Vedanta

shrImadAnandatIrthArya mukhanissR^itaM

yuktaM ca sAdhanAdhikyAtsAdhyAdhikyaM surAdiShu .

shrImadAnandatIrthArya mukhanissR^itaM

apApatvaM ca naivAsti yAvatsaMsAramasya hi |

ArabdhapApamastyeva duHkhaM ca j~nAnino.api hi ||

As long as the soul is in the saMsAra it cannot be free of sins or from the sorrows caused by them. This is true even for a j~nAni who attained the aparoxa j~nAna. For to him also, there is a residue of the sins and thus the experience of sorrows.

Here one may ask - The shrutis such as “tad yatheShIkAtUlaM agnau protaM pradUyataivaM hAsya sarve pApmAnaH pradUyante ya etadevaM vidvAn agnihotraM juhoti chAndogya 5.24.3″ says that the sins of a j~nAni are burnt like an upper part of a reed after attaining apraroxa j~nAna. How can we say that he is also not totally free from sins or sorrows?

To this we reply - Sins are of two types. prArabdha and aprArabdha. Among those two only the aprArabdha sins are burnt away by aparoxa j~nAna. But the prArabdha sins are definitely there and even a j~nAni has to experience the sorrows which are the results of such prArabdha sins.

shrImadAnandatIrthArya mukhanissR^itaM

apApamaduHkhatvaM cAvR^ijinatvamihoditam ||

apriyaM vR^ijinaM duHkamakaM toda itIryate ||

tatkAraNatvAtpApaM vA vR^ijinaM nAma kathyate ||

ityuktaH svayamIshena nAmArthaH shabdanirNaye ||

Just as akAmahatattva (being free from desires) is not possible in samsArins, avR^ijinatvaM (being free from sins or sorrows) is also not possible. The word avR^ijana means being free from sins or sorrows. How does one know that avR^ijina means being free from sorrows or sins?

Let us first see how avR^ijina means being free from sorrow.

In the dictionaries, dukha or sorrow is called by the names - apriyaM, vR^ijanM, akaM and toda. So vR^ijinaM means sorrow. avR^ijinaM is the negative of vR^ijinaM i.e free from sorrows.

Let us now see how avR^ijina means being free from sins

We have understood just now that vR^ijina means sorrow. As sins are the causes of sorrow they are also called by the name vR^ijina. So, avR^ijina would mean being free from sins.

Here one may ask. ‘It has been said that there is a cause and effect relationship between sins and sorrows. Sins are the causes and sorrows are their effects. We agree that sorrows are called vR^ijinas. But, how can the word (vR^ijina) indentifying the effect(sorrows) is used to denote their causes(sins)?” – thus.

To this we reply - This usage has been granted by the Lord Himself in a text called shabdanirNaya. Also, there are many examples in Sanskrit Grammar where the cause is referred to by the word which originally denotes the effect. Observe this example from Mahabhashya of Pata~njali- dadhitrapusaM pratyaxo jvaraH - The cream of the curd(dhadhitrapusaM) is fever manifested - meaning, anyone who partakes the cream of the curd would definitely get fever. The intended meaning here is that dadhitrapusaM is the cause of the fever.

We can note that the word jvaraH which originally denotes fever is used to denote its cause - the cream of the curd(dadhitrapusaM).

In the same way, the word vR^ijina though originally denotes sorrows, also denotes their causes (the sins).

shrImadAnandatIrthArya mukhanissR^itaM

hR^idyeva teShAM shrayaNamiti paxo na bhAsate |

muktAnAM kAmitAmAha pR^ithak shAkhAsu yacChruthiH || A.V. 3.4.4

Some say - There is a shruti passage “kAmaH saMkalpo vicikitsA hrIdhIrbhIriti sarvaM mana eva” which says that all desires belong to the mind only. Therefore there are no such desires which belong to the soul. Hence it is incorrect to say that the liberated also have desires – thus.

To this we reply. There are many shrutis belonging to different vedic shAkhAs such as ‘kAmasya yatrAptAH kAmAH tatra mAmamR^itaM kR^idhi”,”so.ashnute sarvAn kAmAn saH brahmaNA vipashchitA” which say that even the liberated have desires. Given the numerical superiority of the shrutis which expound that the soul has desires, it is proper to interpret the other shrutis in such a way that they do not contradict the later. As we have shown before, by agreeing upon the two-foldedness of the desires 1) Desires of mind and 2) Desires of soul, the problem of contradiction between the two shrutis will be solved. Hence the claim that the liberated do not have desires does not hold any waters.

shrImadAnandatIrthArya mukhanissR^itaM

kAmA yesya hR^idi shritAH .

ityantaHkaraNasthAnAM kAmAnAM moxameva hi …

Aha shrutirhR^idItyeva na cetdvyarthaM visheShaNam ..A.V 3.4.4

It has been previously stated  that even the liberated have desires. But the shruti passage 

“yadA sarve pramucyante kAmA ye.asya hR^idi shritAH atha martyo amR^ito bhavatyatra brahma samashnute”

When all desires cease to exist a saMsAri becomes liberated and reaches brahma

This passage clearly speaks about the absence of desires in liberation. How, then, can we say that the liberated also have desires?

To this we reply. There are two types of desires

1. Desires existing in the antaH karaNa or mind

2. Desires existing in the soul’s own nature

When a person gets liberated, all the desires of his mind cease to exist. But the desires of the soul continue to exist. The liberated enjoys all kinds of bhogas through such desires in the liberated state. He desires to see his father in his last birth etc. All such desires are duly fulfilled. As shrI nArAyana paNDitAchArya quotes in Sumadhva Vijaya

‘saMkalpamAtrAt sakalo.api sa syAt’ - The liberated gets anything he desires just by the thought of it.

By this it is clear that the liberated does have desires and the quoted shruti passage only talks about the absence of  desires of the mind.

But, how do we come to know that this is the real intent of the shruti?

The use of the words ‘hR^idi shritAH - dwelling in the mind’, tell us that the shruti is talking about the absence of the desires dwelling in the mind. When a person gets liberated his anthaH karaNa (mind) does not exist. As the mind itself is not present, there is no question of desires of the mind. This is the intention of the shruti passage. Therefore, it is not correct to say that the shruti passage is talking about the absence of desires in the soul’s nature itself. If that were to be the intention of the shruti passage, it would suffice to say “yadA sarve kAmA pramucyante” – when all his desires cease to exist. Then there was no need to use the words “hR^idhi sthitAH“. By using these two words the shruti explicitly says that only the desires of the mind and not all desires cease to exist in the state of liberation.

So, we should agree that the shruti is only talking about the absence of desires of the mind. Therefore it is incorrect to say that the liberated do not have any desires.

shrImadAnandatIrthArya mukhanissR^itaM

sarvakAmAnvApnoti brahmaNA saha muktigaH .

paryeti tatra jaxaMshcha krIDanratimavApnuyAt .

kAmAnnI kAmarUpI sannimAnlokAMshcha sa~ncaran .

Aste gAyansAma mukta ityAdishrutisadbalAt .

akAmassyAtkathaM muktaH . A.V 3.4.4

Do the liberated have desires?

In the previous statement “cetanasya tvasuptasya kutradR^iShTA hyakAmatA” we concluded by inference that no living being is free from desires. But the liberated are said to have no desires. In such a case, how can we generalize that all living beings have desires?

To this we reply. Even the liberated have desires. The shruti passages “so.ashnute sarvAkAmAn saha brahmaNA vipashcitA“, “sa tatra paryeti jaxankrIDan ramamAnAH“, “imAn lokAn kAmAnnI kAmarUpyanusa~ncaran etat sAma gAyanAste“, “sa ekadhA bhavati” all imply that even the liberated do have desires. 

Like stones, if the liberated were to be without desires, how come then that the shruti “saH sarvAn kAmAn ashnute – the liberated enjoys all pleasures” talks about their enjoyment of various objects? This enjoyment cannot happen without a desire to do so. Also the shruti “sa tatra paryeti ”  talks about the liberated strolling happily. This also cannot happen without a desire to do so. There are even more shruti passages such as “sa yadi pitR^ilokakAmaH – if one desires to see his parents, at once his parents would appear” which explicitly talk about the liberated having desires. Therefore it is not correct to assume that the liberated are without any desires.

shrImadAnandatIrthArya mukhanissR^itaM

yatkAmaH svApamApnoti tadevotthApitaH punaH

avasho.api vyAharati kutaH suptAvakAmatA ..3.4.4

Some may ask - we can agree that the desires are present latently only if it is proved, in the first place, that desires do exist even in the deep sleep state. But how can we know that desires exist even in the deep sleep state? – thus.

To this we reply. We know this by inference. It is evident in some persons especially children. They sleep desiring to eat something. After sometime they wake up crying for the same thing.  By this we can infer that they had that desire latent even in the sleep state. Otherwise, how can they express the same desire even after waking up?

It is not correct to say that the desires which have ceased during the sleep state are born again after waking up. This is not possible for a person who just woke up from sleep. Two things are necessary for a desire to arise 

1. Perception of the object

2. Knowledge that the object is useful (iShTasAdhanatA j~nAnaM)

Without these two no desire can arise. For a person who just woke up, these two are not possible as there is no time to perceive the object and then infer its usability. Our observance reveals that their desire occurs spontaneously. Thus we can infer that the desire was latent even during the sleep state. In fact, doShAs such as kAma, dveSha etc are also present in all beings at all times. As pata~njali says –

avidyAxetratvamuttareShAM prasuptatanuvicChinnodArANAM

The doShAs such as kAma, dveSha etc caused due to avidyA are always present in a person in their prasupta, tanu, vicChinna and udAra forms.

The meanings of the terms prasupta, tanu, vicChinna and udAra are given in one of our previous postings http://uttaradimath.org/vedanta/2007/03/20/acharya-vaani-25/

Though the above sutra of pata~njali does not explicitly say that desires do exist during the deep sleep state. But by saying that these doShAs exist right from the time when the child is in the mother’s womb and even until young age, it is implied that the desires continue to exist even in the deep sleep state.

Thus we infer that desires exist even in deep sleep state. As they are not in manifested state, we come to know that they are present latently.