[Advaita-l] sadyomukti and jIvanmukti

[Ranjeet Sankar]

Namaste Shri Rameshji,

Even though this message was addressed to Shri Vidyasankarji, I felt like
commenting on the same since we are all trying to follow Sankara
bhagavatpAda.

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> In Muktiko Upanishad 2.1 spiritual conversation between Lord Ram and sri
> Hanuman is mentioned. I am just writing it below:
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With all due respect to Shri Ramji, Hanumanji and all the shruti and smriti
literature, while discussing advaita it is my humble opinion to follow only
the principal upaniShat-s for which Shri Sankara has written bhAshyam-s.

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> Here, we need to remember that the term jeevan mukti has a particular
meaning, and is applied for certain time point only, that is, till the body
is alive. On the other hand, the term vedeha mukti is applied to the soul.
That means, vedeha mukti is for soul. This is the absolute salvation,
achieved immediately, without going anywhere. That means the soul merges in
divine, and all his 16 parts of witness are dissolved in the divine. Thus we
are given an example of a river merging in a sea, and becomes as big as the
sea (Prasna Up. 6.5).
 In case of a jeevan mukta, there is no question of merging of these 16
parts in divine. Because, he is not yet released from body. Since, merging
of all individual identities are requied for absolute salvation, and since
that is not happening in case of a jeevan mukta, the state of jeevan mukta
cannot be termed as an absolute salvation. Then, what is this state called?
This is the state of experience of divine (that is the experience of
advaita).
[..................]
 Before merging, a river cannot be said to have become a sea. But, during
its course of journery, the river understands that its main aim in life is
to merge in the sea. and become as big as the sea upon merging. This
understanding on  the part of river is called realization, but does not mean
that it has already become the sea just by experiencing. Because, at the
point of  realization also, the river is separate from the sea, and thus,
cannot be called to be a sea. The river becomes sea only at the final stage
of  merging. Not before that. Before merging, the river has a distinct name
etc. Upon merging, his name as a river etc are lost. Please apply this
> explanation to the state of jeevan mukta.
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Even though in the starting of your message you had said that it is the 16
parts which is getting dissolved in the puruSha, you had concluded your mail
in such a manner as to convey that it is individual soul that is dissolving
into the Absolute ! If you see the mantra, it is talking about the
dissolution of the 16 parts (imAh ShoDasha kalAh) such as prANa, shraddha,
kham etc. about which the earlier mantra was mentioning (Pr.Up 6-4). These
mantra-s in a nut shell shows that all these 16 parts which are nAma-rUpa
created thorugh ignorance gets destroyed and That which is undestructable is
the Self, puruSha. This mantra is meant for conveying the sole reality of
the Self.

Shri Sankara comments, just like the name of rivers such as gangA and yamunA
"when the names and forms are eliminated, the entity that remains
undestroyed is called by the knowers of Brahman as puruSha." By saying that
this mantra is talking about jIvanmukti getting transformed into sadyomukti
is not in line with the teachings of Shri Sankara. In such an attempt, you
will end up contradicting Br.Up.

If possible, please give reference from shruti or AchArya's bhAshyam-s for
your explainations on the difference between 'experiencing Brahman' and
'becoming Brahman'.

Hari Om