The Essence Of

Swami Vidyaranya Saraswathi’s Jivan-

Mukti-Viveka

by a devotee of Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba

This essence is based on the English Translation of Jivan Mukti

Viveka by MANILAL N. DVIVEDI (Published by Tookaram
Tatya for the Theosophical Publication Fund, Bombay, 1897, 226
pages in pdf.)

This book is for free private circulation

Printed at Swarna Art Printers
SR Nagar, Hyderabad
January 1, 2023

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 CHAPTER I: Of Liberation in This Life

The body, the senses, the vital breath, mind, intellect, egoism, the
thinking principle, nay even illusion itself, the cosmos beginning
with supreme ether, the doer, the sufferer, the director of one or
other; the Self is none of these; it is all pure being, all pure thought,
all pure bliss, …

CHAPTER II: On the Destruction of Latent Desire

The experience of this world (a product of the mind) never gets

dissolved without due effort.

When the mind is dissolved, there will be no consciousness of any

external cause which can develop mental impression into full
presentation. Then, latent desire fades away. Both 'dissolution of
mind' and 'destruction of latent desire' happen together.

That man of discrimination who sees even oneness of Self in

friends and foes as well as in his own Self, can find no cause for
being angry with anyone, as he certainly finds no cause for being
angry with the parts of his own body.

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To the seeker, Continuous Divine Consciousness (CDC) is the
principal, and dissolution of mind and destruction of latent desire
are subordinate.

CDC dissolves all bonds and gives freedom from every kind of
misery. The wise, realizing the effulgent one, gain freedom from
all joy and all sorrow.

Practicing CDC, man ceases from all imagining, reaches the

condition wherein there is no mind, for, it then dies out for want of
having anything to relate itself to.

Impure Vasana is of three kinds: Loka (pertaining to the world

around), Sastra (relating to learning), and Deha (of life) are the
three different sources of its rise.

Loka vasana is a strong desire of the mind, which leads it to think

and act in a manner to court the praise or avoid the censure of the
world. Do not seek praise and blame from the world.

Pride of learning is of three kinds: addiction to study, addiction to

many subjects, and addiction to the observance of injunctions laid
down in religious books.

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Of what use is the knowledge of many sastras? Those who wish to
know the essence must by all means try to catch a glimpse of the
Light within. Inasmuch as pride of learning Sastra is a cause of
vanity, it is impure.

Desire relating to the body (Deha-vasana) divides itself into three

kinds: False identification with Self, false edifying, and false
convalescence.

False identification refers to thinking that the conscious body is the

self. False edifying could be via ways of the world or prescriptions
as per religious practices: trying to cultivate sweet voice and/or
soft skin via using oils, traditional medications, etc.; and actions
such as taking a dip in the Ganges, making pilgrimages, etc. False
convalescence can be ordinary/extraordinary. Ordinary comprises
removing disease through medicines, daily rinsing of the mouth,
and the like. The extraordinary consists of swallowing holy water
and the like as prescribed by the Veda.

All the vasanas are an obstacle to gaining true knowledge and the
practice of CDC in a complete manner.

About the Mind: It possesses the three forms: Light (Satva), energy
(Rajas), and grossness (Tamas). Satva leads to knowledge, Rajas

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to ambition and desire, and Tamas produces careless indifference,
idle delusion, and stupid ignorance.

Bondage is none other than the bond of vasanas. Liberation is only

the destruction of this vasana; give up the desire for liberation as
well. Before giving up mental vasanas, detach thyself from such
vasanas as relate themselves to objects and enjoyment. Set up then
the current of such pure vasanas as friendship and the like. Give
up even these from within, though acting upon them without. Live
only as a simple being. Give up even this as conceived through
mind and intellect. Give up the instruments whereby this may be
accomplished and remain in continual peace.

Grief, joy, fear, anger, ambition, illusion, desire, birth, death, and
the like belong to egoism, not to the Self.

Forcibly tear thyself away from vasanas, by strong personal

effort. Standing in the condition (of harmonious evenness); thou
shalt immediately gain access to the highest place of rest.

(About the seeker of liberation): Even while eating he does not

attach himself to the food; speaks moderately; and always tells the
truth. He remains unaffected in the presence of a full-blown
woman. His sight, whether standing or walking, does not extend

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far, renouncing the whole earth. Though hearing beneficial,
moderate, pleasing, exhilarating words, he, as it were, hears not.

The mind experiences bondage through vasana, without which it is

ever liberated. He attends to nothing but the actual present, joyfully
treading the way of the wise.

CHAPTER III: On the Dissolution of Mind

Prana and Manas (mind) being concomitants of each other, control

of the former leads to control of the latter.

Forbearance (Yama) is that which bids one forbear from prohibited

acts such as killing and the rest. Observances (Niyama) consists in
purity, contentment, containment of bodily desires, study, and
resignation to Easwar. Observance is that which turns one way
from acts with desire, the cause of incarnation and leads to observe
such duties as tend to liberation.

Completely abandon all desires born of imagination, and

exercise control every way on the senses through the mind.

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With patience and perseverance, the mind may pacify itself
gradually. Turn the mind firmly to (thy) Self, cease to think of
anything else; control it back into the Self from wherever this
unstable slippery thing should run out.

All desire has its root in imagination, even sacrifice is born of

imagination.

Senses like the eye and the like cannot be prevented from
cognizing forms and the like in consequence of their very
nature. This activity too may be controlled by strong mental
effort.

The Jivanmukta never forgets himself in any condition of pleasure

or pain. Formal dissolution of mind is the right way to Jivan Mukti

CHAPTER IV: The Aim of Self-Realization in This Life

What is the aim of Jivan-Mukti even if it could be realized? The

aims are: (1) Preservation of CDC (2) Practice of Tapas (3)
Universal love (4) Destruction of pain and misery and (5)
Experience of supreme bliss and joy.

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There is nothing else besides unbroken consciousness. Bondage
comes of one's own imagination. From suspension of imagination
comes liberation.

CHAPTER V: Renunciation of the Accomplished

Renunciation-of-the-accomplished is seen as largely beneficial to

Jivanmukti. This renunciation has been described at length in the
Paramahamsopanishad.

Many will place Brahman in their utterances. None, however, will

show it in action, being really intent on the pleasures of female
company and tasted dictated by the stomach. In one who is an
'ascetic' as well as a Paramahamsa, none of these faults occur.

The Lord explains the condition of Paramahamsa as follows:

The great being has his mind ever centered in ME, and in
consequence I manifest Myself always in him.

Neither heat nor cold, neither pleasure nor pain, neither respect nor
rebuff, he is above all. The ascetic with his mind entirely
suspended from action knows no cold/heat, for, he does not feel it.

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He has given up scandal, pride, rivalry, self-praise, self-assertion,
desire, revenge, pleasure, pain, passion, anger, avarice,
perverseness, joy, jealousy, egoism, and the like.

He is constantly free from the cause of doubt, false knowledge, and

illusion. (Doubt is the thought whether Atman is doer and sufferer
or not. False knowledge is knowledge that the body is the Self.)

Restraint (danda) of speech, restraint of mind, restraint of act, he

who carries these three firmly in his intellect is the real Tri-dandin.
Having controlled himself with these three in his relations to all
beings, and having controlled all desire and anger, he finds the
highest bliss possible.

(Restraint of speech is best done via silence. Restraint of mind

comes about from the practice of Pranayama. Restraint of action
comes from the absence of desire.