Sushmajee
Dictionary Of Hindu Religion | Dictionary

Dictionary-M

Home | Rel-Dictionary | Dictionary

Moksh

Back to M

   
A  B  C  D  E  F  G  H  I  J  K  L  M  N  O  P-Q  R  S  T-U  V-W-X  Y-Z

Moksh

(1) Emancipation.   (2) Beatitude.   (3) No rebirth.   (4) Being free from taking birth in this world.   (5) Final Liberation.   (6) Mukti, Nirvaan.

Mukti is of five kinds -
(1) Saayujya Mukti (merging with God), the Bhakt becomes one with the Lord like salt and water.
(2) Saaroopya Mukti (Conforming into God's image), the Bhakt gets the same form like that of the Lord like the brother of a King.
(3) Saameepya Mukti (Coming close to God without merging into Him), the Bhakt remains in the close proximity with the Lord like the attendant of a King.
(4) Saalokya Mukti (Living with God in His Lok), the Bhakt remains in the Lok where Lord Vishnu or Shiv resides like an inhabitant of a state. and
(5) Jeevan Mukti (Liberated while alive).
[Aangiras, p 289-290)

There are four means of Mukti (emancipation) - Brahm Gyaan, Shraaddh in Gayaa, death in Goshaalaa (where cows are kept), and living in Kurukshetra.
(Naarad Puraan, p 655)

Soorya said - "There are four types of Moksh -
(1) Saalokya - living in the same Lok, maybe through Tap,  or Var (boon). When Raam gave Var to Vibheeshan, He said that "You will come to "Mam Dhaam" after your death."
(2) Saameepya or Saannidhya - nearness through Bhakti. This type of Mukti is desired by Bhakt. Where God is in the vicinity- not too near and not too far, so that the devotee feels the presence of God and experiences his nearness. As Bhaagvat has said the Bhakt only aspire to serve God (Mat Sevanam) and to sing about him. A mere glance of the divine is enough for the Bhakt who is driven to intoxication and people find his behavior as an a condition of lunacy. Bhakt don't care even to merge into divine as they enjoy the
Kathaa of their Isht Dev or sing Bhajan (singing Bhajan is called Bhakti), Kathaa is Bhakti in prose, Keertan is dancing Bhakti, and tears of a Bhakt is a weeping Bhakti. The initial stage is just singular Bhakti.
(3) Saaroopya -
through Gyaan, Those who follow the path of knowledge, in course of time, start
appearing like their Guru or God. Tulasee Daas says that Jataayu assumed the form of Hari after he was killed by Raavan. This is Saaroopya Mukti.
(4) Saayujya - becoming the same form through meditation. When a Gyanee merges into the divine. Raavan could get Saayujya
Mukti because the luster of his soul (Tejas) merged into Raam.
[Bhavishya Puraan, 3/21]

According to Upanishad, the final stage of liberation can be attained only through Paraa Vidyaa, or Brahm Vidyaa.

According to Padm Puraan, 5/35, Going to Param Dhaam is called Moksh, because once a Jeev is gone there, it never comes back on Prithvi, and that is why it is called Moksh.


Moksh or Mukti in Sanskrit language refers to liberation from the cycle of death and rebirth and thereby from all the sufferings and limitations of worldly existence. According to Hindu scriptures, liberation occurs when the individual soul (Jeevaatmaa) recognizes its identity with the Substratum, the Source of all phenomenal existence viz. Brahm or Paramaatmaa. Moksh is seen by the A-Dwait as a state of perfection and final release from one's worldly conception of Self, the loosening of the shackle of experiential duality and re-establishment in one's own fundamental nature. The Ultimate Truth, according to them, is oneness without form or being, something which is without manifestation. Moksh is union or merger with that One. The concept of Moksh and Buddhist Nirvaan or Enlightenment are more or less comparable. According to the Dwait (Dualists) and Vishisht Dwait (Qualified A-Dwait schools of the Vaishnav tradition), Moksh is a stage on the path to union or merger with God (Eeshwar) and is not considered as a state of Perfection.

Our Scriptures tell us that Self-Realization (Aatm-Siddhi or Aatm-Saakshaatkaar) is true Moksh. The Bhagavad Geetaa describes four disciplines (Yog) or paths (Maarg) for attainment of Moksh. They are the path of selfless work (Karm Yog); path of Pure Devotion or Love (Bhakti Yog), path of absolute discernment or Knowledge (Gyaan Yog) and the path of royal meditative immersion (Dhyaan or Raaj Yog). Different schools of philosophy lay emphasis on different paths for attaining Liberation. This humble self, however, is of the view, that a proper synthesis of all the four Yog is a must for attaining Moksh or Mukti. While the path of selfless work is, no doubt, noble and lofty, it has to combine with it Devotion and Knowledge. Similarly, the path of Royal Meditation, bereft of Devotion and Knowledge, is not perfect and so on. Unless one can practice simultaneously the essence of all the four disciplines, Mukti or Moksh is not guaranteed.

 

Home | Rel-Dictionary | Dictionary

 

Back to M

Created by Sushma Gupta on 3/15/06
Contact:  sushmajee@yahoo.com
Updated on 09/12/12