Liberation of Soul (Jiva) from Re-Birth

Soul (Jiva) means spiritual ego or “I” sense ensouled in a body. During material embodiment, it identifies itself with body-mind and is called Pseudo ego. Jiva is witness and endowed with consciousness & will - the powers to know, to act and to enjoy.
 
Due to actions (Karmas) done in past lives, Jiva is burdened and is in bondage with physical body. The bondage creates ignorance (Avidya) of its true nature of Sat-Chit-Ananda (Existence-Consciousness-Bliss). Rather, the Jiva identifies itself with the physical body and its constituents – mind, ego and Intellect which are products of Prakriti.
 
When jiva is suppressed by ignorance, its Outward consciousness (Dharmabhuta-jnana) is contracted. When Jiva is liberated, he continues to maintain his individuality, his Dharmabhuta-Jnana expands and becomes merged in that of God.
 
Destiney of Jivas:
Nibarkacharya explained that Mumuksus or Jivas who strive for liberation and perform good deeds, they depart to higher destiny as under:

1. Path of Smoke (Dhumadi-marga) – The Jivas who have done good deeds but are not yet eligible for release, they go to this sphere. Several deities take them to the lunar sphere where they enjoy the fruits of their good deeds. After exhausting these, they come back for higher evolution.
2. Path of Light (Arciradi-marga) – The Jivas who have attained Bhakti and are eligible for liberation through the God’s grace, go by this sphere. Jivas go clothed in the subtle body, which the gross body has been sheathing till death. Jivas clothed in subtle body, reaches Brahmaloka, passing through eleven regions – the Day, the Bright Half of the month, the summer Solstice, Year, Vayuloka, Adityaloka, Chandraloka, Vidyulloka, Varunaloka, and Prajapitaloka. From Prajapatiloka, the Jiva penetrates through the material boundary (Prakrta-mandala) and enters the precincts of Parama-dhama, the supreme abode. There the Jiva casts off his subtle body and meets Heavenly Beings who carry him beyond that region. Then the Jiva reaches the Vishnuloka where he gets a body that is not material (Aprakrta). He now becomes aware of the Purushottama, the Supreme Being. The Jiva realizes that he shares the nature of God in spite of his inherent difference from Him and never takes re-birth. He is liberated from all karma and attains Mukti.

Requisites for Salvation of Jivas:
According to Madhvacharya, the Jivas who are receptive to spiritual values, and through repeated embodiments they evolve into better and better person, and finally through concentrated spiritual disciplines and God’s grace gain salvation. These Jivas are called as Mukti-yogyas. The requisite qualifications for attaining the liberation are described as under:

1. Performance of one’s duties and other noble works without any desire and as offerings to God (Niskama-karma).
2. The foremost requirement is Vairagya or freedom from worldly attachment. Unless these attachments gradually get attenuated, no spiritual progress is possible.
3. Sound ethics is the foundation of spirituality; and intense worldly attachments stand in the way of both.
4. Kama (desires especially sexuality), Krodha (anger) and Lobha (greed), are the gateways to perdition, according to Gita. Persons who wants spiritual upliftment is asked to abandon them.
5. As attachments grow less and less, the Jiva begins to develop faith in God, the Independent Being, and a sense of one’s dependence on Him. He becomes receptive to spiritual values. He is then fit for Sarvana (hearing from proper teacher, the meaning of the scripture dealing with the devotion to God), Manana (what he has heard and learnt he has to reflect upon and gradually making it as a part and parcel of his thought structure).
6. When all his attachments have weakened and his intellectual doubts on God and his relationship of absolute dependence on Him, the one Independent Being, are cleared, then he is fit for Nididhyasana or one pointed and continuous meditation on Him and His attributes.
7. There is need of competent Guru to explain the correct meaning of the scripture and guide one in one’s spiritual practices. The blessing of the Guru is considered to be essential factor in one’s efforts in the field.
8. Long and intensive practice of Dhyana leads to direct realization (Aparoksanubuti). The intensity of one’s aspiration and efforts has special significance in this system.

 
Liberation or Salvation of Jiva from Re-Birth:
When all his evil tendencies must already have been erased before he attains this state of spiritual excellence, only virtuous actions in harmony with the divine dispensation will be performed by him.
 
Through spiritual discipline, the person realizes that his being is only a Sarra (body) of God and therefore he is Sesa (servant), he does not entertain the pseudo or false ego, and so all his actions are burnt in the fire of knowledge. He has no craving for the fruits of actions nor has he a sense of agency, except as being instrument of the divine.
 
In Advaitic conception of Mukti, the Jiva loses his individuality in Brahman, as river becoming one with ocean. In Dvaita system, the individuality of each Jiva as an individual differing from every other and having different grades of capacity for the attainment of bliss is retained in the state of Mukti also.
 
According to Madhva, Salvation is not Jiva’s death, but enjoyment of intense bliss while still retaining individuality.

1. In Moksha, there is variation in the degree of enlightenment and bliss by the Jiva, and this depends on the degree of intensity of the practice.
2. God’s grace is the ultimate cause of liberation.

 
The system recognizes the four-fold distinctions in Moksha as under:

1. Salokya – Jiva has residence in the same region;
2. Samipya – Jiva near Him;
3. Sarupya – Jiva having a form similar to Him in many respects;
4. Sayujya – Jiva having togetherness with Him.

 
The Jiva attain them according their eligibility. But no Jiva can get cosmic powers of God like creation. It is said that Abode has three regions – Svetadvipa, Anantasena and Vaikuntha.
 
After the Parabdha, there is destruction of the effects of Karma. It is followed by Utranti which means death of gross body, preparatory for the abandonment of the subtle body (Linga-sarira) which has been the subtle medium clothed in which the Jiva has been passing through the trans-migratory cycles. The Jiva passes through several subtle regions conducted by heavenly messengers and attains to the Brahma-loka where he remains with Brahma (Hiranya-garbha or the world soul) until the creative cycle ends and Brahma enters into the being of Vishnu, the Supreme Being. Along with him the released Jivas also enter that Supreme Abode known as Vaikuntha. Attaining to that blessed state the Jiva never returns to the spheres of transmigration. He enjoys its felicity through eternity. Having dropped the subtle bodies, the Jivas get bodies of Suddha-sattva. They can assume any form they like.
 
Reference: Bhakti Schools of Vedanta – by Swami Tapasyananda, Sri Ramakrishna Math, Chennai.