Aum

MOkshasaadhanam (Means of Liberation) – 12

by Krishna Sastri

sathsangathvE nissngathvam
nissangathvE nirmohathvam |
nirmohathvE nishchalatatthvam
nishchalatatthvE jiivanmukthi: || (Bajagovindam)

A jeeva is destined to do karma by the sheer force of his samskaara .

What is samskaara ?

Samskara is the impression of thoughts and actions and latent tendencies. Samskara could be inferred as the bait to do further karma !

What is the role of samskaara ?

By the idea that a certain karma brings certain fruit. In other words, there is a fruit for each karma . Samskaara is the catalytic agent between the karmi and the karma.

How does that happen?

This happens because of a person’s attachment to objects that range from one’s own body to his kith and kin, his environment, his place of abode, his country and so on. This is basically the avidhya that causes a person to perform his karma and the samskaara narrows the range of his actions.

When you consider Bhagavan Ramana’s words “ ChitthasOdhakam Mukthisaadhakam ” you realize that the condition for Liberation is the cleansing of the heart. Why? Because it contains, among other things, the samskaara and this has to be got ridden of first.

How is it done?

Adi Sankara gives out the answer. “ sathsangathvE nissangathvam ”. The attachment should be turned into detachment! This is possible by joining a sathsangam (which is essentially Easwara Bhakthi) as the first step. Sathsangam enables him to realize the function of Easwara not only in His role in Srishti, Sthithi and Laya but also in the dispensation of the fruits of karma. . It makes him to realize that whatever karma he does is actually because of his attachments. “ Karthur aagnayaa praapyathE phalam ”. The range of things that a jeeva can do is actually micromanaged by Easwara by the dispensation of the fruits of karma that one would realize that the real doer is Eawara and not the jeeva . Once Bhagavan was asked if the sneezing or the hiccup of a person are also the works of Easwara, Bhagavan replied in the affirmative! The same view can been seen in Vishnu Sahasranamam: “ YagnO yangnapathir yajwa yangnaangO yagnavaahana: ”, i.e. the sacrifice, the Lord of sacrifice, sacrificer, the various aspects of sacrifice and also the vehicle of sacrifice – all are Vishnu only. Sarvam Vishnu mayam jagath!

What does this ‘ nissangam ’ or detachment do to us?

It enables us to deny the temptation of the object!

The objects range from one’s own body to the whole world that a person gets attached to.

This temptation of the objects causes a person to replicate them, or preserve or defend them or even destroy them.

So the objects lead to temptation. Temptation leads to karma. And karma leads to reincarnation!

This ‘ nirmOhathwam ’. destroys the temptation of the objects and thus denies ones need to work.

This ‘ nirmOhathwam ’ is essentially a person’s realization that the repeated births to which he is subjected to are not only useless but also painful.

This leads one to the highest satsangam which is the surrender to a Guru.

“nirmohathvE nishchalatatthvam”. The surrender to a Guru brings one the ‘MOkshasaadhanam’ or Gnaanam. ‘NishchalatatthvE jiivanmukti:’. Gnaanam leads one to Liberation from samsaara.

Adi Sankara in his famous Soundarya lahari highlights the Grace of God (here in the form of AmbaaL).

Avidyanam antas-timira-mihira-dweeppa-nagari

jadanam chaitanya-stabaka-makaranda-sruti jhari

daridranam chintha-mani-gunanika janma-jaladhau

nibagnaanaam damshtra mura-ripu-varahasya bhavati.

To the one who is immersed in avidya , the Grace of AmbaaL is like lifting a person who is lost in a thick, dark forest to the top of a mountain on an island where his vision is now totally unobstructed;

To a (inert) hard hearted being her Grace is like transforming him into a sentience being dripping with the sweetness of the nectar of a fresh flower;

To the one immersed in poverty AmbaaL’s Grace is like the obtaining of a magical gem that brings every kind of wealth he would desire; and

To the one drowned in samsaara Her Grace is like that of Lord Vishnu lifting the mother earth that was immersed by the asura into the abysmal depth of a roaring ocean.
(Unfortunately the English language cannot reveal the piety and beauty involved in the poems of Adi Sankara).

Whether it be dense dark forest, or heartlessness, or utter poverty or the indescribable dhukkam - they are all different aspects of one and the same samsaara.
(contd.)