Mokṣa or Liberation

Śaṅkara believes that all distinctions between objects, the subject and object, the self and the God are the illusary creation of māya. His conception of identity is complete in every respect. He accepts the identity of the soul and the God, that is repeatedly taught in the Upaniṣads.

Man is apparently composed of body and the soul. But the body which we perceive is, like every other material object, merely on illusory appearance. When this is realised, this reality that remains is the soul which is nothing other than God. The saying ‘That thou art’ (‘Tat Tvam Asi’) fully justifies this principle. The word ‘Thou’ here implies pure consciousness underlaying man and the word ‘That’ also implies the pure consciousness which forms the essence of God. Between these the two complete identity exist and is taught by Vedanta. Here identity is between man and God is a real identity between terms which appear as different. Being identical with God, the soul is in reality what God also really is. It is the supreme Brahman the self luminous, infinite, consciousness. The soul appears as the limited, finite self because of in association with the body which is a product of ignorance.

The body is composed the sensory and motor organs, mechanism of knowledge (antakaraṇa). When the gross body perishes in death, the subtle body migrates with the soul to the next gross body. Both of these bodies are the product of māya. Due to ignorance, the soul erroneously associates itself with the body, the gross and subtle. This is called bondage. In this state, it forgets that it is really Brahman. It behaves like finite, limited, miserable being which runs after transitory wordly objects and is pleased to get them. It identifies itself with a finite body and mind (antakaraṇas) and that I am so and so. This gives raise the conception of the self as the ‘ego’ or ‘I’. This limited ego differentiates itself from the rest of existence. The ego (aham) is not the real self (Ātman) but is only an apparent limitation of it. Consciousness of the self also becomes limited by the condition of the body. The senses and antakaraṇas become the instruments through which limited consciousness of objects take place. Such empirical, finite knowledge is of two kinds–immediate and mediate. The Advaitins admit five different kinds of mediate knowledge namely Anumāna (inference) Śabda (testimony) Upamāna (comparison) Arthāpatti (postulation) and Anupalabdhi (non-cognition). Advaitins agree with the Mīmāṃsā school regarding these source of knowledge.

There are three levels of ordinary consciousness, waking experience, dream and dreamless sleep. When a man is awake, he thinks himself identified with the gross body, as well as with the internal and external organs. When he falls asleep and dreams, he is still conscious of object that arise from memory, impressions, and therefore, the feeling of his limitation as subject or knower opposed to the objects still persists there. When he was deep, dreamless sleep, he ceases to be knower as well. The polarity between subject and object, the opposition between the knower and known, vanishes altogether. He no longer feels that he is confined to and limited by the body. But yet consciousness does not cease in dreamless sleep. Otherwise how could one remember at all on waking from sleep that ‘I had a sound and dreamless sleep. The soul in its intrinsic state is not a finite, miserable being. The self really, then is unlimited consciousness and bliss.

The study of the Vedanta helps man to destroy long standing ignorance completely. But the study of the truth taught by the Vedanta would have no effect unless the mind is previously prepared. The initial preparation, according to Śaṅkara, is not the study of Mīmāṃsā Śāstras, as Rāmānuja thinks. The performance of sacrifices to various God, as advocated in Mīmāṃsā, rests on the wrong conception of distinction between the worshipper and the worshipped. It is against the spirit of the absolute monism taught by Vedanta. In Śaṅkara view, the preparation necessary for understanding the study of Vedanta is four fold.^[1]

They are -

1. Nityanityavastu-viveka: discrimination between what is eternal and what is not eternal.

2. Ihāmutrārta-bhoga-virāga: giving up of all desires for enjoyment of objects here and there after.

3. Śamādi-sadhanā-sampat: control over his mind and senses and the development of qualities like detachment, patience and power of concentration.

4. Mumukṣutva: an urgent desire for liberation.

With such preparatiom of the intellect, emotion and will one should begin to study the Vedanta with a teacher who has himself realised Brahman.

The study consist of three fold process:

a) Śravaṇa: listening of the teachers, instructions

b) Manana: understanding the instructions through reasoning until all doubts are removed and conviction is generated

c) Nididhyāsana: repeated mediation of the truths thus accepted.

The deep rooted believes can not disappear as soon as the truths of the Vedanta are learned. Repeated meditation on truths and a calm life style can root them out gradually. After removing the wrong thoughts from the mind, truths of the Vedanta can be imparted and gradually made permanent. In that stead, he contemplates the truths of Vedanta and the distinction between self and Brahman disappears. Thus he gets ‘mukti’ from wordly bondage. Though liberated the body continues as it is the product of ‘karmas’ (Prārabdha karma^[2]). Once the Soul is liberated it will not be affected by the worldly pleasures. It is in the world but out of it. Śaṅkara Vedanta has distinguished three kinds of Karmas. The firsr one is, Karma gathered in the past lives is prārabdha karma. The Karma which are being gathered here in the life, is called ‘saṃyāmāna’^[3]. The third Karma is ‘Āgāmi’^[4] which is the result of the Karmas we do during our life time in this world.

According to Śaṅkara liberation is not something new. It is the realisation of the self as Brahman. This state is very rarely identified by human beings, though it is there always, liberation is not the negation of myseries; it is the state of positive bliss (Ānanda). ‘Brahman’ is bliss and ‘liberation’ means one’s identity with ‘Brahman’. Liberated soul has nothing

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more to achieve. It has no fear of further bondage. Śaṅkara holds the the concept that work makes a man fit, only when he performs it with attachment. One who can achieve perfect knowledge and perfect satisfaction can only be fit.

The process of making a man fit, is changed by Karma and when Karma stops the process also comes to an end. It can be compared to the wheel of potter which once imparted momentum the turning goes on. A Jīvan mukta can work without any hope of gain or less, so he is not affected by success or failure. Śaṅkara attaches great importance to disinterested work which work is valuable for self-purification (ātma-śuddhi). Those who has not obtained liberation have to do selfless activity to be free from bondage. Liberated man is an ideal man for the society to imitate.

In Bhagavatpādābhyudaya Lakṣmaṇa Sūrin quotes from ‘Sopā napañcakam’. In this work Śaṅkara describes life of the saint according to Advaita. The five ślokas are the following:

Sopānapañcaka (Sopana Panchakam)^[5]

“vedo nityamadhīyatāṃ taduditaṃ karma svanuṣṭhīyatāṃ teneśasya vidhīyatāmapacitiḥ kāmye matistyajyatām |
pāpaughaḥ paridhūyatāṃ bhavasukhe doṣo'nusaṃdhīyatāmātmecchā vyavasīyatāṃ nijagṛhāttūrṇe viniṣkramyatām || 1 ||
saṅgaḥ satsu vidhīyatāṃ bhagavato bhaktirddaḍhādhīyatāṃ śāntyādiḥ paricīyatāṃ dṛḍhataraṃ karmāśu saṃtyajyatām |
sadvidvānupasarpyatāṃ pratidinaṃ tatpāduke sevyatāṃ brahmaikākṣaramarthyatāṃ śrutiśiro vākyaṃ samākarṇyatām || 2 ||
vākyārthaśca vicāryatāṃ śrutiśiraḥpakṣaḥ samāśrīyatāṃ dustarkāttu viramyatāṃ śrutimatastarko'nusaṃdhīyatām |
brahmauvāsmi vibhāvyatāmaharahargarvaḥ parityajyatāṃ dehe'haṃmatirujhyatāṃ budhajanairvādaḥ parityajyatām || 3 ||
kṣudvyādhiśca cikitsyatāṃ pratidinaṃ bhikṣauṣadhaṃ bhujyatām svādannaṃ na tu yācyatāṃ vidhivaśātprāptena santuṣyatām |
śītoṣṇādi viṣahyatāṃ na tu vṛthā vākyaṃ samuccāryatāmaudāsīnyamabhīpsya janakṛpānaiṣṭhuryamutsṛjyatām || 4 ||
ekānte sukhamāsyatāṃ parante cetaḥ samādhīyatāṃ pūrṇātmā susamīkṣyatāṃ jagadidaṃ tadbādhitaṃ dṛśyatām |
prākkarma pravilāpyatāṃ citibalānnāpyuttaraiḥ śliṣyatāṃ prārabdhaṃ tviha bhujyatāmatha parabrahmātmanā sthīyatām || 5 ||

In this short treatise Śaṅkara gives a systematic instruction of the essential procedures that a seeker of mokṣa should follow. He should gradually abandon all karmas and turn towards the path of saṃnyāsa.

1. Daily study the Veda and do what is prescribed as one’s own karma in the Vedas. May worship be offered to the God through the practical of that karma. Give up actions meant for material satisfaction. Stop from the works of sin, and think about the defects of worldly pleasures. Encourage the wish to attain the soul and leave the house quickly.

2. Make friendship with good people. Be strong faith in God. Please do ‘Śāntyādi Karmās’. They are śama, dama, uparama etc. You should firmly abandon all karmas. Approach a wise person, do his service and seek the knowledge of Brahman from him. Hear the mahavakyas from the guru and please study them

3. Withdraw from bad disputes and bad controversies. Please indulge in debates as per the Vedic principals. Always imagine yourself ‘I am Brahman’. Moreover avoid one’s own ego. Do not think that I am body or do not argue with the real wise people.

4. Please eat daily begged food like medicine and treat the hunger and disease. Never beg tasty food. Be satisfied what you get. Ignore the warmth and cold. Please avoid unnecessary talking. Be indifferent. Avoid being kind or cruel towards the people.

5. In solitude sit alone and meditate upon Brahma. Then one must realise that soul is the supreme. Only through ‘sādhana’ one should realise Brahman is the ultimate and all pervading self. The universe is the stage to attain the goal. It is a projection of the self. Prārabdha must be dissolved while strengthening the mind and thus escape from the birth series. Finally existing as Brahman.

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

Sadānanda, Vedantasara, Ed., Gajanana Sastri, Varanasi: Krishnadas Academy, 1998, p.7

[2]:

Govinda Chandra Pande, Life and Thought of Śaṅkarācārya,, Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass, 1994, p.207.

[3]:

Ibid.,

[4]:

Ibid.,

[5]:

Vide Lakṣmaṇa Sūrin, Bhagavatpādābhyudaya, VIII. p.107.