Talks with Sri Ramana Maharshi Complete ... - BrahminVoice.org

Talks with Sri Ramana Maharshi
time, irrespective of the different nature of individual consciousness
in them prior to Self-realisation.
The kramamukti school objects to the idea of sadyomukti (immediate
liberation) because the Jnani is supposed to lose body-consciousness
at the same time that ignorance is dispelled but he continues to live in
the body. They ask, “How does the body function without the mind?”
The answer is somewhat elaborate:
Knowledge (jnana) is not incompatible with ignorance (ajnana) because the
Self in purity is found to remain along with ignorance-seed (ajnana beeja)
in sleep. But the incompatibility arises only in the waking and dream states.
Ajnana has two aspects: avarana (veiling) and vikshepa (multiplicity). Of
these, avarana (veiling) denotes the veil hiding the Truth. That prevails in
sleep. Multiplicity (vikshepa) is activity in different times. This gives rise
to diversity and prevails in waking and dream states (jagrat and svapna).
If the veil, i.e., avarana is lifted, the Truth is perceived. It is lifted for a
Jnani and so his karana sarira (causal body) ceases to exist. Vikshepa alone
continues for him. Even so, it is not the same for a Jnani as it is for an ajnani.
The ajnani has all kinds of vasanas, i.e., kartrtva (doership) and bhoktrtva
(enjoyership), whereas the Jnani has ceased to be doer (karta). Thus only
one kind of vasana obtains for him. That too is very weak and does not
overpower him, because he is always aware of the Sat-Chit-Ananda nature
of the Self. The tenuous bhoktrtva vasana is the only remnant of the mind
left in the Jnani and he therefore appears to be living in the body.
This explanation when applied to the mantra amounts to this: A Jnani
has his karana sarira destroyed; the sthula sarira (gross body) has
no effect on him and is for all practical purposes destroyed too. The
sukshma sarira (subtle body) alone remains. It is otherwise called
ativahika sarira. It is this which is held by all persons after the
physical body is given up. And with this they traverse to other lokas
until another suitable physical body is taken. The Jnani is supposed
to move in Brahmaloka with this sukshma sarira. Then that is also
dissolved and he passes to final Liberation.
The whole explanation is meant only for the onlooker. The Jnani
himself will never raise such questions. He knows by his experience
that he is not bound by any kind of limitations.
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