JIVANMUKTA -1: SATASLOKI OF SHANKARACHARYA

THIS IS SLOKA 89  TO SLOKA 101 OF SATASLOKI OF
SHRI SHANKARACHARYA  WHICH EXPLAINS WHO IS
JIVANMUKTA & STATE OF JIVAAMUKTI.

TATTVA BODHA DEFINES JIVANMUKTA AS ONE WHO IS
UNATTACHED,OF THE NATURE OF SACHIDANANDA,
EFFULGENT,THE INDWELLAR OF ALL, THE FORMLESS
AWARENESS -THUS ONE HAVING THIS FIRMLY
ASCERTAINED IMMEDIATE KNOWLEDGE(APAROKSHA
JNANA) IS THE JIVANMUKTA.(LIBERATED EVEN WHILE
LIVING)
THOSE IN WHOM KNOWLEDGE OF BRAHMAN IN ALL
BEINGS IS BORN ARE JIVANMUKTAS.

The RIBHU GITHA says JEEVANMUKTA as--
15. The Jivan Mukta is a person liberated during his
lifetime, who continues to have consciousness of the body 
and the world (as Brahman) along with his firm abidance in 
his Siva-Self. He ever abides in the blissful peace of 
Sat-Chit-Ananda. He is poised rock-firm in the conviction 
that he is not the body,and that his Being is the sole 
existence, the sole alert-awareness- bliss of Siva-Self 
Supreme. (Ch.8, v.1)
16. The Jivan Mukta has his consciousness completely
dissolved beyond recognition in his Brahman-Self. Eternally
alone in his Self, he is ever lost in the enjoyment of the bliss of
his Brahman-Self. (Ch.8, v.25).

LIBERATION(MOKSHA) SHOULD BE ACHIEVED WHILE 
LIVING & NOT ACHIEVED AFTER DEATH, AS MOST 
PEOPLE THINK IT IS AFTER DEATH.

IF A PERSON HAS ACHIEVED JIVANMUKTA STATE & 
MANO NASHA ,HE IS LIBERATED WHILE LIVING !

BHGAVATHPADA SHRI SHANKARACHARYA

SLOKA-89

89. Prana, the vital force, which is the ruler of all the organs and gives them the power to perform their activities, has five different names, namely, Prana, Apana, Vyana, Samana and Udana, according to the five different activities performed. This Prana, which is well established in each body is able to perform all these activities only because of the presence of Brahman or the Self who is pure consciousness. This Brahman is therefore called the Prana of Prana, in the sense that it is what enables the Prana to perform its activities. It is also the eye of the eye, because it is only because of the presence of the Self that the eye is able to see. Similarly all the other organs of sense and action get the power to perform their respective activities only because of the presence of the Self. At the same time, the Self is a mere witness of the activities of all the organs. It does not itself either act or make the organs act, because it is actionless. I am this Self (and not the mind, organs or physical body).

Though Prana is the 'kriyasakti' or the activating power, it is by itself insentient and gets sentiency only from the Self. Kathopanishad, 2.2.5 says-- No mortal being lives by Prana or Apana; but all live by something else on which these two depend. (This something else is the Self).

Kenopanishad, 1.2 says-- He (the Self) is the ear of the ear, the mind of the mind, the speech of speech, the Prana of Prana, the eye of the eye; therefore wise men, after giving up identification with the senses and renouncing the notions of 'I' and 'mine', become immortal.

SLOKA90

90. It is by the light of that one and only pure consciousness (Brahman) that the earth, water, air, sun, moon and everything else, each of which has its own form, ways and characteristics, shines. They all owe their existence to that Brahman. Can even innumerable flashes of lightning, fires or clusters of stars illumine that supreme ruler of all, who is not born when bodies are born during creation or even at the beginning of a new cycle of creation, who is immortal, is eternal, is calm because of being untouched by any attachments, aversions and the like, is beyond the limitations of time, space and objects, is omniscient and self-effulgent?

This is based on Mundakopanishad, 2.2.10-- The sun does not illumine it, nor the moon, or the stars; nor do flashes of lightning illumine it, what to say of fire? Everything shines in consequence of that alone.

SLOKA-91

91. If to any person, whoever he may be, the realization "I am Brahman" has arisen as a direct experience as a result of the nectar-like glance full of matchless compassion of a Sadguru who is a realized soul, then such a person is a Jivanmukta for whom all doubts have ceased to exist and whose mind is free from all delusion. (He continues to live in the body till his Prarabdhakarma is exhausted). Then, when his limiting adjunct (Upadhi) in the form of the body-mind complex ceases to exist (on the fall of the body), he attains the supreme, eternal, sole abode of bliss, Brahman and becomes a Videhamukta.

See Mundakopanishad, 2.2.8-- When that Self is realized, the knot of the heart is cut asunder, all doubts are resolved and all karma (except Prarabdha) are destroyed.

SLOKA-92

92. I am not the body, nor the organs of sense and action, nor the extremely fickle, perishable mind, nor even the intellect, nor the vital force; how can I be this mass of absolutely inert objects? I am not the ego; I am far from identifying myself with my wife, house, son, relations, field, wealth, etc. I am the mere uninvolved witness of all these, the pure consciousness, the innermost Self which is the substratum of the entire universe and is most auspicious (free from all contact with the effects of Maya).

The Jivanmukta is free from identification with the body, mind, intellect, organs, prana or even the ego, much more so with wife, son, possessions, etc. The ordinary unenlightened person identifies himself with all these and attributes all their joys and sorrows to himself.

SLOKA-93

93. All the things in this world which are of different colours such as blue, yellow, etc (and of different forms) are objects seen by the eye. The forms and colours are of many kinds, but the eye that sees them is of one kind only. The eye is thus the seer and the objects are the seen. But the eye itself becomes a seen object for the mind which sees (knows) the eye. The mind with all its modifications in the form of various objects becomes an object of perception for the Self which is the witness of all and is ever the seer. The Self never becomes an object of perception. It is ever the subject.

The Jivanmukta is one who has realized that he is this Self.

SLOKA-94

94. Because of ignorance of the fact that a rope in dim light, appears as a snake. Similarly, because of ignorance of one's real nature, the Self appears as a very miserable Jiva (limited individual). When the delusion that it is a snake is removed by the words of a well-wisher (who asserts that it is only a rope), it is found to be only a known rope. So also, I realize from the words of my Guru that I am not a Jiva at all, but the immutable witness of all, who is bliss itself.

SLOKA-95_

95. (This is in the form of a dialogue between the Guru and his disciple).

Guru-- Tell me, what is the light for you in this world?
Disciple-- During the daytime it is the light of the sun. At night it is the light of the moon and           lamps.

Guru-- What is it that enables you to see the sun, moon, lamps, etc?
Disciple-- It is the eye.

Guru-- When your eye is closed, what is the light for you?
Disciple-- It is the intellect, which is very bright and capable of knowing everything.

Guru-- What illumines the intellect (and gives it the capacity to know)?
Disciple-- I myself.

Guru-- Therefore you are that Self who illumines all.
Disciple-- O Guru, I myself am that supreme light (Brahman).

This verse is based on Br. Up. 4.3.2 to 4.3.6. It was pointed out in verse 89 that all the organs function only because of the Self. In verse 90 it was said that the sun, moon, etc, shine only because of the presence of Brahman. In the present verse the same truths are brought out step by step. Even when the sun, moon or lamp is present, it is only the light of the Self that illumines everything, but this is not realized. The sun, moon, eye and the intellect are able to illumine all things only because of the Self. Ultimately, the only light is the Self or Brahman. The Jiva is in reality this Brahman.

SLOKA-96

96. The Jivanmukta continues to live on this earth until his Prarabdhakarma is exhausted. But, during this period, he does not at all identify himself with his body-mind complex. He is not affected by the pairs of opposites such as heat and cold, honour and dishonour, success and failure and the like. He is ever pure, free from the conceit of 'I' and 'mine', ever contented, with his mind firmly fixed in contemplation of the Self, the very incarnation of the supreme bliss of Brahman, and is totally free from delusion. He performs all his daily activities happily, in an indescribable manner, his mind being always free from attachment.

SLOKA-97

97. When the incomparable, purifying realization of his identity with Brahman, which is of the nature of pure consciousness itself, arises firmly in the mind of any person, the idea of difference between the Jivatma and Brahman, which he harboured till then, gets destroyed immediately. By that realization Maya, which is the cause of transmigration, is also destroyed for him. Thereafter, even if Maya exists (for others), it cannot cause any bondage for him because of the strength of his realization of his real nature as identical with Brahman.

SLOKA-98

98. After sucking the juice of a fruit such as a mango, a man throws away the rest of the fruit, even though it is still very fragrant. Similarly, the Jivanmukta, who has realized, through the scriptures, that this universe has no ultimate reality, ceases to look upon it as real and becomes fully absorbed in Brahman which is Existence, Pure Consciousness, non-dual, immortal and Bliss itself. Having become self-effulgent (because of the realization of identity with the self-effulgent Brahman) and absolutely calm in mind and having realized, with a discriminating mind, that this entire universe is insubstantial, he gives up all attachment to the world.

SLOKA-99

99. When that Brahman, which is pure consciousness itself, which is untainted by the three gunas, Sattva, Rajas and Tamas, which is indicated by the words 'That thou art' and other Mahavakyas, which is immutable, which does not come within the scope of the injunctions of the Vedas and which cannot even be conceived of by the mind, which is the indwelling self of all, the supreme Lord and ruler of all, is realized by a person as his own self, then, immediately, all the accumulated results of his past action (karma) are destroyed. The knot of the heart, by which the Atma and the body-mind complex are bound together, is cut asunder. All his doubts, which are the cause of his repeated births and deaths, are resolved.

This verse is based on Mundakopanishad, 2.2.8-- When that Self, which is both high, as the cause and low as the effect, is realized as "I am this", then the knot of the heart is cut, all doubts are dispelled and all accumulated karma is destroyed.

SLOKA-100

100. The wise man should understand that the tree of transmigration has his past karma as the root, desire, anger, etc as branches, delusion, pride, joy, grief, etc as its many leaves, gives only repeated birth and death as the fruits, has sons, animals, wife, daughters, etc as the birds living in it and is very vast in size. Knowing the real nature of this tree at its beginning, middle and end, namely that it is perishable, he should cut it down with the sword of detachment. He should always concentrate his mind in meditation on Lord Vasudeva, the indweller of all beings.

This verse summarises ch.15 of the Bhagavadgita.

SLOKA-101

101 This entire universe was born from me, it is sustained by me and it finally merges in me. I am that Brahman, by the mere remembrance of whom all auspicious acts such as sacrifices, even when deficiently performed, attain completeness and yield the desired results. I most happily prostrate before that changeless supreme Lord.

This is the experience of the Jivanmukta. Having realized his identity with Brahman, he sees the whole universe as superimposed on him.

This verse is similar to Kaivalyopanishad, 19.

OM NAMO GURUDEVA