Chapter 38

The Mind In A Jivanmukta

"Dehabhimane galite vijnate paramatman
Yatra yatra mano yati tatra tatra samadhayah"

"With the disappearance of the attachment of the body and with the realisation of the Supreme Self, to whatever object the mind is directed, one experiences Samadhi."

Amana is a Sanskrit term which means 'without mind.' "Amanaskata" is a condition where there is no mind. It is mindlessness. You will find this in Jivanmuktas or liberated sages.

Residual Sattva

Jivanmukta is a sage free (from the trammels of births and deaths) while living. Even in the case of a Jivanmukta, though the instinctive mind with low desires is destroyed, the spiritual Sattvic mind does not perish. Like flowers and fruits latent in a seed, a residue of Sattva, the cause of intelligence, rests always in the heart. If you say that his mind is completely annihilated as soon as he attains Jnana, Jivanmukti state is impossible. How will he be able to do Vyavahara (worldly dealings) without an instrument viz., the mind? A Jnani identifies himself with the all-pervading Brahman and uses his mind and body as His instruments for Vyavahara (worldly activities); an Ajnani identifies himself with his body. There have been cases of Jivanmuktas like Raja Janaka who attained Jnana and who utilised mind and body in this manner for the well-being of the humanity at large.

Sri Rama and Sri Krishna were ever resting on Brahman even when they were ruling their kingdoms. They were ever very conscious of their essential Sat-Chit-Ananda Brahmic nature, even though they assumed human forms. They utilised their minds and bodies as their instruments when they were doing various activities.

Empirical Existence And Existence-Reality

Even this world does not disappear as absolutely as is supposed in Jivanmukti state. Empirical world, in fact, ceases to exist. But, this does not mean annihilation. It merely means that existence changes its form and colour, as it were, for the Absolute. It is empirical existence and not all-existence which vanishes. Existence-Reality remains, but its limited forms vanish. Externality has to go; spatial and temporal views of things must go; causal determination of one thing by another must go; many-ness and oneness must go. This is inevitable. But, the universe with all its reality will not go even for the liberated soul. It will merely change its form, meaning and significance. Nothing will disappear except a false view, a limited horizon, erroneous idea and a circumscribed vision. Fact, Reality, Existence, however, will remain as fundamental as ever; but the viewpoint will change.

The mind of the Jnanis cannot be termed as a mind, but only as Tattva (Reality). That which gets differentiated through diverse objects is the mind. The mind of a Jnani, on the other hand, becomes stainless, like copper transmuted into gold by alchemic process. The mind of a Jnani is Sattva itself, while persons without Jnana will follow the path chalked out by their minds. When a Jnani sees outside, he may simply see, but the Vritti may not assume Vishayakara as in the case of worldly-minded persons. Just as the mind is free from any Vishayakara in deep-sleep state in all, it is free from any Vishayakara in the waking state also in a Jnani. The world appears to him as a mere dream. He dwells in Brahman even while working. In those that have cognised their Self, the pure Vasanas with which they perform Karmas will not entail them rebirths. The mind of such a Jnani is called Sattvic, but a mind without Jnana is generally termed Manas.

The Perfectly Balanced Mind

Now, mark the nature of the mind of a Jivanmukta. It is perfectly balanced under all circumstances. His mind is always cool and unaffected by the Dvandvas (pairs of opposites). His mind is free from Harsha and Soka (elation and depression). It is neither elated by enjoyments nor depressed by sorrow and grief. Without being affected by the pleasures or pains of enjoyments though moving in them, the mind of a Jivanmukta will become inured to them. Through internal contentment and freedom from pains, there will arise in the Jnani an equanimity of mind in all circumstances and at all places. Even when pains and the rest attaching themselves to his body exhibit themselves on his face, his mind never writhes under them or their antithesis. It is free from impure Vasanas. There will be no anger or desire. There will not arise any evil impulse of Kama in such a mind. There is not the least longing for objects. His mind is above worldly things. He is not affected by the world. He need not have a separate room or Asana. He need not close the eyes. He need not do any Pratyahara of the senses.

A mind which, though apparently enjoying the diverse objects, does not, in reality, enjoy them, may be stated to be Brahman itself.

Dual Consciousness

An occultist learns through self-control and discipline to work on two planes at once, that is, to be partly out of his body at the same time when he is working on the physical plane; so that, while he is writing or speaking, he may be doing other things with his astral body. When such is the case with an occultist, little need be said of a full-blown Jnani who is resting on his own Svarupa. A Jnani has dual consciousness. He has consciousness of Brahman as well as consciousness of the world. He sees the world as a dream within himself. A Jnani is always in Samadhi. There is no 'in Samadhi' and 'out of Samadhi' for a Jnani like that of a Raja Yogi.

When you play on the harmonium, you adjust the tune first. It may be fixed either on the second reed or the fourth reed according to the strength and power of your voice. Then you begin to play on the various reeds. The Sapta Svaras are pronounced now. You can play now various Raga-Raginis. He who is aware of the main Sruti can be compared to a Jnani who knows the Atman or support for this universe. He who is aware of the Sapta Svara only without knowing the fundamental Sruti is like an Ajnani who is unaware of the Atman, but who has knowledge of the sense-objects only.

When you see an object with your eyes, you know that it is through the light of the sun that you are able to see it. You have a double Drishti. Similarly, a Jnani has always a double Drishti when he does Vyavahara. Even when he works, he knows he is not working; he is unattached. Even though he sees the world, it is all Brahman and Brahman for him.

Sama Bhava And Sama Drishti

There is a slight difference between Sama Bhava and Sama Drishti. The former is the condition of the mind (as balanced in pleasure and pain, gain and loss, heat and cold, victory and defeat). The latter is the condition of knowledge. The Jnani sees the Atman alone in a scavenger and a king.

When you are expecting to meet a friend of yours at the railway station, the mind tries to see him in several other persons with a like physiognomy (Sadrisya), because the mind is engrossed with the one idea of meeting a particular friend at a particular time. The mind is very eager to see him. A lustful young man sees a woman in a pillar tied with a woman's cloth, in fact, everywhere. The mind is charged with very powerful and lustful thoughts. A God-intoxicated man, on the contrary, sees God in a tree, a stone, boy, child, girl, cow, dog-in fact, in everything. "Sarvam khalvidam brahma."

A Jivanmukta, though he has infinite powers, cannot express all his Siddhis through his finite mind.