MOkshasaadhanam (Means of Liberation) - 2

Krishna Sastri

We have seen that MOkshasaadhanam is Gnaanam. How is it obtained? Let us see.

QUALIFICATIONS OF A STUDENT

First and foremost is that a student should be able to discriminate between that which is permanent and that which is transitory. This is essentially the function of the buddhi. It is attained by one by the grace of the most exalted deity Savithri. This grace is obtained by the meditation of the exalted Gayathri mathra. And the Gayathri is given to the son by the father when the son gets out of his childhood.

The Gayathri manthra is a prayer and meditation to this most extolled deity asking her to 'incite the buddhi so it can know the real from the unreal'. The real is permanent and the unreal is transitory. All that are transitory are 'wordly'.

There are indeed three worlds - the world of men (manushya loka), the world of Manes (pithru loka) and the world of Gods (deva loka). This manushya loka is won only through a son and not by any rites (karma); pithru loka is gained by performing karma such as agnihothra; and the deva loka is gained by vidhya or meditation. The world of gods is the best world and therefore vidhya is praised.

So for these three worlds the means are (a) son (puthra), (b) rites (karma) and (c) meditation (vidhya). The worlds are not permanent but transitory.

Wife is only an aid to the obtaining of a son and of the performance of karma (as you know only a grihastha is qualified to perform karma) and therefore is not a separate means. The wealth too is an aid in the performance of karma and so is not a separate means. Let us therefore see how a son, not being of the nature of an activity, is the means for gaining this manushya loka.

This is known from the karma called 'sampraththi'. When a father, knowing that he is going to die, calls his son and gives him his last instructions thus: "You are the Brahman, You are the karma, you are the loka". The son replies: "I am Brahman, I am karma and I am loka". This is the transfer of knowledge from the father to the son.

What are the meanings of these instructions?

Whatever have been studied by me and are yet to be studied is Brahman.

Whatever karma have been performed by me and those that are yet to be performed, they are indeed unified in the word 'karma'.

Whatever worlds there are, those I have won and those that I have yet to win are unified in the word 'loka'.

Thus a father, by this 'sampraththi' frees himself from the world by entrusting them to the son saying he should undertake the study, sacrifice and the winning of the worlds. By this transfer the father remains in this world as the son.

The word 'puthra' means 'one who saves'. By this tranfer to the puthra a man is saved from the unfulfilled duties.

Now the student should give up the desire for the son, for the wealth and for this world and the next to prove that he is indifferent to all things transitory so as to qualify himself to be instructed on Gnana.