[Advaita-l] Prapatti

V Subrahmanian v.subrahmanian at gmail.com
Sat Feb 18 20:20:13 CST 2012


On Sat, Feb 18, 2012 at 10:43 PM, Jaldhar H. Vyas <jaldhar at braincells.com>wrote:

> On Fri, 17 Feb 2012, Rajaram Venkataramani wrote:
>
>  The simplest process to achieve krama mukti seems to be that of Sri
>> Vaishnavas.
>>
>
> prapatti is not any kind of mukti at all.  Think about it.  Mukti means
> liberation.  If you are dependent on any other person even Ishvara, how can
> you consider yourself liberated?


My recent interaction with a Dvaita scholar-sannyasi Shri Vishwanandana
Tirtha brought a reply from him which says:

//The jiva is nitya-baddha.  He is forever under the control of
Ishwara/Brahman.//

That shows in Dvaita there is no absolute freedom; maybe there is freedom
from birth-death cycle, but the jiva is ever bound even in VaikunTha.  My
question is: 'What will Ishwara control in a jiva?  The idea of a
controller and controlled arises when there is the possibility of the
latter erring.  Error is possible only when one is in the throes of the
three guNa-s.  But the BG 14th chapter says that one has to transcend,
become guNAtIta, to become liberated.  If even in MOksha one is susceptible
to guNa-s and error, what is the liberation one gets? '

Similarly, Sri VeLukkuDi Krishnan Swami, an exceptionally accomplished
scholar of the present times, said, in VishiShTAdvaita, the jiva is
'nityaparatantra', ever-dependent.  'This nityapAratantrayam and
sheshabhUtatvam (being a 'belonged' of the Lord) is an inalienable trait of
the jiva.'  The prayer of the aspirant is:  O Lord make me realize my
ever-dependent nature.  The Swami emphasizes repeatedly that swAntantryam
is never the goal or feature of the aspirant in that system.  The jivas in
moksha are ever in the service, kainkaryam, of the Lord.

The common feature I noticed in both these systems is: Ignorance lies in
thinking that the self and the world are independent and knowledge is the
realization that these two are ever-dependent on the Lord.  In Dvaita the
jiva is forever endowed with a body; it could be of a mosquito, parrot,
squirrel, or any living being that can be conceived of.  This 'natural'
body of a jiva will continue in Moksha/VaikunTha.  So a jiva who is
'naturally' forever a mosquito is still a liberated one in Moksha.
Varna-ashrama, sex-distinctions, dAmpatya, having children, etc. are
'natural' for some jivas and they continue in that state in moksha too.
The svarUpa jAti of a jiva could be different from the aupAdhika jAti of
the jiva.  Thus one who is a brAhmaNa in the bound state in a life need not
be so svarUpataH; he could be a shUdra by innate nature.  As to why these
distinctions, svarUpataH, exist among jIvas, the Dvaitins say it is just
their svarUpa and nothing can be done about it.  It is only what
lives/forms/natures one gets due to karma in the bound state that can be
got over by sadhana and liberation/moksha.  But the svarUpa nature will
never change; no one can change it or wish it away.  It is Ishwara's icchA
for jiva-s to be bound and it is His IcchA alone that takes them out of
bondage.    In mokSha the jiva-s are for ever doing
service/worship/singing/etc. for the Lord in different capacities.

subrahmanian.v

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