Amṛtatva
From Hindupedia, the Hindu Encyclopedia
By Swami Harshananda
Amṛtatva literally means ‘immortality’.
All living beings are naturally and instinctively struggling for freedom from sorrow and suffering. So also do they seek pleasure and happiness. The Upaniṣads, the ancient and basic scriptures, call this state ‘amṛtatva,’ the state of immortality and bliss. Mokṣa, mukti, nirvāṇa and kaivalya are some of the more common synonyms of the same.
All the scriptures are unanimous in their teachings. They preach as follows :
- Amṛtatva is the goal of human life
- The human beings desirous of obtaining it should purify themselves by giving up evil ways of life.
- They should take recourse to the śāstras (holy books), ācārya (spiritual preceptor), and practise jñāna (knowledge) along with bhakti (devotion) to reach that goal.
Once this goal of amṛtatva is obtained, there is no return to this life of transmigration. The liberated soul will enjoy eternal bliss. Details of the path and the nature of amṛtatva differ from school to school of religious philosophies.
References[edit]
- The Concise Encyclopedia of Hinduism, Swami Harshananda, Ram Krishna Math, Bangalore