[Advaita-l] Brahma Loka the highest within creation - the Advaitic position

[Sri B]

Namaskaram Subbu, first of all thank you for sharing this interesting read. I wish to seek clarity and also confirm my understanding: Apologies for asking some basic questions, these may have been elaborated in some earlier discussions. 

So, Advaita, espouses two types of Mukti - Jeevanmukti and Kramamukti. Former is the result of shedding avidya and discovering the Self as the Brahman (nirguna), which happens instantaneously and while in this body.  On death of the body, the Jeevanmukta also gets freed of the sukshma sharira and therefore attains freedom from samsara, which is in my understanding, referred to as Videhi Mukti. 

Kramamukti is the Atma reaching another Loka, i.e. Brahmaloka upon shedding its body. 
Is this Brahmaloka basically the Advaitic equivalent of Vaikunta of the Vaishnavites and Kailasam of the Shivites? 
Is this the equivalent of heaven alluded to in the semitic religions 
Does this mean that the Atma along with suksma sharira reaches the abode of Brahma.  
What happens to the karana sharira, i.e. will the avidya continue to remain?
Is Kramamukti a result of upasanas -meaning bhakthi and observing vidika karma? Fruits of punyam?
Is it to be considered as ‘next best’ to Jeevanmukthi. Advaita teaches us that the purpose of this life is to attain Moksha interpreting as Jeevanmukta, failing which or if one falls short then Kramamukthi is the next best outcome?
Could you please elaborate further: What are these gradations of attainment, which Sri Vidyaranya endorses, upon reaching Brahmaloka. Does it mean that the Atma will reside in an another world and will gradually makes its way to what (the Brahman?) Does Sri Sankara Baghavadpada  and Sri Chandrashekara Bharathi Mahaswami have a different view?

Thank you in advance
Sridhar


> On 27 May 2020, at 5:36 pm, V Subrahmanian via Advaita-l <advaita-l at lists.advaita-vedanta.org> wrote:
> 
> In the Brahmasutra, Upanishads and Bh.Gita Bhashyas nowhere we find any
> mention of a loka beyond the Brahma loka for krama mukti.  In this
> background it is interesting to see this observation of Vidyaranya in the
> Taittiriya Upanishad bhashya:
> 
> यथा ब्रह्मलोकाख्यं फलं सालोक्यसारूप्यसामीप्यसार्ष्टिभेदेन चतुर्विधम् | तत्र
> सार्ष्टिर्नाम चतुर्मुखेन समानैश्वर्यम् | ....सालोक्यादिविशेषस्तु
> जन्यरूपत्वात् उपासनातारतम्येन सातिशयो भविष्यति |
> 
> From the above it is clear that the saalokya, saarupya, saamipya and
> saarShTi types of attainment is only in the Brahmaloka.  Vaishnavas (and
> Shaivas) have these in the Vaikuntha / Shivaloka (Kailasa).
> 
> Vidyaranya says that these gradations are the result of differences in the
> upasana performed. In the Vivekachudamani Bhashya, HH Sri Chandrashekhara
> Bharati Mahaswamin has said that these four types are mithya.
> 
> In Shankara's bhashyas we do not find the first three mentioned explicitly
> but only the fourth is seen as 'saayujyam' with 'Ishwara' and समानैश्वर्यम्.
> 
> . Since nowhere we encounter a loka higher than the Brahma loka in the
> Bhashyas, we conclude that the Brahma loka is the one where all upasakas,
> of whatever deity they have meditated upon, in the present day context,
> will reach.  In the Bhashyas, however, we get to see upasanas of 'saguna
> brahman/ apara brahman' alone and the fruit thereof is, by default, the
> Brahma loka.
> 
> Shankara has also said that wherever there is dvaita, that is within
> creation alone. That means, outside creation it is Advaita alone.
> 
> regards
> subbu
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