Eight symptoms of a jivan-mukta, a person who is already liberated

This is the way of Vedic life. One must stop the process of repeated birth and death and return home, back to Godhead. The words tan-mahimānam avāpa are significant in this regard. Śrīla Śrīdhara Svāmī says that mahimā means liberation in this life. We should act in such a way in this life that after giving up this body, we will become liberated from the bondage of repeated birth and death. This is called jīvan-mukti. 

Śrīla Vīrarāghava Ācārya states that in the Chāndogya Upaniṣad there are eight symptoms of a jīvan-mukta, a person who is already liberated even when living in this body.

  1. Apahata-pāpa – The first symptom of one so liberated is that he is freed from all sinful activity (apahata-pāpa). As long as one is under the clutches of māyā in the material energy, one has to engage in sinful activity. Bhagavad-gītā describes such people as duṣkṛtinaḥ, which indicates that they are always engaged in sinful activity. One who is liberated in this life does not commit any sinful activities. Sinful activity involves illicit sex, meat-eating, intoxication and gambling.
  2. Another symptom of a liberated person is vijara, which indicates that he is not subjected to the miseries of old age.
  3. Another symptom is vimrtyu. A liberated person prepares himself in such a way that he does not take on any more material bodies, which are destined to die. In other words, he does not fall down again to repeat birth and death.
  4. Another symptom is viśoka, which indicates that he is callous to material distress and happiness.
  5. Another is vijighatsa, which indicates that he no longer desires material enjoyment.
  6. Another symptom is apipātā, which means that he has no desire other than to engage in the devotional service of Kṛṣṇa, his dearmost pursuable Lord.
  7. A further symptom is satya-kāma, which indicates that all his desires are directed to the Supreme Truth, Kṛṣṇa. He does not want anything else.
  8. He is satya-saṅkalpa. Whatever he desires is fulfilled by the grace of Kṛṣṇa. First of all, he does not desire anything for his material benefit, and secondly, if he desires anything at all, he simply desires to serve the Supreme Lord. That desire is fulfilled by the Lord’s grace. That is called satya-saṅkalpa.

Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī points out that the word mahimā means returning to the spiritual world, back home, back to Vaikuṇṭha. Śrī Śukadeva says that the word mahimā means that the devotee attains the qualities of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. This is called sadharma, or “the same quality.” Just as Kṛṣṇa is never born and never dies, His devotees who return to Godhead never die and never take birth within the material world.

Source: Srimad Bhagavatam 5.4.5 Purport

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  • no such thing as permanent liberation how would the eternal drama exist if no actors in it,!? we have impermanent liberation,go back to shiva before returning to the golden age once more..to play our predestined roles..! Swastika.. Krishna is the son ,adam,he had many births,in human form, shiva is god,not Krishna.. Krishna is deity.. perfect prince..gods number 1..as understand by original Raj gita.. taught through prajapathi brahma baba ❤️..by shiv baba himself!

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Padmanayana Krsna Dasa
5 years ago

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