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BR.SAMAHITACHAITANYA
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:Wee,.+ " a _more elaborate definition:
qualifications) are,
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."=iffiA,#ri :###d,li ,: '- AharikaradidehAntun bandhdn
4. mamuk+utv:ffi or ajrtanakalpitan. svasvarupava-
mQfiaE$ntd;, bodhenamoktumicchamumuksuta.
: : .
Ofithe four *e have seen
the :{iisl thiee eltboiatelv. Mumuk;uta is the desire to free
lvow weit*atrhisi"ii in aL
: : : : : : : : :: : : : : : : : : : : : : :: :: :: :: : : : : : : : : :: t: :: : : : : : : : :: : :
oneself through the knowledgeof
Fa,lI t l::rt $ffi:ffi:$p$':!a.s1t one'sreal nature,from nll bondages,
ad;f p+*aax#6a*uaa4*$fuu ; beginning with the ego etc., and
i,e,, mamik:s;ituhm extending to the body, which has
beencreatedby ignorance.
- Definition
Mumukshutvam
Veanta Sara gives a concise From these definitions we
definition: see that mumuk;uta or mumuk-
;utvam is the desire for libera-
ggql* - cie-t€ tion. Pujya Gurudev used to
Mumuksutvarh - mokseccha. stress the nature of mumuk-
Mumusksutvam is the yearningfor ;utvam by calling it the burning
liberation. desire for liberation.

Taoovan Prasad 2'l

ThreeTypesOf
Mumukshutvam
The yearning for liberation is
very rare. The BhagaaadGeeta
(VII, 3) says that among thou-
sands, one rare individual
strives for liberation. Why is it
so? It is because of the strength
of one's visaya vdsanas(pleasure
seeking extrovert tendencies)
which one has gathered through
one's sojourn through many
lives. Mumuk;unam is indirectly
proportional to the strength of
one's vi;aya vasanas.This is be-
cause mumukgutvam means
searching for happiness inside
and vi;aya vasanas means
searching for happiness outside.
Both cannot co-exist. Depending
on the strength of mumuk;utvam
the scriptures classify it into
three types.
L.Manda mumuk;utvam : The
word manda means dull or
inferior..How does mumuk-
tutvam first begin? It arises in
one's mind when one goes to
a satsariga (used in the sense
of spiritual discourses) and
listens to the exposition of
scriptural ideas. Inspired by
'I
the satsariga one feels must
know God'. W\en this desire
is not followed by any concrete
steps towards the pursuit of
God, it is called manda tense nature of uttama mumuk-
22
mumuk;utvam. In time this
desire may even wane away.
Hence, it is of utmost impor-
tance to nurture this faint
desire.
2.Madhyama mumuk$utvam'.
madhyamameans middling or
average. When one takescon-
crete steps to fulfill the desire
to know God, like approach-
ing a Guru and sincerely be-
ginning to strive for liberatiory
it is called the madhyamaor the
middling type.
3.Uttama mumuk;utvam : Uttama
means the best. This is also
known aspravrddha, meaning
fully grown or tlvra, meaning
intense. The seeker achieves
uncompromising detachmenl
from the world and absolute
dedicationtowards the path of
Self-realization. It is only this
uttama type of mumuk;utvam
that can give liberation. The
Kathopani;ad declares yame-
vai;a vyqtutetena labhyak - he
who chooses It (uncompro-
misingly), attains It. This in-
tense desire for liberation is
compared to the frantic ur-
gency of a man looking for a
pond of water to douse the
raging fire on his head.
The aedantlc tradition illus-
trates this ttvratva i.e., the in-
December
 tutvam with the help of a simple
but powerful parable. The fol-
lowing is adapted from the Cos-
" if want. Hence if there is mukti
pel of Sri Ramakrishna. A dis-
"Gt)rv,
ciple asked his teacher,
please tell me how I can see
"Come with me," said the
God".
"and I shall show yolt".
Guru,
He took the disciple to the lake,
and both of them got into the
water. Suddenly the teacher
pressed the disciple's head un-
der the water. After a few mo-
ments he released him and the
disciple raised his head and
stood up spluttering and gasp-
"How
ing. The Guru asked him,
did you feel?" The disciple said,
"Oh! I
thought I would die; I
was panting for breath". The
"When
teacher said, you pant
thus for God, then you will
know that you don't have to
wait long for His vision". In the
disciple's panting for breath,
only one wish wqs there,'I want
air'. So too if one has the in-
'I
tense soul-felt desire, want
God and God alone and noth-
ing else', it is called uttama
mumuk;utvam, or a burning de-
sire for liberation.
There is yet another type of
mumukqutvam, rather a mere
mockery of it, called ati-manda-
mumuk;utvam or the extremely
' dull type. Such a person wish-
'What is destined
fully thinks,
Taoovan Prasad
to come to me will come even if
I don't want and what is not
destined will never come even
in my prarabdha(destiny) let it
come when it has to come.'
Thinking thus he puts forth no
effort to cultivate aiaeka, ap-
proach the Guru etc. There is
not even a vague possibility of
liberation for such a fool.
Mumukshutvamprccedes
all other sadhanas
f,hough uttama mumuk;utvam
comes only after the cultivation
of the first three aspects of the
sadhanq-chatustaya- aiaeka,uai-
ragya and Samadi-salkasampatti
a sort of mild mumuk;utvam
(what has been described as
manda mumuk;utvam) does exist
even before one embarks on all
these sadhanaslike aiaeka etc.
Why should it be so? Because
no action begins without a
desire. PrayojanamanuddiSya
muQho'pi na praaartate- even a
fool does not start acting with-
out some desire or aim in mind.
It is certainly trub that before
the perusal of Vedanta,one will
not be able to say in the strict
'I
aedantic sense - want the
knowledge of jlva-b.rahma-
aikya'. But dissatisfied with the
drfya-prapafrca (perceived
ZJ
world of objects, emotions and Eaenthoughone'smumuk;utvam
thoughts - OET), one would may be of the inferior (manda) or
certainly say from whatever middling (madhyama) type, by
little one'has heard in satsangs, cultioating vairagya (detachment
'I 'I which arisesfrom discrimination),
want the vision of God',
'I the six inner disciolineslike Sama
want to know the Truth', or
want perfect happiness' etc. etc., and the graceof the Guru, it
groTos into a well deaeloped
No pursuit, including the (pravrddha)
state and then confers
spiritual one of seeking God, is its of liberation.
fruit
possible without desire. True,
Thus to progress fuommanda
this desire for God puts an end
or madhyamato uttnma type of
to all other desires and with the
mumuk;utvam orrehas to become
dawn of Self-realisation, this
steady in the first three aspects
desire also comes to an end. It
of the sadhana-chatustaya i.e.,
is by retaining this desire for
aiaeka, aairagya and Samadi-
God in mind that one embarks
sampatti.
on the spiritual path. Thus
mumuk;utvam precedes every The verse also gives great im-
spiritual sadhana, nay, it even portance to the grace of the
precedes the seeker's entry into G.rr.r. What does Guru's GrJce
the spiritual path! mean? The grace of the Guru is
the blessings of one's noble
From Manda to Teacher which arises becauseof
UttamaMumukshutvam his immense compassion for a
sincere seeker. The seeker may
If at present one has only not be highly qualified but if he
manda or madhyama mumuk- is sincere, the compassionate
$utvam, how is one to progress Guru does bless the seeker. The
to uttama mumuk;utvam? Guru's grace expresses in the
Vivekacfiddmani (verse2B) form of his wishes, 'May this
answers this question: Sisya (student) become liber-
rrq-qETq-wrfrffiqqffikr 1 ated'. Needless to say the
wishes of such mahatmas(noble
sffAcg+,ia rgetq+i q rr souls or realized Masters) never
man da-madhyamarrupapi fail. Nothing is impossible with
vairaglte4ta Samddind the grace of the Guru and noth-
prasadena gurolt seyarh pravrddha ing is possible without the grace
suybte phalam. of the Guru.

24 December 2002
The Five-Fold
Analysis In Prospect
Of Mumukshutvam With mumuk;utvam we con-
-
a) Hetu the cause:sadhu- sanga* clude our discussion on the
(associationwith sadhus - the fourth and last aspect of
wise and the noble). sadhana-chatu;taya. A person
endowed with all of them is
b) Svarupa - the nature: intense
called an adhikari or qualified
desire for liberation and thus
aspirant.
the complete cessation of de-
sire for the pleasures of this Such a fit seeker enters into
world as well as the other the next phase in his spiritual
higher worlds like heaven etc. journe/ - he aproaches the Guru
c) Karya - the ffict: one reaches who bestows on him the knowl-
the lotus feet of the Guru. edge of the ultimate Truth. Cul-
tivating the sadhana-chatustaya
d) Aaadhi - the perfectionor cul- and then reaching the lotus feet
mination: renunciation of all of the Teacher is a great mile-
actions and total dedication stone in one's spiritual path.
to the spiritual pursuit. Now the journey progresses in
e) Phala - the result or fruit: leaps and bounds. More about
mumuksutvam propels a the way to approach the Guru,
sadhaka to the Supreme. Cer- the nature of the Guru etc., will
tain texts also indicate the be discussed in the next essay.
sayujya type of mukti with rc-
gard to brahmsloka (will be To summarize the important
discussed in the later essavs). points discussed in the essays
on the four aspects of sadhana-
chatu;taya (i.e., aiueka, vairagta,
-
Even though the initial manda sayka-sampattiand mumuk;unam)
mumuk;utvam springs fuom sadhu - a tabulated chart of their five-
safiga, this becomes slowly. fold analysis is given on the
madhyama and then uttama as one
next page. It is better to go
attains perfection in the first three
aspects of the sadhana-chatustaya i.e., through the chart after study-
aiaeka, ztairagya and Samadisatka- ing the essayson all the aspects
sampatti. of sadhana-chatustaya.

Tapovan Prasad 25
I