WHAT IS ADVAITA? – CHAPTER 1

सर्व तन्त्र स्वतन्त्राय सद्दात्मा अद्वैत वादिने श्रीमद् संकराचार्य वेदान्त गुरवे नम : Salutations to Thee, O great Acharya Sankara, the Supreme teacher of Vedanta, who was the master of all Sastras and was specially the protagonist of the eternal non-dual Atman.’’ Human life becomes fruitful through the attainment of certain values, which are known as the four Purusharthas. These are Dharma, Artha, Kama and Moksha. Dharma (sometimes translated as religion, duty, morality etc.) is the satisfaction that man derives from the discharge of all his duties as the member of a society. Dharma must guide man’s activities for the achievement of the next two forms of satisfactions — Artha and Kama, which are fundamentally individual. Artha is the satisfaction derived from attainment of power and wealth. These help one to attain the third Purushartha, Kama which means pleasure derived from enjoyments of all good things of life. The last one, Moksha, means liberation from the clutches of Nature which is involving one in repeated births and deaths resulting from the effects of one’s actions. Dharma is the link between the individual satisfactions of Artha and Kama on the one hand, and the transcendental satisfaction of Moksha on the other. Of these Moksha is called the ultimate end — Paramapurushartha for that alone is permanent. In this connection the Chandogya Upanishad, says: न च पुनर् आवर्तते न च पुनर् आवर्तते, – there is no return to Samsara for one who has attained liberation. The other three Purusharthas are not like that. They are ephemeral. Says Chandogya Upanishad, 8.1.6: तद्यथेह कर्मजितो लोकः क्षीयत एवमेवामुत्र पुण्यजितो लोकः क्षीयते, just as the benefits attained in this world by one’s actions get exhausted, so also the benefits got in the world beyond as a result of one’s actions, get exhausted. But liberation can be attained only by the knowledge of Brahman and not by any actions. Svetasvatara Upanishad, 6.5 says, तमेव विदित्वातिमृत्युमेति नान्यः पन्था विद्यतेऽयनाय – by knowing Him alone the Jiva transcends death. There is no other way for this. In Taittiriya Upanishad 2.1, also it is said, ब्रह्मविदाप्नोति परम् , a knower of Brahman attains the Supreme state.