ConceptofMoksha

Please, find text of Chapter : The Concept of Moksha from extant work 'Outlines of Philosophy of Sri Madhwacharya'(Sec. Edition 1978) by Sri Prof. B.A.Krishnaswamy Rao. Additional treatment in terms of Madhva's critical analysis of conception of Moksha in other systems and formulation of an original alternate constructive and positive conception can be obtained in the following works :

1. Phil of M

2. The Bramhasutras and their principal commentaries Vol. 3

(sAdhanA adhyAyA and phala adhyAyA)

3. The Bhagvad Gita Bhashya

4. Madhva's Teachings in His Own words

- Dr. B.N.K Sharma

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THE CONCEPT OF MOKSHA - Prof. B.A.Krishnaswamy Rao

Moksha is defined as casting off of what is not natural to the soul and remaining in its true nature for all eternity.

muktirhitvanyatharUpaM swarUpEna vyavasthithiH - brahmasUtrabhAShya

The souls are in their intrinisic nature pure intelligence (chit) and happiness (ananda). They have varying capacities for intelligence and ananda and other intrinsic qualities like devotion or love to Brahman, such capacity being greatest in Chaturmukha Bramha who is therefore regarded as jivottama (the highest among jivas) and least in what are called trinajivas(jivas which are like blades of grass). The souls are essentially atomic in size while Vishnu(Brahman) is all pervading and is therefore essentially different from the individual souls. The qualities of knowledge, ananda, etc., of the soul are not completely manifested during the state of samsara or bondage. The intrinisc nature of the souls is obscured from being realised by beginningless cosmic ignorance (anadi avidya). The soul is obscured by jivacchadika, an avidya which obscures its own nature and by Paramachhadika, an avidya which obscures Brahman from being perceived, by the soul. The process of discipline inculcated in the scriptures is intended to remove this avidya and enable the jiva to realise its full nature unhampered. The avidya can be removed only by the grace(prasada) of Sri Hari. The course of discipline is directed towards

obtaining His Grace. It is contended that knowledge of Brahman alone is the direct cause of removal of avidya and that His Grace is not called for. If it were so, argues Sri Madhwacharya, immediate release or Moksha should be obtained by those who have

aquired such knowledge. Such however is not the case since there is an interval(vilamba)

between the realisation of knowledge and obtaining of Moksha. The delay(vilamba) indicates the existence of a personality (purusha) who confers Moksha by His Grace. Paraprasadanecchostu vilambo nama yujyate (A.V.p.52)

The Acharya therefore says 'Mokshascha vishnuprasadena vina na labhayte' (V.T.V.p.6). This is affirmed in the sruti 'Yasya prasadatparamartirupad asmat samsarat muchyate na parane Narayanaosau paramo vichintyo mumukshubhi hi' (Narayan sruti) ... 'Narayan the Great, should be contemplated by those desirous of Moksha, by whose Grace alone release from this world of misery can result' - and in the Bhagvadgita where Sri Krishna says 'Matprasadadavapnoti saswatam sukham avyayam' (Bh. G 18-56) ... 'from my grace souls attain eternal happiness'. Thus the immediate cause of Moksha or release from bondage is Sri Hari's Grace. Such grace (prasada) can be obtained through a course of discipline consisting of renunciation(vairagya), bhakti or devotion, upasana or contemplation and aparoksha or perception of God. The seeker of truth or God should first learn to discriminate between nitya and anitya i.e. between eternal and non-eternal

or ephemeral things of the world. Such a discriminating knowledge should awaken a proper sense of values and of casting off hedonic desires and prejudices. The mind becomes detached and prepared to get absorbed in God, being unfettered by worldly desires. True devotion to God cannot arise in a mind attached to earthly things. The devotion to God becomes steadfast and deep when the knowledge of His Nature dawns on the souls. The contemplation of the Glories of God, the knowledge of His Avatars and constant meditiation deepen the devotion or bhakti. The knowledge of God as the creator of our bodies would generate love towards Him as towards a father and the knowledge of God as the All Creator would generated veneration towards Him, the knowledge of God as full of infinite auspicious qualities would produce a feeling of contempt for other things and a knowledge of dependence of everything on Him would tend to deepen our devotion towards Him says Sri Madhwacharya.

Dehakartritvamisasyajnatva tat pitritasmriteh ...visesasnehamapadya sarvakartritvatodhikam

...nispadaya...bahumanancha....utpadyadhikavairagyam tadgundhikyavedant-sarvasya tadavashat-

vaccha dardhyam bhateravpyacha (A.V.p.46)

Such devotion or bhakthi is conducive for upasana or contemplation. Contemplation practised for a long time produces Aparoksha or perception of God. Sri Hari manifests Himself in all His Glory before His devotee and such perception assures release for the soul. Seeing God face to face the germ of beginningless avidya, is shattered and all doubts automatically vanish declares the sruti 'Bhidyate hridayagranthi chidyanthe sarva samsayah ksheeyanthe chasya karmani asmin driste paravare'. The path of discipline inculcated in the scriptures consists of : 1 vairagya - realisation of of ephemeral nature of worldly things, such realisation being developed after a thorough experience of vicissitudes of life 2 sama - mind being always focussed or directed towards Sri Hari 3 dama - control of senses.

samO mannishtata buddhi hi dama iMdriyanigrahaH - bhagavadgIta

4 adhyayana - study of the Vedic and associated scriptures 5 gurukulavasa – staying with a preceptor 6 sravana - listening to the teaching of the preceptor or guru 7 manana - recapitulation of what has been taught 8 saranagathi - surrender of self to God 9 bhakti - devotion to God and guru 10 kindness towards inferiors, friendliness with equals and regards towards elders 11 nishkamakarma - performing of one's duties without desire 12 avoiding what is proscribed or prohibited in the scriptures 13 sarvasamarpanam - dedication of all to God 14 taratamyaparijnanam - true knowledge of hierarchy of souls 15 panchabheda jnanam - true knowledge of the five-fold difference 16 prakritipurushavivekajnanam - true knowledge of difference between prakriti and souls 17 ayogininda - deprecation of the wicked and 18 upasana - contemplation of Brahman. Such a course of discipline is common to all souls and cannot be completed in a single birth. The jiva is subject to various births and can complete the sadhana in a number of births.

The state of Moksha is conceived of in different ways by the various schools of philosophy. According to the Jaina system the soul attains release from bondage by the triple means of samyakjnana, samyakdarshana and samyakcharitra i.e. right knowledge,

right perception and right conduct. The released souls flies away from bondage even as a released bird flies away from its cage. The souls will have organs (non-material) of the same shape and size as those of its last body (charamadeha) and flies eternally higher and higher without limit. The souls however do not possess ananda as other systems of philosophy believe. Sri Madhwacharya objects to such a concept of Moksha by pointing out that on the basis of inference flying eternally higher and higher cannot be conceded

as the true nature of Moksha because such a flying if anything ought to be a source of misery. In experience we know that going higher involves much strain and consequent unhappiness.

Gatirurdhva cha dukheta gatitwat laukiki yatha (A.V.p.68)

On the basis of inference therefore flying higher and higher cannot be admitted as the true nature of the state of Moksha. Again the Jainas do not admit of positive happiness in the state of Moksha. According to them happiness is merely nonmisery. The view that happiness is non-misery is critized by the Acharya. That there is such a thing as positive happiness which is not merely absence of misery, say Sri Madhwacharya, can be realised from the fact that we have experience of increase of happiness with the increase of means of happiness.

Matrabhogatirekena sukhadhikyasya darsanat (A.V.p.68)

Such cannot be the case if happiness was merely non-misery. A person feels relieved and happy when he acquires more and more money after becoming solvent and the feeling in this case is not merely one of relief but of elation consequent on acquiring greater means of happiness. Happiness therefore is a positive entity and not merely absence of misery.

The concept of Moksha according to Baudhhas is also not acceptable to Sri Madhwacharya.

There are four prominent schools among Bauddhas and the concept of Moksha is accordingly slightly different in the different schools. According to the first school called Sunyavada or Madhyamika school 'Sunya' is the only tatwa or entity in the universe. In the state of Moksha there is no knowledge and no object of knowledge. The world of sentient and non-sentient beings is merely an appearance due to the cosmic ignorance called samvriti of a particular soul. When such cosmic ignorance is destroyed the workd of appearance disappears and what remains is attributeless existence called Sunya. Such a view of Moksha is also the view of Adwaita saya Sri Madhwacharya.

Te moksham tadrisam bruyurnishankam mayino tatha (A.V.p.68)

The Sunyatatwa cannot be characterised as the existing or as the non-existing, as happiness or as misery; it is nirvishesha i.e., without any attributes, nirlepa i.e.m without any contact and beyond the conception of mind and words.

Na satvan naiva chasatvam sunyatatvasya vidyate.. Na sukhatvam nadukhtavam......nirvishesham......nirlepam ....manovachamagocharam (A.V.p.68)

The sunyavada has group of adherents who say that the world of appearance is due to the different individuated ignorances of different souls and each such differentiated soul attains the state of sunyatva after its ignorance or samvriti is destroyed. The view that the world of appearance is

due to ignorance of samvriti of one souls and the view that the world of appreance is due to the ignorance of different souls finds parallesl in the ekajivavada and the anekajivavada of Adwaita.Sri Madhwacharya criticizes such concept of Moksha. In the first place if the soul cannot persist during the state of Moksha (it cannot because Moksha is sunyatva or nothingness) then to which entity should the state of Moksha be ascribed? The loss of personality of the soul cannot be a desirable end or summum-bonum. All effort and all philosophy are intended to secure emancipation of the soul and if after emancipation no such thing as a soul exists the labour would indeed appear to be in vain. Again nobody can be expected to enthuse over a state of Moksha which results in annihilation of the self. The annihilation of the self is no different from annihilation of a pot and a philosophy of such annihilation would be nihilism.According to the second school of Bauddhas called yogachaya, vijnana alone is tatwa. But Vijnana or knowledge without a knower cannot be. The absence of knowership is tantamount to annihilation of self which cannot be conceived as the proper ideal for any one to strive for.

The third school of Bauddhas called Vaibhashika and the fourth school Sautrantika conceive of Moksha thus : knowledge is kshanika or momentary by nature and the souls or atma is knowledge itself. But each momentary knowledge is succeeded by a similar knowledge as an eternal series (sanatana) and is therefore eternal. Bondage(samsara) is due to association with beginningless samsara i.e., impressions or inhibitions of the midn. The true knowledge of the self removes such bondage, The soul conceived as a series of momentary knowledge cannot be accepted as a metaphysical entity. The persistence of I-ness is self-knowledge is against the 'momentariness; of the self as adumbrated by the Vaibhashika and Sautrantika schools.

The Sankhya and the Nyayavaisheshika schools regard the state of Moksha as a state of freedom from misery. All desires, prejudices and efforts are completely annihilated during the state of Moksha. But such a restricted view is again not acceptable to Sri Madhwacharya. The srutis which are accepted as pramanas declare that the souls enjoy unmitigated bliss also during the state of Moksha and released souls enjoy the same amount of happiness it does not necessarily follow that they can be free from jealousy. People are jealous even with their equals and would like others to be inferor to them. Superiority complex is calculated to make men happier. The gradation of happiness in the state Moksha is conceived by Sri Madhwacharya does not lead to mutual envy from the following reasons. There can be no envy in Moksha because the very condition of obtaining Moksha is absence of envy and other such defects. Those that have not cast off envy and desire cannot enter the kingdom of God. The different souls have different capacities for enjoyment and when their enjoyment is complete the extent of enjoyment of other souls does not and cannot bother them. When I am satisfied with my meal I do not envy his greater capacity for food. Again as Sri Madhwacharya says, all souls superior to a particular soul are regarded by him as gurus. Sri Madhwacharya therefore says that just as no true disciple envies his gurus no soul in the state of Moksha envies its superiors. Lastly the sadhana of each soul is appropriate for its capacity and differences in sadhana imply differences in ananda during Moksha. Brahma observed penance for two hundred kaplas while Rudra observed penance for forty kaplas drinking the waters of the salt sea and Indra observed penance for millions of years living just on smoke. Such different courses of penance point towards the difference in ananda of the released souls in the state of Moksha.

The souls reside in Moksha for all eternity and never again return to samsara as the sruti 'Nacha punaravarthate' states. Sri Krishna says of His Abode as that entering which one never returns 'Yadgatva na nivartante taddhama paramam mama' (Bh.G 15-6). There are various classes of released souls in Moksha and the souls have definite shapes and are atomic in size. The shapes range through the whole gamut of the shapes of the vegetable and the animal kingdom culminating in man. Every object in creation in this world has its own beauty and such beauty alone is what obtains in Moksha. Even a blade of grass gently vascillating in air with a light green colour on a sunny morning is a beautiful thing to gaze at. The dignity of the lion is well known. The gran manner of the walking of the elephant draws forth our admiration. The snake also has its charm and the poet compares the flowing and plaited hair of a woman to a snake. The souls the states of Moksha have their intrinsic beauty and charma as reflected in their counterparts in this world of ours. The souls have their intrinsic bodies of pure Sattva at pleasure and cast them away at will. There are souls who are like kings, souls who are like rishis doing penance, souls who are always performing sacrifices, souls who are sanyasis and souls in holy eternal wedlock and souls practicising bramhacharya. These are mere modes of enjoyment for them. The souls have hunger but whereas hunger is source of pain for us on the earth it is source of pleasure for them and satisfying hunger is a still greater source of pleasure. There are four types of Moksha called sayujya(togetherness with God), samipya (being near God), salokya(residing in the same place with God) and sarupya i.e.,(having similarity to Him). Some souls have four arms like Vishnu and have similar ornaments. The released souls reside in three regions called Swetadwipa, Anantasana and Vaikunta. Some souls however even after release stay in this world itself and some others in the higher worlds including Bramhaloka.They are however in the state of Mukthi and never return to the state bondage.

There is no death, disease, disappointment or any other kind of dosha(defect) in the state of Moksha. All are attuned towards God and there is no competition, no jealousy and no strife. The souls cherish the highest devotion towards Sri Hari and such devotion is in the lnature of eternal happiness 'Mukthau saisha anandarupini'.

The individual soul by constant meditiation of his dependence on Sri Hari and persistent and undiminished devotion to Him obtains release by His Grace(prasad) and enjoys everlasting beatitude.