Videha mukti

Videha mukti (Sanskrit, "liberation without the body") refers to the moksha, or "liberation" attained by a person after death. Videha mukti is the view of death, held culturally, religiously, and philosophically by the Hindu peoples. Mukti is another word for moksha. In Hinduism, samādhi can also refer to videha mukti or the complete absorption of the individual consciousness in the self at the time of death - usually referred to as mahasamādhi.

The Hindu tradition holds that a human being is essentially a spiritual soul that has taken birth in a body. Basically, this is the basis of the belief of reincarnation held by Hindus, Buddhists and others. When a soul has attained mukti it is said to break free from the cycle of births and deaths. As per Advaita Vedanta, a widespread Hindu philosophy, a soul can be emancipated either while living or after death.

Liberation is the goal of each of the major world religions, and thus it serves as an integrating feature of the great religions, reconciling and integrating what appear on the surface to be differences in point of view. Meher Baba, who started out Zoroastrian, and was initially affected by a Muslim holy woman, and who integrated the Sufi (Islamic) and Vedantic (Hindu philosophical) ideas and terms, gives a very detailed and complete description of Liberation in his book God Speaks, supplement 24.^[1] Liberation is the end of the soul's journey, and therefore it is the ultimate goal and destination for each individual, and the goal of creation itself.

Meher Baba describes four types of mukti: videha mukti, videh mukti, jivanmukti, and param mukti.

Videha

Videha Mukti is the ordinary mukti granted to exceptional people after they die, usually within 3 to 4 days after death. Videha mukti souls experience eternal infinite bliss, but the threefold nature of God is described in Vedanta as also including infinite power and infinite knowledge, as well as infinite bliss. Videha mukti souls do not experience infinite knowledge or infinite power.^[2]

In each of the other three types of mukti, liberation is gained during life, not after death. In all cases, after the soul dissociates from the body, it eternally experiences Infinite Power, Knowledge and Bliss. However, after the soul dissociates from the gross body and associates with the subtle body, the most important aspect of the experience is Infinite Bliss. Therefore, while there is a difference in the eternal experience of the souls who gain liberation during life and the experience of souls who gain liberation after death, the most important aspect of the experience is the same: the eternal experience of infinite bliss.

Videh

Videh Mukti is gained while alive in the body, but Meher Baba points out that videh mukti applies where the liberated individual does not regain awareness of the world. In most of the cases of veheh mukti, the soul remains associated with the body for 3 to 4 days and then dissociates. Thus, the difference between Meher Baba's view and the traditional Hindu view is that, in videh mukti, the soul attains Liberation 3 to 4 days before death, although this would not be apparent to the outside observer. The importance of this distinction is that such a soul literally experiences an eternal "I am God" state rather than being introduced to an afterlife of "I am infinite bliss." That is, the soul who achieves videh mukti certainly experiences eternal infinite power, knowledge, and bliss, rather than perhaps qualifying as an exception to reincarnating, and instead given the experience of eternal Infinite Bliss.

The distinction that determines whether a soul has attained Ordinary (videha) mukti or videh mukti is very fine. According to Meher Baba, an incarnate soul attains God realization in two steps. First the soul attains nirvana, the state of infinite vacuum—emptiness. In the second step, the reality of godhood rushes into the emptiness of the nirvana state, and the divine state of nirvikalpa is attained. This state is called Fana-Fillah by the Sufis. This is the state of "I am God" in which the soul retains no consciousness of anything other than the "I am God" experience. To attain this state of God realization (nirvikalpa samadhi or fana-fillah) the soul must first reach nirvana and experience that state of nothingness.

Souls who drop their bodies while in the state of Nirvana attain Ordinary Mukti (Videha Mukti). But souls who drop their bodies after attaining Nirvikalpa experience God Realization. This is Videh Mukti. After they dissociate from their bodies, they eternally experience "I am God" -- the eternal experience of infinite power, knowledge, and bliss.

An observer passing by who has ordinary human consciousness would be hard pressed to determine whether the soul who occupies the body had achieved nirvikalpa samadhi before dissociating from the body, unless this might be determined by the grace, light, love and bliss that emanates from the body of the God realized soul in videh mukti. The distinction between videh (in the body) mukti and videha (without the body) mukti is of spiritual importance because the bodies and personalities of souls who have achieved liberation while in the body (and therefore, who have achieved God realization) are sources of enormous spiritual benefit to those who come in contact with them. Those who serve them receive even greater spiritual benefit.

In some cases, the soul who gains videh mukti dissociates with the body much later than 3 or 4 days, depending on the karmic momentum of the soul. The soul may retain association with the body for years, still without regaining any consciousness of the world whatsoever. In such cases, the living being in videh mukti is termed Majoob-e-Kamil (Sufi) or Brahmi-Bhoot (Vedanta).

Jivanmukti

The Jivanmukta (one who is in Jivanmukti) has gained liberation while in the body, but in this case, the individual regains full awareness of the world, simultaneously with awareness of the "I am God" state. These souls live the life of "God on earth". The title Jivanmukta applies only where the God realized individual has no spiritual duty and does not function within the spiritual hierarchy. There are 56 Jivanmuktas on Earth at all times. According to Advaita, a liberated human being (jivanmukta) has realised Brahman as his or her own true self. (See Atman.)

Param

Param means, variously, "highest", "supreme", "beyond" and "transcendental" ^[3]

The Param mukta (who is in param mukti) is the Perfect Master (Sadguru in Vedanta or Qutub in Sufism). There are five perfect masters on earth at all times. The consciousness of these individuals is identical to the consciousness of the Jivanmukta. These souls have the duty and the authority to act in the spiritual hierarchy for the good of mankind and for the well being of the creation. They lead the life of "God on earth" and wield divine power where necessary. The perfect master sees every being as an aspect of his own self, loving and serving all from the basis of infinite love, power, knowledge, and bliss. These five Masters call down the Avatar (the Christ or Bhagwan) at the end of every cycle, that is, once in every 11 ages; once every 700 to 1400 years. The avatars of the past cycles are those who are revered as the founders of the world's great religions.

Liberation

Mukti is the goal of existence; ordinary mukti (videha mukti) is gained after death or from the state of nirvana; videh mukti is gained before death and from the state of nirvikalpa, where the soul does not regain awareness of the world; jivanmukti is gained during life by one who does regain worldly consciousness without losing his state of God realization; and Param mukti is the same state of consciousness as jivanmukti but the Param mukta has the authority and the duty to act for the benefit of all.

One who meets any soul who has gained realization in the body gains spiritual benefit. Even the burial place of such a realized individual is a source of spiritual power and grace; e.g., in the west, Assisi, and the Basilica di San Marco (St. Mark's Basilica) in Venice, Italy. For this reason it is of spiritual importance to distinguish those who gain realization in the body from those who gain realization after death, because those who gain realization in the body, and even their corpses, are sources of spiritual benefit to all who come in contact with them.

See also

• Involution (Meher Baba)
• God Speaks

References

References

• http://www.ambppct.org/meherbaba/online.php