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by
Sri Bimal Mohanty
VOL
No. 104
October : 2009
LIBERATION, MUKTI, MOKSHYA, – WHAT DO THEY MEAN?
Based on lectures by Sri Bimal Mohanty
I wish to share with you today some part of an interesting conversation I had with a friend. He is quite a sincere spiritual seeker, a great admirer of Sri Aurobindo and quite knowledgeable about the Sanatan philosophy.
We all agree that all our lives, the past ones as well as the present and likewise the future ones that we may have, are characterized by a continuous search. Every one, all jiva’s or individual souls are in search of something.
Searching what? We are in search of some thing that is our most valuable possession and what we have misplaced some where.
Wise men have given a name to it. They say we are searching for Brahman in His most endearing aspect, Satchidananda – the truth, its realization and the ensuing bliss that follows the realization.
Most of us live by that faith handed down to us by our teachers and our scriptures and pursue it continuously compelled by our nature.
The irony is, most of us do not comprehend Brahman from one side to the other. Look at the predicament of the jiva. Even the human beings possessing the highest level of body, mind and intellect are so confused.
To the lesser life forms this situation may be acceptable to live by. But to a sincere seeker this is most uncomfortable. He can not live by a hazy concept, an esoteric view which he does not quite understand.
What is causing this confusion? It is the lack of clarity in our mind, the darkness of ignorance enveloping our mind. Groping within the confinement of four walls of a dark room we are confused in searching a way out to light. We are uncomfortable. As long as the mind can not free itself from the darkness of ignorance to be able to move into the light of knowledge, how can one call oneself free?
When we talk of freedom, liberation or mukti our mind ought to be clear like a crystal. Misunderstandings are like layers of ignorance which obscure the purpose.
So first we have to understand what is this freedom. If I am searching a way out of my dark ignorance, my first requirement will be that I should be free to be able to work my way out. But if I am tied down to something and unable to move myself freely then obviously I can not find my way out. The darkness of ignorance does not allow my mind to work freely. And when I remain tied to my ignorance I have no freedom.
This is the true meaning of freedom. In spiritual parlance freedom does not mean an escape from a bad situation. Freedom means ‘being able to work out one’s way without any inhibition, towards a higher beingness of knowledge and bliss.
This subtle difference is sanatan philosophy’s way of looking at all things for its deepest meaning as opposed to superficial understanding.
Under normal conditions, when we seek liberation, mukti or mokshya we automatically assume that we are imprisoned and bound in this world as a punishment of our misdeeds that some people term as ‘sins’. This is the first fallacy. The concept of bondage in sanatan philosophy is not –repeat not- a concept of punishment for sins. Why should anyone be cruel enough to punish us? Brahman? When we are all part of Him whom is He punishing?
We are not ‘sinners’ nor the world is a prison cell. Being always in action we are bound to make mistakes and need to rectify them. The world – this sansAra – is there to provide us opportunities for atonement of all mistakes so that we can continue our progressive journey. When one looks at this world and the bondage with this light one understands the true meaning of sadhanA.
We have not come to this world to work out an escape. We must understand that we are here to work out a particular purpose ordained out by Brahman. We are all nimittas or agents of Brahman to sustain the creation. From the great saints, seers, prophets, messiahs, incarnations etc to the lowly and insignificant creatures of the creation, have the same purpose. Fulfillment of that assignment is every one’s primary task. That is how we get liberated.
Not appreciating this is the next fallacy of mind. But correct understanding of this is at the root of all spiritual development.
Not understanding the world process or various aspects of sansAra including the birth/death cycle is the result of this ignorance. If we do not understand the very purpose of our life and existence in this world, our search for freedom will also not be an intelligent or knowledgeable approach and will be difficult to achieve.
So it finally boils down to escape from ignorance through proper understanding with the knowledge of things or jnana.
The process of mukti or mokhsya is necessarily a process of acquiring knowledge- the essence of all knowledge.
This escape can not be worked out with brute power. One may possess enormous physical or material prowess but unless one has the knowledge power one can not work out a way for itself to continue its progress. Swami Vivekananda used to tell a story about a locomotive train and a little insect on the iron track. Its physical power is nothing in comparison to the locomotive which can crush it in no time. With all its power the locomotive can not escape from its bondage to the track. Where as the insect knows that it can move away from the track and continue its journey. In that sense the little insect has freedom and the locomotive does not have. The difference is the knowledge. Obsessive pursuit of physical power, money power, political power, power of fame, fortune and authority at the cost of true power of ‘Knowledge’ is a juvenile pursuit of half witted minds.
If we simply remain obsessed with the idea of escape from miseries of the world without working out to acquire knowledge then that obsession itself becomes our greatest inhibiting factor, our bondage. Sri Aurobindo also observed how this obsession with liberation becomes our bondage. “We are blind with our pride and the pomp of our passions, we are bound in our thoughts when we hold ourselves free.”
So, merely desiring liberation without the freedom to work our way towards the goal and then not acting upon it, is no big deal.
What then stops us from taking the right steps and doing right actions that will free us?
It is the constant doubt in our mind as to what is the right thing to do. Will it turn out to be to my benefit at the end? – this question constantly disturbs us. Born out of our ignorance or lack of adequate knowledge, we are confronted with this doubt, - which the scriptures explain as sansaya at every step of our life. Doubts breed fear and fear binds one’s hands and feet. What freedom or mukti we are talking about then?
So the first requirement for our liberation becomes to go after knowledge that will remove these doubts, eliminate these sansayas of mind. Knowledge (jnana) becomes our wherewithal (sambala) for our development. When doubts of mind are cleared one is truly free.
Only knowledge, spiritual knowledge or adhyatmika jnana clears the doubts of mind.
Sanatan philosophy’s uncompromising stress on pursuit of knowledge relegating all other aspects of sadhana like rituals, devotion, external display etc is based on this solid understanding.
Sansaya is vascillation of mind when it does not know right from wrong, truth from falsity, reality from unreality, shreyas (ultimate good although not very palatable to begin with) from preyas (pleasant enticements). It is knowledge only that can clear this vascillation. Knowledge shows the way.
When both alternatives are understood, man selects the right direction towards his ultimate destination. When he can select he is really free.
Various Sanskrit words used in our scriptures in this context are very apt and self explanatory:
Sa vidya ya vimuktaye – it is vidya – the true knowledge- that alone leads one to freedom or mukti. Those who have overcome the snare of doubts are hansas or paramahansas. Hata sansaya yasya sah hansa. Hansas and Paramahansas are not deluded by doubts.
How do doubts originate and how does one go about transcending them?
Primarily there are three maladies that give birth to doubts that obstruct knowledge. Kama (attachment), Krodha (anger) and Lobha (avarice) are the enemies of knowledge, hence obstacles in the path of liberation. In The Bhagavad Gita these are identified as the three gates to hell. Obsessive attachment to a person, object, thought or action does not allow the mind to look beyond them. Their stranglehold imprisons the individual (jiva). Anger which follows attachment results in temporary insanity. How can an insane mind understand knowledge? Greed shuts the mind completely to think of any alternative. All three are not characteristics of a clear mind. An unclear mind is full of sansaya. (Suggested reading: slokas 2.62 and 63 of The Bhagavad Gita).
So it all boils down to knowledge. Acquiring knowledge is an essential part of Yogasadhana. This is called Swadhyayana. (We discussed this in the articles Preparations for sadhana parts 1 to 4. Read them in June to October 2002 issues).
Self teaching through study of scriptures is the life force of Yoga. Only that clears the path to wards liberation. This has to be done every day of one’s life as a one’s own personal effort. The Taittiriya Upanishad forcefully extols all SwAdhyAyAt mA pramadah. Never ever neglect your study of the scrptures.
No one can make any body free or liberated. Even with the assistance from scriptures and Gurus, liberation or freedom is exclusively a personally realized experience. If freedom, liberation, mukti, mokshya etc all point to satchidananda the Brahman, then Brahman has to be understood to gain freedom. It is so personal an experience between you and Brahman That no third person can say whether you are liberated or mukta. Only your inner soul and Brahman, by virtue of their oneness know the truth.
Atheists, agnostics, non believers etc can never experience freedom until their atheism, agnosticism and non belief are converted into belief, knowledge and consciousness of Brahman. They are all at a stage from which eventually they have to grow out.
So acquiring Brahman knowledge through self study or swadhyana becomes an imperative task for seeking true freedom, without which the doubts will not clear and liberation will keep unattained like a mirage.
Knowledge ushers light of understanding. Our scriptures further analysed. While studying one should also let the knowledge take firm hold of the inner soul, understood and then guide. There are prescribed ways in which knowledge is acquired. By pathana or traditional studying and sravana or listening from more knowledgeable persons we get the first exposure. But most important is nididhyAsana or meditation and contemplation on what has been studied or heard. By nididhyAsana only, the true power of knowledge is released within the sadhaka. He becomes free and empowered to work out his way from bondage.
That is what is understood in associating mukti with Brahman, with knowledge, with enlightenment. That is the spiritual process of living.
