History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v7.c93.219

v7.c93.219

9. *Mokṣa* (liberation): Neither the P. M. S. nor Śabara nor Prabhākara deals with the topic of Mokṣa. Kumārila and Prakaraṇapañcikā deal with it. They both say that liberation consists in not having to assume a body again.¹⁹⁷² The Ślokavārtika states 'one desiring Mokṣa should not do any act that is forbidden or is *Kāmya* (prescribed for those who desire an object like riches, son &c); he should perform obligatory rites (such as agnihotra) and *naimittika* (like bath, japa and gifts on eclipse &c.) in order to avoid the sin that would accrue owing to non-performance of those two; if he does not desire the rewards of doing nitya and naimittika acts they will not come to him, as such a reward comes to him who seeks it. The results of acts in a former life would be eliminated by undergoing them in the life in which he seeks liberation. This differs from Śaṅkarācārya's position who holds on V. S. IV. 3. 14 that, as declared in the Śvet. Up. III. 8, there is no other way to Mokṣa except knowledge and realization of the Ātman. In his bhāṣya on the same sūtra he seems to attack¹⁹⁷³ Kumārila's position. According to Kumārila Upaniṣad passages about the knowledge of the Ātman are only arthavādas as they convey to the performer the knowledge that he has a soul and that the soul has certain characteristics, while Śaṅkara maintains (on V. S. I. 1. 1) that the phala, the subject of investigation and the Vedic exhortation (codanā) are different in Pūrvamīmāṁsā and in Brahamamīmāṁsā. There exist smṛtis that ridiculed the idea that the mere knowledge of the Self would lead to Mokṣa. For example,¹⁹⁷⁴ the Bṛ. Y. Y. affirms that both knowledge and actions lead to Liberation, that to say that knowledge alone leads to liberation is a sign of indolence, that out of the fear of bodily labour ignorant men do not want to engage in actions.