[Advaita-l] Question on Mayavada

[Sunil Bhattacharjya]

Dear Vidyasankarji,

Can we give the example of Vishwamitra to illustrate the difference between the Jivanmukti and Videhamukti? Vishwamitra, after he became a Brahmarshi, ie. after he became a jivanmukta (I guess we can call a Brahmajnani like Vishwamitra as Jivanmukta) could fall for Menaka shows that the Jivanmukta can be amukta at times, due to carelesness, till the Videhamukti is finally achieved. The period between the achievement of Jivanmukti and the Videhamukti is a period of vigilance for the Jivanmukta. Probably the Srividya helps one to get immunized from passion, the last of the great impediments in the spiritual journey. Any comment?

Regards,

Sunil K. Bhattacharjya

--- On Wed, 11/3/10, V Subrahmanian <v.subrahmanian at gmail.com> wrote:

From: V Subrahmanian <v.subrahmanian at gmail.com>
Subject: Re: [Advaita-l] Question on Mayavada
To: "A discussion group for Advaita Vedanta" <advaita-l at lists.advaita-vedanta.org>
Date: Wednesday, November 3, 2010, 11:25 AM

On Wed, Nov 3, 2010 at 7:14 PM, Vidyasankar Sundaresan <
svidyasankar at hotmail.com> wrote:

>
>
> > Vidyasankar, Madhusudana Saraswati is talking about devotion to Hari
> > and being attracted to the superexcellent qualities Vishnu in the case
> > of a jivan mukta not just for an aspirant. The reading is crystal
> > clear in his introduction to gudartha dipika. If you think that my
> > understanding is not correct or that his position deviates from adi
> > sankara's, could you please provide reference?
>
> Your understanding is not correct because of the practical distinction
> between
> jIvanmukti and videhamukti. In jIvanmukti, there is a physical body with a
> mind,
> so it is possible to talk of it getting attracted to the atiSaya guNa-s of
> SrIhari.
>

There is a famous verse of the Bhagavatam which Advaita Acharyas quote:

AtmArAmAscha munayaH nirgranthA'pyurukrame
kurvantyahaitukIm bhaktim itthambhUtaguNo hariH

Those sages who revel in the bliss of Atman and are devoid of any need for
books [are free of all knots, liberated], express devotion to Lord VishNu
for no reason whatsoever (seeking nothing in return).  Such is the
immaculate glory of Hari.

Will anyone give Sridharaswamin's commentary on this verse?

Regarding the difference between jivanmukti and videhamukti, Shankara has
this to say in the  Brahmasutra Bhashyam 4.1.19:

As long as the body (of the Jnani) lasts there will be bheda darshanam, that
is, the Jnani will be experiencing the world of duality through his
sense/motor organs/mind.  This is required for the Jnani's prarabdha bhoga.
After the fall of the body, that is death, this bheda darshanam will no more
be there.

In the Bh.Gita 2.16 bhashyam at the end Shankara says the Jnani
(tattvadrashI) will view all dualities as unreal, merely appearing as though
they are real, just as  mirage-water.

The bheda is seen as mithyA by the Jnani.

This is the difference between jivanmukti and videha mukti.

Regards,
subrahmanian.v
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