Forwarded message: Jivanmukti as per Advaita-Vedanta FAQ

[Sankaran Jayanarayanan]

On Fri, 10 Mar 2000, Vidyasankar Sundaresan wrote:

[..]

> >Is this the view held by Sringeri shankaracharya as well. Because as per
>
> The repeated scriptural statement, brahmavit brahmaiva bhavati - that is the
> basis for talking of jIvanmukti. For Advaita Vedanta, it is not a question
> of "when" one becomes Brahman after knowing Brahman. Rather, truly "knowing"
> Brahman means to know that one has always been the pure, untainted Brahman.
> This is the basic view. Further refinements on details are always possible.
>
> >Jivanmukti Viveka of Sri Vidyaranya, Knower of Brahman need not be
> >Jivanmukta. To become a Jivanmukta, he has to work towards Manonaasha,
> >Vasanaakshaya. For this he may take Vidvat Sannyasa. He also quotes
> >Yajnavalkya as an example, where he says Yajnavalkya had knew(realized)
> >Brahman during the debate. But he took Sannyasa to work towards Jivanmukti.
>
> I have not read Jivanmuktiviveka yet, so I can't comment in detail about
> this. Can you provide verse/translation references? Note that this text
> discusses a number of views about jIvanmukti. Among Indian schools of
> thought, it is not only advaita vedAnta that accepts the possibility of
> jIvanmukti. The school of yoga also accepts it, but this school hardly talks
> of the knower of Brahman.
>

There is an explanation as to why the GYAni is not necessarily a mukta in
the Apastamba dharma suutra 2.9.21.13-16. I couldn't follow it, and so
consulted Haradatta's commentary to see how he had elaborated on the
matter.

Apastamba's argument hinges on the possibility that the GYAni may still
feel pain(!), and hence must make some effort in order that he may relieve
himself of all pain. But Apastamba seems to assume that one who attains
GYAna might still be affected by changes in the body/mind. So for a GYAni,
the ahaMkAra (I-am-this-body idea) could still remain undestroyed??

I have given below the sanskrit original with a rough translation of my
own, following Georg Bu(e)hler. The usual warning(s): (1) my sanskrit is
VERY shaky, and (2) I have left some parts untranslated.

---------------------------------------
Apastamba dharma suutra (prashna 2, paTala 9, khaNDa 21)

13. satyAnR^ite sukhaduHkhe vedaaniM lokamamuM cha
parityajyaa.atmaanamanvichchet.h .

  Abandoning truth and untruth, pleasure and pain, the Vedas, this world
  and the next, he (the saMnyAsin) shall seek the Self.

14. buddhe kshemapraapaNam.h .

  (Some say that) he obtains salvation if he knows (the Self).

Haradatta's commentary:
aatmani buddhe.avagate sati tadeva GYAnaM sarvamashubhaM prakshaalya
kshemaM praapayati .
shrUyate hi -
"na karmaNaa vardhate no kanIyaan.h . tasya eva aatmaa padavittaM
viditvaa . na karmaNaa lipyate paapakene"ti (BR^i . u . 7.4.23; tai . Braa
3.12.14) ` tadyatheshhiikaatuulamagnau protaM praduuyeta evaM haasya sarve
paapmaanaH praduuyante ' iti cha .
smaryate cha -
"yathaidhaaMsi samiddho.agni bhasmasaatkurute.arjuna .
 GYAnaagniH sarvakarmANi bhasmasaatkurute tathaa .." (bha . gii . 4.37)
tadidaM niraakaroti -

  Haradatta:
  (Some say that) on the attainment of knowledge (of the Self), all sins
  are washed away and mukti is won. (They) quote the shruti
  (BR^ihadaaraNyaka upanishhad.h 7.4.23): "Karma does not at all elevate
  one when the Self is realized; nor is one affected by sins." ...
  And the smriti (GItA 4.37) "Just as a fire reduces all fuel to ashes,
  Arjuna, does the fire of GYAna reduce all karma to ashes."
  That (view) is being refuted here -

15. tat.h shaastrairvipratishhiddham.h .

  (But) that (view) is opposed to the scriptures.

Haradatta:
yaani yatereva kartavyapratipaadanaparaaNi shaastraaNi, taireva
tadvipratishhiddham.h .
tatra manuH:
"krudhyantaM na pratikrudhyedaakrushhTaH kushalaM vadet.h .
 saptadvaaraavakiirNAm.h cha na vaachamanR^itaaM vadet.h ..
 na chotpaatanimittaabhyaaM na nakshatraaN^gavidyayaa .
 naanushaasanavaadaabhyaaM bhikshaaM lipseta karhichit.h .." iti .
ato yatimeva prakR^itya yaani vihitaani karmaaNi taani kartavyaani . yaani
cha nishhiddhaani taani cha varjaniiyaani .
`buddhe kshemapraapaNa' mityetat.h pratyakshaviruddhamityaaha -

  Haradatta:
  Those saMnyAsins who act not as prescribed by the scriptures, are
  opposed to it.
  Vide Manu:
  "(He shall) not be angry towards anyone, and (shall only) speak of the
  welfare of others. (He shall) not speak falsehoods...(He shall) not
  study astrology. (He shall) not argue while begging."
  Therefore, saMnyAsins should always act only as duly ordained, and avoid
  forbidden acts.
  "Knowing he obtains salvation" goes against experience (as explained) -

16. buddhe chetkshemapraapaNamihaiva na duHkhamupalabheta .

  (For) if salvation were obtained by knowledge (of the Self) alone,
  then he ought not to feel any pain even in this (world).

Haradatta:
aatmabodhamaatreNa chet.h kshemaM praapyate, tadaa ehaiva shariire duHkhaM
nopalabheta GYAni . na chaitadasti . na hi GYAninaaM
muurdhaabhishhiktaMmanyo.api kshudhaaduHkhaHmeva taavat.h kshaNamaatramapi
soDhuM prabhavati .

  Haradatta:
  If salvation were obtained by Self-knowledge alone, then the GYAni ought
  not to feel any bodily pain. This is not so.
  The GYAni cannot tolerate hunger, acute pain/grief in the head/mind,
  even for a moment.

17. etena paraM vyaakyaatam.h .

  Thereby that which follows has been declared.

Haradatta:
paraloke bhavamapi duHkhametena vyaakhyaataM - na svairachaariNaaM
nivartata iti . tasmaat.h karmabhiH paripakvakashhaaya eva
shravaNamananididhyaasanaiH saakshaatkR^itaatmasvaruupaH pratishhiddheshhu
kaTaakshamapyanikshipannashhTaaN^gayoganirato muchyata iti . atra
bodhaayanaH - `ekadaNDii tridaNDii ve' ti .
gautamaH - `muNDashshakhii ve' ti .

  Haradatta:
  ...
  Hence, only to a mature mind, release from Karma (results) by clearly
  perceiving the Self by (means of) shravaNa-manana-nididhyaasana, (and)
  engaging in ashhTAN^ga yoga.
  (Refer) here BodhAyana's `ekadaNDii, tridaNDii' etc.
  (and) Gautama's `...'

[Note by Georg Buhler: `That which follows' are the Yogas, which must be
 employed in order to cause the annihilation of pain, after the knowledge
 of the universal soul has been obtained.]

18. atha vaanaprasthaH .

  Now (follow the rules regarding) the hermit living in the woods.

---------------------------------------

Ramana has said that he feels pain "as though in a dream."
(`Day by day with Bhagavan,' by Devaraja Mudaliar). He has also said,
"If there is pain, so be it. It is also part of the Self and the Self is
perfect." (`Teachings of Ramana Maharshi,' by Arthur Osborne).

I was of the opinion that GYAna=moksha, after seeing verse 478 of the
VivekachuuDAmaNi (Viv.):
vedaanta siddhaanta niruktireshhaa
brahmaiva jIvaH sakalaM jagachcha .
akhaNDarUpasthitireva moksho
braadvitiiye shrutayaH pramaaNam.h ..
  According to the VedAnta, the jIva and the universe are only Brahman,
  *mukti is abidance in non-duality*. The shrutis assert that Brahman is
  non-dual.

There is also a discussion of jIvanmuktatva in the Viv. 428-440.
The shloka 439 goes:
na pratyagbrahmaNorbhedaM kadApi brahmasargayoH .
praGYayaa yo vijaanaati sa jIvanmuktalakshaNaH ..
  He who, by virtue of knowledge, does not distinguish between jIva and
  Brahman, nor the universe and Brahman, is a jIvanmukta.

> Sankaracharya himself also describes the necessity of some practice towards
> quelling the tendencies of the mind, after the rise of proper knowledge. See
> for example, the commentary on bRhadAraNyaka 1. 4. 10.
>
> Here, I can only infer, and not talk from personal certitude. Apparently,
> the knowledge that one has never been not Brahman can co-exist with the
> tendency of the mind towards objects. It is like the case of the man who
> sees double because of defective eyesight - even after he knows the truth,
> he still continues to see double. Hence, some corrective measure seems to be
> called for.
>

But a GYAni is one who never sees a multiplicity of objects. He sees only
Brahman -- what will need to be corrected?

[..]

> Vidyasankar

-Kartik

--
bhava shankara deshikame sharaNam

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Dear List Members,
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 H.B.Dave

Best wishes.

-- Himanshu
============================================
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Dear List Members,
<BR>You may be interested in two of my papers and some other Notes available
at my home page
<BR> <A HREF="http://ddit.ernet.in/hbdave">H.B.Dave</A>
<P>Best wishes.
<PRE>-- Himanshu
============================================
Prof. H.B. Dave
Co-ordinator for Institutional Development
and Professor & Head of Department
Computer Engineering
Dharmsinh Desai Institute of Technology
College Road
NADIAD   387001 (Gujarat) India
Tel : (O) +91 268 60502
      (R) +91 268 61025
FAX :     +91 268 60501

e-mail : hbd at ddit.ernet.in
============================================</PRE>
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--
bhava shankara deshikame sharaNam

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