Jivanmuktiviveka

of 

Swami Vidyaranya

A summary

Chapter 1

Scriptural authority on Jivanmukti

  This work consists of five chapters, known as Prakaranas. The first chapter deals with the scriptural authority for the postulation of Jivanmukti or liberation while still living. The chapter opens with a salutation to Sri Vidyatirtha, the author's Guru, who is identified with the Supreme Lord.

  Sannyasa is of two kinds, known as Vividisha Sannyasa and Vidvat Sannyasa, or, renunciation of the seeker and renunciation of the knower. (These terms will become clear as we proceed further). The first is the cause of liberation after death (Videhamukti) and the second of liberation while still living in the body (Jivanmukti). The essential pre-requisite for both these kinds of Sannyasa is detachment. Detachment is of three kinds-- weak, strong and stronger. The detachment that arises on the occurrence of some calamity such as the death of a dear one, or loss of possessions, is not lasting and is categorized as weak. Such a temporary feeling of detachment is of no use and does not make a person eligible for Sannyasa. The determination not to marry, beget children and live the life of a householder is categorized as 'strong' detachment. There are four varieties of Vividisha Sannyasa. These are-- Kutichaka, Bahoodaka, Hamsa and Paramahamsa. The detachment described as 'strong' makes the person eligible only for the varieties of Sannyasa called Kutichaka and Bahoodaka. Both of them are 'Tridandins' i.e. they carry three long thin sticks knotted together, emblematic of the triple renunciation of everything connected with body, mind and speech. The Kutichaka resides in a secluded hermitage. The Bahoodaka keeps moving from one holy place to another. The choice as to which of these two varieties a person with the kind of detachment described as 'strong' should take depends on whether he is physically fit to move about from place to place or not.

  When a person is free from desire not only for the pleasures of this world, but even for those of higher worlds such as heaven, because of the knowledge that they are transient and will result only in repeated births and deaths, he is said to have 'stronger' detachment. This kind of detachment entitles the person to take the Hamsa and Paramahamsa varieties of Sannyasa. A Hamsa Sannaysi goes to Brahmaloka, realizes the absolute truth there and becomes liberated. This is known as Kramamukti or liberation by stages. The Paramahamsa is the ascetic of the highest order, who has achieved complete control over his senses. He attains liberation even while living in the body. This is called Jivanmukti.

  Paramahamsas are of two kinds: the seeker after liberation and the knower of the Self. The seeker is one who has  renounced all desires and wants nothing but the realization of the Self. He does not desire any of the three worlds or spheres of enjoyment, namely, the world of men, the world of the manes and the world of the gods. The means to the attainment of these three worlds are, respectively, the begetting of a son, the performance of the prescribed Vedic rituals and meditation (Br.Up.1.5.26). The seeker renounces all these means. He is intent only on attaining the world of the Self, which means liberation. To attain this he has to achieve total control over the mind, body and senses.

Vividisha Sannyasa (Renunciation of the seeker)

  The desire for Self-realization arises to a person as a result of the study of the Vedas and the performance of the rites enjoined by the Vedas in this life or in previous lives. The renunciation consequent on such desire is known as Vividisha Sannyasa or 'the renunciation of the seeker'. (Vividisha means 'the desire to know'). This Sannyasa is the means to the knowledge of Brahman. This is of two kinds: one, giving up the performance of only Kamyakarma, or actions motivated by desire for the fruit, and two, entering the Sannyasa Ashrama by muttering the Praisha formula and accepting the staff, etc. It is said here that ladies also are entitled to this Sannyasa before marriage and after the death of the husband, but it appears that they can become only 'tridandins', that is, only the Kutichaka and Bahoodaka varieties. Those who are not able to take the Sannyasa Ashrama for some reason can renounce mentally, while continuing to perform the duties of their own Ashrama.

  

   Vidvat Sannyasa (Renunciation of the Knower)

  The entry into the Sannyasa order by those who have already attained Self-realization through hearing, reflection and meditation is known as Vidvat Sannyasa. Sage Yajnavalkya is an example of this. Having already realized the highest truth he declared his intention to renounce the world to his wife Maitreyi. He then became a Sannyasin. (See Br.Up. 4.5.2 and 4.5.15). This kind of Sannyasa is also mentioned in the Kahola Brahmana in Br.Up. 3.5.1.

  While the Vividisha Sannyasin should devote himself to the study of the scriptures, reflection thereon and meditation for the realization of the Self, the Vidvat Sannyasin should strive for the destruction of the mind and the elimination of Vasanas in order to attain Jivanmukti. This matter will be dealt with in detail later on.

  In the Jabala upanishad, when Atri objects that giving up of the sacred thread by a Brahmana is not permissible, Yajnavalkya replies that Self-knowledge is the real sacred thread for the Paramahamsa Sannyasin (Jabala.Up.5). So the absence of the external sacred thread is the sign that the Sannyasin belongs to the Paramahamsa category. It is further said in this Upanishad that Vidvat Sannyasins are without the external signs of Ashrama, bound by no forms of conduct and behaving like mad men, though not mad.

  The procedure for a Tridandin to become a Vividisha Sannyasin who carries only one stick is the following. The three sticks, water-pot, begging bowl with the suspension-strainer, tuft and sacred thread should be offered to the Bhurloka, i.e. the earth, reciting the mantra: "Bhuh Svaha", meaning, "oblation to Bhuh" and thrown into water. He should then seek the Self.

  The Paramahamsa who is a Vidvat Sannyasin is described as one who is like a new-born baby, whose mind is free from the effects of the pairs of opposites, devoid of all possessions, who is firmly established in the path to Brahman, whose mind is free from desires, who, just to maintain life without being under obligation to any one, goes about begging at the prescribed time, using his belly as the begging bowl, and is unperturbed whether he gets it or not, without a fixed dwelling, lives in places such as a derelict house, a temple, a hay-stack, under a tree, in a pottery, in a house where sacrificial fire is kept, on the riverside, in a mountain cave, in the hollow of a tree, or a place for the performance of sacrifices built near a spring. He is free from all striving, devoid of the feeling of "I and mine", ever meditates on the pure Self, is established in the supreme Self, gives up all actions and ultimately gives up his body with total detachment.    

  Both Vividisha Sannyasa and Vidvat Sannyasa fall under the category of Paramahamsa, but their characteristics are different and, in some respects, even contradictory. In Arunika Upanishad it is said that Vividisha Sannyasa is marked by the giving up of the tuft, the sacred thread, the study of the (Karmakanda of the) Vedas, the repetition of the Gayatri, etc, and enjoins the acceptance of a staff, bathing three times a day, meditation on the Self and study of the Upanishads. Though the same are prescribed for Vidvat Sannyasa also, it is said in the Paramahamsa Upanishad that these are not the essentials. A Vidvat Sannyasin is free from all rules regarding external symbols, social norms and conventions. He ever remains established in the realization that he is Brahman.

  In the Smritis also, the distinction between these two types of Sannyasa is clear. With regard to Vividisha Sannyasa, Brihaspati Smriti says that those who find worldly life to be devoid of substance enter the order of Sannyasins even before marriage. The Mahabharata says that the wise, who aim at the attainment of Self-knowledge, renounce the world (14.43.39).

  Regarding Vidvat Sannyasa, it is said-"When the eternal, supreme Brahman, becomes known (in a general way), then taking only one staff, the person must give up the sacred thread and the tuft; he should renounce everything and take Sannyasa, after having directly realized the supreme Brahman".

  Desire for knowledge out of mere curiosity is no ground for renunciation. Vividisha implies desire for knowledge alone, excluding everything else. It can be compared to the desire for food of a person who is so hungry that he cannot tolerate even a moment's delay and will not accept anything else, however valuable. (In his Bhashya on Gita, 4.11 Sri Sankara says that it is impossible for a person to be a seeker of liberation and also a seeker of the fruits of action at the same time. This means that Vividisha, the desire to know the Self, can be said to be there only when there is total detachment towards everything else).

  The culmination of knowledge is when the identification with the Self totally replaces the identification with the body (See Upadesa Sahasri, 4.5). On the attainment of this culmination, the knot of the heart is cut off, all doubts are destroyed and all latent impressions are annihilated (Mund. Up. 2.2.8).

  The highest state attainable through karma is that of Hiranyagarbha. Even this pales into insignificance compared to the Supreme Brahman. The 'knot of the heart' means the wrong identity of the Self with the intellect, caused by beginningless ignorance; it is so called because it is as tight as a knot. The doubts referred to are-- Is the Self a mere witness or the doer of actions? If it is only a witness, is it Brahman or not? If it is Brahman, can it be known by the intellect or not? Does liberation consist merely in this knowledge? The 'latent impressions' are those that lead to future births. These three, being the results of Avidya, disappear on the realization of the Self. (See also Gita, 18.17).

  A doubt now arises. Since Vividisha Sannyasa itself leads to the attainment of knowledge of the Self, which itself prevents future birth, and the remaining portion of this life has to be lived because of Prarabdha karma, what is the need for Vidvat Sannyasa?  The answer is-- Vidvat Sannyasa is necessary for the attainment of Jivanmukti or liberation in life. Vividisha Sannyasa leads only to the attainment of Knowledge.

The nature of Jivanmukti

  Bondage is the experience of pleasure and pain resulting from man looking upon himself as the performer of actions and the enjoyer of the fruits thereof. Because of this bondage one is not able to experience the Bliss which is natural to him. The cessation of this bondage is Jivanmukti or liberation in life. Now the question arises-- is the bondage the natural characteristic of the Witness (Self) or of the mind?. Since bondage ceases on the dawn of knowledge, it cannot be a characteristic of the Self, because what is natural can never be removed, like the heat of fire or the fluidity of water. If it is the natural characteristic of the mind, then also it can never be got rid of. It may be argued that though the natural characteristic of the mind cannot be completely removed, its effect can be neutralized by the practice of yoga. To this the answer given by the objector is that Praarabdha karma will make the person experience pleasure and pain and will prevent knowledge from destroying the ignorance along with its effects in its entirety. The Siddhanti's reply to this is that the human efforts prescribed by the scriptures can counteract even the effects of Praarabdha karma. If this is not so, all the sacred texts on liberation will become useless. One should not give up further effort just because of failure once. Nobody gives up eating for fear of indigestion or cooking for fear of being pestered by beggars or covering oneself with a blanket in cold weather because of the fear that there may be lice in it.

  The efficacy of the efforts prescribed by scripture is known clearly from the dialogue between Vasishtha and Rama in Yogavasishtha. Rama says--"My Vasanas (the impressions of previous actions and thoughts) compel me to act in a particular way. I am powerless to go against them". Vasishtha replies-"Since you are subject to your Vasanas, your own initiative, combined with enthusiasm and effort by thought, word and deed is essential to liberate you from such dependence. Vasanas are of two kinds: good and bad. If the good Vasanas are powerful, they will themselves lead you to the attainment of liberation. If the evil Vasanas are powerful, you have to exert yourself to conquer them. The mind can be turned away, by the company of the good, from objects which are not conducive to spiritual progress. The mind is like a child. It can be disciplined by persuasion rather than by force. Control of breath (Pranaayaama) and withdrawal of the mind from external objects (Pratyaahaara) are the two methods of subduing the mind. By this method the mind becomes calm soon. When good desires arise soon after the practice of Rajayoga, it should be attributed to the practice of the yoga. One should continue with such practice in accordance with the instruction of the teacher, scripture and other valid evidence (Pramaana) until complete mastery over the mind is attained and the identity of Brahman and Atman is realized. After that, when the obstacles in the form of evil desires  have vanished, even the good desires should be given up. It is thus clear that all desires (including those arising due to Praarabdha karma) can be got rid of through Yoga and so the possibility of Jivanmukti cannot be disputed.

The characteristics of Jivanmukti

  The Srutis and Smritis establish the existence of the state of Jivanmukti. The Kathopanishad says (5.1),"the one already liberated is altogether liberated", which means that one who has become totally free from bondage while alive is freed from all possibility of future bondage after the fall of the body. Though during Pralaya and after death every one remains free from another birth for some time, he will certainly be born again, but one who has attained liberation in life will be free from birth for ever. The Br. Up. says, "When all the desires that are in his heart fall off entirely, the mortal becomes immortal and attains Brahman here (in this body) itself" (4.4.7). In another Sruti it is said, "Though with eyes, he is, as it were, without eyes; though with ears, he is, as it were, without ears; though with mind, he is, as it were, without mind; and though with life, he is, as it were, without life".    

  The Jivanmukta is described by different names such as, Sthitaprajna (man of steady wisdom), Bhagavad-bhakta (Devotee of God), Gunaatita (beyond the three Gunas), Brahmana (who has realized the Self), Ativarnaasramin (beyond the pale of the four Varnas and the four Asramas).

  Jivanmukti can be attained only by a person who has given up all other actions, both Vedic and secular, who is in pursuit of knowledge alone and who is ever immersed in contemplation on the Self. Jivanmukti and Videhamukti are distinguished only by the presence and absence of the body and the sense-organs. The awareness of duality is absent in both of them.

  The Jivanmukta is one for whom this phenomenal world, in which he moves and acts, has ceased to exist. In the case of an ordinary person, his mind reacts to the various forms in the world and gives him knowledge of their variety and their differences from one another. But the mind of the Jivanmukta does not get so transformed and so he does not see differences, but sees all forms only as Brahman. In deep sleep the mind does not undergo any transformation, but the seed for transformation remains. So sleep cannot be equated with the state of Jivanmukti. The Jivanmukta remains unaffected by both pleasure and pain. He is not elated by something good happening, nor is he depressed when a calamity occurs. He does not crave for anything, but subsists on whatever comes of its own accord. Though his senses function and can experience everything, his mind is absolutely calm and does not react to anything. Though his eyes see everything before him, his mind does not judge them as good or bad, favourable or unfavourable and so he is free from agitation and attachment or aversion. The senses themselves do not cause any harm. It is the mind which judges what is experienced by the senses and develops likes and dislikes in the case of an ordinary person. Since the mind of the Jivanmukta does not make any such judgment, he is free from all attachment and aversion. Because of the absence of transformation of the mind, the Jivanmukta is free from Vasanas. His mind always remains pure. He never looks upon himself as a doer of actions since he does not identify himself with the body-mind complex which alone performs all actions. Consequently he is neither elated nor depressed by the good or bad results of the actions. Others do not have any reason to fear him, because he never insults or harms others in any way. He is also not afraid of any one. He remains unaffected even if some wicked man insults or harasses him. He does not distinguish people as friend or foe. Though full of learning, he never exhibits it. His mind is absolutely free from worldly thoughts and is always fixed on contemplation of the Self. He remains cool even in matters concerning himself, just as a man attending a marriage or other ceremony in another's house remains unaffected by the gain or loss of that other person. This coolness is due not only to his freedom from worry, but also to his awareness of the fullness of his own Self. These are the characteristics of the Jivanmukta.

Videhamukti

  When the body of the Jivanmukta falls, he becomes a  Videhamukta, freed from his empirical existence  and attains his real nature, like air resuming its tranquillity when the wind stops blowing. His subtle body is dissolved here itself. He cannot be described as 'sat', that is to say, he cannot be called 'praajna' conditioned by avidya or 'Isvara' conditioned by maayaa. He cannot be called 'asat', or made up of mere matter. He does not experience the gross objects of sense. He is neither Virat, nor Hiranyagarbha nor Isvara. Nor is he Visva, Taijasa or Praajna. Thus he does not come under the category of microcosm (vyashti) or of macrocosm (samashti).

Sthitaprajna

  The man of steady wisdom (sthitaprajna) is described in the Gita as one who has acquired supreme detachment and gained complete mastery over his mind through the practice of yoga. His mind is always fixed in the Truth. When he is in Samadhi, he is absolutely free from all desires, as his mind is incapable of transformations in that state. The satisfaction he feels is reflected in the cheerfulness of his countenance. This satisfaction is the result of realization of the Self. In Samprajnata Samadhi there is the distinction of meditator, object of meditation and the act of meditation (known as Triputi). In the Samadhi which is spoken of here, which is called Asamprajnata Samadhi, these distinctions cease. The contentment in this state is not due to the transformation of the mind, but to the impression left by such transformation in the earlier state of Samprajnata Samadhi. When such a person is out of Samadhi, he is free from anxiety and pains, is indifferent to pleasures and is free from passion, fear and anger. Such a sage may, when he has come out of Samadhi, have mental transformations and experience of pleasure and pain brought about by Praarabdha karma. But he does not feel any anxiety or craving because of them, since he has attained total discrimination and detachment. Similarly passion, fear and anger, which are products of Tamoguna, have no place in his mind. He has no attachment to any person or thing nor has he any likes or dislikes, these being caused by Tamoguna, which is absent in him. As a tortoise draws in all its limbs, he withdraws his senses from their objects. The mind of the Sthitaprajna, when he is out of Samadhi, is entirely free from the grosser (Tamasic) kinds of transformation. When he is in Samadhi, his mind is subject to no transformation whatsoever.

  The actual enjoyment of sense objects can be given up by a person by avoiding them, but the desire for them would still remain. This desire will go only when the Self is realized. A realized person does not need any external objects for getting happiness, he being Bliss itself. The Br. Up. says," What shall we achieve through children, we who have attained this Self" (4.4.2).

  The constant practice of meditation on the Self is necessary to safeguard against inadvertently slipping down from the spiritual level reached, even for a person who has brought all his senses under control.

  How a person may slip down is described in Gita, 2.62 & 63. When a man keeps on thinking of sense-objects, he develops attachment to them. Attachment leads to intense longing for the objects. If the longing is not fulfilled, anger arises. Anger leads to loss of the power of discrimination between what is right and what is wrong. This results in his giving up the practice of pondering over the Truth. This makes him unfit for liberation because of the current of opposite ideas which act as obstacles. But a man who has controlled his mind and is free from attachment and aversion even when he is in the midst of sense-objects, attains peace.

  The means for the attainment of realization, such as control of the mind and senses and meditation on the Self have to be deliberately practised by the aspirant for liberation, but these become the intrinsic characteristics of the realized person. The condition of being firmly established in the knowledge of the Self, wherein all sense of separateness is obliterated by the uninterrupted flow of the light of the Self, is called Jivanmukti or liberation in life.  

Bhagavadbhaktah-The True Devotee of God

  He is described in Gita, ch.12, verses 13 & 14. In Samadhi the devotee's mind is fixed on God and so it is not distracted by any other thought. When out of Samadhi, though he experiences objects, he feels neither joy nor sorrow, he being indifferent to both. Verses 15 to 19 of the same chapter describe him as unaffected by all the pairs of opposites. In Naishkarmyasiddhi, 4.69 Suresvaracharya says that the good qualities such as absence of hatred manifest of their own accord and are not the result of any effort by him. They are natural to him and do not constitute the means to an end as in the case of those who are still in the stage of aspirants.

Gunaatita- one who has transcended the Gunas

  Such a person is described in chapter 14 of the Bhagavad-gita. The whole world is made up of the products of the three Gunas, Sattva, Rajas and Tamas. One who transcends these Gunas is a Jivanmukta. Illumination, activity and delusion are the result of Sattva, Rajas and Tamas respectively. They are active in the waking and dream states, but subside in sleep, Samadhi and absent-mindedness. Activity is of two kinds, agreeable and disagreeable. The unenlightened man hates the disagreeable and longs for the agreeable. The Gunaatita, being free from the notions of 'agreeable' and 'disagreeable', feels neither hatred nor desire. The discriminating Gunaatita remains entirely indifferent, like a disinterested onlooker witnessing two parties fighting with each other. This is because of his conviction that the Gunas in the form of the senses act and react upon the same Gunas in the form of objects and he, as the pure Atma, has nothing to do with them. The wrong notion that one is the doer of actions (and consequently the enjoyer of the results) is the cause of  mental agitation. This is totally absent in the Gunaatita and so he is ever free from agitation. He is balanced in pleasure and pain. Service to the Supreme Being by the practice of knowledge and meditation accompanied by unswerving devotion are the means to be adopted by a person who wants to become a Gunaatita. 

Braahmanah- the knower of Brahman

  The word Braahmana denotes the knower of the supreme Self.  He is entitled to become a Vidvat Sannyasin. He is devoid of all possessions. He is not concerned about the kind of garment he wears or the food he eats or the place where he rests. He accepts only the bare minimum of food, clothing and shelter necessary for bodily sustenance. He should wear only a loin cloth and carry a staff for the purpose of instilling faith in his listeners while engaged, purely out of his grace, in imparting the knowledge of Brahman to them. He should never, in spite of his sympathy for others, utter even a word about the worldly concerns of his pupils, but should always remain absorbed in meditation. He should avoid all talk other than about Brahman. Meditation is unimpeded when one is alone. The Smriti says that the religious mendicant should remain alone, because if there are two or more there is a possibility of talk among themselves on subjects such as politics or about the alms received by each. He should not give any blessing to any one because that will create distractions in his mind because of thoughts about what each person wants to have. Another Smriti says that knowledge can never be attained by one whose mind is concerned with the things of the world or with mere bookish learning or the preservation of one's body. The liberated man must give up all these. In lieu of words of blessing he should merely utter the word 'Narayana' which serves the purpose of all blessings. He should not engage himself in any effort to gain anything either for himself or for others. It is said In the Gita, 18.48 that all undertakings are clouded by defects as fire by smoke. Salutation is prescribed only for Vividisha Sannyasins thus-"A senior monk should be saluted if he belongs to the same order of monks, but never any one else". Enquiry about the relative seniority of monks and whether they belong to the same order leads to distraction of the mind and so salutation is not prescribed for Vidvat Sannyasins. Sri Sankara says in Upadesa Sahasri, 17.64- "Whom should a knower of the Self salute, when he is established in the infinite, non-dual Self which transcends all names and forms? He has nothing to do with action of any kind". Although salutation of the kind likely to cause disturbance of the mind is prohibited, that salutation which brings about tranquillity of mind is permitted. Srimad Bhagavata, 3.29.34 & 11.29.16 say--"One should salute, prostrating oneself even before a dog, a Chandala, a cow and an ass, realizing that God is present in them all in the form of the Jiva”. Praise of men is forbidden, but praise of God is enjoined, because it will lead to freedom from bondage. He who is steadfast in the knowledge of the Self should not become dejected when he does not get any food, nor should he be overjoyed when he gets it, because both are governed by destiny. He is not bound by the injunctions or prohibitions of the Vedas. Sage Narada has said in Narada-pancha-ratra, 4.2.23 that the all-pervading Lord Vishnu should be treasured up in memory and not forgotten even for a moment; all injunctions and prohibitions are subservient to this. Mahabharata, Santiparva, 237.13 says that the gods consider him to be a Braahmana who is afraid of a crowd as of a snake, of conventional honour as of death and of woman as of a corpse. This is because the company of others may lead to futile talk and honour leads to attachment which sets up tendencies adverse to the true aim of life. The Yogi, keeping in mind the path of the wise, must conduct himself in such a way that people treat him with contempt and never seek his company. Manusmriti says that one should avoid sitting close to even one's own mother, sister or daughter because the powerful sense organs can drag down even a man of wisdom (2.215).       

  Men of the world should avoid being alone as that may cause fear, but the opposite is applicable to Yogis. To the Yogi the vast expanse of space appears to be full of the supreme bliss of the Self since he is always absorbed in meditation and so there is no cause for fear. A crowded place is unsuitable for meditation and so the Yogi should avoid it and seek solitude.

Ativarnaasramin-

(one who is beyond the pale of the four Varnas and Ashramas)

  The Ativarnaasramin is described in the fifth chapter of the section on liberation in the Suta Samhita. He is the teacher of disciples belonging to all the four Ashramas. He never becomes the disciple of any one else. He is the Teacher of teachers. There is none in the world equal or superior to him. He is one who has realized the supreme Truth. He is all Bliss and is the witness of the three states of waking, dream and deep sleep. He has attained the firm conviction that Varna and Ashrama are imaginary super-impositions on the body, brought about by Maayaa and that he, being the pure Atma, has no connection with them. He knows from the Upanishads that the whole universe functions in the mere presence of the Atma which is identical with himself, just as human beings perform all their activities with the help of the light of the sun, while the sun itself is not at all involved in their activities. Just as various ornaments made of gold are nothing but gold, the universe of multifarious names and forms projected by Maayaa is nothing but Brahman. The appearance of Brahman as the universe is similar to the appearance of nacre as silver. The great Lord who is one, devoid of any relation, is like the all-pervading space, pervading all beings, big or small, high or low. He has realized that the world of the waking state is a fabrication of Maayaa, just as all objects seen in dream are the creation of delusion. Having realized that he is the Self, he is beyond all the duties enjoined for the four Ashramas. 

  Thus it is conclusively established in the Srutis that Jivanmukti is a reality.

End of chapter 1

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