SAIVA SIDDHANTA AND ADVAITA by Harish Damodaran (most read book in the world txt) 📖

with this marga.
Charya diminishes the power of Anava. By this way, the devotee gains Saloka. It involves the attainment of the abode of Siva34.
Kriya consists in worshipping Lord Siva with rites and ceremonies prescribed in the Agamas. It is performed by both internal and external actions. Here, Lord Siva is worshipped in his sakala nishkala state. Here his form and formless states are worshipped. This marga demands a deeper knowledge on the part of the devotee. This includes meditation together with external worship.
Here the devotee acts as a son to the Lord; the Universal Father. This stage is more intimate than the chariya marga because a father is closer to one than the master. Thus, this path has another name, Satputra marga or the way of good son. This path brings about the nearness of the Lord (samipya) to the devotee by destroying the I-ness (Ahankara), My-ness (Mamakara). Saint ThirunJnanasambandar is an exponent of this marga.
The third stage is Yogamarga, which consists in mental worship of God in his subtler form. Here, no external action is involved. The yogi meditates upon the nishkala (formless) aspect of Lord Siva.
The yoga involves eight steps (angas): 1)Yama (aquisition of moral qualities), 2) Niyama (cultivation of virtuous actions), 3) Asana (various body postures), 4) Pranayama (breath control), 5) Pratyahara (withdrawal of senses and mind from distractions), 6) dharana (concentration of mind on God), 7) dhyana (spiritual contact) and 8) Samadhi (Yogic-spiritual experience).
This marga is also called Sagamarga since yogi looks upon the Lord as a loving friend of the devotee. By performing yoga, one gets God’s Sarupya.
Chariya, kriya and yoga lead only to lower level of mukthi called padamukti. For the complete release, the fourth stage Jnanamarga is to be followed. This way is also called Sanmarga.
In Sanmarga, there is a wife-husband type of relation in between the Pasu and the Pati. In this marga one has to study all the arts and science, Scriptures-Vedas, Upanisads, Agamas and hold on to the path of the Siddhanta.
The fruit of Sanmarga is called Sayujya (the bliss of divine communion). In sayujya, one sees the Lord all round and in himself. He, thus, realises his true nature as the channel of the Divine will. In submitting to the divine will, he finds unlimitable bliss. Saint Manikkavasagar is an exponent of sanmarga.
Of these four fold path, the first three chariya, Kriya, Yoga are the steping stones to reach the highest marga-Sanmarga. Through the first three preparatory stages, the soul becomes qualified for the Jnana marga. This qualification to enter Jnanamarga is called Padamukthi.
The four Margas yield their fruits also. They are Iruvinaigappu, Malaparipagam, and saktinipadam respectively.
Iruvinaioppu is a state in which the soul takes an attitude of equanimity towards both righteous and sinful actions. When the three malas in the soul reach a stage to meet with the causes of their removal, it is called Malaparipakam. Saktinipada is the settling of the Divine God’s grace in the soul. In this stage Siva appears before devotee to impart spiritual knowledge. Thus the Pasu becomes all set to attain the final release, Mukti.
4.1.2. Concept of Mukti
According to the Saiva Siddhanta, the final release or Mukti is acquired and possessed by the Soul, only if it is allowed to do so by Siva. In other words, Siva’s grace is an important factor in the acquisition of Mukti; which is undoubtedly, a gift of God. The Mukti is of two kinds Jivan mukti and Videhamukti.
According to Saiva Siddhanta, liberation is possible now and here, in this very world of affairs. This kind of release is called Jivanmukti, where the soul retains its material body.
The soul overcomes its limitations, attains spritual purity and perfection. It reaches a stage of communion with Siva and leads a life of bliss where it can worship Him and can take delight in the company of Siva-bhktas.
There are seven kinds of Jivanmukti, illustrated by seven analogies. They are as, sugarcane, fruit, milk, honey, Sugar candy, Sugar nectar.
a. Sugar cane- More of fibrous matter; and less of juice. Likewise, more of Jivabhava and less of Sivabhava.
b. Fruit- more stone and rind; then juice. But less harder than sugarcane. Likewise, yet, more Jivabhava and less Sivabhava.
c. Milk- Three parts water and one part milk. Still, more Jivabhava and less Sivabhava.
d. Honey- Sweet and sour juice. Jivabhava and Sivabhava equal.
e. Sugar Candy- Sweetness pervades the form, but is hard. More of Sivabhava.
f. Sugar-Sweet. Not being hard, melts quickly. Jivabhava negligible. Sivabhava dominates.
g. Nectar- Pure sweetness-Even as nectar and sweetness are not differentiated, Siva pervades the soul completely.
The Jivan mukta exercises perfect control over his senses and mind, all the time and is no longer swayed by the thought of ‘I’ and ‘mind’. This is a permanent and not an occasional attitude like the retraction of its limbs by tortoise35.
Seeing everything with the eye of Jnana, he sees his actions as Siva’s. He has no friends and foes; all are alike manifestations of Siva. Meypporul Nayanar saw Siva in Atisutra who stabbed him. The Jivan muktas may spend the rest of their lives in servise to follow human beings or in meditation and concentration.
Even those Jivan Muktas who seem to be preoccupied with their own spiritual advance are in reality serving others at the same time. The Nayanmars who spent their time in composing hymns, visiting shrines for prayers and worship and shared their experiences with others, invited them to partake of their delectable experience, like minded people were collected together for acts of prayer and worship; and this is a means of enhancing their joy by sharing36.
In Jivan mukti, however, there is the presence of Anava mala, though in the slightest, weakest from. This limitation continues as long as the body exists.
The state of Jivan mukti dawns as the ignorance and misery caused by malas come to an end, by the grace of the Lord. This state continues as long as the body exists together with the soul.
When the Pati cuts off the power of Anava, which bound the Pasu to the samsara; with infinite joy, it reaches the lotus feet of the Lord Siva. It feels as a sudden awakening from a long sleep and finds its place in the real world, which knows no end. This absolute Liberation is a state of perfect purity for which the Pasu has always been struggling to attain, from the time immemorial. Now the Pasu, with the grace of the Lord Siva, experience the state of Sivamukti. ”This is an even higher state than the Jivan Mukta state, as the soul exists here without the body and the malas”37.
Cleared of these impurities, the soul has union with God and experience bliss. SivaJnanabodham says: “When clouds move away in part, the Sun is partially visible. But when they are completely blown away by the winds, the Sun shows itself fully. Like wise, When under the influence of Anava, through the instrumentality of the senses of and the like born of Maya, the soul perceives the real in part but when Mala is completely dispelled through divine grace, it gets full knowledge of the Lord and become wholly pure and free. This signifies Anava’s subordination and loss of its veiling power”38.
There is no longer any fear of Anava, for it can never show its evil effects. Rice, when polished off the hust and bran never again gets attached to them to become paddy again. Like wise, after the Soul gets liberation, Anava can no longer torture it39.
The author of Unmaivilakkam gives an interesting but more scientific suggestion. In moksha the soul enjoys transcendental felicity. The Lord confers this delectable experience on the Soul and Anava now heightens this bliss40. Thus, Anava persists in mukti with an altogether different role to play.
The Pasu continues in this blissful condition through all eternity. There is no more Maya, Karma or Anava, and the soul is in an ultimate communion with God. Yet it is not an integrity of the soul and the Lord. There is no question of identity. There is only a state of a union of two in one. There is no room for confusion between God and the soul. God here acts as the source of infinite bliss and the soul as the enjoyer of the same. After shedding its body the soul becomes all-pervasive.

4.2. The concept of Liberation in Advaita
Advaita is unique in its treatment of knowledge, because it believes that to escape sansara is to know Brahman and to know Brahman is to be Brahman. The point Advaita wants to make clear is that bondage is due to the soul’s ignorance. This ignorance is not due to any other reality either inherent or external. The ignorance is like a rope-snake. It ceases to be a snake when knowledge arises. Like wise, with the rise of knowledge of Brahman (Brahma Jnana), all illusions disappear. There occurs Brahmatmaikatva or the realization of the identity of the Atman or self with the Brahman. This is the final end of the life, according to Advaita.
4.2.1. Means to Liberation
As mentioned earlier, Jnana and Jnana alone is the means to attain mukti. Jnana destroys Karma and removes Maya as fire destroys fuel and light removes darkness respectively.
Brahmajnana is a result of study of vedanta, which includes the learning of the Vedas and the Upanisads . The Vedas and Upanisads are said to be apauruseya (not created by human beings or God). Since Sruti is the only record of what occured in moments of exalted imagination, to the minds of saints and sages, there can be nothing that is accidental or contingent in it. They are eternal truths.
The truths that are enshrined in Sruti can be verified by anyone. They are not the exclusive monopoly of the enlightened Ones. But to get the knowledge , one has to go through the disciplines that are laid down for him by the sages.
Sankaracharya speaks of a four fold eligibility (Sadhana chatushtaya) in Vivekachudamani. It consists of Nityanitya vastuviveka, Ihamutra phala bhogaviraga, Samadamadi Sadhana Sampath and Mumukshutva41.
Nityanitya Vastuviveka is the ability to discriminate between the transcient (ever changing) and the eternal. The world of senses consists of objects which are transcient. Those which are coming and going cannot be eternal. But there must be some eternal being which is the ground of these eternal things. To know that the self alone is eternal and all else is non-eternal is called Nityanitya vastu viveka.
Ihamutrabhalabhoga viraga is the absence of desire for securing pleasure or avoiding pain here or else where. One should not desire for any kind of this worldly or other worldly pleasures.
Samadamadi sadhana sampath involves attainment of six sadhanas. They are Sama (calmness), Dama (temperance), Titiksha (the spirit of renunciation), Uparathi (fortitude), Sraddha (power of concentration of the mind) and Samadhana (faith in truth).
An aspirant who has attained these six qualities will find that the sacrificial injunctions have no value.
Once the individual attains the three qualities of Nityanitya vastu viveka and Samadamadi Sadhana sampath, he will be a true sanyasin and will have constant desire for freedom.
Mumukshuthva is the earnest desire to know the truth as such. One who attains this eligibility can approach a proper teacher (Guru), who himself is an enlightened one, a released soul (Brahmanishta); to study the Sruti.
Of the four fold path of the Sadhana chatushtaya, it can be seen that earlier one is the cause of the each subsequent one; as, when there is the discrimination between eternal, and non-eternal, there is non-attachment to all kinds of pleasures too; when this detachment is cultivated, there arise samadamadi Sadhana Sampath and so on.
One who performs the four Sadhanas and seeks the help of a proper Guru, can hear from the Guru,