Siva Gita – Chapter 13 – Instruction on Mukti – Slokas 1 – Slokas 38, Uttara Khanda, Padma Purana

Sūta Maharshi uvācha, “Becoming pleased after hearing the divine words of the Supreme Lord, Rama, the foremost among discerning people asked the Beloved of Parvati about the nature of mukti which is auspiciousness.”

 

Prabhu Shri Rama uvācha, “O Lord of the universe! Almighty, who is the very embodiment of compassion. Be pleased with me! Tell me about the essential nature of mukti.”

 

Shri Bhagawan uvācha, “O Rama! Know that there are five kinds of mukti namely sālokya, sārupya, sāshtarya, sāyujya and kaivalya.

 

One who worships Me always without personal desires, though not yet possessed of true knowledge attains My world and enjoys all pleasures according to his desires.

 

But one who worships Me without any personal desires but knows Me in entirety will attain a form equal to Mine and exist gloriously in My world.

 

But one who performs the rites and rituals as laid down in the Hindu scriptures, renders social service and performs charitable acts with the goal of winning My grace, whatever he does, whatever he eats and whatever he offers as oblation, whatever he gives as gifts and whatever penance he does surrendering it all to Me will command a glory equal to Mine and enjoy all the meritorious pleasures in My world.

 

One who is endowed with a calm mind sees Me as his very Self and remains in that state of Brahman that is non-dual and of the nature of Transcendental Light. Hence, to remain in one’s own nature of Brahman is called mukti.

 

Brahman is Existence, Consciousness, Infinitude and Bliss; it is devoid of attributes and beyond the reach of mind and speech.

 

Non-duality is meant to convey the impossibility of differences in any aspect be it between members of the same class or differences of the divergent or differences in the classes.

 

O Rama! Reflecting on what I said to be My pure form that is none other than your Self, attain My state. In Me alone are seen all the beings of the world consisting of unmoving and moving.

 

Just as the clouds seen in the skies has no reality, similarly this entire universe is falsely presented in Me through beginningless ignorance.

 

When the ignorance is destroyed by the knowledge of My essential nature, then I alone remain as the One and beyond speech and mind.

 

I am always Existence, Supreme Bliss, Self-effulgence and of the nature of Consciousness. When the world of ignorance ceases to exist at the dawn of true knowledge, there is neither time nor the five elements (pancha bhutas), no directions or intermediary directions.

 

When the ignorance is destroyed, there is nothing that remains other than Myself. That I am, alone.

 

My natural form is not there for one to see clearly. No one sees Me with his eyes. But those who perceive Me illumined by the mind and by the wisdom of the heart, become immortal.”

 

Prabhu Shri Rama uvācha, “O Hara! How does the sacred knowledge about you arise for one? Tell me the means in that matter if You feel that I am deserving of Your grace.”

 

Shri Bhagawan uvācha, “Abandoning attachment towards all beings, beginning from the world of Brahma and developing dispassion and detachment towards everyone including one’s children, one should have faith in the scriptures that teach about mukti and long for Vedanta wisdom with gifts in their hands to offer to their Guru who has realized the Truth.

 

Pleasing the Guru by service for a long time and with the mind fully under control, one should listen carefully to the purport of the texts of all the Upaniṣads.

 

The ascertainment of the inner purport of all the Upanisads according to the wise and learned is known as listening (shrāvanam).

 

The wise men say that manana of the great texts and the purport of the scriptural texts is only the reasoning support to the learnt purport of the texts.

 

Being devoid of I and mine, maintaining equanimity, abandoning attachment and always being possessed of peace, the wise one sees the Self in the Self. 

 

The constant contemplation of oneself as the Supreme Self is known as nididhyāsana.

 

Since the direct intuition of one’s Self as the Supreme Self depends on the exhaustion of all his past deeds, it may arise quickly in some and be delayed in others.

 

The deeds that have been accruing for millions of births that have not started producing their results perish only by true knowledge and not by any number of actions. 

 

When after realization one happens to incur sin or does meritorious deeds however great or small, he remains unaffected by such a sin or merit.

 

The prarabdha which has produced the current body even for wise men due to their past deeds is exhausted only by undergoing its results. It is not destroyed by true knowledge.

 

One who is without delusion and conceit, is detached and dispassionate, sees himself in all beings and remains within himself with all beings is called a jeevanmukta.

 

Just as the skin of the snake strikes fear in the person seeing it before it casts it off but not so after it has been cast, likewise is the case of the liberated person.

 

When all the desires and residual imprints in a person are controlled and conquered, he becomes immortal. This much is the instruction.

 

Moksha does not have any place or destination. There is nothing like going from one village to another. Moksha is known as the destruction of the knots of the heart caused by ignorance.

 

The foot that slips from the brink of the tree falls itself to the ground. Likewise, release takes place to one who possesses pure and true knowledge.

 

Whether in a sacred place or in the house of a chāndal, the already liberated man losing consciousness and discarding the mortal coil is liberated only through knowledge.

 

Clothed in any manner, eating that which is unpalatable or palatable, sleeping in any place, the individual who has seen his Self as One in everything is released.

 

The butter churned from the milk cannot become milk again when put back. Similarly, the wise man does not get back into the worldly life.

 

O Rama! One who studies this chapter daily or hears it will be liberated from bondage to the body effortlessly. O Raghava! 

 

O ruler of the earth! If you want to remove any doubt in your mind, read this chapter daily. You will get release by that alone in every way effortlessly.”

 

[Siva Gita – Chapter 13 – Instruction on Mukti – Slokas 1 – Slokas 38, Uttara Khanda, Padma Purana]