Talk:Naiṣkarmya
By Swami Harshananda
naiṣkarmya (‘state of absence of all karmas or rituals and actions’)
This is a technical term generally favoured by the Advaita Vedānta system. In effect, it means the state of jīvanmukti or liberation even while living in this body.
Performing karmas (actions or rituals) whether as a matter of duty or because they have been prescribed by the scriptures, is possible only as long as a person is able to see duality brought about by avidyā or nescience. When avidyā is
destroyed by ātmajñāna (knowledge or direct experience of the ātman, the Self) and the whole world including oneself is perceived as one indivisible pure consciousness—sat-cit-ānanda—there is absolutely no scope or possibility of performing any karma at all. This state of mind of the man of realisation is called ‘naiṣkarmya’ or ‘naiskarmyabhāva’.
However, it should not be forgotten that performing all actions ordained by the scriptures with the right attitude leads to cittaśuddhi or purification of mind. It is only the person endowed with such purity of mind that is fit for practising jñāna, ultimately resulting in the destruction of avidyā which, then, confers the state of naiṣkarmya.
References[edit]
- The Concise Encyclopedia of Hinduism, Swami Harshananda, Ram Krishna Math, Bangalore