MOkshasaadhanam (Means of Liberation) - 3

Krishna Sastri

Aum

We have so far seen that the qualifications of a student desiring Moksha include Viraktham and thyakthaputhraviththalokaishaNam. There are more! He must have the control of his mind that has enormous ability to wander. He must have control over the senses that are always outbound. He must also have compassion towards all beings. (samadhamadhayaadhiyuktham). He must also have studied the saasthras and be well versed in them so as to qualify himself to be a sishya. (saasthraprasiddhasishyaguNasampannam). He alone is a Brahmana worthy enough to approach a Guru because the phalasruthi of Vishnu Sahasranaamam says: “VEdhaanthakO BraahmaNasyaath”.

The sishya should approach a Guru with dried twigs (samithu) in his hand indicating that his desires have been dried up like the twigs. He should prostrate before the Guru and implore to him: “Bhagavan, please instruct me of that which is imperishable”.

The knowledge that a sishya receives from his Guru must be firmly grasped because then only can he attain Moksha. This also enables him to impart it to another down the road. Otherwise the knowledge given by the Guru would be wasted.

The importance of the knowledge is that it is like a boat that enables one to cross a turbulent river. But no knowledge can be gained without a teacher. Chandogyopanishad says: “Aachaaryavaan purusha veda”, a man having a teacher acquires knowledge (of Brahman). A sishya may give his Guru riches and even the whole world, yet the knowledge he has received is far greater than the whole world. The Upanishad says that the teacher is the pilot blazing the trail!

GURU

The Guru who teaches worldly knowledge and the Guru who teaches Gnaana are not the same. The teacher of Gnaana can be described as follows:

He is equipped to argue both sides of the argument – the pro and the con. He is a peaceful person full of tranquility, self-control, compassion and desire to help others. He is well versed in the saasthras. He is unattached to enjoyments of this world or the next. He is a knower of Brahman and is established in It. He is not given to any adharmic acts. He has no personal shortcomings such as pride, deceit, cunning, jugglery, jealousy, untruth, and attachment. His sole aim is to help others with imparting the knowledge of Brahman. For example, the Chandogyopanishad the teacher starts off saying: “My child, in the beginning it (the universe) was Existence only, one alone without a second.” “In the beginning all this was but the one Self.” And “this is verily Brahman.”

The qualified sishya thus approaching the Guru gets to know the definition of Brahman through such Sruthi texts such as “ya aathmaapahatha paapma” (The Self is devoid of sins), “yathsaakshaathparOkshaath Brahma” ((The Brahman is immediate and direct), “nEthi, nEthi” (not this, not this), “asthoolamanaNu” (neither gross nor subtle), “adhrushtam dhrushta” (It is the Seer, Itself unseen), “vignaanamaanandham” (Knowledge, Bliss) “Sathyam Gnaanam Anantham” (Existence-Knowledge-Infinite), “apraaNOhyamanaa:” (without the vital force or the mind), “vignaana gaNa Eva” (consisting of knowledge only), “anantharamabhaahyam” (without interior or exterior), “aakaasOvai naama” (called Aakaasa, the self-effulgent One). The Smrithis such as Bhagavat Geetha says: ‘na jaayathE mriyathE vaa’ (it is unborn and undying), ‘naadhatthe kasyachithpaapam’ (it is not affected by anyone’s paapam) ‘kshethragnam chaapi maam viddhi’ (The individual Self is the same as the Universal Self), ‘samam sarvEshu bhoothEshu’ (the same in all beings) ‘utthama: purushathvanya:’ (this Purusha is different).

The above prove that the inner most Self is beyond the transmigratory existence and is non-different from Brahman.