My Pranam-s to all acharya-s in the group. I have a newbie, likely very simpleton question about mukti. Any help to clarify some concepts is much appreciated.
Is videha mukti for everyone who has a janma?
1. In Videha Mukti - what is the mukti from? only Prarabdha Karma of that janma? all Sanchita, Prarabdha and Agami completely from all janmas?
If Videha mukti absolves all karma-s, why try for Jeevan mukti?
The great sage Patanjali examines this in his Sutra "bhava pratyayo videha-prakritilayAnAm" (1.19)
For videhas and prakriti-layas, the vrutti nirodha (samadhi) that happens is bhava pratyaya.
Bhava can mean either samsara (the cycle of transmigration), or avidya (ignorance), the cause of samsara.
Based on this, bhava pratyayah can have two vyutpattis - 1) bhavasya pratyayah - i.e., samsara karana 2) bhava eva pratyayah yasya - that for which bhava (avidya) alone is the cause.
Who are videhas? They are those who meditate on pancha bhutas or indriyas as Brahman and attain to those as a result of such a meditation. prakriti-layas are those who meditate on prakriti, mahat-tattva, ahamkara, or tan matras as Brahman. Because they become bodiless after this, they are called videhas, or because they merge into prakruti they are called prakriti layas. They remain as devatas for some time and again take birth in mortal existence. They experience a certain kind of bliss because of that meditation in that state which is similar to the bliss of kaivalya but not exactly the same bliss (in fact, they come no where close to this). Those who meditation on pancha bhutas remain in that state for 100 manvantaras and those who meditate on indriyas remain in that videha state for 10 manvantaras. So says the Vayu Purana:
dasha manvantarANIha tishtanti indriya chintakAh
bhautikAs tu shatam pUrNam sahasram tvAbhimAnikAh
bauddhA dasha-sahasrANi tishtanti vigata-jvarAh
pUrNam shata-sahasram tu tishtanti avyakta-chintakAh
purusham nirguNam prApya kAla sankhyAna vidyate
These passages note further that those who meditate on ahankara as atman remain in that state for 1000 manvantaras, on buddhi as atman remain in that state for 10,000 manvantaras, and avyakta (mula prakriti) as atman remain in that state for 100,000 manvantaras. During these long periods of time, they experience a certain bliss because they experience a certain freedom from contact with sense objects through sarira and indriyas and these are the limits of their bliss where they experience certain dissociation from the body. After this, they fall back to samsara. This kind of samadhi is a result of a certain kind of avidya in that, they meditate on prakruti and its components as Brahman. This is BrahmAtmaka vastvopasana as opposed to vastu-antaryAmi brahmopasana. So, it will only bestow the vastu. As a result, this eventually leads them to samsara after that timeframe is over.
On the other hand, those who practice asamprajnAta samadhi will not fall back to samsara.
Videha mukti is not for all. This is for certain kinds of practitioners as the sage notes. The other path of sadhana is told in the subsequent sutra which is the recommended path for most practitioners. While the practice of meditation (with all its auxiliaries such as brahmacharya, sama, dama, tyaga, satya, saucha, ahimsa, etc.) subdues impressions for a long period of time, it is not in itself capable of burning all samskaras completely although it can liberate one from karmic reactions (sanchit/agami). Krishna clarifies this in the Gita:
yatato hy api kaunteya puruṣasya vipaścitaḥ
indriyāṇi pramāthīni haranti prasabhaṁ manaḥ (2.60)
The senses can forcibly drag away the mind of even a well-learned person. Therefore, even Patanjali Maharshi recommends meditation on Brahman (ishwara pranidhana - 1.23) and as sadhana tad artha tad bhAvAnAm (1.28).
Further evidence for this can be found in the Ajamilopakhyana in the Bhagavata purana:
na tathā hy aghavān rājan pūyeta tapa-ādibhiḥ
yathā kṛṣṇārpita-prāṇas tat-puruṣa-niṣevayā (6.1.16)
tais tāny aghāni pūyante tapo-dāna-vratādibhiḥ
nādharmajaṁ tad-dhṛdayaṁ tad apīśāṅghri-sevayā (6.2.17)
Without devotion to the Supreme Being's lotus feet born of a deep knowledge of Him developed over the course of many births (bahūnāṁ janmanām ante jñānavān māṁ prapadyate
vāsudevaḥ sarvam iti sa mahātmā su-durlabhaḥ Gita 7.19 ), one cannot wipe out even those samskaras. (At least, this is the well-known path to liberation).
Returning to your original question, while reactions may be burned, impressions are not. So, practice of sadhana for videha mukti alone is insufficient (if someone is treading along that path) because that is invariably going to result in another birth. This is far too insignificant compared to the state of jivan mukti.
2. In Gita Krishna says - if you take the name of Narayana at the time of death, you will get mukti. What is this mukti from? Prarabdha of that janma? or all Sanchita, Prarabdha and Agami from all Janmas?
Broadly speaking, there are two kinds of devotees. Those that are devoted to Him but continue to perform acts with the desire for fruits because their mind is not sufficiently purified of all the karma vasanas (sakAma bhaktas). And, those that are devoted to Him with their minds completely purified of all karma vasanas, just waiting for their prarabdha karma to finish and their body to fall (nishkAma bhaktas) who invariably perform all acts of dharma enjoined to them by the varnasrama vyavastha without any desire for fruit, purely for the pleasure of the Supreme as a service to Him seeing themselves only as an instrument in His hands and Him as the primary performer of the acts.
varNAsrama achAravata purushENa parah pumAn vishNor ArAdhyate panthA nAnyat tat tosha kArakah (Vishnu purana 3.8.9)
All the dharmas enjoined to one for their respective varnas and asramas are only for His pleasure!
In the former case, they will still reach Him in Vaikuntha (Acharyas of some sampradayas describe this as kArya vaikuntha, or the abode of the Lord in this universe) but will return to mortal existence after their pious karma is exhausted. In the latter case, the power of their upasana/prapatti has the capability to burn all of their karma vasanas from all of their janmas and they will proceed to (what is known as kArana vaikuntha, the place that is declared as beyond tamas) vaikuntha, declared as the place of non-return (na cha punar Avartate)/ (tyaktvA deham punar janma naiti mAm eti so'rjuna) in the Sruti and the smriti shastra.
The evidence for these can be found in the conversation between Savitri and Yama dharmaraja in the Prakriti khanda of the Brahma vaivarta purana (chapters 26 and 27).
nishkAmas cha sakAmas cha vaishNavo dvi-vidhA sati (26.25)
There are two kinds of devotees of Vishnu - those who are without material desires and those who have material desires.
sa kAmas cha pradhAnas cha nishkAmo bhakta eva cha
karma bhOgi sa kAmas cha nishkAmO nirupadravah (26.26)
Here, sa kAma bhaktas are identified as karma bhogis - enjoyers of the fruits of their karmas, and nikshAma bhaktas - nirupadravah - do not have to face the effects of their karmas.
Sa yAti deham tyaktvA ca padam vishNor nirAmayam |
Punar Agamanam nAsti teshAm nishkAmiNAm sati || (26.27)
The selfless devotee of Vishnu, after giving up his body, goes to the abode of Vishnu, free from misery. For him, there is no return, being a nishkAma bhakta.
sa kAmino vaishNavAscha gatvA vaikuntham eva cha |
bhAratam punarAyAnti ..
kAlena te cha nishkAmA bhavishyanti ... (26.30)
Although the devotees of Vishnu who still entertain material desires also proceed to Vaikuntha, there is return for them. That there is a return for those who perform the same dhArmic acts
with the desire for fruits and the details about the length of their
stay in Vaikuntha and subsequent return is documented extensively in the
subsequent chapter (Savitri-Yama samvada Savitri UpAkhyAna
Shubha-karma vipAka kathanam)
Yo dadAti cha viprAya divyAm dhenum payasvinIm
tal-loma-mAna-varshaM cha vaikunThe cha mahIyate (27.5)
He who donates a cow that can give milk to a Brahmana resides in Vaikuntha for a time period (in years) equal to the number of hairs on the body of that cow.
Yo dadAti brAhmaNAya shAligrAmam savastrakam
mahIyate sa vaikunThe yAvat chandra divAkarau (27.9)
He who donates a shAligrAma together with clothes to a Brahmana resides in Vaikuntha for as long as the sun and the moon last
dhAnyAchatnam yA dadAti brAhmaNAya cha bhArate
Sa cha dhAnyapramANAbdam viShNuloke mahIyate (27.19-20)
Tatah svayonim samprApya chirajeevi bhavet sukhi
dAtA grahItA tau dvau cha dhruvam vaikunTha gAminau
He who gives dhAnya - resides for the number of years equivalent to the count of dhAnya given.
Thereafter, he is reborn, but enjoys a long and happy life.
tiladAnam brAhmaNAya yah karoti cha bhArate
tilapramANavarSham cha modate viShNumandire (27.25)
Tata svayonim samprApya chirajeevi bhavet sukhi
Same with tila-dAna
Yo janah sasya-samyuktAm bhUmim cha ruchirAM sati
dadAti bhaktyA viprAya puNyakshetre cha vA sati ||
mahIyate sa vaikunThe manvantarashataM dhruvam
Punah svayonim samprApya mahAmscha bhUmivAn bhavet || (27.36-38)
Tam na tyajati bhUmis cha janmanAm shatakaM param
srImAnscha dhanavAmschaiva putravAnscha prajeshvarah ||
He who donates bhumi, resides for a hundred manvantaras in Vaikuntha and comes back and becomes a great landlord. For hundreds of births, the land never disowns him and he always remains wealthy, has sons, and becomes the lord of people.
Sri rAma navamIm yo hi karoti bhArate narah
saptamanvantaraM yAvan modate vishnu mandire
Punah svayonim samprApya rAma bhakti labhet dhruvam
jitendriyANAm pravarO mahAmscha dhArmiko bhavet (27.81-82)
He who celebrates Ramanavami every year on earth remains in Vaikuntha for 7 manvantaras is reborn on earth and attains firm devotion to Lord Rama and becomes fully sense-controlled and a greatly dhArmic person.
There are many more stated throughout this chapter that are not being quoted here.
However, the conclusion is
sapta-dvIpa-mahIdAtuH sarvatIrthAnusevinah |
sarveShAm tapasAm kartuh sarvopavAsakAriNah ||
sarvadAnapradAtuscha sarva-siddheshwarasya cha
Antyeva punarAvRuttir na bhaktasya harer aho! (27.51-52)
The one who gives away in charity all the dvipas, or who serves all the holy places, or who always engages himself in tapas, or who performs vratas, or who gives everything in charity achieve all success in life but in the end have to be re-born. However, this is not the case with one who is a nishkama bhakta of Lord Hari.
The point is - firm devotion to Brahman is the only sure way for burning all karmas and achieving a non-return to samsara. Every other path is fraught with uncertainty.
It is assured that by the grace of Vishnu, in due course of time, they will also become purified of all material desires and return to Him permanently as the Lord Himself makes this promise in the Gita in multiple places:
api chet asi pApebhya sarvebhya pApa krt tamah
sarvam jnAna plavenaiva vrjinam santarishyasi (Gita 4.36)
The fire of knowledge of (Supreme devotion to) Brahman burns all sins of even the worst of sinners.
pArtha naiveha nAmutra vinAshas tasya vidyate
na hi kalyANa-krt kaschit durgatim tAta gacchati (Gita 6.40)
A person who takes to the auspicious path of yoga of Supreme devotion to Lord Vishnu never faces durgati.
kaunteya pratijānīhi name bhaktaḥ praṇaśyati (Gita 9.31)
O son of Kunti, declare that my devotee shall never perish
ahaṁ tvāṁ sarva-pāpebhyo mokṣhayiṣhyāmi mā śhuchaḥ (Gita 18.66)
I shall purify you of all your sins. Do not fear.
3. For JeevanMukti - what is the mukti from? only Prarabdha Karma of that janma? all Sanchita, Prarabdha and Agami completely from all janmas?
jivan mukti is just a state that precedes final liberation. The person has attained to that liberated state of consciousness being freed of all karma vasanas. Even while in this world, the person remains without identifying with the body, always meditating on the self, he is freed from arishad vargas. It can be said that sanchita and agami are destroyed but the prarabdha continues and keeps the body alive (jivan) until it eventually gets exhausted by experience. Characteristics of such a person are listed throughout the Gita in many places but here are some direct references from the fifth chapter:
śaknotīhaiva yaḥ soḍhuṁ prāk śarīra-vimokṣaṇāt
kāma-krodhodbhavaṁ vegaṁ sa yuktaḥ sa sukhī naraḥ
yo 'ntaḥ-sukho 'ntar-ārāmas tathāntar-jyotir eva yaḥ
sa yogī brahma-nirvāṇaṁ brahma-bhūto 'dhigacchati
labhante brahma-nirvāṇam ṛṣayaḥ kṣīṇa-kalmaṣāḥ
chinna-dvaidhā yatātmānaḥ sarva-bhūta-hite ratāḥ
kāma-krodha-vimuktānāṁ yatīnāṁ yata-cetasām
abhito brahma-nirvāṇaṁ vartate viditātmanām
sparśān kṛtvā bahir bāhyāṁś cakṣuś caivāntare bhruvoḥ
prāṇāpānau samau kṛtvā nāsābhyantara-cāriṇau
yatendriya-mano-buddhir munir mokṣa-parāyaṇaḥ
vigatecchā-bhaya-krodho yaḥ sadā mukta eva saḥ (5.23-28)
Disclaimer: I am still a novice on the path of Vedanta. So, definitely looking for an expert review of this.
Kind regards,
Raghav
--
regards, Ramesh (Mashi)
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