Tattva Bodha

Hari Aum

Prostrations to Guru. Prostrations to All.

Evam cha vedaanthavaakyaih sadgurupadeshena cha sarveshvapi Bhootheshu yeshaam
brahmabhudhiruthpannaa the jeevanmukthaah ithyarthah

Thus by the words of Vedanta imparted by a competent teacher, those in whom the knowledge of Brahman in all beings is born, they are the Jivanmktas (liberated even while living).

nanu jeevanmukthah kah?
yaThaa dehoham purushoham braahmanoham shudhrohamasmeethi
dhrudanishchayasthaThaa naaham braahmanah na shoodhrah na purushah
kinthu asangah satchithaananda svaroopah prakaasharoopah sarvaantharyaamee
chidhaakaasharooposmeethi drudanishchaya roopah aparoksha jnaanavaan jeevanmukthah

Just as one has the firm belief that "I am the body", "I am a man", "I am a Brahmin", "I am a Sudra", so also "I am not a Brahmin", "I am not a Sudra", "I am not a man", but "I am unattached, of the nature of Satchidaananda, effulgent, the indweller of all, the formless Consciousness' - thus one having this firmly ascertained Aparoksha Jnaana is the Jivan muktha.

Shankara after explaining about the creation process, explained about Jiva, Isvara and how they are both are not different essentially. Jiva because of ignorance thinks himself to be different from Isvara. But essentially both Jiva and Isvara are nothing but Pure Consciousness only. This is what the scriptures propound through the mahavakyas like "Tat Tvam Asi". Here Shankara explains about the Jiva muktha who knows their own essential nature as Consciousness through immediate experience. When a person does the vedantic sadhana of Sravana, Manana and Nidhidhyaasana, he gets the knowledge that "I am Brahman and there is nothign apart from Brahman". Sravana is listening to Vedantic Scriptures from a competent Guru for a length of time. Manana is reflecting the teaching in the mind through the use of proper logic so that whatever is been learnt are understood without any doubt. Once the teachings are clear without any doubt, the seeker has to contemplate all the time, this is called Nidhidhyaasanam.

When a seeker gets the Ultimate Knowledge that "I am Brahman" he is liberated from the ocean of Samsaara. He is called a jivan muktha. The knowledge is not just an intellectual knowledge but an immediate experience of the scriptural statement. We know that we are human. If somebody asks "Are you Human?", we never think even for a second to say the answer, the answer will be very spontaneous that "Yes". We never contemplate as "I am Human, I am Human etc". Because we clearly know that we are human, we are not animals. Such a strong conviction do we have that we are humans. In the same way, when a person knows that there is nothing apart from Brahman, knows very clearly that "I am Brahman of the nature of Existence-Conscoiusness-Bliss, the essence of everything and which is the illuminator of everything, which is beyond all illumiation". When a person have such a firm conviction, he is the Jiva Muktha a person who is liberated even while living.

Next Shankara explains about different types of Karma which we will see the next day.

Prostrations to All

Hari Aum

Thanks,
Rajesh