Mandukya Upanishad, Class 39

To establish advaidam nature of
thuriyum, Gowdapadha is showing that thuriyum is not a kranam at all because
any karanam is potential dwaidam to produce kariyam.  To establish this,
Gowdabadha uses four methods.  In this portion of diversion, Gowdabadha
strongly criticizes all dwaidin who believes that there is a creation born out
of Brahman.  From an advaidin stand point:

• No creation is born out of Brahman or
• Apparent creation is born out of Brahman, meaning a
  real creation is not born at all.

Gowdapadha says dwaidin face many
problems:

• Emotional: When duality will be real and ragha
  dwesha can’t be avoided creating samsara and sorrow.  Different point
  of views can’t be avoided, and each person’s point of view will be correct
  from that person’s point of view.  This is because of pramanam
  (instrument) used is different.  In the relative world of dwaidin, there
  will be differences.   Advaidin transcend reality and avoids
  raga dvesha; whereas a dwaidin can’t transcend relalty.
• Logical:  They all say paramtma or baghawan or
  Brahman is infinite, which means beyond time and space and not subject to
  modification.  It will be nirvikaram.  Whatever is not subject
  to modification, can’t be a karanam.  Therefore, infinitude and
  karanam status can’t co-exist.  Infinitude is nirvikarathvam
  (changeless) and karanatvam is savikaratvam (changing nature).  Therefore,
  infinitude and karanam can’t co-exist.  Therefore Baghawan, the
  infinite, can’t be a cause of creation.
• If Brahman is really multiplying to produce a creation,
  it will mean that infinite has become finite.  The changeless has
  become changing.  That beyond time has come within time.  This is logically not possible.

Verse 20

The disputants wish to ascertain the
birth of birth-less Reality itself.  How can the birth less, immortal
Readily indeed undergo mortality?

Gowdapadha wonders how all other
philosophers don’t recognize this logical fallacy.  They claim that
infinite, timeless, changeless, birth-less Brahman is changing when he produces
creation, essentially making a changeless changing.  Brahman does not have
any of the six modifications:  asti, jāyate,
vartate, vipariṇāmate, apakṣīyate, and vinaśyati.  Infinite can’t become finite; finite can’t
become infinite.

Verse 21

The immortal does not become
mortal.  In the same way the mortal does not become immortal. 
Transformation of the intrinsic nature does not take place anyhow.

Important verses, if you understand
these verses, importunate of knowledge and moksha will be clear.

A finite thing can never become
infinite and an infinite thing can never become finite.  Infinite can’t
become anything because becoming itself implies change, within time and space.
Will mortal become immortal or immortal become immortal? Mortal can’t become
immortal by any amount of sadhana.  Immortal need not become
immortal.  Therefore, moksha is dropping the struggle for moksha with the
knowledge that I am already muktha.  If you are intrinsically mortal,
don’t work for immortal because you will not become immortal.  If you are
immortal, then you do not need to do sadhana for immortal.  If at all you
do sadhana, it is not to become immortal but to own up the fact that I need not
work for muktha; it is only for reminding that I am already a muktha.

Verse 22

If the intrinsically immortal
Reality undergoes mortality for a person how can that immortality remain the
same for him, since it is a product?

Two types of nature are incidental nature
and intrinsic nature; hot coffee is incidental, because it become hot by
contacting heat; it is subject to loss; if you keep the coffee outside it will
become cold.  The heat obtained in fire is intrinsic and the fire will
never lose the hotness.  Brahman infinitude is intrinsic nature and will
not lose infinitude.  For the sake of argument, let us assume that the
intrinsic nature also undergoes change.  We fell from paramatma and became
jivatma.  Jivatma does the sadhana and one day the jivatma becomes
paramatma.  If you become immortal paramata on a future date, that
immortality is an event produced in future time.  But if Moksha or
infinitude happens in time, that is also finite.  A moksha produced in
time can’t be eternal.  The word moksha is permanent freedom from samsara
and not a temporary freedom from samsara.  In the dualistic philosophy
moksha will not be possible because for all of them moksha is an event in
time.  Here intrinsically immortal Brahman becomes mortal.  If
produced moksha can be eternal, then that will mean produced swarga can also be
permanent.  Wherever there is a logical inconsistency, the dualist will
ask you to believe.  A dualist says an moksha is an event in time and it
is eternal.  Even though it is illogical, they ask you to belive it. 
An advaidin says retain your intellect.  If moksha is an even time, it
can’t be permanent.  Therefore, eternal moksha is a belief in dwaidam, and
eternal moksha is only possible in advaidam.