the
limitation subsists, but with the descent of anugraha (grace) they undergo transmutation
and thus become pure.
Source – Encyclopedia
of Hinduism – Volume VIII – IHRF – ( page no 3 – 4)