Tuesday, March 07, 2006
Story 11 - Grief of Arjuna after Yadukula Naasham
Srimad Bhagavatham – A Spiritual Insight - Story 11 - Grief of Arjuna after Yadukula Naasham
Yudhisthira lived with prosperity and happiness after performing various sacrifices. When all such prosperities came, he forgot about Sri Krishna. After some time, he remembered the Lord and thus sent Arjuna to enquire into Sri Krishna and about yadu kulam.
Arjuna thus went and he came back with a gloomy and worried face. Arjuna was as if like he was defeated and incapable of anything & without any vital force in him. Yudhisthira, seeing Arjuna thus, questioned him about Sri Krishna, Dwaraka and as well as the people in Dwaraka.
Having been questioned by Yudhisthira, Arjuna replied thus:
O King! I have been cheated and deprived of the relative of Sri Krishna (who has shed off his mortal coil) who has thus deprived me of my power which used to terrify even the Devaas.
The world becomes undesirable if the thought of the Lord is forgotten even for a moment – even as the body becomes dead if the vital force or Prana leaves it for a single second.
Let me concentrate on the Lord which will destroy the mind and its thoughts & thereby make one liberated.
Saying thus, Arjuna started contemplating on the Lord.
Explanation
The ultimate reality behind the world that we perceive as changing and impermanent is Consciousness. This Consciousness is variously termed as Brahman, Atman, Paramaatman, Bhagavan, Ishwara etc. All these are synonyms and in essence point to the one reality alone. The reality of Consciousness or Lord is one without a second and eternal. It is never changing and hence it is blissful in nature (that which is perfect, complete and constant alone can give eternal bliss). Since this reality is not non-existent like the horns of a hare or the son of a barren women, it is Existence in nature. Its very nature thus is Existence, Consciousness and Bliss absolute.
What is the relation of the reality with me? What am I going to gain by knowing such a reality?
Vedanta proclaims that the individual being of “I” is not different from the ultimate reality but it is the ultimate reality alone. This reality that “I am the Lord” is veiled through ignorance. This ignorance makes one forget one’s own real nature. Thus, when one’s own nature is forgotten, the reality is veiled & the Consciousness seems to be limited by the body and the mind – even as space seems to be limited by a pot and a room.
Thus, scriptures proclaim that whatever is present here is the Lord or the ultimate reality alone. Therefore, the guru of Uddaalaka says to his son Svethakethu that “TAT TVAM ASI” or THAT THOU ART.
Therefore, the ultimate reality is my own very nature & hence I am the ultimate reality.
Whatever is seen or perceived apart from the ultimate reality is an illusion in the non-dual ultimate reality of Lord. The moment a person forgets the Lord, he enters the world of illusion which is full of sorrow and sufferings.
This is what exactly happened with Arjuna – when the Lord left his mortal coil & left the Earth, the Earth entered into a state of wickedness, sorrow, sufferings which are collectively called as Kali. This shows us an important import that the moment the Lord’s thought leaves our mind, that very moment our mind enters into Kali or wicked thoughts which will lead us to sorrow and sufferings. Therefore, a seeker should always have the thought of the ultimate reality of Lord or Consciousness in the mind. Whatever other thoughts may come, but the seeker should always have this thought of the Lord in his mind. Such a person alone can realize the ultimate reality and thereby rejoice in the eternal bliss of the Lord. Others merely enter into likes and dislikes arising out of various thoughts which in turn take them to happiness and sorrow. Thus, the individual enters into the ocean of delusion termed as Samsaarah. But the real devotee is one who never forgets the Lord, not even for a moment. Such a devotee is a real jnaani who knows his own very nature of the Lord.
Thus, Srimad Bhagavatham here says that if the thought of Lord is there, then there is bliss alone (as the Lord alone is real and other things are mere illusions in the Lord). If the thought of Lord is not there, then the individual is entering into the big ocean of delusion and illusion which can give one sorrow and suffering alone (even though it might seem to give happiness in the beginning, it will give sorrow only in the long run).
Another important point to be remembered here is that the Lord’s real nature was not apprehended by the Pandavaas (not even by Arjuna) when the Lord was present in human body. This is what happens normally with a seeker. A seeker has the reality inside him, he has the Lord inside him as his very nature itself but still he doesn’t know his own reality and that the Lord is present in him and as him. But the moment sorrows come, he seeks the Lord and tries to search for the Lord to give him eternal happiness. This is the starting of a seeker’s journey towards his own very nature of Lord. When the seeker starts the journey, he posits a Lord different from himself and with a form. But when he proceeds further, he realizes that the Lord is not different from him but he is in him and that the Lord is his own very nature itself. Thus, enquiry into sorrow and sufferings leads one to the ultimate reality of Lord.
This is how Buddha also realized the reality after seeing sorrows and sufferings in the world. The famous four teachings of Buddha are
there is suffering in the world
the suffering has a cause
the cause is desire
suffering can be ended if desire is ended.
Thus, Buddha’s enlightenment or realization started with suffering (seen in other people or seeing other people as suffering).
It is human nature to remember the Lord at times of sorrow & forget him at the time of happiness. As Swami Chinmayananda beautifully puts it – if something bad happens, “GOD gave me this bad idea – he put that bad thought unto me” – if something good happens, “I did it!!!!” This is the nature of the mind and the Ego. Hence we saw Kunti Devi asking Krishna to give her sorrow so that she will remember the Lord at all times. Therefore, sorrows are also for realizing the ultimate reality alone. Whatever is present in the illusory world is also pointing out the ultimate reality alone. The water seen in desert is always pointing its substratum of desert only. Therefore all the things in the illusory world is also pointing out the ultimate reality of Lord alone – as Gita and scriptures proclaim “everything is pervaded by the Lord”.
Thus, a seeker when he gets sorrow should remember the ultimate reality and seek the Lord with surrender and devotion. Devotion is not just thinking God for just one time a day or going to temples daily. But devotion is constant worship of the Lord. Devotion is that state where the devotee cannot live even for a second without the Lord and his thoughts. Such a devotion is Jnaana or the ultimate reality itself because there the devotee ceases to exist & what exists is the Lord alone, one without a second.
Thus, when Arjuna was sad that Krishna had left his mortal coil, he contemplated on the Lord knowing that the body is not the reality but the Lord is the ultimate reality – the form of Krishna is not the real Krishna but Krishna is the all-pervasive Consciousness or Brahman. Knowing thus, he contemplated on the Lord and thereby his sorrows & delusions completely vanished. Here, thus we see the reality that the form of Krishna is not the ultimate reality but the ultimate reality is the Lord of the nature of Existence, Consciousness and Bliss absolute and one without a second. Form is subject to birth and death & the form of Gods are meant only for concentration and is not the ultimate reality.
Thus, Srimad Bhagavatham through Arjuna tells each one of us to contemplate on the ultimate reality of Lord which is without any form as it is all-pervasive (any form is limited by space) and whatever is being seen is the Lord alone (and hence his form also). There is nothing here different or distinct from the Lord. The Lord alone exists – other things are mere illusions in the ultimate reality of the Lord.
We will see next what Arjuna and the Pandavaas did along with contemplation on the Lord.
Srimad Bhagavatham – A Spiritual Insight - Story 11 - Grief of Arjuna after Yadukula Naasham (contd)
Suta continued (Slokas 1.15.28 & 1.15.30)
Thus contemplating on the lotus feet of the Lord, Arjun’s mind became calm and it was devoid of any impurities.
Arjuna’s mind which was in grief became purified as he concentrated on the ultimate reality of Lord.
Arjuna thus remembered what Krishna had explained to him (the song termed as Bhagavad Gita) and the knowledge imbibed in the teachings which he had forgotten due to ignorance, time and actions.
Having thus remembered the ultimate reality of Lord, Arjuna was relieved of all actions and the ignorance vanished. Having known that Dwaraka was submerged in water & the yadus fought amongst themselves & were destroyed & also that Krishna had left his mortal coil – Arjuna contemplated on the Lord and thereby he was liberated here itself.
Explanation
Arjuna was filled with grief as Krishna had left his mortal coil, the yadus were completely destroyed and Dwaraka was submerged in water. This is the normal feeling that a person has in the world. We find sorrow and suffering everywhere. Sometime it might be sorrow of demise of wife and other times it might be sorrow of not getting promotion. Thus money, fame, power, women etc affect our mind & we find man always worrying and sad for one reason or the other.
The sorrows and sufferings will not vanish if they are given temporary solutions in the form of Poojaas or bribes or taking into drinking etc. These sorrows are not real but only illusions in the ultimate reality of non-dual Brahman or Lord of the nature of Consciousness. Any illusion cannot be removed unless the substratum is known. Sorrows and sufferings are removed only when a person realizes his own very nature of BLISS ABSOLUTE. Until he realizes this, there will be sorrow.
A devotee who hasn’t realized the ultimate reality and who is not aware of the ultimate reality will be sad because of not being able to go to favourite temples, because of not getting time to pray to the Lord etc.
Thus, sorrows will be there unless the ultimate reality is known and it is sought out in order to remove the ignorance veil that blocks the knowledge and immediate experience of the ultimate reality of Lord or Consciousness.
These illusory sorrows can be removed by contemplation on the substratum of the illusion. The substratum of the illusion is the Lord of the nature of Existence, Consciousness and Bliss absolute. When the Lord is sought out, then the person proceeds towards removal of ignorance & thereby removal of sorrows & realization of his own very nature of Bliss absolute.
This is exactly what Arjuna did. Such a person who contemplates on the ultimate reality is a real bhaktha, he alone is a real jnaani. As Krishna says in Gita that “Vasudevah sarvam ithi” – a Jnaani is one who knows that everything is the Lord alone (the Lord here is the ultimate reality of Consciousness and not just mere forms of the Lord in the Earth).
When the ultimate reality is sought out through study of scriptures and the practice of sadhana (spiritual practices), the mind gets purified. The mind alone is the cause of sorrow and liberation. It is the mind which veils the real nature of Consciousness or Lord by means of bringing in other thoughts & imagination. Once, the mind is purified then the reality is seen even as the face is seen in a mirror which is pure (and doesn’t have any dust). Similarly when the mind is pure, then the Lord is realized as one’s own very nature.
The way to realize the Lord is complete and total devotion to the ultimate reality of Lord. Arjuna contemplated on the Lord and the message of the Gita – thereby he was liberated here itself. Thus, contemplation on the Lord is the direct path to realization.
What is the message of Bhagavad Gita?
Gita says that there is only one reality here, one without a second. The various objects seen in the world are nothing but mere illusions in the ultimate reality of Lord of the nature of Consciousness. Knowing that “I am the Lord” is the way to realizing one’s own real nature and thereby coming out of the beginningless illusion of world. The contemplation on the Lord is what is termed as Jnaana or knowledge. When this knowledge of the non-dual reality is there, then the individual realizes his own very nature of the non-dual reality (as there is nothing different from the non-dual reality). When a person realizes his own very nature of the ultimate reality, he is liberated and is a Mukta.
Vedanta says that mukthi is not to be attained after death but it can be attained here itself. This mukthi while present in the world is called Jeevan mukthi (liberated while living).
Srimad Bhagavatham here says that Arjuna was liberated here itself meaning that Arjuna became a jeevanmuktha (one who has realized his own very nature of the ultimate reality – everybody is the ultimate reality but knowing it is termed as liberation).
A person might know the ultimate reality as Existence, Consciousness and Bliss absolute – but still he might have various tendencies like a person getting addicted to liquor even though he knows it is not right to drink! These tendencies are due to ignorance. Even after knowing about the ultimate reality, until these tendencies are completely removed the person is not liberated and hence seems to suffer. The tendencies are mentioned as three by bhagavatham – time, ignorance and actions. Ignorance is the main cause of all problems. When ignorance completely vanishes on contemplation of the reality, the individual realizes his own very nature of non-dual reality of Lord. Thus, now there is nothing other than the reality to even be ignorant of or to act or for time to change! Thus, the tendencies completely vanish and the individual becomes one with the Lord & is liberated even while living. Thus, these tendencies vanish when contemplation on the reality is pursued ceaselessly.
There are varied opinions among scholars about liberation. Some say that a person is completely liberated only when the body is shed off. Others opine that a person is liberated the moment he realizes his own very nature of ultimate reality. These second set of people thus don’t differentiate between jeevanmukthi and videhamukthi (liberation or complete merging into the ultimate reality once the body is shed off). But a person should always remember that both these terms are based on the ignorant’s view alone. For the jnaani, there is nothing but the ultimate reality alone. Therefore for a realized being, there is neither body or the jeevanmukthi but only ultimate reality of Consciousness, one without a second. But such a jnaani might be seen as doing actions by the ignorant – this is ignorant’s perception alone & not the jnaanis.
Therefore it is appropriate to consider that both jeevanmukthi and videhamukthi are not different from each other but one and the same thing in essence but different due to the varied perception (from the view of the ignorant).
Thus, when the ultimate reality is realized, the person becomes liberated even while living. Through telling that Arjuna realized the ultimate reality here itself, Srimad Bhagavatham is telling us that we all have to realize here itself & now itself & not after going to Vaikunta or Kailash. Upanishads also proclaim the same that liberation should be had here itself.
Everything in the world is impermanent and changing. These changing things are nothing but illusions in the changeless entity of Lord or ultimate reality. When a person sees through the changing things to the changeless entity, he gets liberated from the sorrows & sufferings of the changing thing. This is liberation and realization of one’s own real nature of Consciousness. Each and every person is already the ultimate reality of Lord – but just have to realize it even as Arjuna did and thereby the individual will rejoice in the eternal bliss inherent in the Lord who is his very nature.
Yudhisthira lived with prosperity and happiness after performing various sacrifices. When all such prosperities came, he forgot about Sri Krishna. After some time, he remembered the Lord and thus sent Arjuna to enquire into Sri Krishna and about yadu kulam.
Arjuna thus went and he came back with a gloomy and worried face. Arjuna was as if like he was defeated and incapable of anything & without any vital force in him. Yudhisthira, seeing Arjuna thus, questioned him about Sri Krishna, Dwaraka and as well as the people in Dwaraka.
Having been questioned by Yudhisthira, Arjuna replied thus:
O King! I have been cheated and deprived of the relative of Sri Krishna (who has shed off his mortal coil) who has thus deprived me of my power which used to terrify even the Devaas.
The world becomes undesirable if the thought of the Lord is forgotten even for a moment – even as the body becomes dead if the vital force or Prana leaves it for a single second.
Let me concentrate on the Lord which will destroy the mind and its thoughts & thereby make one liberated.
Saying thus, Arjuna started contemplating on the Lord.
Explanation
The ultimate reality behind the world that we perceive as changing and impermanent is Consciousness. This Consciousness is variously termed as Brahman, Atman, Paramaatman, Bhagavan, Ishwara etc. All these are synonyms and in essence point to the one reality alone. The reality of Consciousness or Lord is one without a second and eternal. It is never changing and hence it is blissful in nature (that which is perfect, complete and constant alone can give eternal bliss). Since this reality is not non-existent like the horns of a hare or the son of a barren women, it is Existence in nature. Its very nature thus is Existence, Consciousness and Bliss absolute.
What is the relation of the reality with me? What am I going to gain by knowing such a reality?
Vedanta proclaims that the individual being of “I” is not different from the ultimate reality but it is the ultimate reality alone. This reality that “I am the Lord” is veiled through ignorance. This ignorance makes one forget one’s own real nature. Thus, when one’s own nature is forgotten, the reality is veiled & the Consciousness seems to be limited by the body and the mind – even as space seems to be limited by a pot and a room.
Thus, scriptures proclaim that whatever is present here is the Lord or the ultimate reality alone. Therefore, the guru of Uddaalaka says to his son Svethakethu that “TAT TVAM ASI” or THAT THOU ART.
Therefore, the ultimate reality is my own very nature & hence I am the ultimate reality.
Whatever is seen or perceived apart from the ultimate reality is an illusion in the non-dual ultimate reality of Lord. The moment a person forgets the Lord, he enters the world of illusion which is full of sorrow and sufferings.
This is what exactly happened with Arjuna – when the Lord left his mortal coil & left the Earth, the Earth entered into a state of wickedness, sorrow, sufferings which are collectively called as Kali. This shows us an important import that the moment the Lord’s thought leaves our mind, that very moment our mind enters into Kali or wicked thoughts which will lead us to sorrow and sufferings. Therefore, a seeker should always have the thought of the ultimate reality of Lord or Consciousness in the mind. Whatever other thoughts may come, but the seeker should always have this thought of the Lord in his mind. Such a person alone can realize the ultimate reality and thereby rejoice in the eternal bliss of the Lord. Others merely enter into likes and dislikes arising out of various thoughts which in turn take them to happiness and sorrow. Thus, the individual enters into the ocean of delusion termed as Samsaarah. But the real devotee is one who never forgets the Lord, not even for a moment. Such a devotee is a real jnaani who knows his own very nature of the Lord.
Thus, Srimad Bhagavatham here says that if the thought of Lord is there, then there is bliss alone (as the Lord alone is real and other things are mere illusions in the Lord). If the thought of Lord is not there, then the individual is entering into the big ocean of delusion and illusion which can give one sorrow and suffering alone (even though it might seem to give happiness in the beginning, it will give sorrow only in the long run).
Another important point to be remembered here is that the Lord’s real nature was not apprehended by the Pandavaas (not even by Arjuna) when the Lord was present in human body. This is what happens normally with a seeker. A seeker has the reality inside him, he has the Lord inside him as his very nature itself but still he doesn’t know his own reality and that the Lord is present in him and as him. But the moment sorrows come, he seeks the Lord and tries to search for the Lord to give him eternal happiness. This is the starting of a seeker’s journey towards his own very nature of Lord. When the seeker starts the journey, he posits a Lord different from himself and with a form. But when he proceeds further, he realizes that the Lord is not different from him but he is in him and that the Lord is his own very nature itself. Thus, enquiry into sorrow and sufferings leads one to the ultimate reality of Lord.
This is how Buddha also realized the reality after seeing sorrows and sufferings in the world. The famous four teachings of Buddha are
there is suffering in the world
the suffering has a cause
the cause is desire
suffering can be ended if desire is ended.
Thus, Buddha’s enlightenment or realization started with suffering (seen in other people or seeing other people as suffering).
It is human nature to remember the Lord at times of sorrow & forget him at the time of happiness. As Swami Chinmayananda beautifully puts it – if something bad happens, “GOD gave me this bad idea – he put that bad thought unto me” – if something good happens, “I did it!!!!” This is the nature of the mind and the Ego. Hence we saw Kunti Devi asking Krishna to give her sorrow so that she will remember the Lord at all times. Therefore, sorrows are also for realizing the ultimate reality alone. Whatever is present in the illusory world is also pointing out the ultimate reality alone. The water seen in desert is always pointing its substratum of desert only. Therefore all the things in the illusory world is also pointing out the ultimate reality of Lord alone – as Gita and scriptures proclaim “everything is pervaded by the Lord”.
Thus, a seeker when he gets sorrow should remember the ultimate reality and seek the Lord with surrender and devotion. Devotion is not just thinking God for just one time a day or going to temples daily. But devotion is constant worship of the Lord. Devotion is that state where the devotee cannot live even for a second without the Lord and his thoughts. Such a devotion is Jnaana or the ultimate reality itself because there the devotee ceases to exist & what exists is the Lord alone, one without a second.
Thus, when Arjuna was sad that Krishna had left his mortal coil, he contemplated on the Lord knowing that the body is not the reality but the Lord is the ultimate reality – the form of Krishna is not the real Krishna but Krishna is the all-pervasive Consciousness or Brahman. Knowing thus, he contemplated on the Lord and thereby his sorrows & delusions completely vanished. Here, thus we see the reality that the form of Krishna is not the ultimate reality but the ultimate reality is the Lord of the nature of Existence, Consciousness and Bliss absolute and one without a second. Form is subject to birth and death & the form of Gods are meant only for concentration and is not the ultimate reality.
Thus, Srimad Bhagavatham through Arjuna tells each one of us to contemplate on the ultimate reality of Lord which is without any form as it is all-pervasive (any form is limited by space) and whatever is being seen is the Lord alone (and hence his form also). There is nothing here different or distinct from the Lord. The Lord alone exists – other things are mere illusions in the ultimate reality of the Lord.
We will see next what Arjuna and the Pandavaas did along with contemplation on the Lord.
Srimad Bhagavatham – A Spiritual Insight - Story 11 - Grief of Arjuna after Yadukula Naasham (contd)
Suta continued (Slokas 1.15.28 & 1.15.30)
Thus contemplating on the lotus feet of the Lord, Arjun’s mind became calm and it was devoid of any impurities.
Arjuna’s mind which was in grief became purified as he concentrated on the ultimate reality of Lord.
Arjuna thus remembered what Krishna had explained to him (the song termed as Bhagavad Gita) and the knowledge imbibed in the teachings which he had forgotten due to ignorance, time and actions.
Having thus remembered the ultimate reality of Lord, Arjuna was relieved of all actions and the ignorance vanished. Having known that Dwaraka was submerged in water & the yadus fought amongst themselves & were destroyed & also that Krishna had left his mortal coil – Arjuna contemplated on the Lord and thereby he was liberated here itself.
Explanation
Arjuna was filled with grief as Krishna had left his mortal coil, the yadus were completely destroyed and Dwaraka was submerged in water. This is the normal feeling that a person has in the world. We find sorrow and suffering everywhere. Sometime it might be sorrow of demise of wife and other times it might be sorrow of not getting promotion. Thus money, fame, power, women etc affect our mind & we find man always worrying and sad for one reason or the other.
The sorrows and sufferings will not vanish if they are given temporary solutions in the form of Poojaas or bribes or taking into drinking etc. These sorrows are not real but only illusions in the ultimate reality of non-dual Brahman or Lord of the nature of Consciousness. Any illusion cannot be removed unless the substratum is known. Sorrows and sufferings are removed only when a person realizes his own very nature of BLISS ABSOLUTE. Until he realizes this, there will be sorrow.
A devotee who hasn’t realized the ultimate reality and who is not aware of the ultimate reality will be sad because of not being able to go to favourite temples, because of not getting time to pray to the Lord etc.
Thus, sorrows will be there unless the ultimate reality is known and it is sought out in order to remove the ignorance veil that blocks the knowledge and immediate experience of the ultimate reality of Lord or Consciousness.
These illusory sorrows can be removed by contemplation on the substratum of the illusion. The substratum of the illusion is the Lord of the nature of Existence, Consciousness and Bliss absolute. When the Lord is sought out, then the person proceeds towards removal of ignorance & thereby removal of sorrows & realization of his own very nature of Bliss absolute.
This is exactly what Arjuna did. Such a person who contemplates on the ultimate reality is a real bhaktha, he alone is a real jnaani. As Krishna says in Gita that “Vasudevah sarvam ithi” – a Jnaani is one who knows that everything is the Lord alone (the Lord here is the ultimate reality of Consciousness and not just mere forms of the Lord in the Earth).
When the ultimate reality is sought out through study of scriptures and the practice of sadhana (spiritual practices), the mind gets purified. The mind alone is the cause of sorrow and liberation. It is the mind which veils the real nature of Consciousness or Lord by means of bringing in other thoughts & imagination. Once, the mind is purified then the reality is seen even as the face is seen in a mirror which is pure (and doesn’t have any dust). Similarly when the mind is pure, then the Lord is realized as one’s own very nature.
The way to realize the Lord is complete and total devotion to the ultimate reality of Lord. Arjuna contemplated on the Lord and the message of the Gita – thereby he was liberated here itself. Thus, contemplation on the Lord is the direct path to realization.
What is the message of Bhagavad Gita?
Gita says that there is only one reality here, one without a second. The various objects seen in the world are nothing but mere illusions in the ultimate reality of Lord of the nature of Consciousness. Knowing that “I am the Lord” is the way to realizing one’s own real nature and thereby coming out of the beginningless illusion of world. The contemplation on the Lord is what is termed as Jnaana or knowledge. When this knowledge of the non-dual reality is there, then the individual realizes his own very nature of the non-dual reality (as there is nothing different from the non-dual reality). When a person realizes his own very nature of the ultimate reality, he is liberated and is a Mukta.
Vedanta says that mukthi is not to be attained after death but it can be attained here itself. This mukthi while present in the world is called Jeevan mukthi (liberated while living).
Srimad Bhagavatham here says that Arjuna was liberated here itself meaning that Arjuna became a jeevanmuktha (one who has realized his own very nature of the ultimate reality – everybody is the ultimate reality but knowing it is termed as liberation).
A person might know the ultimate reality as Existence, Consciousness and Bliss absolute – but still he might have various tendencies like a person getting addicted to liquor even though he knows it is not right to drink! These tendencies are due to ignorance. Even after knowing about the ultimate reality, until these tendencies are completely removed the person is not liberated and hence seems to suffer. The tendencies are mentioned as three by bhagavatham – time, ignorance and actions. Ignorance is the main cause of all problems. When ignorance completely vanishes on contemplation of the reality, the individual realizes his own very nature of non-dual reality of Lord. Thus, now there is nothing other than the reality to even be ignorant of or to act or for time to change! Thus, the tendencies completely vanish and the individual becomes one with the Lord & is liberated even while living. Thus, these tendencies vanish when contemplation on the reality is pursued ceaselessly.
There are varied opinions among scholars about liberation. Some say that a person is completely liberated only when the body is shed off. Others opine that a person is liberated the moment he realizes his own very nature of ultimate reality. These second set of people thus don’t differentiate between jeevanmukthi and videhamukthi (liberation or complete merging into the ultimate reality once the body is shed off). But a person should always remember that both these terms are based on the ignorant’s view alone. For the jnaani, there is nothing but the ultimate reality alone. Therefore for a realized being, there is neither body or the jeevanmukthi but only ultimate reality of Consciousness, one without a second. But such a jnaani might be seen as doing actions by the ignorant – this is ignorant’s perception alone & not the jnaanis.
Therefore it is appropriate to consider that both jeevanmukthi and videhamukthi are not different from each other but one and the same thing in essence but different due to the varied perception (from the view of the ignorant).
Thus, when the ultimate reality is realized, the person becomes liberated even while living. Through telling that Arjuna realized the ultimate reality here itself, Srimad Bhagavatham is telling us that we all have to realize here itself & now itself & not after going to Vaikunta or Kailash. Upanishads also proclaim the same that liberation should be had here itself.
Everything in the world is impermanent and changing. These changing things are nothing but illusions in the changeless entity of Lord or ultimate reality. When a person sees through the changing things to the changeless entity, he gets liberated from the sorrows & sufferings of the changing thing. This is liberation and realization of one’s own real nature of Consciousness. Each and every person is already the ultimate reality of Lord – but just have to realize it even as Arjuna did and thereby the individual will rejoice in the eternal bliss inherent in the Lord who is his very nature.
# posted by vedanta : 9:33 AM
