In2-MeC

Sayujya-mukti as Defined by Sripad Madhvacarya

From Srila Prabhupada's books, we understand sayujya-mukti thus:

There are five types of liberation, one of which is called sayujya-mukti, or being merged into the existence or body of the Lord. The other forms of liberation maintain the individuality of the particle soul and involve being always engaged in the transcendental loving service of the Lord. (Bhag. 2. 6. 35p)

But Madhvacarya, who re-established the Brahma-sampradaya in the Kali-yuga, taught a different understanding of sayujya-mukti. Since there is an historical connection between the Gaudiya Vaisnava sampradaya of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu and the Tattvavadi sampradaya of Acarya Madhva, it is useful to understand the distinct conceptions of sayujya in these two schools.

Madhvacarya teaches that a soul ascends to moksa (liberation) via four steps: 1) karma-ksaya, or the destruction of karma, both punya (good) and papa (evil); 2) utakranti-laya, the stoppage of rebirth; 3) arciradi-marga, the soul's traversing of the arciradi path of the sun that passes through the region of the fire gods to the realm of Brahman, from which there is no return; and 4) bhoga, the enjoyment of four kinds of liberation.

Madhva's four kinds of liberation are salokya, samipya, sarupya and sayujya.

Here it should be mentioned that it is typical for sastra to list five kinds of liberation, as we find in Srimad-Bhagavatam 3. 29. 13: salokya-sarsti-samipya-sarupya-ekatvam, defined by Srila Prabhupada in his word-for-word translation as "living on the same planet", "having the same opulence", "to be a personal associate", "having the same bodily features", and "oneness".

Madhvacarya subsumes sarsti liberation into sayujya. And what is sayujya for Madhva? It is the supreme liberation, in which the transcendental bliss of the soul is of the the same quality (though not the same unlimited quantity) as that of the Supreme Lord. Hence it is a state of complete intimacy with Him.

The Mayavadis define sayujya as ekatvam, merging into and becoming one with Brahman. The Gaudiya Vaisnavas understand sayujya in that way also. But in the Nyayamrta, the great acarya Vyasatirtha defends Madhva's conception of sayujya by stating that it should never be interpreted to mean total identity.

Sayujya, for Madhva and his followers, can be attained only by the complete subservience of the soul to the Supreme Lord. They define the Lord as He who possesses unlimited aisvarya, transcendental opulence--and therefore the supreme aspect of God for the Tattvavadis is Sri-Sri Laksmi-Narayana. It follows that the liberated soul can never equal Laksmi-Narayana, who are the very forms of supreme opulence, but by Their grace he can share Their bliss. So sayujya-mukti here is a perfection of the dasya-rasa (the rasa of servitude) in aisvarya-bhava, the majestic Vaikuntha mood of bhakti.

Like Ramanujacarya, Madhvacarya does not discuss the sweet madhurya aspect of the Supreme Truth--Sri-Sri Radha-Krsna. Madhurya-bhava (the Vrndavan mood) is taught in the Brahma-sampradaya by Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu His followers. It is also taught to some extent in the Kumara and Rudra sampradayas by Nimbarkacarya and Vallabhacarya.

For those who understand Srimad-Bhagavatam in the light of Lord Caitanya's teachings, the five kinds of liberation are aisvaryas (opulences) that the Lord offers to His devotees in gratitude for their devotional service; but the pure devotees of the madhurya-bhava do not accept them. And so we find in Srimad-Bhagavatam 3. 29. 13: na grhnanti vina mat-sevanam janah, "a pure devotee does not accept any kind of liberation in exchange for pure devotional service. "

If someone would ask me why Madhvacarya defined sayujya-mukti as he did, I would answer that his definition arises from his extremely strong and loyal mood of devotion in aisvarya. The Mayavadi philosophers attempt to strip the Absolute of His divine opulence. They do not like to think of Him as the Supreme Person, much less as the husband of Laksmi in Their transcendental abode, Vaikuntha-loka. They wish to reduce the Lord to an impersonal light that they themselves can be one with. Their motivation is envy. So Madhva ripped the sayujya conception out of the Mayavadis' hands and redefined it as the highest bliss achieved by a devoted servant of Sri-Sri Laksmi-Narayana. He does not permit oneness to be considered as any kind of liberation at all.

The Gaudiya Vaisnavas see no need to argue in this way, since for them liberation is not actually a goal. They will even allow that ekatvam or sayujya is a kind of liberation that the Lord kindly awards the successful impersonalists. The Gaudiya Vaisnavas are simply not much concerned about liberation because it is an aisvarya, while their mood is madhurya.

Video Games Are Addictive, Say Scientists

Tue Nov 4, 6:42 PM ET Reuters News Service By Lucas van Grinsven, European Technology Correspondent

UTRECHT, Netherlands (Reuters) - Computer game fanatics should not be labeled addicts, although many players say they are hooked on a hobby that is affecting their social lives, scientists said Tuesday.

Some evidence exists that games stimulate the same areas in the brain as alcohol and other drugs, psychologists, sociologists and others were told at the world's first interdisciplinary games conference here.

But unlike the addictive substances, there is no medicine to deal with compulsive gaming behavior, they heard.

"Is (the popular online game) Everquest addictive? Well, it's no more addictive than school or work. The time invested in those also make them addictive," said Florence Chee, a research student at Simon Fraser University in Canada.

Scientific interest in the multibillion dollar computer games industry has mushroomed in recent years, after teenagers in several countries killed themselves and others after playing violent games. Various governments have put pressure on the industry to add a health warning to games packages.

But many players actually described themselves as addicts, said Stephen Kline, a social psychology professor and media analyst at Simon Fraser University.

"Fifteen percent of Everquest players say: 'I'm addicted'. Thirty percent can be categorized as addicts," he said.

Although he used the word "addiction" in the classic Greek sense of "devotion," his survey of hundreds of heavy online games players showed half of them reported family conflict and romantic failure as a result of their hobby.

VIOLENCE SPILLS OVER

Heavy games players can play an average 17 to 26 hours a week. The online games, in which players battle with opponents online, are considered the most gripping and time-consuming.

Children from the age of 10 are now starting to play online games, he said, and families should know it is radically different from comics.

"Game entertainment is not a classic media experience. It has a potency that offers a new psychological experience," Kline said, adding he could imagine violent experiences in games to spill over in real life.

Other scientists, who like Chee have carried out scientific surveys, said heavy games players were in fact sociable and not the pathological loners they are often made out to be.

Sociology Professor Holin Lin at National Taiwan University discovered many players were members of an online 'clan' to try to become more successful against opponents in the game. She also found many had relationships with clan members in real life.

<< Back