221024 Ten years later, in March 1956, the Diamond Jubilee of the Advaita Sabhā was celebrated at Śivāsthānam near Kāñchī, where the Āchārya was staying at the time. Addressing the conference, the Āchārya observed that the aim of the Advaita Sabhā was to spread the light of the Self as revealed in the Upaniṣads, that those who adopted Advaita as their way of life should look upon all beings as they would on themselves and render some service or other every day to the afflicted and the distressed, and that they should investigate the cause of dispute among religious culls and seek to eliminate it.
It is on the basis of Advaita that the conflicts among religious cults could be removed. With sympathy and understanding, it will not be difficult to realize that, it is the same God that is worshipped under different names and forms. The special contribution of Hinduism to the world’s history of religions is the truth that there are as many modes of approach to Godhead as there are minds. And, yet, on account of misunderstanding and narrowness, the followers of the different cults of Hinduism have indulged in quarrels sometimes. In South India, exclusive claims have been advanced, for instance, on behalf of Vaiṣṇavism and Śaivism. While the Āḻvārs and Nāyanmārs were universalistic in their outlook, their later followers introduced narrow distinctions and dogmatic partisanships. Our Āchārya wanted to give a concrete form to the movement for unity and co-ordination as between the Vaiṣṇavas and the Śaivas in Tamil Nādu; and accordingly, the idea of Tiruppāvai—Tiruvembāvai—Ṣaḍaṅga—Conference was hit upon in 1950. Āṇḍal’s *Tiruppāvai* and Māṇikkavāchakar’s *Timveṃbāvai* are sung in the Viṣṇu and Śiva temples respectively in the month of Mārgaḻi (Mārgaśīrṣa). The Āchārya had a conference of scholars in these sacred texts organized at Tiruviḍaimarudūr in December 1950. It was a unique experience to listen to the Vaiṣṇava and Śaiva scholars speak from the same platform. On the last day of the conference, the Āchārya spoke explaining how the goal of all the cults was the same, even as the end of all the rivers was the sea. He declared: “The redeeming Reality is one and the same. We may seek to reach God through several ways. But while marching on these diverse paths, we must not forget the fundamental unity of Godhead. If we are obsessed with diversity, there is no happiness.” The Āchārya further showed how it is the state of plenary happiness and freedom from fear that is the significance of the images of the dancing Naṭarāja and the redining Viṣṇu, and concluded saying that in realizing this truth the recitation and study of *Tiruppāvai* and *Tiruvembāvai* would be supremely helpful. On another occasion speaking on the same theme, the Āchārya observed: “Because two people worship different manifestations of One Supreme Being, there is no warrant for their quarrelling with each other. The Śiva-purāṇas extol Śiva and the Viṣṇu-purāṇas extol Viṣṇu. But a proper understanding will remove the misconception. The praise of a particular manifestation in a Purāṇa is to be understood in its context and not as absolute. How can there be a higher or lower, superior or inferior when in reality there are not two, but it is only One God manifesting differently? We must not forget that there are works which proclaim the oneness of Śiva and Viṣṇu, of Hara and Hari. It has been declared that the enemies of Śiva are the enemies of Viṣṇu too, and *vice versa.* “Among us there is the concept of the *iṣṭa-devatā,* of the particular form of God which one chooses for his worship and meditation. To get at the One Supreme, you must start' from some manifestations of It, and you choose it as your *iṣṭa-devatā.* Another man may choose some other manifestation. As each progresses in his devotion and concentration, he will be led on to the One where the differences disappear. That has been the experience of great sages and saints. A true Śiva-bhakta has no quarrel with a true Viṣṇu-bhakta. “In this connection it is good to remember two devotional hymns one in praise of Viṣṇu and the other in praise of Śiva sung by devotees of the different persuasions. They are the *Tiruppāvai* of Āṇḍāḻ and the *Tiruvembāvai* of Maṇikkavāchakar. Both of them deal with awakening the sleeping devotees of God from their slumber before dawn. The language and the substance of the two hymns show a remarkable similarity bringing forcibly to our minds that, in the ultimate analysis, from the point of view of the devotee and his devotion there need be no difference in respect of Śiva or Viṣṇu. A devotee of one manifestation is a devotee of every other manifestation. That is the way to establish devotional harmony. All the theistic schools of our religion have stemmed from the Vedic religion which proclaimed: ‘That which exists is One; the sages speak of it variously.’ The substance is ultimately one; its shape and name may be as various as you please.”[9] <https://www.wisdomlib.org/hinduism/book/preceptors-of-advaita/d/doc62924.html#note-e-32994> The unity-movement has been gaining in popularity since its inception. Encouragement is given for children to learn to recite the two poems. In the month of Mārgali, the two poems are broadcast from the temples. All India Radio has also been cooperating by arranging for the singing and exposition of these two moving hymns. In the different parts of Tamil Nadu Tiruppāvai-Tiruvembāvai meetings are held during the month. At the meeting held in Māyūram in front of Ērī Dakṣiṇāmūrti Shrine, on the 8th of December 1952, the Āchārya pointed out that recent research has brought to light the fact that in distant Thailand (Siam) the Tiruppāvai—Tiruvembāvai festival is still celebrated, although the people there do not seem to be aware, now, of its significance. The festival is being observed to propitiate both Viṣṇu and Śiva. The festival occurs there at the time of Ārdnā-darśana, and the swing-festival is also observed, as here, in connection with it. Here, in Tamil Nadu, we do not call the Ārdrā by the name Tiruppāvai—Tiruvembāvai, but the Thais call it so. Only, the name occurs there in a slightly mutilated form—Triyembāvai-Tripāvai. Drawing a lesson, from the Thai festival for our people, the Āchārya observed that we should revive and popularise the tradition which we have forgotten, and which the Thais still observe, having received it from us. Religion is the basis of Hindu culture; spirituality is its backbone. What are considered elsewhere to be secular arts, such as sculpture and dancing, are here in India regarded as sacred. Hindu culture in all its aspects spread far wide in the past. The evidences of its influence are even now to be found in widely distant countries from Egypt in the West to Java and Bali in the East. Speaking about the pervasiveness of Hindu culture at a meeting at the Kumbhakoṇam Maṭha in January 1947, the Āchārya dwelt on the need for the resuscitation of the traditional arts and crafts. These should be revived and popularized, bearing in mind that all of them serve the purpose of strengthening faith in God, faith in spiritual values. The temple is the centre of the ancient arts and crafts. Architecture, sculpture, and iconography go into the building of temples and the making of images. The directions for these arts are to be learnt from the Āgamas—Śaiva, Śākta, Vaikhānasa and Pāñcharātra. It is from the same sources that the *archakas* have to know the correct procedures of temple-rituals and worship. Popular discourses on the Epics and Purāṇas used to be given mainly in the temples, and on occasions of temple-festivals. The folk-songs, dances, etc., have for their themes the religious stories as related in the Epics, etc. The Āchārya wanted to institute an organization which would work for the revival—leading to a renaissance—of the ancient skills and arts relating to the temples. He had a *sadas* arranged for, for the first time in 1962, during the c *hāturmāsya* at Ilayāttaṅgudi—the Akhila-Vyāsa-Bhārata-Āgama-Śilpa-Sadas. Scholars and specialists in the various fields covered by the wide scope of the *Sadas* are invited to present papers and give expositions at the annual sessions of the conference. Besides the traditional *paṇḍitas* in the *Āgamas* and experts in Śilpa, some foreign scholars also take part in the *Sadas.* The *archakas* are asked to discuss and settle points relating to rituals and worship. Arrangements are made for cultural programmes consisting of *puppet-show, shadow-play, ōṭṭam-tuḷḷal, yakṣa-gāna, buṟṟa-kathā, villup-pāṭṭu, kathaka}* etc. The *Sadas* has become now a permanent annual feature. It was held at Nārayaṇapuram (Madurai) in 1963, at Kāñchī in 1964, at Madras in 1965, and at Kālahasti recently in 1966, where the Āchārya observed his sixtieth *chāturmāsya.* One of the most significant achievements in the last few years is the bringing together of the Heads of the Dharma-Pīṭhas in South India in periodical conferences with a view to formulate and execute concerted measures for the safeguarding and furtherance of Hindu institutions and practices. This has become possible through the initiative and leadership of our Āchārya. In this endeavour, the Hindu Religious Endowments Board is offering its whole-hearted co-operation. The objectives of the conference of the Heads of the Dharma-Pīṭhas are to strengthen the forces that make for *āstikya,* to project before the people the true image of Hindu-dharma, to work for the consolidation of the Hindu society, and to persuade its members to follow the path of virtue. Despite minor doctrinal differences, there is much that is common to the various Hindu denominations; and it is good that the Heads of the different *sampradāyas* have come together lo remind the people constantly of their common heritage, fundamental duties, and the final goal of spiritual freedom. The ‘rice-gift’ scheme formulated by the Āchārya is being implemented in several areas. According to this scheme, in each household, everyday before starting to cook rice, a handful of rice along with a paisa should be put into a pot kept for the purpose. Once a week the rice and coins should be collected by the Association in each street or locality constituted under the scheme. The rice thus gathered should be handed over to the temple in the neighbourhood for being cooked and offered to the deity as *naivedya.* The cooked rice that has been consecrated should be sold in packets to the poor people of the place at a nominal charge of 10 paise per packet. The amounts collected thus and the gift-coins gathered from the charity-pots should be utilised towards meeting the cost of fire-wood and for paying the temple-cook for his services. This scheme will benefit those who give as well as those who receive. Those who give will have the satisfaction of having made their daily offering to God and their less fortunate brethren; and those who receive will have their hunger satisfied and thoughts purified through partaking of the consecrated food. One of the most distressing phenomena is the crude way in which Corporation or Municipal servants dispose of the, dead bodies of Hindu destitutes. The Āchārya has repeatedly exhorted the well-to-do Hindus to do their duty by those who are unfortunate in life and unfortunate in death also. Arranging for the proper cremation or burial of the dead bodies of destitutes is of the greatest importance. By such service, as the Āchārya points out, one obtains the merit of performing the *Aśvamedha* sacrifice *(anātha-preta-saṃskārāt aśvamedha-phalaṃ labhet).* This is one of the functions of the Hindu-mata Jīvātma-kainkarya Saṅgha organised at the instance of the Āchārya. The members of the Sangha have to arrange for the last rites of the destitutes who die in hospitals or prisons or on the streets. Among the functions of the Saṅgha are: weekly visits to hospitals for distributing the Āchārya’s *prasāda* *(vibhūti* and *kuṅkumam)* to patients and making them think of God who is the Great Healer; offering the *Tulasī* leaves, Gaṅgā-water, etc., to those who are on the verge of death, and performing Śrī-Rāmanāma-japa staging by their side; going to the villages one day every week tor explaining to the people the essentials of Hindu-dharma; and arranging for frequent talks on ethical living and spiritual disciplines for the benefit of those who are behind prison-bars. Some of the other activities and insti *t* utions which owe their inception to the Āchārya, in recent times, are: the institution of “Weekly Worship” enabling the Hindu community of each place to visit the local temple collectively once a week and perform *bhajana;* the setting up of Amara-bhāratī-parīkṣā-samiti for arranging for instruction in Samskrit for beginners, conducting periodical examinations, and awarding certificates and prizes; the starting of the Madras Samskrit Education Society at Nazarethpet near Madras for the promotion of studies in Samskrit; the publication of *Advaita-grantha-kośa* compiled by a *yati* of the Upaniṣad Brahmendra Maṭha, Kāñchī, who has been serving the Āchārya for a number of years in many a way; and the building of Ādi-Śaṅkara Memorial Maṇtapas at important places of pilgrimage, to which we shall refer later. One of the major causes for our cultural decline was foreign domination. This cause was removed when our country gained political independence from British rule on the 15th of August 1947, under the leadership of Mahātmā Gāndhi. But political emancipation cannot be an end in itself; it must lead on to a new flowering of the Soul of India. In a message issued on the day of Independence, the Āchārya said: “At this moment when our Bhārata Varṣa has gained freedom, all the people of this ancient land should with one mind and heart pray to the Lord. We should pray to Him to vouchsafe to us increasing mental strength and the power for making spiritual progress. It is only by His Grace that we can preserve the freedom we have gained, and help all beings in the world to attain the ideal of true happiness.... For a long time our country has striven for freedom; by the Grace of God, by the blessings of sages, and by the unparallelled sacrifices of the people, freedom has come to us. Let us pray to the all-pervading God that He may shower His Grace so that our country will become prosperous, being freed from famine-conditions, and the people will live unitedly and amicably without any communal strife”. The Āchārya also appealed that the people should cultivate the cardinal virtues, ridding themselves of passions and violent desires, and that they should by inward control and spiritual knowledge seek to realize the Self. *8. At Kanchi* After touring intensively in the southern districts, especially in Tañjāvūr, visiting even the remote villages, in pursuance of the implementation of programmes for religious awakening among the people, the Āchārya arrived at Kāñchī on the 22nd of June 1953, and made a stay of three years there. The Āchārya wanted to select a successor to the Kāñchī Kāmakoṭi Pīṭha, and train him for the great tasks and duties associated with the headship of the Pīṭha. The choice fell on a young disciple, Subrahmanyam by name, the son of Śrī Mahādeva Aiyar who was an official of the Southern Railway at Tiruchi. From his early boyhood, Subrahmanyam had been receiving Vedic education at the Maṭha itself. He was about nineteen years of age in 1954. The Vedic rituals connected with initiating him into *sannyāsa* and imparting to him the *mahāvākya-upadeśa* by the Āchārya took place at Kāñchī from the 19th to the 22nd March 1954. Thousands of people had gathered in the holy city for witnessing the unique ceremony on the 22nd of March. The young disciple stood hip-deep in the Sarvatīrtha Tank as soon as the Āchārya had arrived there, and discarded the insignia and attire of the *pūrvāśrama.* Then he donned the *kāṣāya* cloth and repaired to the shrine of Śrī Viśveśvara where the Āchārya imparted to him *mahāvākya-upadeśa.* He was given the *yoga-paṭṭam,* ‘Śrī Jayendra Sarasvatī’. From that day onwards he has been with the Āchārya as the First Disciple, receiving the necessary guidance in the performance of the many duties associated with the Pīṭha and its ever increasing sphere of spiritual service to the people. On the 18th of May 1954, the Āchārya’s *ṣaṣṭi-abda-pūrti* (sixty-first birth-day) was celebrated all over the country. In a message to the disciples who had gathered at Kāñchī that day, the Āchārya asked them to do their utmost to preserve the Vedic lore, to spread the spirit of devotion among the people, and to make endowments of lands, etc., for charitable purposes. To mark the auspicious occasion Śrī Śaṅkara’s *Brahma-sūtra-bhāṣya* with notes was published by the Kāmakoṭi Kośasthānam. The Golden Jubilee of the Āchārya’s ascension to the Kāmakoṭi Pīṭha was celebrated on the 17th of March 1957, at Kalavai whore he had ascended the *Pīṭha* in 1907. In the course of a message, the Āchārya observed: “We know today that half-a-century has passed. There is not much use in reviewing all that we have been able to do in the past fifty years. On the contrary, we should bestow our thoughts on what we have to do in the remaining years that are given to us by God in this life. What is it that has to be done by us? What has to be done is to gain the state of freedom from all action. But, in the *Bhagavad-gītā.* the Lord declares repeatedly that the state of freedom from action cannot be obtained by remaining quiet (without performing our duty). It is by performing action that the state of actionlessness can be realized. What is that action which is very intense, by which actionlessness is to be achieved by us? In answering this question, we recollect and remind you of the Bhagavatpāda’s command: ‘Let action be performed well; thus let God be worshipped!’ Let us then perform our allotted actions. It is the performance of allotted actions that constitutes service t'o the Lord, worship of Him, and becomes the means to obtain His Grace. Therefore, performing our respective duties, and thus worshipping the Lord, we shall gain the Supreme Good.” *9. Since 1957* In the history of the city of Madras, the years 1957-59 constitute an unforgettable chapter; for, during these years, the Āchārya staved in the city—visiting it after a lapse of twenty-five years— and blessed the people by his benign presence, by the daily *pūjā.* performed to Śrī Chandramaulīśvara and Śrī Tripurasundarī, and by his after- *pūjā* discourses. An enthusiastic and reverential welcome was accorded to His Holiness the Jagadguru, when, accompanied by his Principal Disciple, he arrived in the city on the 23rd of September 1957. Śrī V. Ramakrishna Aiyar, Deputy Chief Reporter to “The Hindu”, Madras, to whom was “assigned” the task of reporting the ceremonial welcome, records his personal experience on that glorious night as follows: “As I had not the good fortune of receiving the *darṣan* of His Holiness previously, I went to my ‘duty’ in a professional attitude, little realizing the unique experience that awaited me The first sight of His Holiness sent a thrill through my body anc brought about an indescribable mental revolution. A glance from that shining benevolent eyes and a comforting gesture fron the hand, which caused a wave of peace to engulf one, made ’tu surrender myself to him unreservedly. “I could have discharged the duty assigned to me that day to the satisfaction of my office, by covering the reception accorded to His Holiness at ‘Farm House’, by Mr Kasturi Srinivasan and the members of his family and prominent citizens constituting the Reception Committee, and then winding up my report by mentioning that His Holiness and Śrī Jayendra Sarasvatī Svāmī were taken in procession in decorated palanquins to the Samskrit College, indicating the route taken by the procession. But I found myself unable to move away from that divine presence and without any conscious effort on mv part, I followed the procession, noting down everything that happened *en route.* It was only after His Holiness retired late in the night at the Samskrit College that I managed to drag my feet home”.[10] <https://www.wisdomlib.org/hinduism/book/preceptors-of-advaita/d/doc62924.html#note-e-32995> Thousands of devotees listened with rapt attention to the Āchārya’s after- *pūjā* discourses. It was a new experience of exaltation and ennoblement’ each day To watch the Āchārya perform the *pūjā* was itself a unique participation in the adoration of the Divine After the evening *pūjā,* the Achārva would come to the platform and sit there in silence for a while One was often reminded of Śrī Dakṣiṇāmūrti whose mode of *upadeśa* is silence. But, in order to bless us who cannot understand the language of silence, the Āchārya would begin to speak after preparing the ground through silence. The speech would flow effortlessly, without the least trace of artificiality. Into the content of the speech would go the most ancient wisdom as well as the results of the latest research in a variety of disciplines Above all, every word of the Āchārya’s utterances would have as it's support authentic inward experience. The entire audience would sit spell-bound, drinking in every syllable and accent and their deep significance. Those who could not listen to the discourse's in person, for some reason or other, had the benefit of reading reports of them in the newspapers such as “The Hindu”, and “The Swadesa Mitran”.[11] <https://www.wisdomlib.org/hinduism/book/preceptors-of-advaita/d/doc62924.html#note-e-32996> The following is a brief account of the significance and gist of the Āchārya’s teachings:— “True to the appellation *Jagadguru* (World-teacher), the Āchārya’s teachings are meant for the entire mankind Even when they are addressed to the Hindus, they are applicable *mutatis mutandis* to the followers of other faiths. Advaita, whose consolidation was the great life-mission of Ādi Śaṅkara, has no quarrel with any religion or spiritual perspective. No one is excluded from its portals. The plenary experience which is Advaita is the common goal of everyone. Inheriting this most comprehensive outlook as the Āchārya does, he finds no difficulty in accommodating apparently divergent points of view and elevating them at the same time with the lever of Advaita experience. “Advaita is not a school among schools of thought. As the Āchārya says, sages belonging to different traditions and religions have had the Advaita-experience; and they have shared their experience with others. Tattvarāya Svāmī was a Madhva; Mastān Sāheb was a Muslim. Even those thinkers who profess to oppose Advaita turn out to be contributors thereto; and all of them speak the language of Advaita. This shows that the expansive heart of Śrī Ādi Śaṅkara accommodates all views on the ultimate Reality and all approaches to it. Though other systems may quarrel with Advaita, Advaita does not quarrel with them. “It is in the context of Advaita that the Āchārya’s varied teachings fall in place. His exhortation for work for the commonweal, his advice for the adoption of simple and clean modes of living, his repeated invitation for offering worship to God in any of His myriad forms, his recommendation of the practice of concentration and meditation, his advocacy of the study of Vedānta and the realisation of its truth—all these are to be understood as relating to disciplines that lead to Advaita-experience. “There is an unfounded criticism that Advaita accords no place to God in its scheme. The truth, however, is that even the Advaita outlook one gains only through the Grace of God There is nothing strange, therefore, in the Āchārya’s teaching, through example and precept, that the most important item in one’s daily programme should be divine worship Those moments in one’s life are vain which are unrelated to the endeavour to bespeak the blessings of the Lord. “As a spiritual discipline, the worship of one’s chosen form of the Deity is indispensable for one’s progress towards enlightenment Especially at the initial stages it serves as the go-cart which helps the child to learn to walk. While praying one may ask for the fulfilment of one’s personal ends; but the best prayer is that which asks God to dower the entire world with His blessings; for the devotee of the Lord should look upon all mankind as one. “A theme which recurs frequently in the Āchārya’s speeches is the plea for inter-religious understanding. There is no meaning in the rivalries between the followers of the different faiths. The attempts at religious conversion are like those of the drivers of all sorts of conveyances at the railway station to “catch” passengers. While the behaviour of the drivers is understandable, that of the protagonists of religions is meaningless. As the God of all religious denominations is one, there is no need to give up one religion and adopt another. This does not mean that all the religions are uniform; uniformity is not important; what is important is unity; and all our faiths are united in proclaiming the supreme reality of the One God. The religions are like the arches of a bridge. To a man standing under a particular arch, that one would loom large and the others would appear small But the fact is that all arches are similarly constructed and are of the same dimension. As God cannot be different, why should there be decrying of any religion? The religions are many only to cater to the different tastes of men. This should not lead to religious fanaticism and hatred. “The grandeur of Hinduism is that it consciously recognizes the unity of religion. That the different religions are nut contradictory of, or antagonistic to, one another, but are only apsects of one Eternal Religion, is not a mere theory or abstract speculation with the Hindus, it is an article of faith. It is a tragedy, therefore, that there should be religious quarrels among the Hindus themselves. A major division in Hinduism is that between Vaiṣṇavism and Śaivism. The Āchārya is never tired of pointing out that, according to all our Scriptures and the teachings of all the great masters, Śiva and Viṣṇu are one. Our ancients have taught us in several ways the unity of Godhead. The conceptions of Naṭarāja and Rangarāja are complementary to each other. In fact, Brahmā, Viṣṇu and Śiva are but different aspects of the same Deity. A similar complementariness is to be noticed in the idea of God as male and female, as father and mother. The integrated views of the Deity as *Harihara* , and as *Ardhanārīśvara* , have a deep significance, and take us nearer the supreme truth. “A resurgent and strong Hinduism is necessary not only for the salvation of the Hindus but also for the betterment of the world. The Veda which is the basic scripture of Hinduism is not a sectarian text. Whatever truth was declared by any great prophet can be traced to the Vedas. On the river-banks of the Vedic *dharma,* the various religions are like the bathing-ghats. In the distant past, the Vedic religion was spread throughout the world. Gradually other religions appeared in the other parts of the globe, each emphasizing some aspects of the religion of the Veda. To India belongs the privilege of preserving the ancient *dharma* in its purity and comprehensive nature. “A disciplined and ordered life is what is taught in the Veda. The main Vedic disciphnes are: performance of one’s duties *(karmānuṣṭhāna)* , cultivation of the cardinal virtues *(śila),* worship of the Deity *(upāsana),* and acquisition of wisdom *(jñāna).* To live like an animal, eating, sleeping, and begetting, is to prostitute the precious human birth. We must learn to put a curb on the animal propensities, and purify our minds. By good deeds we must convert the material goods into religious merit *(puṇya)* which alone is legal tender in the worlds to come. Earning and hoarding should not become the ends of life. A career-oriented education is no education. What should first be inculcated in young minds is respect for *dharma.* There is no point in asking people to increase their standard ot living; what should be aimed at is improvement or the quality of life. The frail mortal Cannot improve his life by sell-effort alone; he must seek God’s Grace through worship and meditation. It is by bathing in the holy waters of meditation that the mind gets cleansed of its impurities, The mind so cleansed develops the power of discrimination; it gains the ability to distinguish the real from the unreal, which paves the way for the dawn of wisdom *(jñāna).* “ *jñāna* is the fruit of the tree of life. The man of wisdom, the sage, is the ideal of man. He has no attachment and aversion; praise and blame are equal to him. He does not sink under the weight of so-called troubles. A heavy log of wood becomes light when immersed in water. Let the troubles be sunk in the waters of *jñāna,* they will cease to be troubles. To the *jñāni* the supreme Self is the sole reality. As the dolls in the Daśarā exhibition are all clay in their insides, so are all things the *Paramātman* in substance for the *jñānī.* There is no bondage for the *jñānī;* he does not fall again into the tract of *saṃsāra. Mokṣa* or release is not a *post mortem* state; it is the eternal nature of the Self. The *jñānī* realizes this; and hence there is no more travail for him. The *Trayaṃbaka-mantra* compares release to the separation of the cucumber fruit from its stalk. This fruit does not fall down, but gets detached from the stalk, or rather, the stalk gets itself detached even without the fruit knowing it. This ‘cucumber mukti’ is the goal of every one. Those who have realized it are the *jñānīs.* “Such *jñānīs* have appeared at all times and in all places. Their presence is a blessing to the world. Thousands of people profit, even without their knowing, by contact with a *Mahāpuruṣa.* There is no discord or divergence of views among the wise. The peace that passeth understanding is what they spread. Let the people resort to them for gaining liberation from the fetters of finite existence.”[12] <https://www.wisdomlib.org/hinduism/book/preceptors-of-advaita/d/doc62924.html#note-e-32997> 221024 Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Thatha_Patty" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/thatha_patty/CAL5XZooB1VA8HAqfVWGYPTg-p7kStYF%3DxggHaW4r5fLs3rKTSA%40mail.gmail.com.
