Average life expectancy of Indian doctor in India is only 62 years (IMA mahashtra and IMA Kerala studies). No point in worrying about pension.

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SKYE 

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AJATA: RAMANA, SHANKARA, UPANISHADS

***This post is only for those who are deeply interested in liberation***

There is a teaching that says that after liberation, the liberated sage's ego becomes dead, like a burnt rope, in that it continues to exist in superficial appearance, in name and form, but doesn't actually have any robust structure or power.

Similarly, the same teaching says that the liberated sage's body & mind continues after liberation, but there is no longer any individual will at play, and it is just the destiny of the body mind (known as prarabdha karma in Sanskrit) that plays out. An analogy is given of how a fan continues to rotate even when the power has been turned off, the idea being that in a similar way the sage's body continues to act in the world according to its pre-existing energy and destiny but without anybody's individual will or ego being present any longer..

Sri Ramana often gave this teaching himself, but he also said this was a lower teaching for those who were unable to accept the higher teachings. In his writings, and to his closest devotees, he often explained that in truth, in liberation there is no karma (action or activity) whatsoever, and there is no body or mind or world for the Jnani. It only appears this way due to the ignorant view of the ignorant onlooker.

33. The statement that the jnani retains prarabdha while free from sanchita and agami is only a formal answer to the questions of the ignorant. Of several wives none escapes widowhood when the husband dies; even so, when the doer goes, all three karmas vanish.

~ Supplement to the 40 verses on reality, written by Sri Ramana Maharshi

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The Self-Realised Sage knows not whether the transient body comes and stays, or dies and leaves, even as a senseless drunkard knows not what happens to his clothes.

~Guru Vachaka Kovai, Sri Bhagavan 24 (a verse written by Sri Ramana Maharshi)

**AJATA**

This teaching is known as Ajata, which is the teaching that the appearance of the body mind and world only appear due to ignorance or ego, and that the world, including the body and mind, never really appeared or existed in the first place. Ignorance never really came about at all. Duality, meaning the appearance of any rising phenomena whatsoever, never actually occurred.

**SHANKARA & UPANISHADS**

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diving deep into the profound teachings of Ajata, Ramana Maharshi, Shankara, and the Upanishads! Here's a brief breakdown and elaboration of the core ideas presented:

1. The "Burnt Rope" Analogy

This analogy describes how, after liberation, the ego (the sense of individual identity) no longer has any actual power or existence—just as a burnt rope retains its form but has no strength. While a liberated being may seem to continue functioning in the world, their actions are merely the unfolding of past karma (prarabdha karma) without personal will or ego involvement.

This aligns with the common idea that for the onlooker, the sage appears to live and act as before, but inwardly, the sage is established in the changeless, egoless Self.

2. Ramana's "Higher Teaching"

While the above explanation is often given for those who find it easier to understand a gradual dissolution of karma, Ramana Maharshi also pointed out that, from the highest standpoint (Ajata Vada), there is no real body, mind, or karma. All of these appearances are projections of ignorance. In reality, no "liberation" happens because there is no bondage to begin with.

The quotes from "Supplement to the 40 Verses on Reality" and Guru Vachaka Kovai highlight this radical view—when the ego (the "doer") is gone, all notions of past, present, and future karma disappear entirely.

3. Ajata Vada – The Doctrine of "Non-Creation"

Ajata literally means "unborn." This teaching asserts that the world, the mind, and all dualities never actually came into existence. From the absolute perspective, there is only the eternal, unchanging Self (Brahman). According to this view:

• Ignorance (avidya) never truly arose.
• Liberation is not an event but a recognition of the truth that was always present.
• There is no real individual to be bound or liberated.

4. Shankara and the Upanishads

Ramana's teachings echo the core of Advaita Vedanta as expounded by Adi Shankaracharya. Shankara often balanced two levels of truth:

• Vyavaharika (Empirical Reality): Where the world and karma appear to function, and teachings like prarabdha karma are used to explain the continued functioning of the sage's body.
• Paramarthika (Absolute Reality): Where no creation, no dissolution, no bondage, and no liberation exist. This corresponds directly with the Ajata doctrine.

The Upanishads also affirm this non-dual truth:

• "Brahma Satyam Jagan Mithya, Jivo Brahmaiva Na Aparah" – "Brahman alone is real, the world is an illusion, and the individual self is not different from Brahman."
• Mandukya Karika (by Gaudapada, Shankara's teacher's teacher) emphasizes Ajata explicitly: "No creation, no destruction, no seeker, no liberated—this is the ultimate truth."

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