[Advaita-l] GunAtIta and jIvanmukta

[H S Chandramouli]

Namaste Sri Venkatraghavan Ji.



I have changed the title of  the thread while responding to your post in
the other thread.



Reg your observation  <<  I generally agree with Sri Chandramouliji's
comments, but I differ slightly
when he says that the state of the jIvanmukta is the highest goal to be
sought after.>>,



Please correct me if I am wrong. But what I understand from your post is
that you believe GuNAtIta state to be the preferred goal. If yes, we are
together again, right on  spot !!! Maybe I have not explained the state of
a jIvanmukta satisfactorily. But Swami Vidyaranya states in his work
Jivanmuktiviveka  tha  the terms jivanmukta, guNAtIta, sthitaprajna,
bhagavdbhakta,brAhmana,ativarnAshrami, are all synonymous terms.  Detailed
lakshanas of each of these is presented separately in the text JMV.  Infact
he concludes,  I quote



<< तदेवम् विमुक्तश्च विमुच्यते इत्यादिश्रुतयो
जीवन्मक्तस्थितप्रज्ञभगवद्भक्तगुणातीतब्राह्मणातिवर्णाश्रमिप्रतिपादकस्मृतिवाक्यानि
चजीवन्मुक्तिसद्भावे प्रमाणानीति स्थितम्।  >>



<< (tadevam vimuktashcha vimuchyate ityAdishrutayo
jIvanmaktasthitapraj~nabhagavadbhaktaguNAtItabrAhmaNAtivarNAshramipratipAdakasmRRitivAkyAni
chajIvanmuktisadbhAve pramANAnIti sthitam|) >>



(translation by Swami Harshananda and Dr Ramachandra Swamy) <<(In this way,
through scriptural texts such as “the once liberated (from the dormant
desires ) is liberated again” and (through the) smriti texts demonstrating
the jivanmukta,sthitaprajna,bhagavdbhakta, gunAtIta, brAhmana, and
ativarnAshrami—it is conclusively proved that jivanmukti is a reality) >>.



Regards