Neither by suffering nor by happiness, nor by the agitation of the mind, does the Vedānta based on illusion prevail for the jīvanmukta.

Here, the term “vedānto” does not refer to the scholastic tradition, but to the “end of knowledge”—the ultimate conclusion of inquiry. “Bhrāntimūlaḥ”—based on illusion—describes all objective knowledge: knowledge of something implies a distinction between knower and known, and that distinction is illusion (bhrānti). The jīvanmukta does not “have” an alternative vedānta; he is simply no longer subject to dualistic knowledge.

The three negations—not by suffering, not by happiness, not by mental agitation—cover the full spectrum of conditioned experience. There is no external condition that can reestablish illusion in the jīvanmukta. This does not mean he does not feel pain or pleasure; it means those sensations do not produce the fundamental superimposition of identification with the body-mind.

The Bhagavad Gītā (VI.5-7) teaches that one must elevate oneself, not degrade oneself, because the self is both friend and enemy of the self. The jīvanmukta has completed this self-elevation: for him, the self was never an enemy; it only appeared to be so while he was confused with the not-self. The Haṭha Pradīpikā (IV.81) states: “The yogī who possesses this [realization] has nothing to do or not to do.” Freedom is not freedom for; it is freedom from.

Here, the term “vedānta” does not refer to the scholastic tradition, but to the “end of knowledge”—the ultimate conclusion of inquiry. “Bhrāntimūlaḥ”—rooted in illusion—describes all objective knowledge: knowledge of something implies a distinction between knower and known, and that distinction is illusion (bhrānti). The jīvanmukta does not “possess” an alternative vedānta; he is simply no longer subject to dualistic knowledge.

The three negations—not by suffering, not by happiness, not by mental agitation—cover the full spectrum of conditioned experience. There is no external condition that can reestablish illusion in the jīvanmukta. This does not mean he does not feel pain or pleasure; it means those sensations do not produce the fundamental superimposition of identification with the body-mind.

The Bhagavad Gītā (VI.5-7) teaches that one must elevate oneself by oneself, not degrade oneself by oneself, for the self is both friend and enemy of the self. The jīvanmukta has completed this self-elevation: for him, the self was never an enemy; it only appeared so while he was confused with the not-self. The Haṭha Pradīpikā (IV.81) states: “The yogī who possesses this [realization] has nothing to do or not to do.” Freedom is not freedom for; it is freedom from.