The Mind in a Liberated Sage

“"Dehabhimane galite vijnate paramatman 
Yatra yatra mano yati tatra tatra samadhayah”"

“With the disappearance of the attachment of the body and with the realization of the Supreme Self, to whatever object the mind is directed, one experiences Samadhi.” Amana is a Sanskrit term which means ‘without mind.’ “Amanaskata” is a condition where there is no mind. It is mindlessness. You will find this in Jivanmuktas or liberated sages.

RESIDUAL SATTVA

Jivanmukta is a sage free from the trammels of births and deaths while living. Even in the case of a Jivanmukta, though the instinctive mind with low desires is destroyed, the spiritual Sattvic (pure) mind does not perish. Like flowers and fruits latent in a seed, a residue of Sattva, the cause of intelligence, rests always in the heart. If you say that his mind is completely annihilated as soon as he attains Jnana, liberated state is impossible. How will he be able to do worldly dealings without an instrument viz., the mind? A Jnani (wise person) identifies himself with the all-pervading Brahman and uses his mind and body as His instruments for worldly activities; an Ajnani (Ignorant) identifies himself with his body. There have been cases of Jivanmuktas like King Janaka who attained Jnana and who utilized mind and body in this manner for the well-being of the humanity at large. Sri Rama and Sri Krishna were ever resting on Brahman even when they were ruling their kingdoms. They were ever very conscious of their essential Sat-Chit-Ananda Brahmic nature, even though they assumed human forms. They utilized their minds and bodies as their instruments when they were doing various activities.

EMPIRICAL EXISTENCE AND EXISTENCE-REALITY

Even this world does not disappear as absolutely as is supposed in liberated state. Empirical world, in fact, ceases to exist. But, this does not mean annihilation. It merely means that existence changes its form and color  as it were, for the Absolute. It is empirical existence and not all-existence which vanishes. Existence-Reality remains, but its limited forms vanish. Externality has to go; spatial and temporal views of things must go; causal determination of one thing by another must go; many-ness and oneness must go. This is inevitable. But, the universe with all its reality will not go even for the liberated soul. It will merely change its form, meaning and significance. Nothing will disappear except a false view, a limited horizon, erroneous idea and a circumscribed vision. Fact, Reality, Existence, however, will remain as fundamental as ever; but the viewpoint will change.

The mind of the Jnanis cannot be termed as a mind, but only as Tattva (Reality). That which gets differentiated through diverse objects is the mind. The mind of a Jnani, on the other hand, becomes stainless, like copper transmuted into gold by alchemic process. The mind of a Jnani is Sattva itself, while persons without Jnana will follow the path chalked out by their minds. When a Jnani sees outside, he may simply see, but the thought waves may not assume worldly thoughts as in the case of worldly-minded persons. Just as the mind is free from any worldly thoughts in deep-sleep state in all, it is free from any worldly thoughts in the waking state also in a Jnani. The world appears to him as a mere dream. He dwells in Brahman even while working. In those that have cognized their Self, the pure subtle desires with which they perform Karmas will not entail them rebirths. The mind of such a Jnani is called Sattvic, but a mind without Jnana is generally termed Manas.

REFERENCE

Mind – Its Mysteries and Control by Sri Swami Sivananda