Greatness of liberated self

The liberated self actually is rid of anava, karma and maya . In addition, it embraces the Divine Grace and attains the Lotus Feet of Lord Shiva. Once this liberation is achieved by the tireless effort of the self by the Grace of God, the self may abandon the body, instruments of knowledge and its worldly experience or it may also continue to live in the body. The latter is called a “jivan mukta”—a person getting release from the clutches of bonds and embracing the Divine Grace even while he is alive.

The application of jnana Shakti and the kriya Shakti of the preceptor destroys the agamiya and sancitakarma of the self.^[1] The prarabdha karma is conquered by experiencing the same by the self without aversion or desire. Since the self is thus liberated from the three-fold karmas ,it gets rid of the bonds of maya and the relentless anavamala .

The primal bond which was present forever as well as everywhere continues to remain with the self, its strength totally weakened. The state of union with the Divine Grace then grows into Bliss of unitive life—tending to unite with Shiva.^[2]

The experience of the self in unitive life with God makes the self completely absorbed in Him just like an eye turns its gaze from the outer light to the inner glow of the self. The self remains under the influence of the inner glow. The experience of God-Bliss is the resultant of manifestation of God-hood or Divine -hood. It is the consciousness of realization by the self becoming one with God who has been otherwise hidden with the self for long (thonmaiyil). The jivan mukta becomes devoid of any iota of imperfection and remains immersed in Pati Jnana thereby totally enjoying the Bliss as though they are unaware of any other worldly affairs. This manifestation is unmediated and uninterrupted. This condition of advaitic union in shuddha avastha is termed by Umapati Shivam as "sleep",^[3] implying thatthe self is asleep with regard to pasha . Umapati Shivam refers to this accomplished character of the self's experience as a state of ecstatic love,^[4] wherein its functions are not excercised in the same way as it excercised earlier in its empirical life.

Vajravel Mudaliar in his commentary on 12th sutra of Mapadiam says: “The self who is freed and has reached the sacred feet in unforgetting love may be in body. While in body, it will be possible for its thought, desire and activityto objectify the external world. In that case, this aphorism directs the three aspects of the consciousness of the freed self to objectify God and God alone. Thereby this aphorism makes it clear as to how the Primal Being, which transcends thought and speech, can be conceived as being thought of and spoken about”.

The self, in its sakala state of empirical life functioned as though it was itself anavamala . The cognitive, active, and conative aspects of the self were totally under the control of the mala . In shuddha avastha—the liberated state of the self—these functions have no relevance with reference to space, time, station, spiritual discipline, yogic seats, sect, quality, attachment to fame and reputation, fasts, rules of conduct, penance, muttering prayers and meditation etc. The liberated person never gives up these practiceswillingly, but they disappear like things in the hands of people who are in deep sleep.^[5]

The liberated self carries out functions automatically according to its regular habits and gets immersed in all three types of functions–cognitive, active and conative–towards the Primal Being only. The liberated self is asleep to all other things of this world.^[6]

Here Umapati Shivam reminds us that the persons perform Carya,kriya ,and yoga and do worship (puja), either externalized or interiorized. The experience of ajivan mukta is neither like external worship of God nor that of the internal one of the yogin . It is totally unlike anything pertaining to this world. The experience of Pati Jnana or the God–knowledge revealing transcendent God stands on a higher level than those other worships already mentioned.It stands on a level qualitatively different from them . However this worshipper of God-hood lives and acts in this world accommodating persons with mala . He may keep company and participate with other worshippers. But they remain distinguished due to their orientation directed by Pati Jnana ; these jivan muktas are described as being above law. They have no rules to obey, irrespective of the reason being right or wrong.^[7]

Such a jivan mukta shall always be enjoying the Bliss. This is similar to other worldly people under Tamoguna [tamogunam] enjoying the pleasures and pain in the world due to the impact of pasha.^[8] The latter are under ignorance and the mala arrests their capability to know and exercise discretion. The events in their life drift them so that they surrender to the same and never think of Divine Grace. In the same way, jivan mukta is inhibited from distraction in this worldly life but his life is full of deep ecstasy affirming the drift of events as Divine light itself. He is absorbed in the total Divinity and Grace, thereby enjoying an experience of Supreme Bliss.^[9]

Arulnandi Shivam says that the liberated person, jivan mukta , is the exemplar devotee, the exemplar doer of rites and exemplar yogin . He works in the direction of yoga , kriya and Carya .^[10] Umapati Shivam also reminds that jnana is a continuous process. The liberated person is performing all the four steps of worship and meditation.Umapati Shivam says that just like the space accommodates all the other elements as well as permeates in their very being, Divine Grace also gives room for all the beings and non-beings as well as permeates them. Jivan mukta sees everything as Divine Grace—nothing but Grace.^[11] In this process, his attitude wholly and completely gets modified; the whole universe is viewed as the body of the Divine Grace, just like the body and the self remain together.^[12]

Jivan mukta is thus performing the abstract meditation—yoga—thereby remaining fixed in the highest state of realization of jnana .He looks upon all the tattvas from earth onwards as impermanent and vanishing in the light of God’s Grace as well as sheltering under that Grace only. It strikes to his mind that he should look at everything through the eye of Divine Grace. He identifies the entire universe as the meaning of the holy pancakshara . As such he performs the spiritual worship of the omnipresence of the Primal Being. This is kriya performed by jivan mukta while remaining in jnana .^[13]

Umapati Shivam further says that the jivan mukta performs the Carya worship also while remaining in jnana:—

“Those who have drunk the nectar of Divine Grace arising from the ocean of Divine Knowledge look upon the devotees and the holy images worshipped by the devotees as identical with the Supreme Being unreachable byeven the Devas.The realised jnani is also the devotee par excellance, who with tears of joy and lisping tongue lovingly worships the Lord”^[14].

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

Ellaiyil piravi nalgum iruvinai yeriser vitthin—Sivaprakasam 89.

[2]:

Ondri nugarvadhu ivan unum urutozhilum
Endrum idaiyil idam illai —Vinavenba 12.
It is God that secures the deserts of each according to his karma , in bhanda , as He is with them in all their acts and in all their enjoyments. When freed also, though they perform karma it is God that enjoys the fruits of karma and not the Jivanmukta . They are not tainted by the karma they do, as they had dedicated all their acts to God.—Subramania pillai.K., (Vina Venbacommentary, Dharumapuram Adinam, 1947), 15.

[3]:

Tinguru mayai sera vagai, vinai tirivitatthal
Ningida, ninga mula niraiyirul iriya, neyatthu
Ongunarvu agatthu adankki, ulatthul inbu odunga nere
Thunguvar thangi egath thonmaiyin thugali lore.—Sivaprakasam 93.
Ongu unarvin ulladangi ullatthul inbu odungath
Dhungumavar matru edhu undu sol.—Tiruvarutpayan 91.

[4]:

Inbil inidhu endral inru undel indru undam Anbu nilaiye adhu.—Tiruvarutpayan 80.

[5]:

Kurippidam kalam,dhikku,asanam, kolgaikulam kunamsir
Sirappuru viratham silam thavam sebham dhiyanam ellam
Marutthara ozhidhal seidhal maruvida mannu seidhi
Urakkuru bavarpol vaimai ozhindhavai ozhindhupome.—Sivaprakasam 94.
Desam, idam,kalam, dhikkuasanangal indrich
Cheivadhondrupol cheiyyach cheyaladhanaich cheidhangu
Usalpadummanamindri, ulaval, nittral ,
Urakkam, unarvu, undi, pattiniyirutthal, kidatthal
Masadhanil tuimayinil varumai, vazhvin
Varutthatthil, tirutthatthil, maidhunatthil, chinatthil
Asaiyinil veruppil ivai alladhum, yellam
Adaindhalum, gnanigal tamaranadiyai agalar.—Shivajnana-Siddhiyar-Supakkam 285.

[6]:

Onporutkan uttrarkku urupayane alladha
Kanpaduppor kaipporulpol kan .—Tiruvarutpayan 78.

[7]:

Padhahangngal seithidinum, kolai, kalavu, kallup
Payindridinum, neriyalla neri payittrivarinum
Sadhineri thappidinum thavarugal vandhidinum
Thanakku ena orseyal attruthan athuvai nirkil
Nadhanavan udaluyirai, undu urangi, nadandhu
Nanabhogangalaiyum thanagach cheidhu
Bhedhamaranindru ivanaitthan akkividuvan
Perugu Shivabhogam enap pesumneri idhuve .—Unmaineri-Vilakkam 6.
It is to be noted that Umapati Shivam has added a suffix “um-[...]” for all the demeritorious acts implying that such jivan muktas shall rarely resort to such acts in actual practice(in Tamil).
Ullum purambum orudhanmaik katchiyarukku ,
Ellum thiram edumil .—Tiruvarutpayan 96.
Urunthozhirku thakka payanulagam thattham
Varunthozhirku vaimai payan .—Tiruvarutpayan 97.

[8]:

Thamomayamai—Sivaprakasam 95.

[9]:

Anandhak kutthan arulperil avvanname
Anandhamagi nindradamo thonokkam.—Tiruvacakam 31-32.

[10]:

Gnani nalinukkum uriyan—Shivajnana-Siddhiyar-Supakkam 326.
Nalla Shiva dhanmatthal nalla Shivayogatthal
Nalla Shiva gnanatthal nanazhiya–valladhanal
Arenum anbu seyin angethalaippadum kan
Arenum kana aran.—Tirukkalitrupadiyar 15.

[11]:

Ellam Shivanena nindrai potri.—Devaram, Tirutthandagam.
Kanda padiye kandu kanamai kanamal Kondapadiye kondiru.—Tiruvarutpayan 60.

[12]:

Anda nayaganar meniyanadhel .—SP[...]

[13]:

Manmudhal karanam ellam maruasat thakki gnanak
Kannil undri andhak karutthinal evaiyum nokki
Enni anjezhutthu mari irainiraivu unarndhu pottral
Punniyan thanakku gnana pu saiyaip pugalum andre.—Sivaprakasam 97.
Kanbanum kattuvadhum kanbadhuvum nitthu unmai
Kanbargal nanmutthi kanargal–kanbanum
Kattuvadhum kanbadhuvum thankadandhaichchambandhan
Vattum neri varadhavar.—Vinavenba 11.

[14]:

Isanaiye panindhurugi inba migak kalip peydhal
Pesiya vai thazhuthazhuppak kannirin perundharai
Masila nirazhitthangu aruvidhara mayir silirppak
Kusiya udal kambith thiduvarmeik gunamullar.—Periya-Puranam 58.6.