Advaita Vedanta - Moksha 01

Introduction to Moksha

 We dealt with three of purusarthas - kama, artha and dharma in the earlier posts. We shall take up moksa the parma purusartha - the highest or the most supreme goal next.

Phalastuti:
We saw that kama and artha are instinctive to both humans and animals. A child learns very quickly what is pleasant and how to protect that pleasant object of enjoyment, without much teaching. While the pursuit of artha and kama is common to all, one may not pursue them according to common sense or religious dharma. In our entire discussion of vedanta sastra there is no scope to discuss about those who do not follow dharma. It is implied that dharma is a very basic qualification. So a question like "Can a jnani commit some kind of crime or unlawful action?" is absurd.
Note carefully that an atheist can be a very ethical person. Being ethical is not an exclusive domain of the religion. By the same note, a religious person can be a violating dharma in some places.
Atheists aren't trying to lead good lives because they fear Eternal Damnation or hope for some Heavenly Reward. They're just doing it because it's the right thing to do. If I were God, I'd be inclined to view the Atheists' motives as the purer ones.
Our discussion will include some aspects of atheism. But it will not be secular. Isvara bhakti will be the basic thread of our discussions and arguments. We will look at nirisvara schools such as buddism and samkhya carefully and take what is relevant.
Since dharma itself need not be a goal for many humans - either as an ethical means or as an end, many of us may not be interested in moksa. We have some concept of a heaven where one enjoys thoroughly. In our long list of objects of desires, some vague concept of moksa occupies the last position. We think that is probably a topic for old age and retired.
It is thus important to sing the praises of moksa so as to get somebody interested in that subject.

While there are numerous songs and hymns praising moksa, bhagavadgita Ch2, Verse 55 onwards describes the characteristics of a sthitaprajna - one who is established in brahman jnanam.

A jnani is happy with himself or herself. They accept things as they are. Their life is totally stress free. They do not want any situation to change. They are totally objective. They are free with the knowledge that they are complete in every respect - aham purnah - I am purnam.
A jnani is free from wanting. They do not need kama, artha or dharma to be happy. Scriptures sing the praise of such jnanis.
With this phalastuthi, we shall look further at moksa in the next few blogs.

Advaita Vedanta - Purushartha - Dharma

Dharma

We saw that human goals consist of 1. kama 2. artha 3. dharma and 4. moksa in the previous post.

Both human beings and animals struggle to obtain the pleasant and avoid the unpleasant. Both protect their possessions and objects. In the case of animals kama is instinctive. In the case of humans, the desires are dependent on time, place and personal values.
Because the struggle for security, artha, and pleasures, kama, is not instinctually controlled but guided by changing personal values, it becomes necessary for the human society to have a set of standards which is independent of any individual’s subjective values that determine his likes and dislikes.
I have the faculty of choice to obtain an object or a relationship. Since I have a choice, there needs to be a norms controlling my various actions, karma. My pursuit of kama and artha needs to be ethical. I need to take the society and its welfare into account while accumulating objects of my desire.
Animals do not have a keen sense of ethics. Their actions are controlled by instincts with very little choice and do not create an ethical issue.
Ethics are commonsense ethics and religious ethics. You should not hurt others is a commonsense ethics. What I do not want others to do to me form commonsense ethics. I do not want to be deceived. I want you to speak truthfully to me and not tell me lies.
I want to obtain objects of my desire and security. The means of these goals need to be ethical. The goals also need to be ethical. You do not want to obtain your neighbours possessions unethically. Such values comprise commonsense ethics, which are recognized and confirmed scripturally in a more comprehensive ethical doctrine — religious in nature—called dharma.
It is not necessary to be religious to be ethical. The ethical standards which specify the right and wrong means of achieving security and pleasures are based on commonsense. An non-religious person can be completely ethical by commonsense standards. To be ethical is to be fully human—not controlled by mere instincts.
The religious ethics called dharma, found in the Veda, confirm commonsense standards, specify further religious “do’s and don’ts”, and add the concept of punya and papa—results produced by good or bad actions, now or hereafter. You may escape the hands of the law, but you really cannot get away from the results of your actions.
Without violating dharma, doing what is to be done, you pursue artha and kama, security and pleasure. This is how these three universal human pursuits are to be understood.
Other examples of religious dharma is sandyavandanam, pitru tarpanam, pilgrimage and so on.
Prayer is neither an artha nor a kama; it is dharma. Through prayer, you want to gain some invisible result which will give you artha and kama. 

Dharma can be a means as well as a goal:
One follows ethical methods to reach a goal. In this case, dharma is a means - sadhanam. A religious person follows religious dharma - prescribed in scriptures to go to heaven. In the second case, dharma is a a goal.

Dharma = Karma Phalam
All schools of philosophies accept the law of karma phalam. Do good = enjoy. Do bad = suffer. This is the  law. The set of standards to measure good and bad karma is dharma. If you perform actions in accordance with dharma you accrue punyam. Else papam.
So a sure way to accumulate punyam is doing karma in accordance with dharma.
A corollary of the law of karma phalam is punar janmam - reincarnation. We find that some are born with the golden spoon. The theory is that it is because of punya from previous births.

Subtlety of dharma:
Dharma can be situational. Speaking the truth is a dharma. However depending on circumstances one may choose to be silent than speak the truth. Ahimsa - not hurting is a dharma which is not applicable to a medical surgeon during surgery.
सत्यं ब्रूयात्प्रियं ब्रूयान्न् ब्रूयात्सत्यमप्रियम्।  प्रियं च नानृतं ब्रूयातेष धर्मः सनातनः॥
satyaṁ brūyātpriyaṁ brūyānn brūyātsatyamapriyam | priyaṁ ca nānṛtaṁ brūyāteṣa dharmaḥ sanātanaḥ ||
Speak the truth. Utter that which is pleasant. Do not utter an unpleasant truth. Do not also speak that which is false but pleasant. This is the eternal Dharma.(Manu Smṛiti 4.138)
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Based on "Introduction to Advaita Vedanta" and "Bhagavad Gita Home Study Vol 1" by Swami Dayananda Saraswati

Advaita Vedanta - Purushartha - Kama and Artha

Introduction to Advaita Vedanta

Purushartha:
 
The four-fold human goals are called purushartha.

These goals are 1. kama 2. artha 3. dharma and 4. moksa

Kama:
We constantly seek objects of enjoyment - kama to keep ourselves entertained and happy.
Both animals and humans seek the goal of kama. Seeking of this goal is common to both animals and humans.
For animals the pursuit of pleasure is defined and controlled by instinct. They pursue what the are programmed to enjoy, directly and simply. Their enjoyment is not complicated by philosophy or self-judgement. A dog or a cat eats what tastes good until it is full, quite unconcerned by considerations of health or aesthetics.
Humans pursuit of pleasures is more complex than animals. Our desires are driven both by instinct and personal value systems. We have the capability to entertain wide-ranging, changeable personal desires. Each one of us live in a private, subjective world where one sees objects as desirable, undesirable, or neutral—neither desired nor undesired.
I find that I do not desire the objects all the time or in all the places. What I desire changes with time and place. What I do not want any more is sold in Garage Sales.
My objects of desire are objects as well as relationships. Everything I desire to possess is termed as kama. I seek the company of my friends and the family to be happy. I seek money to be happy. And so on.
Anything that satisfies your senses, that pleases your mind, that touches your heart and evokes in you a certain appreciation, is kama. Any form of pleasure you derive from your home, for example, or from a relationship is kama. Music and travel are also kama.

Artha:
Artha is security.  That which gives you any kind of security - emotional, economical, or social, is called artha in Sanskrit. Artha may be in the form of cash or liquid assets, stocks, real estate, relationships, a home, a good name, a title, recognition, influence, or power of any kind. Such accomplishments boost one’s ego and therefore also provide some security for the ego. And although each person seeks various forms of security at a given time, that he or she is seeking security is common to all.
We want to keep our possessions and relationships safe. We want to live comfortably when we are old. We invest for our and our family's future living. These all come under artha.
Animals also pursue security for survival. Thus kama and artha are common goals for humans and animals.
We seek kama and artha constantly and continuously, hoping that these will make us a complete person.
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Based on "Introduction to Advaita Vedanta" and "Bhagavad Gita Home Study Vol 1" by Swami Dayananda Saraswati

In Search of Happiness

Q: If whatever we do is in search of happiness, then why is there so much pain and misery in the world?

Sri Sri: Whole our life we keep on running behind things with the hope of getting something. We keep on looking for some kind of profit. How would such person experience happiness? Neither does a greedy person get happiness nor does a person who is bombarded with too many desires.

The one who relaxes in his consciousness, is happy. One who is centered, experiences the true happiness. I am not saying there is no happiness in the outer world, but the happiness you get when you go within is incomparable.

The world is running in search of happiness. The body gets baked, the mind gets baked, the intellect gets deluded but still we keep on getting stuck in the same repetitive cycle. When you meet the Guru, you come to know that you are the source of happiness. Then the mind calms down, and you realize that you are the one in whose search you kept on running here and there.

Whatever is essentially sought after by every human being is called purusartha in Sanskrit.  The universal search of happiness, the human goals are called as pursartha.

All our pursuits can be grouped into the following four categories.

artha                      securities;

kama                      pleasures;

dharma                  ethics;

moksa                    liberation.

All four are collectively called purusartha that which is longed for by human beings. Purusa, the human being, struggles for these goals.

Although each individual seeks something peculiar, there are four ends that everyone seeks. The universal ends most commonly sought after are security and pleasure - artha and kama.

Seeking pleasure is a purusartha, called kama. We are in search of things that are pleasing to us and which will make us happy. This purusartha is called kama. Kama can be sensory pleasures, intellectual pleasures or pleasure when we appreciate nature, art or music.

That which gives you any kind of security - emotional, economical, or social, is called artha.  We want to protect our assets and possessions and keep them secure. This pursuit is artha.

There is a third purusartha, dharma, that is neither artha nor kama. We seek kama and artha in an ethical, legitimate and dharmic way. Dharma is a means of seeking kama and artha.

We feel happy when we help somebody, alleviate somebody’s sufferings or do charitable actions. Dharma refers to the pleasure born of harmony with nature and the society, the pleasure derived from friendship, sharing, helping another person, and so on.

The pleasurable rewards of punya, are often reserved for heaven. The rituals and other kinds of action that will take one to heaven are told in the first section of the Veda.  After death, a person likes to go to heaven. In such a case, this person seeks dharma as a goal. So dharma is a means as well as a goal.

When we do a puja, during sanklapa  we chant -

धर्मार्थ काम मोक्ष चतुर्विध फल पुरुशार्थ सिद्ध्यर्थं।

dharmārtha kāma mokṣa caturvidha phala puruśārtha siddhyarthaṁ |

It is important to note that sastra allows legitimate pursuit of purushartha and provides many means to reach these goals.

Without violating dharma, doing what is to be done, you pursue artha and kama, security and pleasure. This is how these three universal human pursuits are to be understood.

Sastra says that all our accomplishments of pursuing kama, artha and dharma have the following three dosas - defects or limitations.

1. bandakatvam - These achievements cause bondage. We find that we are unable to remain happy without these objects. We are bound to our wealth, our families and our relationships.

2. atriptikaratvam  - These accomplishments do not satisfy us fully. The happiness that we get by our ends are only fleeting and mercurial in nature. We get bored and look for something else. The same item does not satisfy us any more after some time.

Sastra says that going to heaven is not a final solution. When one exhausts his punya, that person to take another birth again!

Note that philosophies other than advaita would assert that heaven is a permanently happy place.

3. dukha misri tattvam - The happiness that we get when we achieve something is always mixed with sorrow. While enjoying an ice cream, we are worried about the calories, catching the cold or the fact that as we eat, the ice cream is reducing. Acaryas go to the extent that all our ends are only full of sorrow.

On analysis, we find that our gains are also impermanent. We examine all our experiences and find that we are still unhappy, except for some fleeting moments. Then we develop a vairagya - dispassion towards dharma, artha and kama.

Mundakopanisad 1.2.12 says that a qualified person who has investigated into the nature of anityatvam - impermanence of the worldly pleasures should approach a traditional teacher who is a srotriya - well versed in scriptures and a brahma nista - has a clear knowledge about brahman.

Mundaka 1 - Khanda 2 - Mantra 12
परीक्ष्य लोकान्‌ कर्मचितान्‌ ब्राह्मणः निर्वेदमायाद् नास्त्यकृतः कृतेन। तद्विज्ञानार्थं स गुरुमेवाभिगच्छेत्‌ समित्पाणिः श्रोत्रियं ब्रह्मनिष्ठम्‌॥
parīkṣya lokān karmacitān brāhmaṇaḥ nirvedamāyād nāstyakṛtaḥ kṛtena | tadvijñānārthaṁ sa gurumevābhigacchet samitpāṇiḥ śrotriyaṁ brahmaniṣṭham ||
karmacitan - gained by doing actions (and meditation); lokan - the experiences; pariksya - examining; brahmanah - discriminative person; nirvedam ayat - may discover dispassion; akrtah - moksa which is not created; krtena -through the action or meditation; na asti - not there; tat -that; vijnanartham - to know; sah - he; gurum - to a teacher; eva - only; abhigacchet - must go; srotriyam - one who is well-versed in scriptures; brahmanistham - one who has clarity about Brahman; samitpanih - with sacrificial twigs in hand
‘Examining the experiences gained by doing actions and meditation, may the discriminative person discover dispassion. Moksa, which is not created, cannot be gained through action. Therefore, to gain the knowledge of Brahman, he must go with sacrificial twigs in hand to a teacher who is well-versed in scriptures and who has clear knowledge about Brahman.’

Bhagavan Sri Krishna taught Bhagavad Gita in order to remove the pain and misery of Arjuna. A qualified person should study Bhagavad Gita sastram well under a live competent guru for a length of time.

Purusartha Niscaya

Purusarta Niscaya

When our mind - buddhi is very clear about our goal and seeks that goal in preference to everything else, that mind is referred to as vyavasayatmika buddhi in Bhagavad Gita Ch2: Verse 41.

2-41
व्यवसायात्मिका बुद्धिरेकेह कुरुनन्दन। बहुशाखा ह्यनन्ताश्च बुद्धयोऽव्यवसायिनाम्‌॥
vyavasāyātmikā buddhirekeha kurunandana | bahuśākhā hyanantāśca buddhayo'vyavasāyinām ||
kurunandana - Oh! Descendant of Kurus; iha - with reference to this (moksa); vyavasayatmika - well-ascertained; buddhih - understanding; eka - is one; avyavasayinam - of the indiscriminate; buddhayah - notions; hi - indeed; bahu-sakhah - many-branched; ca - and; anantah - innumerable
With reference to this (moksa), Oh! Descendant of Kurus, there is a single, well-ascertained understanding. The notions of those who lack discrimination are many-branched and innumerable indeed.

A mumuksu is a seeker who has a desire for only moksa. That person has got the purusarta niscaya.

Purusarta

A human being sees himself as a deficient person. His constant, compulsive pursuits make his sense of inadequacy evident. To escape from this deficiency, he struggles for a large number of things in life which fall under four main headings:

artha                      securities;

kama                      pleasures;

dharma                  ethics;

moksa                    liberation.

All four are collectively called purusartha that which is longed for by human beings. These are the goals purusa, the human being, struggles for.

(Reference: Introduction to Vedanta – Swami Dayananda Saraswati.)

How to get vyavasatmika buddhi?

The vision of the Gita is that you are already free; you cannot be improved upon. Since you are already param brahma, it is knowledge alone that liberates you.

To gain the knowledge that liberates you, you should find a teacher and ask for the knowledge.

In spite of the availability of such teaching, however, there is no guarantee that one will gain the knowledge because the place where it must occur may not be ready.

You need to prepare your mind

Knowledge has to take place in the mind. Physically, one may be a mature person, an adult, but this does not mean that the mind, the antah-karana, is ready for the teaching. A certain maturity, a certain viveka is necessary. The teaching may be given for the asking, but the mind must be ready for it.

You must be desirous of the knowledge, not out of curiosity, but out of a certain discrimination, viveka, on your part. Then only can you ask for this knowledge and hope to receive it. The mind that is necessary in order to receive the knowledge is accomplished by karma yoga.

You can choose a life-style of karma-yoga, performing karma with a prayerful attitude. Or you can choose a life of renunciation involving only sankhya, knowledge. Sankhya and sannyasa go together, since sannyasa is taken for the sake of pursuing knowledge to the exclusion of any other activity.

By simply becoming a sannyasi, one does not become enlightened. A sannyasi also has to gain knowledge.

Similarly, by karma-yoga alone, you do not gain liberation. You have to gain knowledge. Knowledge, therefore, is common to both. Knowledge liberates, for which you require a mind which has been made ready by yoga. A sannyasi may follow the astanga-yoga upto its final limb of samadhi. But it too comes under karma-yoga because it is an action to be done to purify the antah-karana for the sake of gaining the knowledge. Any technique that helps to acquire steadiness of mind is useful and may be employed even by a sannyasi.

(Reference: Bhagavad Gita Home Study – Swami Dayananda Saraswati)

How to get a Guru?

It is said that when we have accrued sufficient punya, we will get an appropriate guru. Many believe that a sadguru will choose a disciple, when a desciple is ready.

What sastra says is given below:-

Mundaka 1 - Khanda 2 - Mantra 12
परीक्ष्य लोकान्‌ कर्मचितान्‌ ब्राह्मणः निर्वेदमायाद् नास्त्यकृतः कृतेन। तद्विज्ञानार्थं स गुरुमेवाभिगच्छेत्‌ समित्पाणिः श्रोत्रियं ब्रह्मनिष्ठम्‌॥
parīkṣya lokān karmacitān brāhmaṇaḥ nirvedamāyād nāstyakṛtaḥ kṛtena | tadvijñānārthaṁ sa gurumevābhigacchet samitpāṇiḥ śrotriyaṁ brahmaniṣṭham ||
karmacitan - gained by doing actions (and meditation); lokan - the experiences; pariksya - examining; brahmanah - discriminative person; nirvedam ayat - may discover dispassion; akrtah - moksa which is not created; krtena -through the action or meditation; na asti - not there; tat -that; vijnanartham - to know; sah - he; gurum - to a teacher; eva - only; abhigacchet - must go; srotriyam - one who is well-versed in scriptures; brahmanistham - one who has clarity about Brahman; samitpanih - with sacrificial twigs in hand
‘Examining the experiences gained by doing actions and meditation, may the discriminative person discover dispassion. Moksa, which is not created, cannot be gained through action. Therefore, to gain the knowledge of Brahman, he must go with sacrificial twigs in hand to a teacher who is well-versed in scriptures and who has clear knowledge about Brahman.’

Pariksya lokan karmacitan : having analysed the lokas gained by actions. Then, one develops a dispassion towards all these experiences. One does not require going through all experiences here. One need not go to heaven also. So, sruti says, pariksya, examining purely by buddhi. It is not going through the experience, and afterwards examining what happened.

(Reference: Mudokapanisad – Swami Dayananda Saraswati)