7.2. Is Oneness With Parabrahman Possible?

This question is one of the most widely asked and discussed in the vivid groups of philosophies and has been extensively answered in the Svāminārāyaṇa School. Although the akṣaramuktas attain Parabrahman in Akṣaradhāma and attain qualities similar to those of Akṣarabrahman, they do not become the Akṣarabrahman tattva itself.^[1] Similarly, all the akṣaramuktas have a form like that of Parabrahman, yet none of them become the Parabrahman tattva.^[2] Then the narration in the scriptures indicates that a devotee attains qualities similar to Parabrahman; this simply means that the mukta becomes divine and independent like Parabrahman. As a result, māyā is incapable of defeating and binding the mukta.^[3] This is a unique characteristic of this doctrine of liberation in Svāminārāyaṇa Darśana.

Nityānanda Svāmī also asks this question in the Vacanāmṛta:

“As long as a mukta is associated with the guṇas, he is affected by places, times, etc. It is accepted, however, that Parabrahman is not influenced by places, times, etc.–even while He remains within the guṇas. But when all of the muktas are free from the association of the guṇas, and having become nirguṇa, dwell in Akṣaradhāma along with Parabrahman–who dwells there in the same manner–then all of the muktas are nirguṇa and composed of caitanya. Also, as explained by ‘mama sādharmyam-āgatāhā’, they have attained qualities similar to those of Parabrahman.^[4] How, then, should we understand the distinction between the muktas and Parabrahman?”

Svāminārāyaṇa provides an appropriate answer:

“A king and his servant are both the same in that both are humans, yet the authority, power, beauty, and charm of the king are by far superior. His servant, regardless of how great he may be, cannot achieve what the king can achieve. In the same way, Puruṣottama Nārāyaṇa is the all-doer, the cause of all, the controller of all; He is extremely attractive, extremely radiant, and extremely powerful; also, He possesses the kartum, akartum and anyathākartum powers. If He wishes, He can eclipse all of the muktas of Akṣaradhāma by His own divine light and prevail alone.”

In this way, Svāminārāyaṇa maintains the vital ontological distinction between liberated selves and Parabrahman in various discourses.^[5]

The Svāminārāyaṇa-bhāṣya also reveals the same truth. The verse reads:

tadā vidvān puṇyapāpe vidhūya
nirañjanaḥ paramaṃ sāmyamupaiti || Mundaka-upaniṣad 3/1/3 ||

“One who knows Parabrahman transcended even Akṣara removes all his miseries and attains the similarity of Him.”^[6]

Bhadreśadāsa comments:

“sāmyamupaitītyuktiḥ baddhāvasthayāṃ mokṣāvasthayāṃ vā sarvadā paramātmano jīveśvarātmataḥ tattvabhedaṃ vijñātumeva |” (Mundaka-upaniṣad 3/1/3, p.284)

“The verse ‘samyam upaiti’ explains itself that there must be a difference between Parabrahman and jīva-īśvara either in the bondage state or in the liberated state.”

The purpose and purport of writing this statement is clear that the word ‘similar’ itself brings two different entities. As Bhadreśadāsa acknowledges:

“svarūpābhede sāmyaṃ nopapadyeta sāmyasya bheda nibandhanatvāt”

“Similarity never occurs which is already one entity; therefore, the term itself brings two different entities.”

In the above descriptions on the mukti-mimāṃsā (in-depth reflections on liberation) in Svāminārāyaṇa Darśana, it is important to draw attention to the clear fact that in Akṣaradhāma, the akṣaramuktas maintain a distinct, individual existence. Unlike light, which merges in light, or water, which merges with water, the akṣaramuktas do not merge into either Akṣarabrahman or Parabrahman; they do not lose their own individuality.^[7]

However, sometimes the Śruti describes

yathā nadyaḥ syandamānāḥ samudre'staṃ gacchanti nāmarūpe vihāya |
tathā vidvān nāmarūpādvimuktaḥparātparaṃ puruṣamupaiti divyam || Mundaka-upaniṣad 3/2/8 || 388

“As the flowing rivers disappear in the sea, losing their name and their form; thus a wise man, freed from name and form, goes to the divine Parabrahman, who is greater than the great Akṣarabrahman.”

After hearing such an analogy one can imagine that the liberated self must merge into Parabrahman, but Bhadreśadāsa strongly refutes this position.

The Bhāṣyakāra elaborately discusses this topic and provides many arguments and states,

“A person who knows that a liberated self merges into the form of Parabrahman, it is his delusion.

“kecana bhrāntimavatiṣṭhate...atra nāmarūpaprahāṇamātre tātparyaṃ na tu tattvasvarūpaprahāṇe apīti jñeyam” (Mundaka-upaniṣad 3/2/8, p.298)

In reality the liberated self renounces the worldly or māyic name and form, not he waives its eternal form.”

Through being profoundly and lovingly attached to the divine form of Parabrahman or Puruṣottama, the akṣaramuktas remain immersed within his murti. Despite having their own independent existence, they have no awareness of it and are totally engrossed in the bliss of Parabrahman's darśana.^[8]

The devotee finds the highest fulfillment in the unitive taste of oneness with Parabrahman, without losing its separateness and his relationship with Parabrahman as His devout servant. Thus, Svāminārāyaṇa takes care of logical and intellectual need for unity, emotional and psychological need for enjoying unalloyed bliss and moral and spiritual need for mystic union despite separate existence. Hence, both in the pre and post emancipated states, Parabrahman and jīvātman are distinct but not divorceable; they are one and inseparable psychologically, but distinct and separate actually.

As Dr. S. Rādhākṛṣṇana points out,

“The Taittirīya UP, makes out that the liberated self feels his oneness with Parabrahman, but it is not absorbed in the Absolute. It is the unity of spirit but not of substance.”^[9]

The same truth, in line with the Śruti, Svāminārāyaṇa alleges. He holds that the mukta lovingly gets absorbed in the absolute (i.e Puruṣottama-Nārāyaṇa), the fountainhead of unalloyed bliss. How can a released self attain sārupya i.e. similarity of form, if Parabrahman does not have any form? The scriptures proclaim in unambiguous terms that released selfs attain similarly (sāmya), with Parabrahman having form and complexion of golden hue.

The Śruti proclaims: i.e., he who attains me, attains similarity with me. He attains characteristics resembling me. If a liberated self attains (similarity) with Parabrahman, how can he ever serve Him? It may be pointed out that the Akṣarabrahman who is eternally free, who has form resembling Parabrahman, who has most of the characteristics similar to Parabrahman, serves Him in the best manner from eternity with servile-devotion. In the like manner, every freed self acquires form similar to Parabrahman and has most characteristics resembling Parabrahman. Nevertheless, they emulate or model Akṣarabrahman in serving Parabrahman devoutly and deriving the joy of servile-devotion. Thus, liberated selfs acquire the characteristics similar to Akṣarabrahman, who is eternally free and the best among the devotees.^[10]

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

We already discussed this factor in the topic-Does jīva become Brahman through this oneness?

[2]:

Vacanāmṛta Kāriyānī 8, Loyā 4, Gadh.3/37, Sār. 11, Kār. 1, Gadh.3/37

[3]:

This principle was also elucidated in the third chapter.

[4]:

It should be understand similar to Akṣarabrahman.

[5]:

Vacanāmṛta Sārangpur 11, Kār. l, Loyā.13, Gadh. 2/38 and Gadh. 3/3

[6]:

ata idaṃ paramaṃ sāmyaṃ khalu brahmākṣara sādharmyānnātiricyate (Mundaka-upaniṣad 3/1/3, p.284)

[7]:

Vacanāmṛta Gadhadā II/38, Gadh. 3/33

[8]:

MuU 3/1/3, Bhagavad-Gītā 4.10 and Bhagavad-Gītā 14/2. See also Brahmasūtras-Svāminārāyaṇa-bhāṣya 2/2/18 p.326; Brahmasūtras-Svāminārāyaṇa-bhāṣya 4/2/15, p. 402; Brahmasūtras-Svāminārāyaṇa-bhāṣya 4/4/4, p. 419; Brahmasūtras-Svāminārāyaṇa-bhāṣya 4/4/17, pp. 427-428; MuU-Svāminārāyaṇa-bhāṣya 3/2/7-8 p.297-298; MuU-Svāminārāyaṇa-bhāṣya 3/1/3, p.284; Bhagavad-Gītā-Svāminārāyaṇa-bhāṣya 4/10, pp. 97–98; Bhagavad-Gītā-Svāminārāyaṇa-bhāṣya 14/2, pp.292-293.

[9]:

Rādhākṛṣṇana S.S., Eastern Religions And Western Thought. oxford University Press, London, 1940, p.132,

[10]:

Bhagavad-Gītā 14/2