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Somebody asked Akhanda- but in his mind he is clear that
nandaji Maharaj, “Maharaj, I he is not the body. This is why
have listened to Vedänta from a jévan-mukta is a wonder.
you for such a long time; I have
understood everything. Now I The Nature of Liberation
have a question: Will I have The nature of mukti is to live
another birth or not?” Maharaj with the understanding that this
countered, “Do you feel you ahaëkära is not actually me; I am
have this birth or not?” He the ever-free ätman. In the first
replied, “Yes, I feel I have this verse of chapter 13 of the
birth.” Maharaj said, “If you Bhagavad Gita, Bhagavan says,
have this birth, then you have “All matter is called kñetra and
the next also!” I, as the knower of this matter,
If I think I am born, it means am the kñetrajïa.” If I am the
I am the body. Liberation means knower of the field (kñetra) and
I have the conviction that I am each one is a knower of one
the ätman. I must always enter- kñetra, won’t there be many
tain the thought: I am the ätman, kñetrajïas? No. Bhagavan says:
which is never born, and not the kñetrajïaà cäpi mäà viddhi, sarva-
body, which is born. Even if I kñetreñu bhärata – Know that I
3
am woken up at an odd time am the only kñetrajïa in all the
and asked, “Are you born or kñetras.
not?” I should be able to say There is only one conscious-
spontaneously, “I am caitanya ness that expresses through all
ätman; I have no birth.” Then it beings. A firm understanding of
is liberation while living. If this characterizes liberation.
somebody asks a saint, “Maha- There is no difference between
raj, when is your birthday?” The
mahätmä may mention a date, 3 Gita, 13.3

IN LOVING MEMORY OF God never created you to
DR. SAPNA GIDWANI fail in life.
Apple Valley, CA, U.S.A. Swami Chinmayananda

Tapovan Prasad 39 November 2017