Sāyujya

muktiś ca pañcadhā—sālokya-sārṣṭi-sārūpya-sāmīpya-sāyujya-bhedena | tatra sālokyaṁ samāna-lokatvaṁ śrī-vaikuṇṭha-vāsaḥ | sārṣṭis tatraiva samānaiśvaryam api bhavatīti | sārūpyaṁ tatraiva samāna-rūpatādi prāpyata iti | sāmīpyaṁ samīpa-gamanādhikāritvam | sāyujyaṁ keṣāṁcit bhagavac-chrī-vigraha eva praveśo bhavatīti | sālokyādi-śabdānāṁ mukty-ādi-śabda-sāmānādikaraṇyaṁ ca sālokyāditva-prādhānyena | tatra sālokya-sārṣṭi-sārūpya-mātre prāyo’ntaḥ-karaṇa-sākṣātkāraḥ | sāmīpye prāyo bahiḥ | sāyujye cāntara eva | tathāpi prakaṭa-sphūrti-lakṣaṇaṁ tat suṣuptivad anati-prakaṭa-sphūrti-lakṣaṇāt brahma-sāyujyād bhidyate | … kvacid āvṛtti-śravaṇaṁ tu prapañcāntargata-tad-dhāmatvāpekṣayā kādācitka-tal-līlā-kautukāpekṣayā ca mantavyam | paścāt tu nitya-sālokyam eva | … sṛṣṭi-sthity-ādi-sāmarthyaṁ tasya na bhavati kuto vaikuṇṭhaiśvaryādikam | … tato bhāktam eva samānaiśvaryam | ata evāṇimādi-prāptir apy aṁśenaiva jñeyā | … sālokyādivat-svābhimatatvābhāvāt spaṣṭodāharaṇaṁ śrīmatā bhāgavatena na kṛtam iti | asya bhagaval-lakṣaṇānanda-nimagnatā-sphūrtir eva pradhānaṁ, kvacid icchayā tad-anugraheṇa tadīya-tac-chakti-leśa-prāptyaiva yathā-yuktaṁ bahis tad-dattāprākṛta-tad-bhogocchiṣṭa-leśam evānubhavatīty eke | tatra ca na tu tam eva sarvam eva cānubhavatīty abhyupagamyam | sarvathā tat-prāpter anabhyupagamatvāt | … kvacid icchayā līlārthaṁ bahir api niṣkāmayati pārṣadatvena ca saṁyojayati | yathā śiśupāla-dantavakrau labdha-sāyujyāv api punaḥ pārṣadatām eva prāptau | … tatraiṣāṁ sālokyādīnām anavacchinna-bhagavat-prāpti-rūpatayā tat-sākṣātkāra-viśeṣatvena brahma-kaivalyād ādhikyaṁ prācīna-vacanaiḥ sutarām eva siddham | … sālokyādiṣu ca sāmīpyasyādhikyam | bahiḥ sākṣātkāramayatvāt tasyaiva hy ādhikyaṁ darśitam |
(Prīti Sandarbha: 10, 13, 15–16)

“Mukti, furthermore, is fivefold in accord with the divisions of sālokya, sārṣṭi, sārūpya, sāmīpya, and sāyujya. Therein, sālokya means being on the same plane [as Bhagavān], that is, residence in Śrī Vaikuṇṭha. Sārṣṭi means specifically there [i.e., in Vaikuṇṭha] equal capability (aiśvarya) [with that of Bhagavān] also comes about. Sārūpya means specifically there [i.e., in Vaikuṇṭha] attaining the same figure and so forth [as Bhagavān]. Sāmīpya means having the privilege of going near [Bhagavān there in Vaikuṇṭha]. Sāyujya means, for some [i.e., those who attain Bhagavat-sāyujya rather than Brahma-sāyujya], entrance into the divine body of Bhagavān itself. The terms words sālokya and so forth [i.e., and the other four aforementioned terms for and types of mukti] also have synonymity with the terms mukti and so forth [i.e., and with other words with the same meaning, such as mokṣa] because of the prominent of states of sālokya and so forth [in the general state that is common called mukti, that is, the state of having attained liberation from the realm of Bhagavān’s māyā-śakti and entrance into the realm of Bhagavān’s svarūpa-śakti].
“Therein [i.e., among these five types of mukti], specifically in sālokya, sārṣṭi, and sārūpya, generally direct perception (sākṣātkāra) [of Bhagavān] through the antaḥkaraṇa [i.e., by internal means of perception excluding the senses] occurs. In sāmīpya, generally it [i.e., direct perception (sākṣātkāra) of Bhagavān] occurs externally [i.e., through the bahiḥkaraṇas, that is, the senses]. Furthermore, in sāyujya, it occurs only internally [i.e., direct perception (sākṣātkāra) of Bhagavān occurs in the self, and not through either an antaḥkaraṇa or bahiḥkaraṇas because jīvas who attain sāyujya-mukti have neither of these]. Still, that [i.e., the direct perception (sākṣātkāra) of Bhagavān that occurs in Bhagavat-sāyjuya-mukti], which is by nature a distinct manifestation (prakaṭa-sphūrti) [i.e., a perception of the Para-tattva’s distinctly manifest aspect known as Bhagavān], is distinguished from Brahma-sāyujya, which is by nature a not very distinct manifestation (anati-prakaṭa-sphūrti) [i.e., it is a perception of the Para-tattva’s indistinctly manifest aspect known as Brahman] and similar to deep sleep. …
“Hearing in some cases of return [i.e., of the rebirth within saṁsāra of someone who is said to have gone to Bhagavān’s abode] is to be considered to be in reference to [a bhakta’s] having been in his abode (dhāma) within the phenomenal world (prapañca) or in reference to [a bhakta’s] occasional sport [of temporarily descending when Bhagavān does] for the sake of his līlā. Thereafter, however, eternal sālokya certainly occurs [i.e., those who are said to return certainly thereafter remain in a state of eternal sālokya]. …
“[In regard to sārṣṭi-mukti, that is, possessing capability (aiśvarya) equal to that of Bhagavān], one does not [in that case] have the capability of emanation, preservation, and so forth [i.e., the capability to emanate, preserve, and dissolve material worlds], much less the capability of Vaikuṇṭha [i.e., much the capability to manifest and presiding over spiritual worlds] and so forth. … Thus, ‘equal capability’ (samānaiśvaryam) [said to be had by a jīva who attains sārṣṭi-mukti] is only in a secondary sense. Therefore, even the attainment of [the siddhi known as] minuteness (aṇimā) [i.e., the power to become infinitesimal in size] is to be understood to be only in part [i.e., a jīva who attains sārṣṭi-mukti attains siddhis such as aṇimā only partially, that is, not to the extent to which Śrī Bhagavān possesses them]. …
“A clear example [of sāyujya] is not given by Śrīmad Bhāgavatam because of the non-existence of [sāyujya’s] being approved by it [i.e., by Śrīmad Bhāgavatam] like sālokya and so forth [i.e., as the other four forms of mukti are, since only in these four other forms of mukti, and not in sāyujya, is serving Bhagavān possible]. Its [i.e., sāyujya’s] principal feature is a manifestation (sphūrti) of a state of absorption in Bhagavān’s characteristic of bliss (ānanda) [i.e., in the bliss that is inherent in Bhagavān’s nature (svarūpa)]. [Although it was said in PRS 10 that in sāyujya, direct perception (sākṣātkāra) of Bhagavān occurs only internally,] Sometimes, only by receiving a trace of that potency (śakti) of his [i.e., of Bhagavān’s potency that enables his experience of supramundane objects of enjoyment] by his favor according to his wish, one [who has attained sāyujya] experiences externally a trace remnant, given by him, of his supramundane enjoyment (bhoga) as befitting [i.e., in proportion to the amount of his potency for enjoyment that he bestowed upon the recipient]. Therein [i.e., in the midst of that experience], however, one does not experience that itself [i.e., the exact experience that Bhagavān does], or all of that. Such is to be admitted because of [a recipient of sāyujya-mukti’s] attainment of him in all respects not being admitted [i.e., since a recipient of sāyujya-mukti has not attained Bhagavān in full, such a mukta’s experience cannot be equated with that of Bhagavān himself]. … Sometimes according to his wish for the sake of līlā, he also extracts [a jīva who has attained Bhagavat-sāyujya-mukti from his body] externally as an associate [i.e., he also makes one take on the status of being one of his associates (pārṣadas)], as in the case of Śiśupāla and Dantavarka, who even after attaining sāyujya again attained the definitive status of associates. … In this regard, because of sālokya and so forth’s [i.e., the other four types of mukti] being [unlike sāyujya] special types of direct perception (sākṣātkāra) of Bhagavān on account of [their] being forms of uninterrupted attainment of him, their superiority to Brahma-kaivalya [i.e., Brahma-sāyujya-mukti] is definitively established. … Among sālokya and so forth [i.e., among the four types of mukti which are superior to the two forms of sāyujya-mukti], sāmīpya has superiority. Its superiority is shown because of [its] being constituted of direct perception (sākṣātkāra) [of Bhagavān] externally [i.e., through external senses rather than only through the antaḥkaraṇa].”

Read on →