PRACTICE DHARMA, FOCUS ON BRAHMAN AND ATTAIN MUKTI SAY SCRIPTURES (GSP TO LIBERATION)
[Compilation from various E-Mails sent on the
Subject by N.R. Srinivasan for a
Discourse at Sri Ganesha Temple, Nashville, TN. USA, April 2021]
The
entity of Jivatman in us is an eternal principle without any origination or
destruction in us, but is going through the cycle of births and deaths on
account of its attachments to the objects of the world from beginning less
time. The Jivatman should become aware of its true nature and destiny and has
to shape in such a way that it gets rid of the association with matter. Every
Jivatma in this universe is entitled to become liberated, but it awaits only
for its aspiration and effort. One should seek the grace of Paramatman through
submission to Paramatman’s will and due participation in its duties that please
the Lord. The Upanishads reach that loving meditation upon the Lord and
surrender unto Pramatma’s will are the means of liberation or Mukti.
The three
main sub-schools in Vedanta school of Hinduism - Advaita
Vedanta, Vishistadvaita and Dvaita--each
have their independent views on Mukti often referred as Moksha.
The
Vedantic school of Hinduism suggests the first step towards mokṣha begins with mumuksutva that is desire of liberation. This takes the
form of self-inquiry--who am I, what is true, why do things or events make us
happy or cause suffering, and so on. This longing for liberating knowledge is
assisted by, claims Adi Shankara of Advaita Vedanta, guru (teacher), study
of historical knowledge and viveka (critical thinking). Shankara cautions that the
guru and historic knowledge may be distorted, so traditions and historical
assumptions must be questioned by the individual seeking moksha.
Those who are on their path to moksha (samnyasin),
suggests Klaus Klostermaier, are quint-essentially free
individuals, without craving for anything in the worldly life, thus are neither
dominated by, nor dominating anyone else.
Vivekachudamani,
which literally means "Crown Jewel of Discriminatory Reasoning", is a
book devoted to moksha in Vedanta philosophy. It explains what behaviors and
pursuits lead to moksha, as well what actions and assumptions
hinder moksha. The four essential conditions, according to
Vivekachudamani, before one can commence
on the path of moksha include (1) vivekah (discrimination,
critical reasoning) between everlasting principles and fleeting world; 2) vairagyah (indifference,
lack of craving) for material rewards;(3) samah (calmmind),and(4) damah (self-restraint, temperance).
The Brahmasutrabhasya adds
to the above four requirements, the following: uparati (lack
of bias and dispassion), titiksha (endurance and
patience), sraddha (faith) and samadhana (intentness,
commitment).
Advaita tradition of Sankaracharya
considers moksha is attainable by removing avidya (ignorance). Moksha is
seen as a final release from illusion, and through knowledge (anubhava) of one's own fundamental
nature, which is Satcitananda. Advaita holds there is no
being/non-being distinction between Atman, Brahman,
and Paramatman. The knowledge of Brahman leads to moksha,
where Brahman is described as that which is the origin and end of all things,
the universal principle behind and at source of everything that exists,
consciousness that pervades everything and everyone. Advaita Vedanta
emphasizes Jnana Yoga as the means of achieving moksha.
Bliss, claims this school, is the fruit of knowledge (vidya) and work (karma).
The Dvaita (dualism)
traditions define moksha as the loving, eternal union with God
(Vishnu)
and considered the highest perfection of existence. Dvaita schools suggest
every soul encounters liberation differently. Dualist schools (e.g. Vaishnava)
see God as the object of love, for example, a personified monotheistic
conception of Shiva or Vishnu.
By immersing oneself in the love of God, one's karmas slough off,
one's illusions decay, and truth is lived. Both the worshiped and worshiper
gradually lose their illusory sense of separation and only One beyond all names
remains. This is salvation to dualist schools of Hinduism. Dvaita Vedanta
emphasizes Bhakti Yoga as the means of
achieving moksha.
The Vishistadvaita tradition,
led by Ramanuja,
defines avidya and Moksha differently
from the Advaita tradition. To Ramanuja, avidya is a focus on the self, and vidya
is a focus on a loving god. The Vishistadvaita School argues that other schools
of Hinduism create a false sense of agency in individuals, which makes the
individual think oneself as potential or self-realized god. Such ideas, claims
Ramanuja, decay to materialism, hedonism and self-worship. Individuals
forget Ishvara (God). Mukti, to Vishistadvaita School, is
release from such avidya, towards the intuition and eternal union with God (Vishnu).
“Moksha
is the fundamental frequency of the teachings of all the Upanishads, and
Kenopanishad is not an exception. Dharma* is the second harmonic of the
Vedāntas. Through a story (yaksha upākhyāna, different from the more
well-known piece of the Mahābhārata) and through two or three mantras that
explicitly mention human values, the Kenopanishad makes a case for “dharma”
as the ground of preparation for the highest wisdom. This webinar examines the
ways in which the Upanishad of the Sāmaveda highlights the need for our minds
to be made ready for receiving the liberating insight”. says Swami Chidananda. This thought makes us
believe a devotee attains Mukti by losing
Himself in the ocean of the Atman that calls for turning inwards and
contemplating on Atman.
What is this Dharma*?
Those who follow path of DHARMA should cultivate 10 characteristics of dharma within.
1.
The first one is DHARTI or PATIENCE.
In the spiritual sphere, if someone expects immediate results after starting
the practice of Trantra, that would not be realistic. Therefore, be patient.
Thus, dharti is the first characteristic of dharma.
2.
The second one is KSHAMA or FOREGIVENESS. Each
and every action produces an equal and opposite reaction provided the three
relative factors remain unchanged. But these three factors often change -
because of transformation of one state to another. Suppose someone has started
doing some mischief by hitting you; this action will certainly have a reaction.
When the time comes for you to take revenge, you should not express any
reaction yourself. In this way you will break the continuity of the chain. The
point at which the cycle of action and reaction stops, due to your initiative,
is called forgiveness.
3.
The third aspect of dharma is DAMAH or CONTROL. Daman
is the state of achieving control over internal enemies - that is debasing
propensities.
4.
The fourth is ASTEYA. It literally means not to
steal anything physically or mentally.
5.
The fifth characteristic of dharma is SHAOCHA and
this is of two types: external and internal cleanliness. External cleanliness
refers to body, clothes and surroundings. Internal is that of mind.
6.
The sixth feature is INDRIYANIGRAHA. In Sanskrit Indra means
'controller', 'headman' or 'patriarch'. There are 10 indriyas or organs: five
sensory and five motor. As they are called 'indra', meaning "dominating
entity". The subtler mind or atman is superior to these organs. The
indriyas are to be kept in check with your mental and spiritual power. This is
why in dharmic life the control of organs is considered imperative. In the
spiritual sphere one will have to exercise control over the sensory and motor
organs.
7.
The seventh characteristic is DHI or BENEVOLENT INTELLECT. If human
intellect is not channelized well it becomes destructive; it corrupts
and exploits society. It may even become a demonic force. Dhi means intellect
that helps regenerate society, which can benefit not only human being but all
beings.
8.
The eighth is VIDYA meaning 'INTERNAL ASSIMILATION OF EXTERNAL OBJECTIVITIES'. It
is of two types: Vidya and Avidya. Avidya is
mainly concerned with external life whereas Vidya is concerned with
internal life. Vidya help human being achieve success in spiritual sphere
whereas Avidya in material.
9.
The ninth aspect is SATYAM or TRUTH and
it is to be observed in your individual and collective lives.
10.
The last but not the least is AKRODHA or NON-ANGER, a
very subtle propensity. You should not be misguided or swayed by Krodha or
Anger. Anger means to remain under the influence of nerve cells and fibers
instead of being influenced by subtler layers of mind. It is therefore very
dangerous. It takes you miles away from the truth and rules your mind
completely. However, you may show anger to stop unholy activities of sinful people
in society. This is called 'SENTIENT ANGER".
Mukti seekers consider that
scriptural duty is the means of liberation. By the performance of scriptural
duties all the world is held together. There is nothing more difficult to
practice than the duties ordained by the scriptures. Therefore only seekers of
the highest good can find delight in the scriptural duty.
dharma iti dharmeṇa sarvamidaṁ parigṛhītaṁ
dharmānnātiduścaraṁ tasmāddharme ramante || MNU ||
Dharma is honored of being mentioned as the most excellent means
of liberation in MNU. According to Bhaṭṭabhāskara, dharma denotes the regular, occasional and optional duties taught
by the Śruti and the Smṛti. Sāyana interprets here
dharma as social service, such as construction of wells, tanks and reservoirs,
in which kings and ministers are interested. By these works service is done to
all creatures.
Religious
righteousness in general is denoted by
the word Dharma. Duties ordained by ancient scriptures, customary practice,
exemplary deeds of respected elders, pronouncements of sages, behavior approved
by good people— all these help to eliminate selfish feelings and passions from
the mind of man and confirm him to a life in harmony with his fellow beings to
live in peace but not pieces and incline him to discharge his duties towards
GOD. All these come under the term Dharma. Certainly it is difficult for the natural man to practice it!
dharmo viśvasya jagataḥ pratiṣṭhā loke
dharmiṣṭha
prajā
upasarpanti dharmeṇa pāpamapanudati dharme sarvaṁ pratiṣṭhitaṁ
tasmāddharmaṁ paramaṁ vadanti ||
Dharma, religious righteousness,
is the support of the whole universe. All people draw near a person who is
fully devoted to dharma (Dharmishtha).
Through dharma a person chases away sin. All are supported by dharma. Therefore
they say that dharma is the supreme means of liberation.
The word Dharma translated as religious
righteousness or religious law is extolled here as the foundation of
humanity—nay of all living beings. When the stronger oppress the weak, for the
latter the only protection is an appeal to Dharma. In a society such an appeal
becomes successful only when the dharma of that society is guarded by a
sovereign who is himself dharmiṣṭha.
Again dharma, in the form of
Prāyaśchitta or expiation, cleanses the transgressor of the moral law, and in
the shape of daṇḍa or punishment it purifies the guilty who violate the social
law.
We
think of Mukti as liberation, but in the spiritual path Mukti means not
liberation but merger. Just as the water of the river merges in the sea, the
Atman (self) within the sadhaka merges in the ocean that is the Atman (Self).
The sadhaka attains Mukti by losing himself in the ocean of the Atman-- says
Swami Adbhutananda, the famous unlettered disciple of Sri Ramakrishna.
One who makes no distinction of self
and other with regard to [one’s] person and possessions, who regards all beings
with an even eye and is tranquil of mind, is indeed the best of the godly (Bhagavata, 11.2.52)
According to Vedanta, our predicament
is universally like that of the absent-minded person searching frantically for
the necklace she/he is wearing. Our real Self is the one thing that we do not
know, even though we are largely self-centered beings.
Success in the world requires violence,
cruelty, falsehood, perjury and treachery. What people do not realize is that
such success has a very short shelf life. Someone more cruel, cunning and adept
in treachery will easily overpower and take over the mantle of success.
A wise proverb states: In each person
there dwells a King. Speak to the King and the King will come forth. The mantra
of the Upanishads is speech directed to the King within all of us. It is kingly
speech, lofty, sovereign, unassailable speech whose unearthly cadences are as a
‘breath of the eternal’ come down to our world of strife and division to awaken
us from out of a bad dream. (Richard
Schiffman in Living Wisdom)
Scriptural knowledge (jnana) and
scriptural prescriptions together with devotion are meant to weaken the hold of
samsara on the individual soul.
Why
strive for Liberation in the Hindu Sense & How to Achieve It?
Mukti
(Liberation) is the ultimate spiritual goal of Hinduism. How does
one attain Mukti? The goal is to reach a point where you detach yourself from
the feelings and perceptions that tie you to the world, leading to the
realization of the ultimate unity of things—the soul (atman) connected with the
universal (Brahman)--Seeing the light at the end of the dark tunnel we journey
through called Samsara.
Liberation
as in the individual identity is thrown away and all that is left is that you
and Brahman are one and there is no longer any separation between you and
Brahman. Like a bucket of water being thrown into an ocean.
Our
question is why desire this? Would the ending of the individual identity bring
happiness? What would it be like to be liberated and have your cycle of death
and rebirth stop forever?
Till
now, we lived a life of lust and greed implicitly obeying the impulses of the
flesh. Till now we have been slaves to the physical body. Feeding it, looking
after it, fattening it, taking it to hospital when ill, when healthy
squandering its vitality in sensual living – thus we lived ever at its service.
This will have to be given up. Renounce living in the flesh as the flesh.
The
next thing to conquer is the blind following of the scriptures without
understanding their deeper implications.
But
we cannot do away with the shortcomings in our personality without the world,
the body and scriptures. So, make use of the world, have a healthy body, and
make intelligent use of the greatest books instead of following them
blindly.
To
put an end to this blind way of living and catering to the urges, we must cultivate
sense control. In every religion, the prophets and seers and Men of Wisdom are
all unanimous in proclaiming the need for sense control in the seeker. Every
generation must have felt this curb as an infringement upon their freedom and
liberty.
We are
tempted to argue that if nature has given us these urges, why should we curb
them? Why not indulge in them? When was there a time in the world when there
was no indulgence? The only difference is that in the past it was all
hush-hush, while today our youth have learned to indulge in the open. Such
arguments are raised by the weak and the cowardly, who feel that the urges are
overpoweringly strong in them and they dare not challenge their uprise.
True,
these urges were always with us. Nature gave them to us, but to conquer and rise above them is to advance
to the next stage of evolution. Fishes swim in water, but the evolved
fish decided to adventure forth and try to come out of the water. It became an
amphibian and in its further evolutionary stages, it became the bird and the
mammal. This is the story of evolution. If your arguments were true, the
adventurous progenitor of us all, that heroic fish must have been a fool. No.
If such arguments are to be heard and seriously considered, they must have more
pith and greater depth.
Self-control
is not practiced to kill the individuality in us, but to add to its tempo in
performance to its daring in vision and to its brilliance in achievement. The
energies dissipated through the senses are conserved in the man of self-control
and are channelized into creative fields of nobler undertakings. His memory and
judgement improve, his powers of willing and deciding are expanded and his
dynamism in the field of activity is heightened.
It
is easy to exhort from a grand pulpit to mankind at large, ‘oh man, control
your senses’. This is what all religions scream, all scriptures roar, all
priests whisper, all parents and the elder's blabber. A moral value, an ethical
virtue can be appreciated, but how can we bring it into the very texture of our
day-to-day living? If this technique is not clearly spelt out, moral preaching
can become but a huge bluff, a grand lie, a stupendous falsehood.
Lord
Krishna advises in Gita that “taani sarvaani samyamya yukta aaseeta
mat-parah | vase hi ysyendriyaani tasya prjnyaa pratishthitaa || A
disciplined person, enjoying sense objects with senses that are under control
and free from attachment and aversion, attains tranquility (2-61).
This
then is the secret. We must withdraw with our entire will the outgoing mind,
but thereafter the mind should be earnestly engaged in the inspiring
contemplation upon something creative and higher. Turn your mind to your goal –
it does not matter if it is spiritual or material. Give the mind a fresh field of
ennobling ideals to function and exhaust its energies. A disciplined person
is Dharmishtha, one who practices
dharma in life as explained above.
The
manifest world is fleeting, and therefore is the source of suffering. Brahman
(Atman) is that unchanging essential truth of being that can provide an eternal
peace.
It
is not by effort and discrimination alone the sense-faculties are controlled;
contemplation on the Supreme Spirit will greatly help his endeavor. It is like
overcoming the numerous enemies on the strength of a mighty king; the Supreme
Spirit as the inner controller must be sought out.
Vedas say:
na
karmaṇā na
prajayā dhanena tyāgenaike amṛtatvamānaśuḥ |
pareṇa
nākaṁ nihitaṁ guhāyāṁ bibhrājate
yadyatayo viśanti ||
Not
by work, not by progeny, not by wealth, they have attained Immortality. Some
have attained Immortality by renunciation. That which the hermits attain is
laid beyond the heaven; yet it shines brilliantly in the (purified)
heart.
Immortality
resulting from the knowledge of the Supreme is attained only by some who have
undergone the necessary discipline. This, does not imply that work, progeny and
gift of wealth are condemned as futility. To think so would be discarding the
evidence of the Vedas. The purpose of the passage here is to stress the supreme
importance of renunciation for the attainment of divine knowledge that is the
goal of the twofold religious path--named pravṛtti and nivṛtti.
The
Supreme Being is realized in the highest heaven as well as in one’s own heart.
He is attained by those who study the Vedas, understand then import, perform
duties laid down by them, habitually control the senses and continuously
practice divine contemplation. They surrender the fruits of then actions to the
Highest, consequently they are not bound by the actions they do.
Small
devotions like Agnihotra, extended sacrificial sessions designated Satta and
ordinary work of common service, however helpful these might be in generating
the desire to know the Supreme, they cannot by themselves give
Immortality. Mahanarayana Upanishad further says:
vedāntavijñānaviniścitārthāḥ saṁnyāsayogādyatayaḥśuddhasattvāḥ |
tey
brahma loke tu parānta kāle parāmṛtāḥ parimuchyanti
sarve ||
Having
attained the Immortality as Jivanmuktas (like Bhishma) consisting of identity
with the Supreme, all those aspirants who strive for self-control, who have
rigorously arrived at the conclusion taught by the Vedanta through direct
knowledge, and who have attained purity of mind through the practice of the
discipline of yoga and steadfastness in the knowledge of Brahman preceded by
renunciation, get themselves released into the region of Brahman at the
dissolution of their final body.
According
to Śrī Śaṅkarācārya,
the goal of Vedānta is Paramātma-vijñāna or Self-Realization. The central theme
of this verse is that this knowledge is attained through inner purity gained by
taking to sannyāsa and yoga. Sannyāsa implies renouncing
worldly and religious work and preferring to remain forever steadfastly in the
consciousness of Brahman. This is also yoga. Those who perpetually strive to
keep this spiritual state are called Yatis.
The
last moment of life is called antahkāla, end-time. Souls fated to
rebirth confront antahkāla repeatedly, but the soul that is illumined by the
wisdom of Vedānta its last birth, and consequently he meets with his para-antahkāla,
final end-time.
The
word parāmṛtāḥ denotes the attainment
of Immortality while one is living on the earth (Jivnmukta staus), and the
verb parimuchyanti implies the merging of the individual Self
then and there, at the time of death, into the Supreme Self, without leaving a
trace of separate individuality—-just as the birds flying across the sky do not
leave any footprint there or the fish moving in water leave no trail of a path.
With the attainment of illumination, the aspirant becomes parāmṛtāḥ and
at the fall of the body, he becomes paramukta, no more to be born
again.
I believe
Sankara clearly makes a clear distinction between Moksha and Mukti though
others use them in the same sense. Moksha consists of two words Moha and Kshaya
that means devoid of all attachments that is a pre-requisite for Mukti, final
liberation. Please recall his sloka quote “sadaa vimukti dayakam. He even hints
a subtle distinction between vi-mukti (visesha mukti and Mukti. That has made
Madhva think of souls in Brahmaloka as Saalokya, Sameepya and Saayujya. Please recall the mantrain MNU:
“…bhootanamadhi-pati brahmanah saayujyam salokataam apnotyetaasaameva
devataanaam saayujyam saarshtritaam samaanalokataam
aapnoti….”--He who meditates on Aditya as prescribed attains equality with
gods with equality in enjoyment and equality in respect of their worlds.
Sage
Vidyaranya - How can Brahman be realized?
“The
actual experience of pure Self comes from Self Revelation. The truth reveals
itself to the knower, and when this happens the knower becomes a rishi (a
seer). It is not that the Rishi sees the truth but that the truth shows itself
to the Rishi, thus transforming the blessed aspirant into a “seer”. Rather than
being illuminated by the mind or the intellect, truth dawns.
The
study of scriptures helps sharpen the intellect and keeps us from becoming
complacent about our present level of understanding. Logic and reasoning are a
function of the intellect, which is a fine instrument for gaining secondhand
knowledge. So, you must train your intellect in order to read and understand
the maps of spirituality that the sages have drawn, maps that are based on
their direct experience.
These
maps are called the scriptures, and by following them you can safely and
confidently tread the path and one day reach the goal and see directly. This is
called revelation.
Reasoning
can overcome doubt, but if it is not guided properly, it can create even more
serious doubt and confusion. Therefore, let your reasoning be attuned to the
revealed scriptures, and whenever you notice a conflict between the two, rely
on the scriptures (tasmaat saastram pramaanam tey--Gita). But
even when you do this you need your intellect to penetrate this intent. In
other words, the intellect is a fine tool, but it needs to be used
properly."
Moksha
or Nirvana is the ultimate liberation from all sorts of desires and aspirations
or in other words, being free from the cycles of birth and death. And devotion
has been considered as the primary way to attain Mukti, with a lot of respected
adhyatmic (spiritual) gurus,
emphasizing that “Mukti is a concomitant effect of Bhakti or devotion"
“When
you want to become free, toying with the idea of freedom is no good, what is
binding you that is what you need to break.”--says our Urban Monk Sadguru.
He emphasizes upon a simple but a powerful idea: “To attain Mukti, work on your
compulsions. If you break them one at a time, someday you will break them all.”
This seems to be practical and easy for realization. “Bondage Cannot Be
Infinite, Freedom Can be Infinite.”- says the Urban Monk
Sadguru.
There
are basically two types of compulsions: those we need to overcome and those we
need to address--1. Those we need to overcome; 2. Those we need to address.
Maybe
you are a smoker, or you probably can’t get fresh without a strong dose of
coffee. Maybe you cannot imagine starting a day without checking your phone
first. Aren’t these too our compulsions, but in a lesser
degree? They bind us to a particular habit that we feel that
we cannot let off go! These are the first type of compulsions we need to
overcome. We can break the bondage in a relatively easy way, through constant practice
and strong commitments. And then we will experience Moksha (moha+kshaya) not
the ultimate one Mukti, but from these every day compulsions. The only thing we
should be careful is about — we need to be a bit mindful.
This
is something we need to ask ourselves. Can we transform these desires into
realistic, attainable goals? That is another way to free yourself from
compulsions: unlock the ropes by untangling the knots.
It
seems that most of the times, we have been so much influenced by other’s
opinions that we lose our own freedom. What is financial freedom for him might
not be the same for you. Work on one level of compulsions at a time — first the
ones you can overcome and the next you need to address. Then step by step we
get freer and freer and move towards the next and ultimate one. After all,
Sadguru says it well — “Freedom is abstract and uncountable, but compulsions
are countable.”
Mukti
has different levels. Desiring Mukti won’t lead you towards it, freeing
yourself from the bondages will. There are actionable steps you can
take. There are numerous ways to attain Mukti. No secret formula. Try what
others say, but believe after you experience it. Mukti is not a way of
detaching yourself from life, but leading it in a better way. One can
always attain Mukti through devotion. We must
respect all those spiritual path seekers. But Sadguru’s advice are more
action-oriented in the present-day context, the idea of “focus more on breaking
concrete ropes than desiring abstract freedom”
LPS (LIFE POSITIONING SYSTEM) FOR MUKTI
FROM KENOPANISHAD
Blessed
is the man who while he yet lives realizes Brahman. The man who realizes him
not suffers his greatest loss. When they depart this life, the wise, who
have realized Brahman as the Self in All beings, become immortal.
The
power behind every activity of nature and of man is the Power of Brahman. To
realize this truth is to be immortal.
“It
is the power of Brahman that makes the mind think…. Therefore, use this
power to meditate on Brahman” (IV. 5 & 6). “This truth is all the seeker
need to discover”, concludes Kena Upanishad.
Seeking
Allah day in day out for years, a Sufi finally threw himself down “How long I
have been calling you and you do not answer?” He then heard a heavenly voice:
“Who do you think has been making you call me?”
“The
nature of Brahman known as qualified by the unique characteristics of Truth,
Knowledge and All-pervasive causes the attainment of immortality. That person
gains the strength required for meditation from Brahman and through Paravidya
(knowledge of the Supreme) attains immortality.
If
one has realized Brahman in this birth alone the he becomes worthy of being an
existing one. If he has no realized, there will be great destruction. Having
realized Brahman in all entities as distinct from everything else, the wise
ones having departed from the world attain immortality.
The
means of attainment of this secret knowledge are: Austerities, conquest over
the senses and Vedic rites like Agnihotra are causes of its firmness. Vedas
along with their accessories and truth are its abode” are the Brahmavidya
taught in Kenopanishad.
Kenopanishad
expounds nature of Paramatman through a series of questions and answers. It is
taught that the function of all indryas (senses) and all entities in this
universe are prompted by the Supreme Being. He is the illuminator of the eye
and others where his illumination does not depend upon these. Brahman is
distinct from what is very well known and again it is distinct from what is
totally unknown--It is the dazzling light at the end of the dark tunnel for the
seeker who struggles through life’s journey through the dark tunnel: Bright WH
emerging of Dark BH!
Brahman
is not totally unknowable! Brahma is ordained to the known by the Wisdom
of Vedas. Brahman is Infinite and has infinite attributes. So, it is possible
to know Brahman as “only this much”. There is neither complete comprehension
nor complete non-comprehension of Brahman, as ¾ of it is unknown
(tripadhoordhva udait purushah--Purusha Sukta).
Kenopanishad
describes a parable where Brahman shows itself to the gods for favoring them
through the wise teachings of Uma (Power aspect of Brahman).
This
Upanishad concludes by describing how Brahman is to be meditated upon as
“Tadvanam”--the cardinal virtues such as conquest over the senses, the
performance of the “nitya-naimittika” Karmas (daily and ordained duties),
and others are described to be the means of attainment by this classified
knowledge.
Bhagavad Gita’s GSP (Guiding Spiritual Path) to Brahmaloka, the World of Brahman
In Chapter 8, Krishna offers three options to humanity – the
path of return, non-return and direct liberation. If you perform desire-driven
noble actions, you go to heaven after death to enjoy the fruits. Once
this punya (merit) is exhausted, you return to the mortal
world. This is the path of return. If you aspire for Realization but stray into
actions motivated by good desires while performing the spiritual practices, you
get liberation in phases. You go to heaven, enjoy the heavenly pleasures that
accrue to you and then proceed to the fourth plane of Consciousness.
yatra kāle tvanāvṛittim āvṛittiṁ chaiva yoginaḥ |
prayātā yānti taṁ kālaṁ vakṣhyāmi bharatarṣhabha || 23 ||
agnir jyotir ahaḥśhuklaḥ ṣhaṇ-māsā uttarāyaṇam
tatra prayātā gachchhanti brahma brahma-vido janāḥ |
dhūmo rātris tathā kṛiṣhṇaḥ ṣhaṇ-māsā dakṣhiṇāyanam || 24||
tatra chāndramasaṁ jyotir yogī prāpya nivartate |
śhukla-kṛiṣhṇe gatī hyete jagataḥśhāśhvate mate || 26 ||
“I shall now describe to you the
different paths of passing away from this world, O best of the Bharatas, one of
which leads to liberation and the other leads to rebirth. Those who know the
Supreme Brahman, and who depart from this world, during the six months of the
sun’s northern course, the bright fortnight of the moon, and the bright part of
the day, attain the supreme destination. The practitioners of Vedic rituals,
who pass away during the six months of the sun’s southern course, the dark
fortnight of the moon, the time of smoke, the night, attain the celestial
abodes. After enjoying celestial pleasures, they again return to the earth.
These two, bright and dark paths, always exist in this world. The way of light
leads to liberation and the way of darkness leads to rebirth.”
In these verses, Shree Krishna
continues to answer the question Arjun had asked in verse 8.2, “How can one be
united with God at the time of death?”
Shree Krishna explains that there are two paths—the path of light
or the path of darkness. Although these statements may seem cryptic, they
present an effective allegory to explain spiritual concepts using the
contrasting themes: light and darkness. Where light; is symbolic to knowledge
and darkness; is for ignorance.
The bright daylight, the moonlit fortnight of śhuklaḥ or the bright ascending
moon, and the uttaraayan, the northern course of the sun, are all
considered the time of light. The God-conscious souls; who detach from worldly
attachments and depart by the path of light (knowledge and discrimination)
attain God. They are liberated from the wheel of samsara, the cycle
of life and death, and reach the divine Abode of God.
The ignorant souls who are
attached to the world remain entangled in the bodily concept of life. They
forget their relationship with God. Such souls depart by the path of darkness.
Hence, continue to rotate in the cycle of life and death. However, those who
may have undertaken some Vedic rituals, as its fruit, go to the celestial
abodes. But this position is also part of the material world, thus temporary.
When their merits are exhausted, they have to return to earth. Ultimately all
humans born on earth, upon death, have to pass along either of the two paths,
the path of light or the path of darkness. It is their karmas that decide which
path they would take eventually.
The dwellers of all the world
up to and including heaven are subject
to the miseries of repeated birth and death. But after attaining the
Supreme Being one does not take birth again(8.16)
Attaining the status of
Brahman, being liberated is not that easy as is generally understood. We have gone through the relevant text in Gita
and now learn what Mahanarayana Upanishad has to say:
Tasyaivaṁ viduṣo yajñasyātmā yajamānaḥ śraddhā patnīśarīramidhmamuro vedirlomāni barhirvedaḥ śikhā hṛdayaṁ yūpaḥ kāma ājyaṁ manyuḥ paśus-tapo'agnirdamaḥ śamayitā dānaṁ dakṣiṇā vāgghotā prāṇa udgātā cakṣur- adhvaryurmano brahma śrotramagnīt yāvaddhriyate
sā dīkṣā yadaśnāti
taddhaviryatpibati tadasya somapānaṁ yadramate tadupasado yat-sañcaratyupaviśatyuttiṣṭhate ca sa pravargyo yanmukhaṁ tadāhavanīyo yā vyāhṛtirahutiryadasya vijñāna tajjuhoti yatsāyaṁ prātaratti tatsamidhaṁ yatprātarmadhyandinaɱ sāyaṁ ca tāni savanāni ye ahorātre te darśapūrṇamāsau ye'rdhamāsāśca māsāśca te cāturmāsyāni ya ṛtavaste
paśubandhā ye saṁvatsarāśca parivatsarāśca te'hargaṇāḥ sarvavedasaṁ vā etatsatraṁ yanmaraṇaṁ tadavabhṛtha etadvai jarāmaryamagnihotraɱsatraṁ ya evaṁ vidvānudagayane pramīyate devānāmeva mahimānaṁ gatvādityasya sāyujyaṁ gacchatyatha yo dakṣiṇe pramīyate pitṛṇāmeva mahimānaṁ gatvā candramasaḥ -sāyujyaṁ gacchatyetau vai sūryācandram- asormahimānau brāhmaṇovidvānabhijayati tasmād brahmaṇo mahimānamityupaniṣat ||MNU||
The institutor of the sacrifice, in the case of the sacrifice
offered by a Sannyāsin who has attained supreme knowledge in the manner already
described, is his own Self.
His faith is his wife; his body is his sacrificial fuel; his chest
is his altar; his hairs are his holy grass, the Veda he has learnt is his tuft
of hair; his heart is his sacrificial post; his desire is his clarified butter;
his anger is his animal to be immolated; his austerity is his fire, his
sense-control is his immolator, his gifts are his Dakṣiṇā, his speech is his Hotri priest; his breath is his Udgātri
priest; his sight is his Adhvaryu priest, his mind is his Brahman priest, his
hearing is his Agni priest, the span of his life is his preparatory rite, what
he eats -that is his oblation; what he drinks that is his drinking of soma
juice, when he delights himself that is his Upasad rite, when he walks, sits
and stands that is his Pravargya rite; that which is his mouth that is his
Āhavanīya Fire, that which is his utterance that is his offering of oblation,
that which is his knowledge that is his Homa sacrifices, when he eats in the
afternoon and forenoon that is his Samidhoma (oblation of fuel in the fire);
the three divisions of the day—forenoon, midday and evening—relating to him are
his savanas, the day and night are his Darśapūrṇamāsa sacrifices, the half
months and the months are his Cāturmāsya sacrifice, the seasons are his
Paśubandha sacrifice; the Samvatsaras and the parivatsaras are his Ahargaṇa sacrifice; the total sacrifice is, indeed, his Sattra; death is
the Avabhritha or completion of his sacrifice.
That person who knows this, namely, the conduct of a
Sannyāsin—covering all the duties from Agnihotra to Sattra and terminating in
death overcome by old age—and who dies during the period of the sun’s movement
to the north attains to the over-lordship of gods like Indra and then reaches
identity or companionship with the Sun.
On the other hand he who dies during the period when the Sun moves
to the south gets only the greatness of the manes and then attains to the
identity or companionship with the moon.
A brāhmaṇa who knows separately the
greatness of the Sun and the Moon realizes these two; but he who has become a
knower of Hiraṇyagarbha wins further. From that knowledge which was acquired in
the world of Hiraṇyagarbha, he attains to the
greatness of Brahman, the Supreme who is Existence-Knowledge-Bliss, at the
dissolution of the world of Hiraṇyagarbha.
Thus the secret knowledge here, and in this Upaniṣad, is concluded.
Commentary
This Section is allied to the Puruṣā Vidyā, reference to
which is made in the Brāhma Sūtras III 3 24.
Those who are ultra-loyal to the operating religion of the Vedas
hold the opinion that the entire Veda is meant for laying down commands that
govern the life of religious aspirants.
If this thesis is accepted, even a Sannyāsin, who has become
liberated- in-life by adopting the supreme means of liberation, namely
Sannyāsa, is under obligation to engage himself in sacrificial duties.
According to the Uttara Mīmāṃsā this position is not
tenable. What the Sannyāsin performs is called ātma-yajña, which is not
the usual form of mental, physical and social operations. It is Yajña only in
allegory.
Through an extended simile the Yajña of the Sannyāsin is described
here.
The conventional sacrifice has various ingredients: Persons, place,
time, substances, commencement, completion, order, varieties. All these are
brought into this picture here.
The description of the sacrifice starts with the Yajamāna or the
institutor of the sacrifice along with his Patnī, the wife. Either of these by
demise or withdrawal brings a sacrifice to an abrupt end.
In the allegory here, the individual Self acting as the Witness of
the functions of the body and the senses is the Yajamāna, because all the
functions of the body and the mind are for his sake.
A Sannyāsin’s life is rooted in an unswerving faith in the truth
taught by the scriptures and by his preceptor, he never strays away from that
faith, and so this faith takes the place of the wife who must be present in the
real Yajña. His body will be finally consigned into the holy fire as a corpse
and so it is his fuel.
The necessaries of a sacrifice are stocked in the altar, so also
the thoughts connected with the sacrifice are kept within one’s chest.
On the spread out holy grass (Kuśa) Gods are invoked. The hair on
the chest within which lies the heart in which the Sannyāsin meditates—stands
for such a grass seat.
Knowledge of the Veda must be always supporting the life of the
Sannyāsin and the Yajamāna and so that is compared to the tuft of hair called
śikhā which should not be removed, except for a vow, from the head of a Brāhmaṇa.
The heart of the Sannyāsin is said to be the Yūpa (the sacrificial
post) on which the animals (anger and the like) are tied and slaughtered.
Clarified butter offered into the consecrated Fire indicates that
desires are kindled when they are stimulated and that they are extinguished by
fulfilment.
In the Somā Yāga victims are immolated. Similarly anger and other
passions are to be slayed by the Sannyāsin in his mystic sacrifice. Without the
consecrated Fire no sacrifice is possible. For the Sannyāsin, that fire is
tapas in the form of sense-control and calmness.
In the case of the Sannyāsin, giving of knowledge, the performance
of duties proper to his station is Dakṣiṇā.
Every part of the body of the Sannyāsin is sacrificed in the fire
of tapas and therefore the whole duration of his life is called a Sattra or a
sacrificial session.
Is it not mentioned here expressly that one who dies in
Dakshinayana goes through the path of the Ancestors (pitruloka) and attains the
greatness of Moon? You know well why Bhishma who died in
Dakshinayana waited for the dawn of Uttarayana to give up his ghost while lying
on the bed of arrows! The answer to this question is that the attainment of the
greatness of the Moon by a Brahmajna (one who knows Brahman) is merely to rest
there for a while. The text further says that he attains the greatness of
Brahman. Only those who are not Brahnajnas attain the moon through
Pitruyana (dakshinayana) and return to this world by the same after exhausting
their meritorious deeds (Punyaphala). But a Brahmajna proceeds further from the
Moon to Brahman. Attainment of moon is therefore to be known as a resting place
for him. It is explicit that he does not return to this world on account of the
fact that there is no reason at all for his bondage as he is completely
divested of all his Karma DNAs.
Let us now
see what Swami Krishnananda of Divine Life Society has to say drawing reference
to various Upanishads:
Attaining Mukti & THE Realization of the absolute
All endeavors aim at the common ideal of the perpetual abolition
of sorrow and the experience of unending bliss called Mukti. Upanishads have left no stone unturned in
attempting to give the best expression to the majestic Absolute-Experience:
"The knower of the Self crosses beyond sorrow."
"He who knows that Supreme Brahman becomes Brahman Itself." "The
knower of Brahman attains the Highest." "One who is established in
Brahman reaches Immortality." "He returns not again, he returns not
again."
"By knowing Him alone one goes to That, which is beyond death. By knowing the Supreme Being, the wise
one casts off both joy and sorrow. Realization of the Self is in a way like the
shining of the sun when the clouds no more cover him. It is the regaining of
originality in the absolute sense. It is "quenching the fire of death with
the water of knowledge" (Brih. Up., III. 2. 11). Mukti is neither a mass of consciousness nor
self-consciousness. It is the very life and order of the universe, ever
present, unchanging.
They who see Him, the Self-Existent – they, and no others, have
eternal peace. Of him, whose desires are completely satisfied, who is totally
perfected, all desires dissolve themselves here itself. The liberated one goes
to the other shore of darkness. That state is ever illumined, it is always day
there. Time, age and death, sorrow, merit and demerit do not go there. Fearless
is the state of the Bliss of Brahman. It is the light seen at the end of the
journey through dark tunnel. If caught in DH there should be a way out for WH!
There are in the Upanishads intimations of Krama-Mukti or the
progressive process of the liberation of the soul. The soul reaches the
Karya-Brahman or Parameshwara who transcends even the trinity of Brahma, Vishnu
and Siva. It is said that these souls enjoy all powers except those of
universal creation, preservation and destruction, which belong to God
alone. All those who meditate on the Absolute Individual (GOD)
through positive qualitative conceptions, rest in Him, who, in the end of time,
winding up the space-time-universe which is His own body, dissolves Himself in
the Conscious Power of the Absolute, which is itself non-different from the
Absolute.
In the case of GOD, there is no further forced coming back to
universe-consciousness, no subsequent dreaming and waking state, and there is
Absolute-Experience; whereas, in the case of the worldly individual, there is
forced coming back to body-consciousness, there is subsequent dreaming and
waking state, and there is no Self-Experience. There are Kama and Karma in the
individual because of Avidya in him, but in GOD there is Vidya, Universal
Consciousness or Absolute Self-Consciousness alone, and hence, there are no
concomitant Kama and Karma which are the causes of objective
multiplicity-consciousness and the activity therefor. Desire and action in the
individual are the outcome of the darkness of ignorance, but they do not exist
in Vidya which is the light of knowledge. The souls who are in the World of
Ishvara, or the Absolute-Individual, experience it as an Intelligence-World of
Shuddha-Sattva corresponding to their own personalities made of the same
substance. The soul is said to reach GOD through the passage of the sun (Mund.
Up., I. 2. 11). When there is individuality there is no omniscience or
omnipotence, and when there are these there is no individuality.
The state of Jivanmukti has no connection with the physical
body; it is a state of consciousness; so it can be experienced even when the
physical body is dropped, i.e., even in Brahmaloka. The Jivanmukta of this
physical world, with his physical body, too, is really in Brahmaloka in his
consciousness, though the body is in this world. Those who have not attained
Jivanmukti here and are not ready for Sadyo-Mukti immediately after the Prana
stops functioning in the present physical body, attain this through Krama-Mukti
after the death of the physical body. This shows that a Videhamukta is not one
who exists in Brahmaloka but who has merged in the Absolute.
There is also a passage (Chh. Up., VIII. 14) which speaks about
the soul's entering into Prajapati's abode and assembly hall. The joy which the
soul experiences in the consciousness of God is expressed in glowing terms. The
Taittiriyopanishad (II. 1) says that the knower of Brahman simultaneously
enjoys with Brahman-Consciousness all that he desires for.
The criterion of salvation lies in that "By knowing God,
there is a falling off of all fetters, distresses are destroyed, there is
cessation of birth and death, there is breaking up of individuality (or bodily
nature), there accrues universal lordship, one becomes absolute, and all
desires are satisfied." – Svet. Up. I. 11.
For us, even the least wish or action, however much universal it
may be, means a state below the Supreme Being.
The Upanishads, however, use the word "Brahman" to mean any of
the four, and it is this that does not allow us to have an adequate knowledge
of what they actually hold to be the definite stages of Truth-realization--(1)
universal objective multiplicity-consciousness, (2) universal subjective
multiplicity-consciousness, (3) universal Self-consciousness, (4)
Transcendental Experience (Mandukyopanishad).
"Those dull-witted persons who are unable to realize the
unconditioned Supreme Brahman are shown compassion by a description of the
Qualified Brahman. When their mind is controlled through meditation on the
Qualified Brahman, the One Being, free from all limitations reveals
Itself." says a Vedantin.
JIVANMUKTI
It is very difficult, from the statements of the Upanishads, to
distinguish between which actually is the state of liberation while living in
body and which is that of Absoluteness attained after the transcendence of the
body. Jivanmukti is the highest
spiritual experience by the individual when the mortal body is still hanging on
due to the remainder of a little of Sattvika-Ahamkara or Prarabdha. The
Jivanmukta experiences his being the lord of all, the knower of all, the
enjoyer of everything. The whole existence belongs to him; the entire universe
is his body. He neither commands anybody, nor is he commanded by anybody. He is
the absolute witness of his own glory, without terms to express it. He seems to
simultaneously sink deep into and float on the ocean of the essence of being,
with the feeling 'I alone am', or 'I am all'. He breaks the boundaries of
consciousness and steps into the bosom of Infinity. At times he seems to have a
consciousness of relativity as a faint remembrance brought about by unfinished
individualistic experience. He exclaims in joyous words:
"O, wonderful! O, wonderful! O, wonderful! I am food! I am
food! I am food! I am a food-eater! I am a food-eater! I am a food-eater!....I
am the first-born!.... Earlier than gods, I am the root of immortality!....I,
who am food, eat the eater of food! I have overcome the whole universe!" –
Taitt. Up., III. 10. 6.
"He is the (real) Brahmana, who, having known this
Imperishable, leaves this world" (Brih. Up., III. 8. 10).
"He enjoys as the Lord of the universe." He is the
"Seer who sees no death, nor sickness, nor any distress, the Seer who sees
only the All, and obtains the All entirely" (Chh. Up., VII. 26. 2).
His enjoyment is in the Self, he sports with the Self, he has
company of the Self, he has bliss in the Self, he is autonomous, and he has
limitless freedom in all the worlds. Everything proceeds for him from the Self.
He has crossed the ocean of darkness.
"As the slough of a snake lies dead and cast off on an
ant-hill, even so lies this body (of a Jivanmukta). But this incorporeal,
immortal Life-Principle is Brahman alone, the Light alone." – Brih. Up.,
IV.4.7.
"He does not desire, he has no desire, he is freed from
desire, his desire is satisfied, his desire is the Self" (Brih. Up.,
IV.4.6).
"He is the greatest among the knowers of Brahman"
(Mund. Up., II.1.4).
"Him these two do not overpower – neither the thought
'therefore I did wrong', nor the thought 'therefore I did right'. He overcomes
them both. Neither what he has done, nor what he has not done does affect
him." "This eternal greatness of the Brahmana is not increased or
decreased by actions." "He sees the Self in the Self and sees
everything as the Self. Evil does not overcome him; on the other hand he
overcomes all evil. Evil does not burn him; on the other hand he burns all
evil" (Brih. Up., IV. 4. 22, 23 ).
The wise sage is silent and indifferent towards the play of
life. He is the GOD, none is superior
to him. His wish is GOD's wish and his being is GOD's being.
"He who sees all beings in his very Self, and the Self in
all beings – he is not averse to anything. In whom, the wise one, all beings
are just the Self, then what delusion, what sorrow is there for him, who sees
Oneness (everywhere)?” – Isha. Up., 6,
7.
THE UNIVERSE AND THE LIBERATED SELF
Much has been said and written by speculative geniuses on the
relation between the perfectly liberated soul and the universe. If liberation
means the experience of the Infinite, the question of the liberated soul's
relation to the universe is a puerile one.
The Absolute is not bound by the rules and regulations of the worlds and
the thoughts of other individuals in any way. The fact that many others remain
unliberated even when one soul is freed, does not compel the liberated one to
have relations with others, for the simple reason that the liberated one is no
other than the trans-cosmic Absolute.
So long as there is consciousness of the reality of an objective
universe and the individuals, one cannot be said to be a liberated one, for he
is, then, only another individual, however much superior he may be to others in
the state of his consciousness. He who perceives that there are others and they
are unliberated, cannot be a liberated soul himself, for the liberated is one
with the Absolute which is extra-relational. "There is no consciousness
after death (of individuality)," says Yajnavalkya.
Liberation is experience of the highest Reality. A liberated one
does not think. He merely is. There can be no
compromise with self-limitation in liberation, however slight it may be. The
liberated soul becomes the All. Experience of Pure Being is the criterion of
liberation. The liberated soul itself becomes the One Self of all.
The human mind is always obsessed by the delusion of the social
bond that connects different individuals. It cannot think except in terms of
society, family, relations, etc., connected with the separatist ego. He who is
concerned with the world is only a magnified family man and is not free from
the sense of separateness characterizing mortal nature. Even several cultured
thinkers have been limited by a humanitarian view of life. Their philosophies
are consequently tainted by humanistic and social considerations. They are not
dispassionate in their trying to understand the deeper truths, and are deceived
by an inordinate love for the human being. The infection has led them even up
to the dangerous point of attempting to argue that none can be liberated until
social salvation is effected! This view is the outcome of the interference of
materialism with spiritual absolutism. Man's vision is so narrow that he is
concerned merely with things that he sees. He fails to take an integral view of
the essence of existence as a whole, because of his experience and reason being
limited to empirical reality. To the Absolute, the world is not a historical
process, but being.
There is also an attempt made by some to argue that unworldliness is not the essence of any
true philosophy, and that the Upanishads
do not teach unworldliness. This view is the outcome of the failure of the
arbitrary reason unaided by experience to determine the nature of Reality.
There is a desire in the human being to maintain the same worldly relationship
even in the state of final Liberation. Whatever we experience empirically seems
to be a hard fact, the reality of which we do not want to deny. The
individual's attachment to the body and society is so intense that to break
away from it does not seem to be desirable. If unworldliness means repudiation
of the separating forms of experience and individual relationship, liberation
is really unworldly. The Absolute is
unworldly in the sense that it has not, as the world has, distinctions of
space, time and individuality, or name, form and action. Liberation is the
possession and experience of unlimited, undivided consciousness of the Bhuma,
or the plenitude of existence.
There cannot also be any question in regard to the position of
power, ruler-ship, and the like, in the state of the highest liberation. These
are all relative notions of individuals. The Ultimate Reality is the Absolute,
which is non-dual and, therefore, there is no scope for the operation of an
objective power in it. The Absolute itself is Power, not merely an exerciser of
power. Power is a separating factor, a means to create duality, which is
nullified in the Absolute. The truly liberated one does not feel that he is the
lord of anyone else, which notion involves distinction in existence, but he has
the Eternal Experience of the Essence of Infinity.
Absolute Liberation is Transcendent Experience, beyond
conception and expression, free from the differentiations of knower, knowledge
and known. It is the Conscious Experience of absolute "Be"-ness,
which is the Great Reality.
[Extract
from the discourse “The Realization of the
Absolute” by Swami Krishnananda that appeared in the
January 2002 issue of The Divine Life Magazine]
REFERENCES:
1) Swami Chidananda, FOWAI Forum, Webinar 195,
Dharma Sastra in the Kenopanishad
2)
Swami Prabhavananda, The Upanishads, A Mentor
Religious Classic, UK.
3)
Eknath Easwaran, The Upanishds, Nilgiri
Press, www,easwaran.org
4)
Swami Prabhavanand, Bhagavad Gita, The Macmillan
Company New York, NY, USA
5)
Swami Vimalananda, Mahanarayana Upanishad,
Ramakrishna Math, Chennai, India
6)
Anantarangachrya, Principal Upanishads,
Bengaluru, India
7)
Swami Krishnananda, Attaining Mukti, Divine Life Society Magazine, India
8)
Harry Bhalla, The Gita Doctrine,
International Gita Society, USA.
APPENDIX
Ramakrishna
Vedanta View of Liberation
(1) Liberation is Jivanmukti or freedom while
living in the body. It is not going to another realm or attaining something
new, but realizing our true nature. It is not freedom from anything, but in the
midst of everything. Liberation as eternal happiness in heaven is only a
halfway house. Vedanta asserts that liberation in order to be believable must
be attained before death. One who dies in bondage, bound will he remain after
death. As the Upanishad says:
"What is here, the same is there;
and what is there the same is here. He goes from death to death who sees any
difference here. (Katha Upanishad, II.1.10)"
If everything ends for one with
liberation, then there would be none to teach and serve as an exemplar.
(2) Vedanta's liberation is spiritual
and depends upon Self-Knowledge. Immortality or eternal life in order to be
real must be free from all forms of embodiment-gross, subtle, or causal.
Sankaracharya asserts: "Let people quote the scriptures and sacrifice to
the gods, let them perform rituals and worship the deities, but there is no
liberation without the realization of one's identity with the Atman, no, not
even in the lifetime of a hundred Brahmas put together [that is, an almost
infinite length of time]."
This realization, known as
Self-Knowledge, is neither an emotional thrill nor an intellectual conviction.
It is not "put a penny in the slot and pull out a pardon." Self-Knowledge is direct perception of one
all-pervading Self dwelling as the individual self in all beings. Direct
perception is not simply belief in the scriptures. Believing in the scriptures
is believing in the belief of other persons. On the other hand, reason, which
begins in doubt and also ends in doubt, cannot give the certainty of faith.
Direct perception is experiencing the Self by being one with It. It is seeing
the Self with eyes closed in meditation as well as with eyes open in action.
Such direct perception carries its own credentials: it transforms our
consciousness forever, silences all doubt, is not antagonistic to reason and
common sense, and is conducive to the welfare of all beings.
(3) Complete liberation is attained
gradually through many births, and this process guarantees every creature,
however wicked, many opportunities to rid himself of imperfections. Rebirth is
governed by the law of karma. It is through a human body that liberation is
generally attained. Vedanta speaks of three courses which departed souls may
follow before they are reborn on earth in a human body: Those who have led a
life of extreme wickedness are born as subhuman beings. Those again who have
discharged their social and moral duties, cherished desires, and sought the
results of action, repair after death to a heaven called the "plane of the
moon," where they reap the fruit of their actions, before being reborn in
a human body. But Brahmaloka, the highest heaven, is attained by those who have
led an intense spiritual life on earth and actively sought the reality of God.
Some of the dwellers in Brahmaloka obtain liberation, and some return to earth.
Such descriptions of the afterlife are not literal, but symbolic and poetic,
and are intended to spur the human mind to make the spiritual quest. Life's
bondage created while living, cannot be overcome by some readjustment after
death.
(4) Liberation is universal and is the
inevitable destiny of all living creatures. Vedanta speaks of the three basic
desires of all living beings: eternal life, limitless knowledge, and unbounded
joy. We first seek to fulfill these through change of form and place. But
nothing limited can give us the fulfillment of all three desires. At last we
begin to change our thoughts and practice spiritual disciplines for
self-purification. When our heart becomes purified, our true self, which is the
Self of the universe, becomes revealed in the mirror of our pure heart and we
discover our true identity. Liberation is returning home. In Biblical terms it
is the return of the prodigal son to his all-loving father. Consciously or
unconsciously, all beings are striving for liberation. When the striving is unconscious
we call it evolution of nature, but when it is conscious we call it spiritual
quest.
What happens to a knower of the Self
after death? Where does his soul go? The Upanishads say:
"Of him who is without desires,
who is free from desires, the objects of whose desires have been attained, and
to whom all objects of desire are but the self-the life-breath does not depart.
Being Brahman, he merges in Brahman." (Brihadaranyaka Upanishad, IV.iv.6)
"When all the desires that dwell
in his heart are gone, then he, having been mortal, becomes immortal and
attains Brahman in this very body." (Brihadaranyaka Upanishad, IV.iv.7)
As milk poured into milk becomes one
with milk, as water poured into water becomes one with the water, as oil poured
into oil becomes one with the oil, so the illumined soul absorbed in Brahman
becomes one with Brahman. A free soul, however, out of compassion for mankind,
may of his own free will again assume a human body and work for the welfare of
mankind.
(5) The Self-Knowledge of Vedanta
liberates not only our soul but also our mind. Psychologically speaking,
Self-Knowledge, by raising the blaze of spiritual consciousness, frees us from
the bondage of highly-personalized life and separating existence.
(6) Liberation through Self-Knowledge
is not just cessation of sorrow and suffering but positive bliss. Cessation of
sorrow is not in itself happiness; it requires something positive. Tasting the
overpowering bliss of the Self, the liberated soul goes beyond all sorrow and
suffering. As the Katha Upanishad says:
"There is one Supreme Ruler, the
inmost Self of all beings, who makes His one form manifold. Eternal happiness
belongs to the wise, who perceive Him within themselves-not to others. There is
One who is the eternal Reality among non-eternal objects, the one [truly]
conscious Entity among conscious objects, and who, though non-dual, fulfils the
desires of many. Eternal peace belongs to the wise who perceive Him within
themselves-not to others." (Katha Upanishad, II.ii.12 and 13)
(7) Liberation through Self-Knowledge
requires cooperation between self-endeavor and divine grace. To make effort is
necessary in order to know its limits. In the end we discover that effort was
possible because of grace. We strive for the Divine only when the Divine draws
us toward It.
(8) Self-Knowledge alone can confer
true liberation. Swami Vivekananda beautifully describes this liberation
through Self-Knowledge:
"One day a drop of water fell into
the vast ocean. When it found itself there, it began to weep and complain just
as you are doing. The great ocean laughed at the drop of water. `Why do you
weep?' it asked. `I do not understand. When you join me, you join all your
brothers and sisters, the other drops of water of which I am made. You become
the ocean itself. If you wish to leave me, you have only to rise up on a
sunbeam into the clouds. From there you can descend again, a little drop of
water, a blessing and a benediction to the thirsty earth.' “
(9) The liberated soul is called a free
soul. Only a free soul demonstrates the reality of God, the validity of the
sacred texts, the divinity of man, and the oneness of existence. He is also
known as the Awakened One or the Illumined One. A free soul lives in a world of
duality, yet he remains undisturbed by its pain and pleasure. He is free but
not whimsical, spontaneous but not given to license, and he never sets a bad
example to others. As a fish swimming in waters leaves no mark behind, or as a
bird flying in the air leaves no footprints, so a free soul moves in the world
unnoticed by others. A free soul does not traffic in miracles, nor does he
publicize his holiness. The ineffable peace radiating from his personality
bespeaks his holy nature.
A free soul is aware of his identity
with all beings. He is conscious that he feels through all hearts, walks with
all feet, eats through all mouths, and thinks with all minds. He regards the
pain and pleasure of others as his own pain and pleasure. Physical death and
birth have no meaning for him, a change of body being to him like a change of
garments. About such a person it can truly be said that he exists, because he
has become one with Existence; knows, because he has become one with Knowledge;
and enjoys bliss, because he has become one with Bliss Absolute.
A free soul, while living in the body,
may experience disease, old age, or decay; may feel hunger, thirst, grief or
fear; may be a victim of blindness, deafness, or other conditions. But having
realized that these are no more than characteristics of the body, the mind, or
the senses, he does not take them seriously and so is not overwhelmed by them.
A person who sees a play on the stage does not consider it to be real, yet he
enjoys it to his heart's content; likewise, a free soul living in the midst of
the joys and sorrows of the world experiences them as the unfolding of a divine
play.
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