Vimukta-Maninas: Imaginative Liberation

[suchandra 1]

Verse below, tenth Canto of Srimad-Bhagavatam, seems to answer this question, how come that people consider themselves liberated although they're not?

It is mental, manina, a kind of illusion within the mind what makes one believe, "I'm liberated". But this imagination seems so strong that others also believe it.

ye 'nye 'ravindaksa vimukta-maninas

tvayy asta-bhavad avisuddha-buddhayah

aruhya krcchrena param padam tatah

patanty adho 'nadrta-yusmad-anghrayah

[sB 10.2.32]

 

Srila Prabhupada quoted this verse throughout Srimad-Bhagavatam. It means, O my Lord, because they neglect to serve Your Lotus Feet, those who think that they are liberated by dint of very hard austerities again fall down because their intelligence is not pure.

 

Ye 'nye 'ravindaksa vimukta-maninas: those who imagine, manina means they mentally consider themselves vimukta, supremely liberated, what will happen to them?

 

Aruhya krcchena - even though by practice, aruhya means they went up, krcchena means by severe austerities, they come up. Param padam - to a spiritual situation, tatah - from that place, patanty - they fall down.

 

Patanti adho 'nadrta-yusmad-anghraya - why do they fall down?

'nadrta - they do not worship Sri Krsna, so they fall down again.

 

There're surely lots of people who make us feel they're liberated and on a higher platform, but unless one becomes situated in krsna-bhakti, it is like an air travel, one finally has to come down again.

[theist 1]

Nice point Suchandra. Even on the bhakti path falsely liberated are often manifesting and fooling many. We see them with qualities like personal charisma, good speaking abilities, large (but superfical) body of shastric knowledge, so many years of being in "the movement" etc.

 

These people will give the off the demeanor of advanced and liberated souls and the weak minded will fall in line behind them proclaming them liberated saints. A real dog and pony show.

[suchandra 1]

 

Nice point Suchandra. Even on the bhakti path falsely liberated are often manifesting and fooling many. We see them with qualities like personal charisma, good speaking abilities, large (but superfical) body of shastric knowledge, so many years of being in "the movement" etc.

 

These people will give the off the demeanor of advanced and liberated souls and the weak minded will fall in line behind them proclaming them liberated saints. A real dog and pony show.

Thanks Theist, have to admit that I never consciously understood that term, vimukta-maninas, describing something like a psychological process within the mind, that you feel liberated and even emanate it.

 

When entering into the search mask at www.causelessmercy.com/t - "vimukta-maninas" - there're 47 results, what says Prabhupada considered this verse of quite some import.

 

"Na jāyate mriyate vā vipaścin nāyaṁ" is quoted 124 times, only three times more.

Looks like the vimukta-maninas state of mind attracts people who consider this as worthwhile and desirable.