Concept of mokṣa according to Advaita-Vedānta Darśana

Advaita Vedānta darśana is based on the Upaniṣads which has very deep impact on the spiritual life of Indian society. The philosophy has its special aspect about the bondage and liberation. Here we explain the theory as per Śaṅkarācārya’s view.

As the name advaita suggests the non-duality; this philosophy accepts the knowledge of uniqueness of ātman and brahman as mokṣa. Brahman can be explained as ‘an unchanging reality amidst and beyond the world’. Brahman is the ultimate truth. Brahman is of sat (which remains always; in past, present and future unchanged, of true nature), cit (Awareness, consciousness, knowledge), ānanda (ultimate joy) nature. According to Advaita Vedānta, Brahman is the ultimate truth and other than Brahman everything is false, untrue. Śaṅkarācārya has explained the essence of Advaita Vedānta in one verse^[1].

According to Advaita Vedānta, mokṣa is not a state of attaining but a state of knowing the uniqueness of ātman and Brahman. To get this awareness, person must gain some abilities.

One must study deeply four Vedas:

1. Ṛg,
2. Yaju,
3. Sāma and
4. Atharva;

And six Vedāṅgas:

1. śikṣā,
2. kalpa,
3. vyākaraṇa,
4. nirukta,
5. chandas and
6. jyotiṣ;

And understand the meaning of these scriptures (may be in one birth or more).

Six types of karmas (actions) are accepted in Vedic scriptures–

1) Kāmyakarma -The sacrifices such as jyotiṣṭoma etc., which enable their performers to get the desired fruits such as living in heaven etc. are known as kāmyakarma.

2) Niṣiddhakarma - Actions such as killing anyone, which bring about undesired results as going to hell etc. are niṣiddhakarma or forbidden acts.

3) Nityakarma - Daily rites such as sandhyā sādhanā etc., the nonperformance of which causes sin are called nityakarma.

4) Naimittikakarma - Jāteṣṭi sacrifices (which are performed subsequent to the birth of a son) etc are called the naimittikakarma or rites to be observed on special occasions.

5) Prāyaścittakarma - Rites such as cāndrāyaṇa etc. which are instrumental in the expiration of sin are prayaścitta or penances.

6) Upāsanākarma - Mental activities relating to the saguṇa Brahman are upāsanās or devotions.

The person should avoid kāmya and niṣiddha karmas and perform rest four karmas for the knowledge of uniqueness of ātman and Brahman.

sādhanācatuṣṭaya ^[2]

sādhanācatuṣṭayasaṃpannādhikāriṇāṃ mokṣasādhanabhūnaṃ tatvavivekaprakāraṃ vakṣyāma |

We will now explain for those who are endowed with the four-fold qualifications (sādhanacatuṣṭaya) the mode of discrimination, which is the means of liberation.

This process of discriminative enquiry is as below: -

1) nityānityavastuvivekaḥ - capacity to discriminate between impermanent and permanent-this consists of the discrimination that Brahman alone is permanent substance and that all things other than it, are transient.

2) ihamutrārthaphalabhogavirāgaḥ -It means rejection of the enjoyment of earthly objects (such as garland of flowers, ornaments etc.) and the objects of enjoyment hereafter are transitory, being results of action. So, there should be refusal for all these pleasures.

3) śamādi-ṣaṭkasampattiḥ - śamo-dama-uparamastitikṣā-śraddhā-samādhānam ceti //^[3]

Person should possess following six accomplishments so that seeker develops an integrated personality needed for spiritual development.

They are -

1. Śamaḥ [śama] - Control or mastery over mind. Restriction of the mind from all objects except hearing of the scriptures, thinking of their meaning and meditating on it.

2. Damaḥ [dama] -Restraining of the external organs from all the objects except hearing of the scriptures, thinking of their meaning and meditating on it.

3. Uparama – Strict observance of one’s own dharma (duty)

4. Titikṣā – Endurance of heat and cold and other such pairs of opposites.

5. Śraddhā – Faith in the words of Vedas as taught by the Guru and scriptures.

6. Samādhānam [samādhāna] – Single pointedness/Concentration of the mind.

7. Mumukṣutvam [mumukṣutva] ^[4] - ‘Let me attain Mokṣa ’ This intense yearning is mumukṣutvam.

According to Advaita Vedānta, a person who possesses all the above qualities would be capable of knowledge of Brahman. He after getting all the qualities should seek a guru (spiritual guide) who instructs the knowledge of oneness of Brahman and ātman with the help of śrutis like tat tvam asi/ ^[5] (that Brahman and You - ātman are the same) After getting experience of oneness, the person experiences the falsehood of rest all things other than Brahman. Other philosophies agree that the ātman is in bondage and attempts to get Mokṣa, while Advaita Vedānta explains that the ātman only thinks that he is in bondage (in fact he is not in bondage, he is always free) and Mokṣa is not the stage of being free but only to know that one (ātman) is free. Mokṣa is not a state of attaining but the state of knowing. According to Advaita Vedānta, the Mokṣa is not only the state where all the pains get ceased but also it is the state of ultimate bliss as the Brahman itself is of ānanda nature. After Mokṣa, the universe does not disappear, but the perspective gets changed.

Advaita Vedānta states two types of mukti - jīvanmukti and videhamukti. In the state of jīvanmukti, the physical body remains till it experiences the effects of actions done previously, but new karmas are not created as the actions are not done with desire. Once effects of all the actions are experienced, person leaves his physical body which is called videhamukti.

We need to understand certain basic principles to appreciate Advaita Vedānta.

1. According to Advaita Vedānta, Brahman is the only ultimate truth and other than that everything in the universe is false as it changes from time to time. Brahman never changes its nature. Brahman is of sat (which remains always; in past, present and future unchanged, of true nature), cit (Awareness, consciousness, knowledge), ānanda (ultimate joy) nature.

2. The question arises in the mind, if that Brahman is only true element, then how rest all things got existence? The answer is because of māyā. The small cloud can cover the Sun from the viewer’s eyesight; similar to that, the true nature of Brahman is covered up by the māyā.

According to Advaita Vedānta philosophy of Śaṅkarācārya, there are three types of sattā ^[6] (existence).

1. Prātibhāsika Sattā - (Apparent existence)

Sometimes the things are different than they appear. The appearance is their illusionary existence. E.g. A rope lying on the floor when construed as a snake, the resultant fear is a true experience, but the existence of a snake was not. So, there is prātibhāsika sattā of snake. Mirage in a desert is another example.

2. Vyāvahārika Sattā - (Relative reality)

According to Advaita Vedānta, similar to the illusion of snake in the rope, the universe is the illusion in the Brahman, which is ultimate and only truth. Everything in the universe (excluding ātman, which itself is Brahman) is experienced true only because we don’t know that it is unreal. If ātman becomes aware of the illusion of universe, then its existence is automatically demolished for that particular ātman.

3. Paramārthika Sattā–(The ultimate truth)

Brahman is the ultimate truth. Brahman is of sat (which remains always; in past, present and future unchanged, of true nature), cit (Awareness, consciousness, knowledge), ānanda (ultimate joy) nature. Generally, these are understood as some attributes or qualities which stay in substance, but in Advaita Vedānta, these three are not the attributes of Brahman, but Brahman is itself of sat, cit and ānanda nature.

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

Śaṅkarācārya, (tr). Mādhavānanda, Vivekacūḍāmaṇī, Advaita Ashrama Publication Department, Calcutta, 1921, sholka 20.—[...]

[2]:

Śaṅkarācārya, Tattvabodha, Central Chinmaya Mission Trust, Bombay, p. 2.

[3]:

Ibid., 1-3

[4]:

Ibid., 1-4.

[5]:

Chāndogya Upaniṣad,chapter two-vi-7

[6]:

Shobha Nigam, Bharatiya Darshan (Indian Philosophy), Motilal Banarsidass Pvt. Ltd., Delhi,2008, p.227