World of Philosophy

Author(s): Christopher Key Chapple, Intaj Malek, Dilip Charan, Sunanda Shastri, Prashant Dave
Publisher: Shanti Prakashan

Page 347

are destroyed one by one leading to liberation. The elimination of wrong knowledge (mithyajiäna) takes place by way of the knowledge of Unity of jiva & Brahman.
Saìkarä further quotes Gétä 2.54 sthita-prajia laksana and says that Bhramajiäni doesn't do any action ajiänäm eva hi karma-yogaù, na jiäninäm.
It is further explained saying10, 'a jiäni even though resides in the body, has given up attachment to the body. So he is actually as of without body, beyond death, one with Paramätman. So also even though he acts like ordinary people, still his actions are without any attachment, egoiety, desire for fruit or any selfish motive. So all actions performed without attachment & egoiety & desire for fruit (äsakti, ahamkara, phaläsa) are as if non-performed. This is jivanmukti'.
Gétä V.13 describes renunciation of action by mind i.e. at the inner level (sarva-karmäni manasä saanyasyäste sukhaà vaSé). This becomes possible when the discrimination between body & self is done, is understood, then one sees that Self is not acting but actions of body are only super impersonal on Self (deyhätmabuddhi) to be eliminated).
According to Saikarä, the Knowledge of Truth or Reality i.e. Ätmajiäna can't be said to be an activity of the mind. An action depends upon human endeavor and is not bound up with the nature of things. It can either be done or not done or modified by the agent. Knowledge on the other hand doesn't depend upon human action but on the thing itself. It is the result of right means (pramänäs), knowledge can therefore neither be made nor not made nor modified. So, it can't be obtained by action. Brahman can't be known through any human endeavors. So the objection is how is it that it is said that Brahman is to be known? The answer is to know Brahman is to get rid of ignorance (ajïäna).
Saikarä further states that mokña is not the result of fruit of any action. It is neither utpädhya i.e. created like a pot, nor is it modified vikärya like a curd, not is it to be obtained (präpya) like reaching a town or a place, nor sanskärya to be purified like rice to be washed before cooking. If it (mokña) is equated with any of these it will be an effect or fruit of an action which will be of impermanent nature.
So it is knowledge which is of the nature of removal of ignorance. The egoiety (ahamkara) and identification with body is due to ajiäna. The moment this is removed, liberation takes place even while having the body (jivanmukti)
4.18 karmany akarma yaù paśyed akarmani ca karma yaù sa buddhimän manuñyenu sa yuktaù khtsna-karma-kḥt
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