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Re: Consciousness in the state of moksha

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srivaishnavan • March 14, 2001 


SrI:
SrImathE Ramanujaya namah:

Dear Sriman Mani,

I don't know if I am trying to rush in where angels fear to tread.
I remember asmadhAchAryan mentioning in one of the kaalakshEpams (in 
one of the few that adiyEn had attended), that JivAthmA, when He 
attains mOksham, can choose to take sarIram (3, 5 sarIrams too can be 
taken) or can choose to have no sarIram at all. 

Also His Holiness added that: jIvAthmA at all times possesses jnAnam. 
and the simili is like the small bedroom lamp (kerosene lamp) which  
we had used in villages back home those yesteryears (when there was 
no elctricity). People used to tone down the light of this kerosene 
lamp by reducing its intensity (the thread) to such an extent (so 
little that it continues to glow appearing in blue colour and it does 
not get extiguished throughout the night. Similarly, the jIvan is 
hidden and toned down by karmA (dirt) and the jnAntvam always is 
there. Once the dirt is removed, he glows brilliant and is 
omniscient. The jIvA by its very nature is omniscient and it becomes 
so in the state of mOksham, as is also reflected in saasthrAs.. 
AchAryan said that this is echoed by Sri Ramanuja in His SriBhAshyam 
and also by Swamy desikan in His SrIsookthis.. (perhaps, he did not 
elaborate which one as he knew that adiyEn won't understand.)

Thus, He exists as a jIvA (individually) who is omniscient and hence 
knows all.. (shouldn't it incldue his past?)

Erudite scholars may forgive me for adiyen's indulgence. 
Regards
Narayana Narayana
adiyEn 

--- In bhakti-list@y..., Mani Varadarajan  wrote:
> 
> Dear Friends,
> 
> I have a doubt regarding Sri Ramanuja's opinion on an aspect of
> moksha.  The question is as follows.  In the state of moksha,
> the jIva is said to regain its true nature as a monadic centre
> of infinite consciousness.  All identification with the body
> ceases and the jIva is hereon blessed with the blissful vision of
> the paramAtman which overflows into divine service. However, does
> the jIva retain its memory of all its past births and its countless
> individual identities? Or does the jIva lose all idea of this
> identity and solely know itself as sesha of the paramAtman,
> without reference to any past karmas?
> 
> From what I gather, Sri Ramanuja does not explicitly present
> his view on this matter. Can one of our knowledgable members 
> inform me as to whether Sri Vedanta Desika has anything to
> say about this, or whether Sri Ramanuja does hint at an
> answer somewhere?
> 
> One vedAnta vAkya to consider is praSna upanishad 6.5:
> 
>    Just as rivers flowing toward the sea, having reached it,
>    lose themselves in it, their names and forms are lost and
>    there is only mention of the sea ...
> 
> Anyone who knows Sri Sankara's position on the matter from the
> vyavahArika standpoint is also requested to provide input.
> 
> Thanks,
> Mani


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