Jivanmukti as per Advaita-Vedanta FAQ (fwd)

[Ravi]

---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Fri, 3 Mar 2000 12:27:56 -0500
From: "Ranganathan, Ramana (SAP Contractor)" <Ramana.Ranganathan at alcoa.com>
To: "'listmaster at advaita-vedanta.org'" <listmaster at advaita-vedanta.org>
Subject: Jivanmukti as per Advaita-Vedanta FAQ

Sir,
I was a member of this list for sometime but now I have signed off. I would
appreciate if you forward this topic to the list.

As per Vidyasankar's Advaita-Vedanta FAQ, Jivanmukti has been stated as :
Advaita holds that realization of brahman is possible on this earth itself.
The highly evolved seeker, who approaches vedAntic study with a pure mind,
and a strong tendency of mumukshutva, is fit to really experience brahman.
One who has actually realized brahman, is a jIvanmukta - he is liberated
while still living.

Is this the view held by Sringeri shankaracharya as well. Because as per
Jivanmukti Viveka of Sri Vidyaranya, Knower of Brahman need not be
Jivanmukta. To become a Jivanmukta, he has to work towards Manonaasha,
Vasanaakshaya. For this he may take Vidvat Sannyasa. He also quotes
Yajnavalkya as an example, where he says Yajnavalkya had knew(realized)
Brahman during the debate. But he took Sannyasa to work towards Jivanmukti.

And also, as per Bhagavadgita(I don't remember the verse), if one leaves the
body by concentrating between the eyebrows etc; then he gets liberated. And
I suppose only a Knower of Brahman, like say Swami Vivekananda, can do such
an act during death. But if one is already Jivanmukta, all these acts during
death seem superfluous.

And also if we look at many saints, there definitely seems to two groups,
saints like Sri Ramakrishna, Ramana Maharishi, Swami Chandrasekhara Bharati
etc are a class apart ..... being Jivanmuktas. But others realised souls
have definitely known something ...can call it Brahman ??  And also if we go
thru' some lectures of Sri Chandrasekhara Bharati's disciple, Sri Abhinava
Vidyathirtha, he says "he had Nirvikalpa Samadhi when he was 15  or 20
years"(I don;'t remember). But definitely he did not become a Jivanmukta,
then.

Can some learned member of the group clarify this doubt. Or am I
misinterpreting
realization of Brahman with Knowing of Brahman ??

--
bhava shankara deshikame sharaNam

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