LIVING LIBERATION

Living liberation (Jeevan mukti, or Sadyo-Moksha, or Videha mukti) is a state of experiencing awareness, knowledge, and realisation of Atman, or Self, in this very life process while still alive, bereft of desire, attachment, and affliction but in a steady state of solitude and quietude. It involves recognition of one's true self as Brahman, or Cosmic Self. The pure-natured person, according to Ashtavakra Gita (18.21-27), is desireless, peaceful, self-reliant, independent, and free of bonds; he has neither joy nor sorrow nor pride nor false humility, and his joy is in himself. He is beyond mental stillness and distraction, for one who has transcended Samsara (birthand death, or worldly existence) does not think, know, hear, or see. He is the one who acts without being able to say why, but is not thereby a fool; he is one liberated while still alive, happy, and blessed. It represents living liberation, where one embodies divine consciousness and continues to exist in society while being spiritually liberated. It represents a heightened state of awakening and enlightenment that embodies spiritual freedom, remaining unaffected by causation, duality, opposites, and their effects. It is a state of Self-controlled dispensation of mind able to discriminate between real and unreal, eternal and ephemeral, dual and non-dual, and knowledge and illusion. This state of life is conditioned by discrimination, dispassion, detachment, and discipline. That state is a state of liberation from the Samsara chakras, or cycles of birth and death. A person of steady wisdom, equanimity, detachment, and forbearance realises Jeevanmukti, or living liberation. Sage philosopher Swami Krishnananda asserts that the goal of all endeavours is to experience eternal bliss and the perpetual eradication of sorrow, affliction, distress, and illness. Sorrow is finite, but bliss is infinite. The finite does not have eternal bliss, and the infinite does not have sorrow. The ultimate goal of finite life is the attainment of infinite joy that is always full without ever being in need of replenishment. Realising Brahman, or the Supreme Self, is the ultimate goal of both knowledge and meditation. In its pure state of cosmic bliss, moksha is the pinnacle of self-exaltation. Emancipation is realising that one doesn't need to change into something new or go to a happier place. It is the understanding of eternal life and the fundamental nature of Supreme Being. Knowing that we are always free is the key to achieving freedom. Knowledge is freedom itself, not merely a factor that contributes to it. Swami Krishnananda contends that Moksha (liberation) is not the result or effect of Jnana (knowledge); rather, it is a component of Jnana. Moksha cannot serve to achieve the Jnana of Existence, since Jnana is synonymous with Existence itself. Since a thing cannot achieve itself, known as Moksha, or a state of interchangeability of 'Chit' (universal Intelligence or Consciousness) and 'Sat' (Existence, or  Truth). Moksha is to be what it is: Absolute Existence. Self-realisation, or Self-knowledge, the self being one with Cosmic Self, embracing one's true nature, and recognising the cosmo-organic relationship of all beings are essential aspects of the self-experiencing processes. Jeevanmukti, or living liberation, is not a destination to be attained but a state of consciousness to be realised within.

1. Outline 

Jeevanmukti, or Videha Mukti, or Sadyo-Moksha, or living liberation, according to the sage King Janaka (Devi Bhagavata Purana, 18.1-22), is not bedevilled by the six passions referred to as Arishadvargas (six enemies, or negative mental qualities), which are obstacles to self-realisation: Kama (lust), Krodha (attachment), Lobha (greed), Moha (delusion), Mada (ego), and Matsarya (envy). He advises Suka Muni to pursue the path of Moksha by studying the Vedas and Vedantas under the active guidance of a preceptor, then leading a householder's life characterised by contentment, freedom from desires, sinlessness, truthfulness, and earning a livelihood with a pure heart in accordance with justice and conscience. He must perform the Agnihotra (fire sacrifice) and other sacrifices, and after having sons and grandsons, he should leave his wife in the care of his son before entering the life of a Vanaprastha (the third stage of life). The knowledgeable Brahman must practise Tapasya (penance, or mortification) and gain mastery over his six passions, as enjoined by the Dharma (righteous way of living) in the sacred scriptures. King Janaka emphasises that when a Brahman becomes disgusted with the world and experiences Vairagyam (dispassion), he will enter the fourth Ashrama (stage of life) of Sanyasa, or renunciation. Jeevanmukti (living liberation) is neither a mass of consciousness nor self-consciousness, says sage philosopher Swami Krishnananda. He explains that it represents the universe's cosmic order, which transcends even immortality. The Cosmic Light of the Cosmic Self eliminates all forms of relative existence, including the realm of memory. Swami Krishnananda posits that there is no such thing as inert, inanimate, dead matter or blind force. It is all Supreme Force, Knowledge and Bliss without motion of mind. There are no planes of existence, no states of consciousness, and no degrees of reality. This is the most blessed and supreme state of absolute freedom and conscious eternal life, not merely a conviction but actual being. Suka Muni (Devi Bhagavata Purana, 18.23-30) contends before King Janaka that the pure Vairagyam (dispassion) arising out of knowledge and wisdom (Jnana and Vijyan) already arises (before taking to the Grihasth Ashram); is it still necessary to pass through householder’s life, Vanaprastha life, etc.? King Janaka advises Suka Muni to pursue a gradual path to Jeevanmukti (living liberation), similar to how ants progress, rather than taking the sudden high routes of birds that ultimately lead to exhaustion and the need for rest. King Janaka firmly believes that the teachings of the Vedas are beneficial and must be true; they cannot be false. He says to Suka Muni, 'In the Vedas are mentioned forty-eight Samskaras (impression, consecrations; purificatory rites), out of which the learnt Mahatmas (great soul) have reserved forty Samskaras for the householders and the last eight Samskaras (Sama, Dama, etc.) for the Sannyāsins' (one who has embraced the life of complete renunciation). This is beneficial practice is believed to have been passed down from ancient times. A Brāhmaṇa ought to complete his previous Ashramas (hermitage; order of life) successively and then enter into the succeeding Ashrama. King Janaka emphasises (Devi Bhagavata Purana, 18.31-37) before Suka Muni, see also if anybody remaining in his household life be of a quiet temper and of good intellect, and if he takes success and failure in the same light, and be not elated in times of pleasure and not depressed in times of pain and does his duty for duty’s sake without troubling his mind with cares and anxieties, then that householder acquires pure happiness by the realisation of his self and acquires Moksha. There is no manner of doubt in this. I am liberated while living, though I am engaged in preserving the kingdom; if any source of pain or pleasure arises, I am not in any way affected by them. As I will attain in the end Videha Mukti (liberation from bodies) though I am always wandering at my free will, enjoying various things as I like and doing various things as it pleases me, so you can do your duties and then be liberated in the end.

2. Scriptures 

  Living liberation, according to Yoga-Vasistha (2.18.1-70), is a state of consciousness realised through gradual movement like an ant from the root of a tree to its top. Such a person is not perturbed by fear, darkness, or states of opposites (happiness-distress, pleasure-pain, heat-cold, etc.). The evils of penury and poverty cannot overpower him. The calm tranquillity attending upon him at all times and in all conditions. The light of reason is his guiding force, and he is well aware of the causes and effects of things. It is he who arrives slowly at what is called "living-liberation", who remains calm amidst the endless turmoil (of the world), and is quite aloof from common talk (Yoga-Vasistha, 2.18.19). For know, Sage Vasistha emphatically addresses Sri Rama (Yoga-Vasistha, 3.6.10): 'All your austerities and charities, your painstaking and mortification, are of no efficacy unless you wholly renounce your passions and enmity, your anger and pride, your selfishness and your envy and jealousy.' 

In the Ashtavakra Gita, Devi Bhagavata Purana, Brihadaranyak Upanishad, and Yoga-Vasistha there are profound descriptions of the sage King Janaka, who lives a life of Jeevan mukti, or Videha mukti, or living liberation. Sage King Janaka lives in a state of "living liberation," or Jeevan Mukti, by understanding that the ultimate truth is not a destination to be attained but a state of consciousness to be realised within. He lives a life of responsibility as a king while detached from the world's attachments, realising he is already the ocean of consciousness and no longer needs to make efforts to attain it. While holding the responsibilities of a king, Sage Janaka cultivated detachment from the world's worldliness, a sense of opposites, worldly desire and possessions, and so understanding their transient nature. He learns that Atman, or Self, is not something to be found elsewhere but is already present, an eternal consciousness like an ocean that rivers flow into. King Janaka realises his nature as "Pure Consciousness" doesn't require him to abandon his royal duties or the challenges of his kingdom by recognising that his true self is beyond the realm of such challenges. "There is no consciousness after death (of individuality)," says Yajnavalkya to sage King Janaka. Since Consciousness alone is the entirety of being, there is no consciousness of anything objective in the highest state. It is the Fullness of Perfect Existence. It is, but it is not anything; it sees, but it sees not anything; it hears, but hears not hear anything; it knows, but it knows not anything. It does not go to where it was not; it does not get what it did not have. Even the expression "It knew only itself" (Brihadaranyak Upanishad, 4.3.20-31) is an understatement of Truth, for it implies self-consciousness, which is the characteristic of Ishvara and not Brahman. There are nadis, or hitas, or nerves in the body, which are as fine as a hair divided into a thousand parts and are filled with white, blue, brown, green, and red fluids. They are the seat of the subtle body, which is the storehouse of impressions. Now, when one feels as if he were being killed or overpowered, or being chased by an elephant, or falling into a pit—in short, when he fancies at that time, through ignorance, whatever frightful thing he has experienced in the waking state—that is the dream state. So also, when he thinks he is a god, as it were, or a king, as it were, or thinks, 'This universe is myself and I am all,’ that is his highest state. (Brihadaranyak Upanishad, 4.3.20) That indeed is his form—free from desires, free from evils, and free from fear. As a man fully embraced by his beloved wife knows nothing that is without, nothing that is within, so does this infinite being (Self), when fully embraced by Supreme Self, know nothing that is without, nothing that is within. That is his form, where all his wishes are fulfilled, where all wishes become the self, and where he is free from grief (Brihadaranyak Upanishad, 4.3.21). In this state, fathers are no longer fathers, mothers are no longer mothers, worlds are no longer worlds, gods are no longer gods, and the Vedas are no longer the Vedas. In this state a thief is no more a thief, the killer of a noble Brahmin is no more a killer, a Chandala is no more a Chandala (low caste), a Paulkasa (low cste) is no more a Paulkasa, a monk is no more a monk, and an ascetic is no more an ascetic. This form of his is untouched by good deeds and untouched by evil deeds, for he is then beyond all the woes of his heart (Brihadaranyak Upanishad, 4.3.22).

In the Ashtavakra Gita (20.1-14), during his discourses with Sage Ashtavakra, King Janaka elucidates his unblemished nature, as there are no elements, no body, no faculties, and no mind. There is no void and no anguish. Free from the sense of dualism, there are no scriptures, no self-knowledge, no mind free from an object, no satisfaction, and no freedom from desire. No knowledge or ignorance, no 'me,' 'this,' or 'mine,' no bondage, no liberation, and no property of self-nature. Free from individual characteristics and individuality as there is no antecedent causal action; no liberation during life, no fulfilment at death, no doer and no reaper of the consequences, no cessation of action, no arising of thought, no immediate object, and no idea of results; no world, no seeker for liberation, no yogi, no seer, no-one bound and no-one liberated; no emanation or return, no goal, means, seeker or achievement, and I remain in my own non-dual nature; no judge, no standard, nothing to judge, and no judgement, I am forever unblemished; no distraction or one-pointedness of mind, no lack of understanding, no stupidity, no joy and no sorrow; free from deliberations; no conventional truth nor absolute truth, no happiness and no suffering; no illusion, no samsara, no attachment or detachment, no living being and no God; no activity or inactivity, no liberation and no bondage, for I am forever immovable and indivisible, established in myself; no initiation or scripture, no disciple or teacher and no goal of human existence, for I am blessed and without limitation; no being or non-being, no unity or dualism; and nothing arises out of me.

Having contemplated that all are Brahman, Sage Vasistha advises Sri Rama (Laghu Yoga-Vasistha, 1.5) , the “I” is that Brahman only; you should destroy the idea that the “I” and the universes are different. All the created objects arising out of Brahmā-jñāna, the cause, do not really exist, like the foam in an ocean. There are really no such things as pleasures and pains, birth and death, or persons whirling in the vortex of birth and death, but one only Principle, that always is and endures. Having tasted all things through experience and inference, do not grieve for them. Do not think of the past or of the future, but remain in that non-dual state with the transcendent Sattva-guṇa (pure quality) and without the dualities of desire and hatred and others. With an equal eye to all, with the certitude of conviction in Ātma-jñāna (Self-knowledge) and a powerful Jñāna, and with extreme quiescence and a mind silent to all worldly objects, relinquish all pains with a mind as transparent as crystal. Sage Vasistha (Yoga-Vasistha, 3.9.1-2) teaches that whoever is devoted with all their hearts and minds in holy conversation among themselves, and they are devoted to the acquisition of knowledge and investigation of spiritual science, enjoy the same bliss of liberation in their living state.  Sage Vasishtha continues to emphasise during his discourses with Sri Rama (Yoga-Vasistha, 3.9.4-14) that whoever remains as he is without any perturbation in his worldly course and continues intact as vacuity amidst society, employed in his intellection only and seems to be sleeping in his waking state, though while conducting his worldly affairs, is neither flushed nor dejected in pleasure or pain and remains contented with what he gets in any of his states, undisturbed as vacuity within himself even though actuated by the feelings of affection, enmity, fear and the like, and has not an air of pride in him and is not conceited. Such a one is called Jivanmukta, or living liberated.

3. Remarks

 Brahman, or Cosmic Self, or Supreme Self, does not know, for It is knowledge; It does not enjoy, for it is enjoyment; It is not "existent" but "existence". It is non-material and has no contact with any objective being. "It eats nothing; no one eats it." It is the supreme "incorporeal, which pain and pleasure do not touch." The realisation of Self is in a way like the shining of the sun when the clouds no longer cover him. It is the regaining of originality in the absolute sense. It is quenching the fire of death with the water of knowledge (Brihadaranyak Upanishad, 3. 2. 10).  He who is perfect of body and prosperous among men, the ruler of others, and most lavishly supplied with all human enjoyment, represents the greatest joy among men.  This human bliss multiplied a hundred times makes one measure of the bliss of the Manes who have won their world. The bliss of these Manes who have won their world, multiplied a hundred times, makes one measure of bliss in the world of the gandharvas. The bliss of the gandharvas, multiplied a hundred times, makes one measure of the bliss of the gods by action (those who attain godhood through sacrificial rites). The bliss of the gods by action, multiplied a hundred times, makes one measure of the bliss of the gods by birth, as also of one who is versed in the Vedas, sinless and free from desire. The bliss of the gods by birth, multiplied a hundred times, makes one measure of bliss in the World of Prajapan (Viraj), as also of one who is versed in the Vedas, sinless and free from desire. The bliss in the World of Prajapati, multiplied a hundred times, makes one measure of bliss in the World of Brahma (Hiranyagarbha), as also one who is versed in the Vedas, sinless and free from desire. This, indeed, is the supreme bliss. "This is the state of Brahman, O Emperor," says Yajnavalkya during his course of discussion with King Janaka (Brihadaranyak Upanishad, 4.3.33). It is a deathless impersonality of conscious nature, not merely living as an eternal person. While there has been no actual change in the realisation of truth, it seems as if everything is changing! Although the Full can be extracted from the Full, the essence of the Full itself remains unchanged.

-Asutosh Satpathy