[Advaita-l] kamya karma

[Jaldhar H. Vyas]

On Tue, 21 Oct 2008, Dr. Yadu Moharir wrote:

> Jaldhar-Ji thank you for sharing your thoughts.   But can anything be 
> done without "kaama" ?, which happens to be the primary requirement for 
> each and everything, including so called moxa !!

Yes initially one is a mumukshu -- one who "desires" moksha.  But as the 
sadhana progresses and ego-driven actions cease, desire also ceases.

I certainly don't think that kama is 100% wrong.  It along with artha is a 
purushartha when tempered with dharma.  But the wise man understands that 
it is finite.  Its joys are fleeting and mixed with sorrow.  It is to 
escape that one seeks moksha which is the true immortality, the 
everlasting bliss.

>   Even brahma had to have the seed of kaamanaa for creation !   
> kaamastadagre samavartataadhi manaso retaH prathamaM yadaasiit || 
> R^iveda 10.129.4 ||

The upanishad (brhadaranyaka 1.4) aexplains this further.  Viraj (Brahma 
or Prajapati in human form) became aware and looking around Himself and 
seeing nothing else said so'ham (I am He) immediately on differentiating 
Himself with the word I am He became afraid and lonely therefore He 
created the world of multiplicity.  So from the very beginning the 
creation was marred by sorrow and desire and ahamakara was the cause.


    Could our 
> disillusioned perceptions of so called moxa may have been responsible 
> for the diffusion of confusion that advaita got stuck with the label of 
> maayaavaada ?

Well mayavada is just a polemical term used by those who choose to 
wilfully misunderstand Advaita Vedanta.  The only thing it signifies to me 
is that the person employing it need not be treated as a serious thinker.

-- 
Jaldhar H. Vyas <jaldhar at braincells.com>