[Advaita-l] The liberated soul...

[Jaldhar H. Vyas]

On Fri, 19 Mar 2004, Kiran B R wrote:

> > how can he see the duality to come back from where
> > to where...how can he see the absence of himself
> > anywhere??
>
> If he cannot, who can?
>

There is one case where the mukta comes back as it were and it is
explained in brahmasutra 3.3.32 yAvadadhikAramavasthitirAdhikArikANAM
"When there is an office, there is embodiment for the officers for its
duration"

Dirghatamasa or Apantaratamasa Gautama was the Rshi Of the Ishopanishad.
But in the Mahabharata it says he was reborn as Krishna Dvaipayana aka
Veda Vyasa.  But if he was a jnani why would he return?  This sutra
explains that certain souls who have a divine task that lasts longer
than a lifetime may take birth again in order to fulfill it.  In this case
it was to divide and arrange the Vedas and to teach the vedanta shastra.
It is the same as with prarabdha karma.  Acheiving jnana does not cancel
out existing karma but from then on, no more accrues and when the last of
it burned, the jnani becomes eternally free.


-- 
Jaldhar H. Vyas <jaldhar at braincells.com>
It's a girl! See the pictures - http://www.braincells.com/shailaja/