Śaṅkara on Kramamukti
Date
2020-08-31
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Abstract
The Hindu theologian Śaṅkara reads scripture to say that people attain liberation when they comprehend brahman (God). Some authors claim that Śaṅkara has an extremely narrow view of who can attain liberation. These scholars argue that male brāhmaṇa saṃnyāsins (renunciates from the priestly class) are the only individuals who might attain liberation within Śaṅkara’s system of thought. Others argue for a more inclusive conception of Śaṅkara’s soteriology, according to which members of other groups might attain liberation as well. All of these scholars, however, tend to focus on sadyomukti (immediate liberation). In this dissertation, I consider Śaṅkara’s account of a second path to liberation – kramamukti (gradual liberation). I argue that Śaṅkara’s account of kramamukti makes his soteriology much more inclusive than most scholars tend to acknowledge. Kramamukti is a path to liberation by which devotees attain liberation after they die, while residing in a heaven called brahmaloka (the heaven of brahman). In order to attain brahmaloka, according to Śaṅkara, devotees must meditate on rituals, metaphysical doctrines, syllables, or deities. Śaṅkara’s view is that eligibility for kramamukti is a function of a person’s eligibility for brahmaloka. Since Śaṅkara allows that women, brāhmaṇas, kṣatriyas (members of the ruler class), vaiśyas (members of the merchant class), śūdras (members of the servant class), brahmacārins (students), gṛhasthins (householders), vānaprasthins (forest dwellers), and saṃnyāsins can attain brahmaloka, he allows that women, brāhmaṇas, kṣatriyas, vaiśyas, śūdras, brahmacārins, gṛhasthins, vānaprasthins and saṃnyāsins might attain liberation by means of kramamukti. Analysis of Śaṅkara’s account of kramamukti demonstrates that he holds that nearly anyone might go to brahmaloka and attain liberation by means of kramamukti. I also argue that my analysis is finally consistent with the work of most of the scholars whose work I consider – so long as they are taken to advance accounts of who might attain liberation by means of sadyomukti.
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Śaṅkara, Vedānta, Kramamukti
Citation
Peat, C. S. (2020). Śaṅkara on Kramamukti (Doctoral thesis, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada). Retrieved from https://prism.ucalgary.ca.