Kanchi Maha-Swamigal's Discourses on Advaita Saadhanaa (KDAS-48)

[Guest guest]

Namaste.

 

For a Table of Contents of these Discourses, see

advaitin/message/27766

 

For the previous post, see

advaitin/message/32451

 

SECTION 31: ANCIENT SCRIPTURES & THE ACHARYA ON MUMUKSHU

(Contd.)

Tamil Original : http://www.kamakoti.org/tamil/dk6-105.htm

 

 

Since the Acharya has agreed to include three levels –

base, intermediate and top (*manda, madhyama and uttama*)

– among mumukShus, there is scope for all, from ordinary

people like us all the way up to true Sannyasis who have

calmed down their minds. Actually it only shows the

broad-mindedness of the Acharya. But amidst that generous

gesture, he has also clearly stated that the base level and

intermediate level sAdhakas should rise to the top level by

proper practice of dispassion and shamAdi-shaTkaM, by

which they will obtain Guru’s Grace and thereby their

mumukShutA also will rise to its completion.

 

It is in concordance with this thought “Unless there is the

intense strength of mumukShutA as well as the power of the

Grace of the Guru, one cannot attain the Atman” that

Mundaka Upanishad says ‘The Atman cannot be obtained by a

weakling’.

 

When it says Guru’s Grace, it actually means ‘the Grace of

God’. The disciple should never forget that it is Ishwara,

the Almighty who is coming as the Guru. Particularly in

advaita-sAdhanA, since it is all a matter of search for

JnAna instead of saguna upAsanA, in the place of the Grace

of God one should stick steadfastly to the concept of

Guru’s blessings and allow it to take roots in the mind. I

shall come back to this topic a little later. Now let me

finish this topic of mumukShutvaM.

 

I said a weakling cannot attain the Atman. In that

Upanishad, in the mantras before that, it details, in a

sense, the defining characteristics of a mumukShu.

Whosoever, not having any other desires, chooses, as

DhIras, to woo only the Atman, to them does the Atman

manifest Itself – says the Upanishad.

 

“To woo only the Atman”, as is said here, is the positive

aspect of mumukShutA. In opposition to a renunciation of

samsAra out of disgust, what we do here is to identify

something, with love, as most desirable for us – this is

what is called ‘varaNaM’ (choosing). It is a

‘svayam-vara’ by us whereby we choose the Self after having

discarded all that is non-Self. The Upanishad mentions here

the goal as well as the interest in it as a pleasant,

blissful, positive fact.

 

In his SopAna-panchakaM verse 1, the Acharya has also

mentioned this positive aspect in the words *AtmecchA

vyavasIyatAM*. It means that one should cultivate with

determination, the desire to obtain Brahman-Realisation.

SopAna-panchakaM is a set of five verses where he takes us

step by step through the process, starting from the

rock-bottom of karma-bhakti upto the state of Realisation.

There, before he mentions the renunciation of the household

as a SannyAsi, at the point of mentioning the previous

step of mumukShutA, instead of pointing out what is to be

discarded, he focusses on love towards the Atman, which is

what is to be obtained, by saying ‘desire to have mokSha’.

 

At several places in the Upanishads we are told about this

matter of seeking what is to be sought rather than

searching what is to be discarded. Appar Swamigal says:

“After searching within myself I discovered for myself”

(*ennuLe tedik-kaNDu-koNDen*). MumukShus have been referred

to as *brahma-para*, that is, those who have their only

goal (*lakShya*) as Brahman; *brahma-nishhTa* , those whose

attachment is only in brahman-related matters – here, we

are talking about persons whose interest is in the

experience of Brahman; so ‘nishhTA’ here does not mean ‘to

be stationed in Brahman by experience’; so the meanings of

attachment, dedication for ‘nishhTA’ are to be taken --,

and *brahma-anveshhamANa*, those who are searching or

looking for Brahman. In Prashnopanishad where it begins

with six persons going to a Rishi, it only describes six

mumukShus positively. The ‘anveshhamANa’ word used here is

in concordance with the famous statement in Chandogya

Upanishad (VIII – 7 – 1) where it says that the ParamAtmA

is ‘anveshhTavyaH’ , the one to be searched, sought after.

 

Kathopanishad showpieces Naciketas for the entire world as

an ideal mumukShu. That little boy had the only goal, only

desire, to learn about the truth of the Atman. In a rare

moment of anger, the father of the boy had said: “I have

given you over to Yama”. That, taken as law of the father’s

word, makes him go instantaneously to the abode of Yama

himself. After all it is Yama that takes the life when one

dies. So Naciketas had a firm conviction that Yama must be

knowing the mystery of the Atman which is the truth behind

all life. He is determined to get the teaching directly

from Yama himself. To Yama-puri, the very thought of which

frightens people, the little boy proceeded as if it were

his gurukulaM. The reason could only be his was a true

mumukShutA! When he arrived there, Yama was not home. He

returned home only three days later. All the three days the

residents of Yamapuri wanted to play host to him, but

Naciketas wouldn either eat nor accept any thing ‘Until I

get taught what I sought, why would I take food, or for

that matter, anything else?’ said he, with his mind

anxiously set on his goal.

 

Then it is that Yama, the terror of the three worlds,

became fearful of this bachelor boy, lest the sin of

keeping him for three days stay without food at his place

might consume Yama himself. So he gives the boy three

boons, one for each of those days.

 

Of the three boons, the important one was the third wherein

the boy asked to be taught the philosophy of the Atman.

 

(To be Continued)

PraNAms to all students of advaita.

PraNAms to the Maha-Swamigal.

profvk

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Prof. V. Krishnamurthy

 

The contents page of my website has been updated now to include a topic-wise list of every page of the site and a link to each. You may want to have a look at

http://www.geocities.com/profvk/gohitvip/contents.html