Book Title: World of Philosophy
Author(s): Christopher Key Chapple, Intaj Malek, Dilip Charan, Sunanda Shastri, Prashant Dave
Publisher: Shanti Prakashan
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yogena sääkhyänäà karma-yogena yoginäm) as paths leading to supreme felicity and worldly prosperity.
Gétä 3.19 tasmäd asaktaù satataà käryaà karma samäcara asakto hy äcaran karma param äpnoti püruñaù
Śaikarä comments 'therefore without attachment do you always perform that action which ought to be done, which is obligatory; for performing action without attachment for the sake of ÉŚvara, man attains to the highest through purification of mind (satvaŚuddhi)'8 P.120
karmany evädhikäras te mä phaleñu kadäcana mä karma-phalahetur bhür mä te saigo'stv akarmani (2.47)
P77 (2.48) yogasthaù kuru karmäni saìgaà tyaktvä dhanaàḤ.samatvaà yoga ucyate9
('neither let your attachment be towards inaction' imp.)
The path of nivḥtti is different from that of pravḥtti which constitutes 'action', karma. Śankara while commenting on the 4th sutra of 1st adhyaya clearly distinguishes between 'Karma' and 'Jiäna'. He states that action of kāyik, vāchik and m?nasik type is dharma and is analyzed and studied and examined in Mimamsa by Jaimini Sutras. The Vedic prescriptions and prohibitions of actions lead to either Dharma-Adharma or Sukha-Dukha which are to be enjoyed by the body. But Bhramajïäna i.e. NiŚreyas is not to be enjoyed by the senses or body as it is not a fruit of either merit or demerit. So mokña is not the result of action. It is of different nature which is of the disembodied nature and eternal. It is of the transcendental nature. It is without any parts, self illuminating (svayam prakaśa). It is different from dharmaadharma, karya karana, bhoot bhavishya etc (K? 2.14).
The Upanisadic passages and sentences tell us that it is the knowledge of Truth i.e. Bhramajïäna which is mokña. No action or obligatory duty is required between Bhramajiäna and mokña. Brh. 1.4.10 (The same is in 4th Mandala of ṛgveda). If it is assumed that action is required then it won't happen immediately after Bhramajïäna. One has to believe that there is some gap between two. Because fruit of action is followed after sometime e.g. merit resulting into reaching heaven after death. But the Shrutiv?kya's indicate that there is no time gap hence it can't be considered as action.
Again Śaikarä says that the Shrutiv?kya's such as Chä. 7.1.3 ätmavit tarati Soka: knower of Ätman crosses sorrow; or one whose impurities are vanished, is shown the other side of ignorance by bhagavän sanatkumäraù (Chä. 7.26.2) indicate that Ätmajiäna is nothing but removal of all those factors which come in the way of liberation (mokña). Even Nyäya sutras of Gotam (1.1.2) says so. Sorrow (duùkha), birth (janma), tendency (pravḥtti), impurities (dosha), and ignorance or wrong knowledge (ajïäna, mithyajïäna)
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