Author Name: – Dr. P.V.N.M Kaushik Date:- 15-March-2026
Background: Bhagavadgita highlights the importance of jñāna as the highest form of purification and states that there exists nothing else equal to this. Recognising the loftiness of this idea, the ancient Indian culture encourages the pursuit of Jñāna, attaining which, one achieves the true purpose of life, i.e., to realize oneself as Atman and not merely the superimpositions of the body–mind complex. In other words, Jñāna enables to see the reality as it is by enabling the abilities of perception or cognition rise to their fullest. Thus, the difference in the behaviour of the Jñānis from the rest can be attributed to their pure wisdom, which in turn influences their cognitive abilities.
Objectives : The life and acts of Jnanis need to be carefully observed and emulated by those who are still on the path to be able to realize their goal. Therefore, the author felt a need to undertake this study with the objectives to understand:
- The relation between Jñāna, its influence on the cognitive abilities and its manifestation as the behaviour of a Jnani or Jīvanmukta
- How the essential attributes of vasana-kṣaya and Mano-nāśa differentiate a Jnani from the rest
Method: This is a conceptual, textual-theoretical paper. The author chose to study the above aspects of a Jīvanmukta in the light of the teachings of the Aṣṭāvakra Gītā, one of the most practical treatises on Advaita supported by few concepts from the Jivanmukti Viveka. He explains the concept of Jñāna in the light of non-attachment, which leads to reduction in Vasanas and eventually helps in Mano-nāśa, enabling a Jnani to act from the state of witness-consciousness. The themes discussed in this paper include aspects such as witness-consciousness, non-doership and freedom from samskaras in the light of the life of a Jīvanmukta. The results present the philological analysis of selected passages from both the texts, with conceptual mapping to cognitive mechanism, thus bringing an analytic synthesis of the twin processes vasana-kṣaya and mano-nāśa as explanatory mechanisms. The cognitive function of a Jīvanmukta is explained by also drawing references to the lives of illustrative hermeneutic masters from the recent times.
Results: Based on the study of the conceptual mapping, the following results are obtained by the author:
- Jñāna implies non-attachment and direct Insight
- Cognitive transformation happens through Vasanakṣhaya.
- Mano-nāśa implies functional dissolution of mind but not destruction of mental abilities.
- Jīvanmukta’s cognition & behaviour is marked by characteristics such as equanimity. Selflessness, fearlessness, spontaneity, effortless actions etc.
Conclusions: Finally, the paper proposes to derive practical insights about the nature and behaviour of a Jīvanmukta:
- Jñāna redefines Human Cognition.
- Vasanakṣhaya and Mano-nāśa are essential for stabilizing Jñāna.
- Jīvanmukta’s behaviour is a natural outcome of inner freedom.
- The path to Jñāna is a gradual reorientation towards witness-consciousness.
Keywords: jñāna, jīvanmukta, cognition & behaviour, advaita vedānta, vasana-kṣaya, mano-nāśa
