[Advaita-l] moxa-sAdhanA

[Ananta Bhagwat]

SrI madhusUdana sarasvatI in his invocation of gItA-bhAshya specifies following steps of sAdhanA towards Liberation:

1/ Performance of self-less work (nishkAma karma) rejecting kAmya-karma and avoiding nishiddha karma
2/ nishkAma karma should be performed till mind becomes fit for 'discrimination between permanent & transient' (viveka)
3/ Gradually follows detachment (vairAgya) by yatamAna (efforts), vyatireka (exclusion of vAsanA), ekendriya (concentration), and vaSIkAra (complete mind control).
4/ This vairAgya is stabilized through shat-saMpatti (shama, dama, uparati, titiksha, SraddhA, samAdhAna) leading to mumukshatva (longing for moxa). One then should approach the teacher for further instructions.
5/ Under the  instructions of guru one should undertake SravaNa (hearing and understanding the vedAnta). Here whole of uttara- mImAMsA is covered.
6/ A  mature student develops nididhyAsa (profound meditation). The whole of ashtAnga yoga (yama, niyama, Asana, prANAyAma, pratyAhAra, dhAraNA, dhyAna, samAdhi) is taught for this purpose.
7/ Thereafter the mahAvAkyA-s can be heard; the shravaNa of mahAvAkyA-s eradicates the nescience (avidyA) and tattva-jnAna arises.
8/ This jnAna burns the sancita karma; and AgAmIni karma do not accrue.
9/ Even after that prArabdha karma and vAsanA remain. These are exhausted and eliminated through saMyama (dhAraNa, dhyAna and samAdhi learnt in step 6/.
10/ samAdhi sAdhanA is followed by mano-nASa (elimination of mind-fluctuations) and vAsanA-kshaya (dissipation of past impressions).
11/ The triad of tattva-jnAna, mano-nASa, and vAsanA-kshaya firms up the jIvana-mukti.
12/ sAdhaka who practices savikalpa and 2-stage nirvikalpa samAdhi is known as jIvan-mukta or sthita-prajna.
The third stage of nirvikalpa samAdhi is permanent (videhamukti).

(a) I can see two important mile-stones; one: to be a qualified student by acquiring sAdhana-catushtaya (viveka, vairAgya, shat-saMpatti, and mumukshatva) and two: to realize Knowledge as jIvan-mukta or sthita-prajna.
(b) madhusUdana says whole of yoga scripture gets its purpose fulfilled in this sAdhanA. 

ananta