[Advaita-l] MOKSHA or MUKTI

[H S Chandramouli]

Namaste Raghav Ji,



Reg  << What would be the key difference, in this nomenclature, between the
'GYAnI' and the jIvanmukta? >>,



Perhaps a brief background may be useful. Right from birth, BMI is always
accompanied by the “ I Sense “ (jIva) which identifies itself with the BMI.
This identification is anAdi. When jnAna is attained, this “ I Sense “
(jIva) identifies itself with Atman/Brahman instead. The term
”identification” here is to be suitably understood as “nondifference
between itself and Atman/Brahman”. This is termed “attainment of jnAnam”
and in common parlance (in the view of others) the jIva endowed with this
jnAna and as associated with the BMI  is termed a jnAni. Attainment of and
remaining in this state undisturbed is the final Goal as per advaita
sidhAnta. Normally such change in identification should have been a
permanent feature once achieved. However the impressions (samskArAs)  and
tendencies (vAsanAs) ingrained in the MI, accumulated as they are over
countless births, are so strong, and coupled with the natural character of
unsteadiness of the MI have the strength to overpower this change in the
identification of the “ I Sense “ (jIva) and force it to identify itself,
on and off,  back once again with the BMI. However this identification is
much weaker than earlier because of the attainment of jnAna. But all the
same it results in the jnAni being disturbed from the Goal. By appropriate
sAdhanAs, this disturbance can be overcome  and the jnAni gradually can
over a period of time achieve the desired Goal. When this achieved, he is
termed a jIvanmukta.

A jnAni (jIva), it should be noted, does not take on a BMI again after he
sheds the current BMI, irrespective of whether he becomes a jIvanmukta or
not. On shedding the current BMI, he (jIva) is said to be Brahman itself. A
jIvanmukta on the other hand achieves this status even while in the current
BMI, and there is practically no difference in status for him whether he is
having the current BMI or sheds it. That is the difference and is the
ultimate Goal to be achieved as per advaita sidhAnta.

Reg  << Also, can we say that shravanAdi sAdhana-s are the ones that lead
to GYAnam and also onwards to jIvanmukti as well? So there is no difference
in the sAxAt sAdhanas which lead to GYAnam and the sAdhanas that are
relevant to 'ripen' GYAnam to jIvanmukti? >>,



No. Once jnAna is attained, there is no further need for shravanAdi
sAdhana-s that lead one to GYAnam. The sAdhanAs prescribed for a jnAni to
become a jIvanmukta are different and set out in the Bhashya as well as in
texts like JMV.



Regards



On Wed, Feb 13, 2019 at 8:37 PM Raghav Kumar Dwivedula via Advaita-l <
advaita-l at lists.advaita-vedanta.org> wrote:

> > Namaste
> > A follow up question -
> > What would be the key difference, in this nomenclature, between the
> > 'GYAnI' and the jIvanmukta?
> >
> > Also, can we say that shravanAdi sAdhana-s are the ones that lead to
> > GYAnam and also onwards to jIvanmukti as well? So there is no difference
> in
> > the sAxAt sAdhanas which lead to GYAnam and the sAdhanas that are
> relevant
> > to 'ripen' GYAnam to jIvanmukti?
> >
> > Thank you again for sharing your understanding.
> > Om
>
>
>