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| By Sri Swami Sivananda Commentary by Swami Krishnananda |
A study of Moksha Gita alone is enough to guide a
sincere aspirant in the path of Jnana-Yoga.
By practicing
its teachings one gets liberated from all bondage and becomes Immortal.
Introduction
This is "Moksha
Gita" or the "Song of Liberation." By practicing its teachings
one gets liberated from all bondage and becomes Immortal. Moksha Gita is an
exhaustive treatise of the highest wisdom of the Advaita Vedanta.
One cannot
but be transformed into a higher spiritual state, after reading this blessed
Gita. A study of Moksha Gita alone is enough to guide a sincere aspirant in the
path of Jnana-Yoga. It will clear all his doubts and raise him to the Truth of
Self-Consciousness. Having studied, understood and realised this highly
spiritual philosophy, one does not stand in need of any other performance for
Liberation. It will lead him to the highest meditation on Brahman.
The
Knowledge of the method of attaining Moksha expounded here, shall bring
suffering to an end and give a unique consolation to the heart. It is the
essence of all that is best, noble and sublime. Every seeker after Brahma-Jnana
should study this book. It will dispel his ignorance and raise him to the
higher Consciousness of the Reality. This Gita is an exposition of the way to
attain the State of the Supreme Satchidananda, the
Existence-Knowledge-Bliss-Absolute! This is the highest Brahma-Vidya!
The First Chapter treats of the approach of the seeker after Liberation to the Brahmanishtha Guru. The aspirant feels the pains of Samsara, the imperfections
of worldly life, the misery of individual existence and runs for help to the
Spiritual Preceptor who has transcended the consciousness of phenomenal life,
and is established in Brahman. The Teacher instructs him on the highest Jnana,
whereby one reaches Immortality and Supreme Bliss. The birthless and the
deathless state of the Self is asserted.
The nature of the Eternal
Brahman is described in the Second Chapter. Brahman is the Reality that alone is. That is the
object of quest of all religions and philosophies. Brahman is Light, Power,
Wisdom and Bliss that is absolute. It is the Seat of Immortality. It is the
Self of all. All thoughts and actions must be directed towards the realization
of the One Brahman.
The nature of the Divine
Illusion, Maya, is explained in the Third Chapter. Maya is the limiting Power or Shakti of Brahman,
which hides the Truth of Brahman and projects the untruth of the world and the
individual. Ishwara is a limitation through Maya. All passions, lusts and evil
traits are due to the belief in the existence of the world, which is really
non-existent. The removal of this Maya through the Knowledge of Brahman
constitutes Liberation or Moksha.
The Fourth Chapter is the description of the nature of Avidya or Maya in
relation to the Jiva. Avidya limits the real Self to Jivahood and shuts it
within the egoism of separateness, doership and enjoyership. When Avidya is
dispelled, the whole universe disappears from sight, and only the Supreme
Brahman is beheld. Avidya is miniature Maya. It is the cause of the appearance
of the outer bodies of the individual.
The Fifth Chapter deals with the nature of the universe. The whole
universe is an unreality, a dream of Consciousness. It is a mere
superimposition on Brahman. Faith in the reality of the universe is the cause
of birth and death, desire and worldly activity. The whole universe is an
effect of the Vikshepa-Shakti of the Anadi-Maya. It brings delusion to all
through its Avarana-Shakti.
The nature of the mind is
explained in the Sixth Chapter. Mind is a materialisation of Consciousness, an
expression or hardening of the all-pervading Self. Mind is the cause of egoism.
Mind is Avidya itself. It has got the habit of always running outwards. The
control of the mind and merging it in the Self is the purpose of all Sadhana.
Mind is very fickle in its character and cannot exist without duality. It can
be destroyed only through meditation.
The method of Vedantic Sadhana
is expounded in the Seventh Chapter. Adhyaropa should be removed through Apavada. Sadhana
cannot be practised without first purifying the mind. After one gets established
in the practice of the preliminary qualifications of the Sadhana-Chatushtaya,
he is fit to start the actual Sadhana through Sravana, Manana and Nididhyasana.
The Mahavakyas of the Upanishads indicate the identity of the Self with
Brahman, and hence their meaning should be meditated upon. A complete
renunciation of the three worlds together with their contents is necessary
before starting Sadhana for Self-realization. Then only the Truth will be
revealed to the seeker.
The forms of ignorance and wisdom
are described in the Eighth Chapter. One who feels that he is the body and that the world
is real is an ignorant man. One who realises that the world is an illusion and
that the Eternal Self alone is true is a wise man.
The nature and working of the
five sheaths of the self are described in the Ninth Chapter. The different sheaths are the expressions of the inner
thought materialised in different degrees of density. The farther the sheath is
from the self, the grosser and the more perishable is its nature. The sheaths
become subtler and more enduring as they go inward. The destruction of these
bodies rooted in Avidya through Atma-Jnana, is the Final Emancipation.
The state of Jivanmukti is
described in the Tenth Chapter. The Jivanmukta is a liberated sage, who lives in the
knowledge of Brahman. For him, the world has vanished for ever. The Self alone
is everywhere. He does not perceive plurality or even duality. He rests in the
Oneness of Consciousness. He exists with a body as long as the present
Prarabdha-Karma lasts. At its end, he attains Videha-Mukti and exists as the
Absolute.
The Eleventh Chapter explains the final Brahma-Upadesha given by the Guru
to the Sishya. The highest transcendental assertions are made. The whole
universe and the body are denied and the One Brahman is affirmed. The disciple
is made to grasp fully the nature of the Non-Dual Existence of Brahman.
The Twelfth Chapter deals with the concluding sentences of the Preceptor
and the disciple. The disciple gives expressions to his ecstatic condition of
Self-Knowledge and speaks of his unique spiritual experience.
This Moksha Gita is both a
philosophical exposition as well as a practical teaching. It is a double-edged
sword to slay the enemy of nescience. The Secondless Brahman alone exists. The
universe and the individual do not exist in the three periods of time.
Everything is One Mass of Infinite Consciousness. This is the essence of the
Moksha Gita.
Glossary of Sanskrit Terms
Glossary of Sanskrit Terms
Peace love harmony