ThithikshAsthApinI - Part 3

The purport of profound acceptance in the analysis of the distinction between dEhAtma with reference to GitA bAshya of Adi Shankara Ch2:V14.
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Thithiksha is one notion that is conducive with the (hetu) means for realizing happiness. Happiness is the term used to denote the Ananda for jIvanmukta once he attains the right knowledge of his self ( Atma jnana ). The citta vritti or the mental modification is the synchronous ongoing process of citta suddhi where latter becomes the extension of the former. Mind modification is the product of avidya and state wherein mind is not present and not existent is the state of a jIvanmuktha. Thus destruction or annihilation of mind, which is called rUpa for a jIvan muktha, is the state of akandAkara. Thus jIvan mukthi in a way becomes functional in ordinary sense, as Advaita vEdanta says rest process of annihilating the Arupa takes place during the vidhEha mukthi (after death) 1. The adhikAri or the mumukshu thereby enquires the scriptures to inquire about the self-knowledge – aparOkshAnubUti. SankaracArya elaborates the nature of hallucinations due illusion mAya and avidya in his minor work known as aparOkshAnubUti 2. This realization of the self is the prior state, which is coherant to mukthi according to Sankara. Acquisition of final liberation thus undergoes a linear lineage of self-development where in the process is saturated when the veil of ignorance, the avidya is completely unveiled. Though sAdhana catushtaya vide, dispassion- vairAgya, discrimination-vivEka, disciple- sama and mumuksu – the Desire are said to be the means to be an eligible person of Mukthi, the component factor, thithiksha plays a pivotal role as the co-ordinating entity or the conjoining principle, an ingredient of all the sAdhana’s. SankaracArya henceforth defines the same as the conducive principle for the ultimate happiness (immediate). Thithiksa is preceeded by a notion known as upariti, which is nothing, but withdrawal of senses 3. Upariti is well akin to the 6th yoga anga – organ in the AshtAnga yoga method known as PrathyAhAra. Patanjali explains PrathyAhAra as the mode for controlling the mind through withdrawal of senses. Patanjali in his yoga sutra iterates an analogy of a queen bee with that of mind. When the queen bee settles down other bees follows her to settle down. Likewise, mind like the queen bee is controls the sense organs – other bees automatically settles. Sankara uses the converse method of pratyAhAra and implies with the technique called Upariti. Thus Upariti is synonymous to pratyAhAra of Patanjali. Though upariti must be after thithiksa, it is mentioned the other way just to show that thithiksa is required in pre-post stages of withdrawal of senses. This proves that the forbearance and endurance – thithiksha is vital in maintaining the vairAgya. This vairAgya via thithiksha helps an AdhikAri consistently to patiently treat sorrow and pain with all endurance in him 1. It would not be wrong to equate jivanmukthi and vidhEha mukthi with that of sampragyatha samAdhi and asamprgyatha samAdhi respectively. Jivan mukthi and sampragyatha samAdhi involves mind to have a role while it is not the case with the other two. Thus thithikshA gains importance in the stages of jivan mukthi without which there is no question of the latter (vidhEha mukthi). All these arguments are mainly explained to express and emphasize that thithikshA besides being mere quality or a feature of a mumukshu, is directly related to mukthi itself. To be sincere with Sankara, it would be appropriate to term liberation as mukthi than jivan mukthi, which (latter) is nowhere mentioned in his PrasthAna thrayi Bashyas 2. Significantly, Sankara in almost all his prakaraNa granthans affirms the importance of thithikshA, especially as the ingredient feature of the anubandha catustaya (4 elements of prakaraNa granthAs) such as adhikAri, visaya – the subject, mutual relation between the treatise and the subject – sambhanda and finally the object to be attained – the prayOjana 3. It must be clear now that thithiksha is conjoined in every stage mentioned above. ThithikshA can well be determined as the subject matter (visaya) since it satisfies the three following factors which are set to succeed visaya, they are – a) jnAna – knowledge b) icca – desire c) Kriti - performance and d) dvEsa – aversion. ThithikshA carries with it, all the above-mentioned factors as thithikshA is followed by the discriminative knowledge the vivEka through which we attain self- knowledge, it is followed by desire – icca for mOksha hence a mumukshu, immediately follows the actual feasibility to practice it and perform righteous actions and subsequently develop aversion to material existence. This gleans the fact that thithikshA gets qualified as a sAdhana for liberation. Next, let is investigate on the viability to affirm that thithikshA enjoins sambhandha also. Here sambhandha may be amicably interpreted with the commitant relationship between citta suddhi and mukthi just as in the case with dhUma: - the smoke and the vahni – fire. Whenever there is smoke we relate it to fire. Thus whenever there is Citta suddhi through ThithikshA there is affirmation about mukthi. The concomitance here is sambhanda as thithiksa that is related bilaterally with mental tranquility and liberation simultaneously. Universal concomitance in context with ThithikshA is unconditional as VidyAranyA reiterates views of Sankara that ‘when a person apprehends the real identity of the self (with Brahman), he gets liberated even if he does not opt for it (or desire for it)’ 4. Finally, ThithikshA is a purport to itself – sva prayOjana ie., self beneficial entity which establishes itself as the fruit – phala. The fact that ThithikshA is svaprayOjana derives a sense that it is conducive both as knowledge and action. ThithiksA may thus be involved in karma-jnana samuccaya vAda

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1. Laghu Yoga vasistha / UpashAnthi prakarana.
2. yathaiva vyOmni nilathvam yathA nIram marUsthalE
purushathvam yathA sthAnau thadhvadhvisvam cidhAthmani 61
The universe is nothing but the superimposition due to illusion on the Atman,just like blueness in sky and water in a mirage etc.
3. VishayEbya parAvrutthi paramOparathirhisA
4. sahanam sarvadhukkAnAm thithikshA sA shubhA mathA
5. John Grimes on ‘Sankara and VivekacUdAmani’ reference to Hacker’s ‘SankarAcArya and Sankara BagavadpAda’ in ‘Philology and confrontation’.
6.John Grimes ‘concise dictionary of Indian philosophy’
7.AtmanyEva bavEdhyasya sa nEccannapi mushyatE 4.5 UpadEsa sAhasri, also PancAdasi V20.