The Eight Symptoms Of A Jivan-Mukta

The Eight Symptoms Of A Jivan-Mukta by His Divine Grace A.C.Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

When Maharaja Nabhi saw that his son Rsabhadeva was popular with the general populace and the governmental servants, he chose to install Him on the imperial throne. In addition, he wanted to entrust his son into the hands of the learned brāhmaṇas. This means that a monarch was supposed to govern strictly according to Vedic principles. He is supposed to be under the guidance of learned brāhmaṇas, who could advise Him according to the standard Vedic scriptures like Manu-smṛti and similar śāstras. It is the duty of all kings to rule the citizens according to Vedic principles. According to Vedic scriptures, society is divided into four categories—

brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiśya and śūdra. Cātur-varṇyaṁ
mayā sṛṣṭaṁ guṇa-karma-vibhāgaśaḥ (Bg. 4.13).

After dividing society in this way, it is the King’s duty to see that everyone executes Vedic principles according to his caste. A brāhmaṇa must perform the duty of a brāhmaṇa without cheating the public. It is not that one attains the name of a brāhmaṇa without having the necessary qualifications. In addition, retirement at the end of life is compulsory. Maharaja Nabhi, although still a king, retired from family life and went with his wife to a place called Badarikashrama in the Himalayas, where the Deity Nara-Narayana is worshiped. The King accepted all kinds of austerity very expertly and jubilantly. He did not at all mind leaving his comfortable life at home, although he was the emperor. Despite undergoing severe austerities and penances, he felt very pleased at Badarikashrama, and he did everything there expertly. In this way, being fully absorbed in Krishna consciousness (samādhi-yoga), always thinking of Krishna, Vāsudeva, Maharaja Nabhi attained success and was promoted to the spiritual world, Vaikunthaloka.

This is the way of Vedic life. One must stop the process of repeated birth and death and return home, back to Godhead. We should act in such a way that after giving up this body, we will become liberated from the bondage of repeated birth and death. This is called jivan-mukti. SrilaViraraghava Ācārya states that in the ChāndogyaUpaniṣad there are eight symptoms of a jivan-mukta, a person who is already liberated even when living in this body. The first symptom of one so liberated is that he is freed from all sinful activity (apahatapāpa). 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. Another symptom of a liberated person is vijara, which indicates that he is not subjected to the miseries of old age. Another symptom is vimṛtyu. A liberated person prepares himself in such a way that he does not take any more material bodies, all of which are destined to die. In other words, he does again not fall into the cycle of repeated birth and death. Another symptom is viśoka, which indicates that he is callous to material happiness and distress. Another is vijighatsa, which indicates that he no longer desires material enjoyment. Another symptom is apipātā, which means that he has no desire other than to engage in the devotional service of Krishna, his dearmost desirable Lord. A further symptom is satya-kāma, which indicates that all his desires are directed to the Supreme Truth, Krishna. He does not want anything else. He is satya-saṅkalpa. Whatever he desires is fulfilled by the grace of Krishna. 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. Sri Sukadeva says that the the devotee attains the qualities of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. This is called sadharma, (the same quality). Just as Krishna is never born and never dies, His devotees who return to Godhead never die and never take birth within the material world.

— Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (BhāgavataPurāṇa) » Canto 5: The Creative Impetus » Chapter 4: The Characteristics of Ṛṣabhadeva, the Supreme Personality of Godhead » Verse: 5, Purport