SrI UpakAra Sangraham -- III (10)

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SrI UpakAra Sangraham - III (10)

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niryANa adikAram

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Section - 9: The Favours the Lord does to a MumukShu after he leaves his body

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[9.2 Favours being done after crossing the river, VirajA]

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In the previous sub-section, Swami Desikan showed how the mukta-jIva’s

perfect enjoyment of the Lord after he attains Him extends up to its farthest

limit in the form of serving His devotees – both nitya-sooris and muktas in

His abode. In this sub-section, SwAmi Desikan describes another favour done by

the Lord in making the mukta-jIva feel indebted to the Lord seeing His

immeasurable joy over the jIva’s attainment of the highest goal – equality

with the Lord Himself:

(vii) ivankku vantha atiSayamum than pERAka ninaitthirukkumpadi sarvaSEshiyAna

thanakku ivai ellavaRRAlum vantha santOsha-atiSayatthaik kaNdu, ivan

krutArthanAmpadi paNnumathuvum;

The wonderful glory obtained by the mukta-jIva is considered by the Lord as His

own benefit. The mukta-jIva also witnesses the great happiness derived by the

Lord because of his attaining Him and feels indebted to the Lord. This is yet

another favour he got from the Lord.

In this sub-section, Swami Desikan makes a subtle point which is normally not

within our thought. While the jIva feels fully satisfied with his attaining the

Lord’s abode to have a full and perfect enjoyment of the bliss, equal to that

of the Lord, the Lord Himself also feels fully satisfied as if He has achieved a

great success by bringing the jIva back to His abode!

This kind of sharing the highest bliss by both the Lord and the mukta-jIva is

known as sAyujyam. It is considered as the actual mOkSha. Some jIvas attain the

worlds such as those of ViShNu and the privilege of living in the same world as

ViShNu’s, which is called sAlOkya. Some jIvas attain proximity to the Lord,

which is known as sAmeepya. Some attain forms similar to that of the Lord which

is called sAroopya. These jIvas are also called muktas as upacAra (courtesy),

since they are very near the ultimate goal but not actually muktas in the true

sense of the word.

This is explained in the following SlOka, which is said to be in SrImad

BhAgavatam:

“lOkEShu viShNOrnivasnti kEcit sameepamrucchnti ca kEcidNye /

anyE tu roopam saddrusham bhajantE sAyujyamanyE sat u mOkSha uktah //â€

(Some live in the worlds of ViShNu; others approach very near to ViShNu; others

acquire forms resembling the forms of ViShNu; yet others attain the enjoyment of

bliss equal to that of the Lord, which alone is called sAyujya.)

This Sloka declares that only sAyujya in SrI VaikuNTam is mOkSha. Just as a

hundred looks very small compared to one thousand, the same way sAlokya etc. are

compared to sAyujya. The truth of this may be seen in the following SlOka:

“mOkSham sAlOkyam-sAroopyam prArthayE na kadAcana /

icchAmyaham mahAbAhO sAyujyam tava suvrata // †(Jitanta SOtra, 2-36)

(I do not at all beg for mOkSha which goes by the names of sAlOkya and sAroopya.

I long, Oh Lord, for sAyuja with Thee.)

sAyujya means the relationship between two persons who are united in communion

(sayuk). One might be sayuk with another, although only in the common enjoyment

of certain pleasure. Here, in regard to the mukta, the object of enjoyment is

Brahman with His prakAras or modes. Since Brahman and the mukta both commune

with each other in the enjoyment of that bliss, the mukta is called sayuk with

Brahman.

In this case, a question arises: Why then in the same Vedic passage, the two

words, sAyujya and sArShTitA are employed, when both mean the same thing? The

sentence is:

“sAyujyam sAShTitAm samAnalOkatAmApnOti /†(source not known)

sAyujya means that the same object is being enjoyed by the mukta and the Lord,

just as two friends taste the same sweet. This is called bhOgy-sAmyam.

sArShTitA means the enjoyment of an object by the two is at the same level. The

joy is the same for both. In the world, we see that though many taste one sweet,

the pleasure derived by them varies person to person. But, in the Paramapada,

there is no difference in the level of enjoyment of the bliss of Brahman between

the Lord and the mukta.

Equality in the enjoyment of bliss between the lord and the mukta is sAyujyam.

This is despite the fact that, the mukta has nothing to do with the work of

creating, maintaining and destroying and such other things in regard to the

world (jagad-vyApAra). That work is exclusively rests with the Lord alone. SwAmi

Desikan compares this arrangement or difference to a father and others in a

family. The father cultivates the field and the sons and others who do not

cultivate it, enjoy alike the fruit from the cultivated field. The Lord Who is

engaged in the work of the world and the mukta who only witnesses it have the

same degree of enjoyment in the bliss arising from that work. The Brahma Sootra

deals with this subject in the “JagadvyApAra-varjAdhikaranam†starting from

4-4-17):

The Sootra, (4-4-17) states:

“jagdvyApAvarjam prakarNAdasannihitatvAcca //â€

(The mukta attains glory similar to the lord except in the matter of activity

relating to creation etc. of the world; because, the context related to the

activity of creation etc. of the universe belongs to the Lord and also because

the liberated jIva is not associated with that context.)

The Sootra (4-4-21) states:

“bhOgamAtra-sAmyalingAccaâ€

(Because there is an indication that equality relates to mere enjoyment of

bliss, the mukta is not having the function of creation etc.)

Here, a clarification is required to be made with regard to the attainment of

sAyujyam by the mukta. There is a section of VedAntins (advaitins) who

interpret this sAyujya mukti as oneness or identity with Brahman. They term it

as ‘aikyam’. This view is opposed to the etymological meaning of the word,

sAyujyam, as well as vEdic texts which declare that Brahman is different from

the jIva:

“sarvAjIvE sarvsamsthE bruhantE tasmin hamsO bhrAmytE brahma cakrE /

pruthagAtmAnam prEritArm ca matvA juShTastatastEnAmrutatvamEti //â€

(svEtASvatarOpaniShad, 1-6)

(In the wheel of Brahman, which is great, which makes all beings live and in

which all are placed at the time of dissolution, does this jIva migrate. Knowing

that prompter and knowing himself also as different from Him and becoming an

object of love of that ParamAtman on account of that awareness, he attains

immortality.)

“dvA suparNA sayujA sakhAyA samAnam vrukSham pariShasvajAtE /

tayOranyah pippalam svAdvatti anSnannanyO abhicAkaSeeti //â€

(MuNDhakOpaniShad, 3-1-1)

(The two birds (jIvAtma and ParamAtma) having similar qualities and moving

together cling to the same tree. Of these two, one eats the fruit of karma that

is ripe and the other shines without eating.)

“nityO nityAnAm cetanaScEtanAnAm EkO bahoonAm yO vidadhAti kAmAn /

tatkAraNam sAnkhyayOgAdhigamyam j~nAtva dEvam mucyatE sarvapASaih //â€

(svEtASvatarOpaniShad, 6-13)

(The One eternal sentient, who bestows the desires of many eternal sentients.

That is the cause which is known from the scriptures of the sAnkhya and the yOga

schools. By knowing that God alone, one is freed from all bonds.)

The view of advaita that sAyujyam is oneness is refuted by these passages which

declare that the mukta will attain perfect resemblance (sAmyam) to Brahman and

that the mukta will be like Brahman. This is conveyed by the Gita too:

“idam j~nAnamupASritya mama sAdharmyamAgatAh /

sargEpi nOpajAyantE pralayE na vyathanti ca //†(Gita, 14-2)

(Those who, resorting to this knowledge in form of upAsana, attain to the

possession of qualities that characterize Me, are not born even at the time of

creation nor hurt at the time of dissolution.)

Similarly MahariShi VyAsa has also expressed the idea at great length in the

discourse between VasiShTa and KarAla and concludes by saying: “The jiva

released from bondage, i.e., the mukta, attains the Supreme Being and acquires

attributes similar to those of the Supreme Being. He too becomes free from all

imperfections when he reaches Him.â€

One more difference between the Lord and the mukta is ‘Sriyapatitvam’, being

the Consort of LakShmee, which belongs to the Lord alone. The job of creation

etc. also can not be distributed to many, as the jIvas are countless and if this

job is done every one, there will be only confusion. So, the Lord alone retains

this job with Himself, even though He assigns it others also sometimes as an

Emperor gets a job done by His servants keeping the control with Himself.

In view of this, Swami Desikan says in this sub-section, the Lord also derives

satisfaction in bringing back at least one jIva into His abode, though still

many others are there to be brought back. In this, He has to be patient as the

jIvas are yet to turn towards Him. A situation has to be created to achieve

this. A lot of work has to be done in this regard, as in the case of cleaning

every one of the gems which have fallen into dirty muddy mess. He has a lot of

work left to be completed.

 

 

 

(To continue)

dAsan

Anbil S.SrInivasan

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[books consulted:

Srimad Rahasyatraya-sAra, English translation by SrI M.R.Rajagopala Ayyangar

(Formerly of the madras Educational Service)

Srimad Rahasyatraya-sAram, Edited by Sri Vangeepuram SrIrAmadesikAchArya SwAmi.

Principal UpaniShads Vol-I –Dr. N.S. Anantha Rangacharya, Banglore.

Vedanta Sutras – Dr. N.S. Anantha Rangacharya, Bangalore.]

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