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Is moksha a petty M-word?

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Ramkumar T.G. • July 17, 2002 


SrI:
asmad sarva gurubhyo nama:

Dear prapanna-s

It appears that according to our AcArya-s 
nitya-kainkarya is real goal as opposed to moksha.

but in his divine works, svAmi SrI deSika refers to
perumAL in many places as  'mukti-da:', 'mukun-da:' etc. 
For intance, He refers to thiruk-kachchi being one of 
the seven places that confer mukti.
("muththi tharum nagar-Ezhil mukiyamAm 
  kachchi thanil" - aDikkalap-paththu)

So I feel moksha may not merely be a 'kAmya-purushArtha' 
like dharma, artha & kAma are.

If moksha were not highest goal, then 
SArIraka-mImAsA (aka vedAnta-sUtra) would not discuss it. 

So I would like to understand the nature of moksha.
and I have the following questions.

 1) Is moksha just a  state of purified consciousness when 
    the jIva's knowledge (dharma-bhUta-gyAna) gets fully expanded 
    and its materialistic limitations (such as hunger, old-age,
    thirst, exhaustion etc) are eliminated, therby making the 
    jIva fit for uninterupted devotional service.

    Does moksha occur only at  the location of SrI-vaikuNTha 
    and nowhere else ?

    However after mukti, does the jIva perform devotional service
    whereever the Supreme Being desires?


 2) Does moksha refer to the place, SrI-vaikuNTham or parama-padam ?


 3) Nowadays many devotees find it fashionable to make moksha 
    insignificant M-word.
    They say things like
    "I don't care for moksha. All I care about is doing
     devotional service to perumAL even if it means naraka-vAsam".  

    In support of their view, they quote the following:
       
       "eRRaikkum **yEzh-yEzh** **piRavikkum** 
        unakku uRROmE AvOm umAkkE ATcheyvOm
        maRRai nam kAmangaL mARRu" (thiruppAvai 29)

       "pacchaimaa malai pOl mEni  pavazha-vaay kamalach chenkaN
        achchuthaa! amarar aErE! aayar tham kozhundhE! ennum,
        ichchuvai thavira yaan pOy indhira lOkam aaLum,
        **achchuvai*peRinum*vENdEn* arangamaa nakar-uLaane! "  
                                   (thirumaalai 2)

       "umbar ulagAnDu oru koDaikkIzh uruppasithan
        ampoR kalayalkul peRRAlum AdhariyEn
        sem-pavaLa vAyAn thiruvEnkaDam ennum
        emperumAn pon-malai-lEl yEdhEnum AvEnE" 
                 (perumAL thirumozhi 4.10)

       "sakRt tvad-AkAra-vilOka-nASayA 
           tRNI-kRta anuttama-bhukti-muktibhi:
        mahAtmabhi: mAm-avalOkyatAm naya
           kshaNepi te yad-viraha: ati-dus-saha: " 
                 (stotra-ratnam 56)

       "nirantaram nirviSatas tvadIyam 
             aspRshTa cintApada mAmirUpyam | 
        satyam SapE vAraNa-Saila-nAtha 
             vaikuNTha-vAsE'pi na mE abhilAsha: || " 
                    (varada-rAja-pancASat 49)
      

      But I personally feel that statements such as above are  
      aimed at just encouraging prapanna-s to not waste their 
      time in  useless material pursuits,  instead focus on 
      performing kainkarya right here and right now even
      before their karma-SarIram falls away. 

      I feel that AzhvArs & AcArya-s do not intend to contradict 
      the need to desire moksha. (= paripUrNa-brahma-anubhavam?)

      After all, it is said a person interested in moksha 
      (ie mumukshu) becomes a prapanna after acquiring
      tattva-gyAna and 'taking' SaraNAgati.

      Sure, SrI Ramanujacharya requests only nithya kaimkaryam 
      from the Lord, "nitya kinkaro bhavAni", and "nitya kinkaratAm 
      prArThayE".
      But does it make mOksha an insignificant 'M-word' ?


aDiyEn requests you all to provide enlightenment.

aDiyEn rAmAnuja dAsan
//Ramkumar

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