What is Moksha?
Moksha (also mukti) — from the root muc, “to release” — is the ultimate goal of human existence in Hindu philosophy. It is liberation from samsara — the endless cycle of birth, death, and rebirth — and from the suffering (dukkha) that characterizes unawakened existence.
Moksha is not death. It is not a place (like heaven). It is a state of being — the recognition and permanent establishment in the truth of who you really are.
What Are We Being Liberated From?
To understand moksha, we must understand what binds us:
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Avidya (Ignorance): The fundamental misidentification of the Self (Atman) with the body, mind, and ego. We believe “I am this body, this personality, this story” — when in truth, the Atman is infinite, unchanging, deathless consciousness.
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Karma: The accumulated impressions and tendencies from past actions that drive us into further action and reaction, perpetuating the cycle.
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Vasanas (Desires/Tendencies): Deep-seated desires and aversions that color our perception and drive us toward experiences that temporarily satisfy but ultimately do not fulfill.
Liberation is liberation from all of these — through the direct recognition of the Atman’s true nature.
Four Paths to Moksha
Hindu philosophy recognizes four major paths (margas or yogas) to liberation:
Jnana Yoga — The Path of Knowledge
The direct inquiry into the nature of the Self. Who am I? What is real? Through sustained inquiry and the guidance of a teacher, the illusion of separation dissolves and the non-dual nature of reality is recognized.
Primary text: Upanishads, Vivekachudamani (Shankaracharya)
Bhakti Yoga — The Path of Devotion
The path of love. The devotee surrenders the separate ego to the Divine with such totality that the sense of separation dissolves in the ocean of divine love. The lover and the Beloved merge.
Primary text: Bhagavata Purana, Narada Bhakti Sutras
Karma Yoga — The Path of Selfless Action
Acting fully in the world without attachment to outcomes, offering every action as worship to the Divine. The ego’s grip loosens through the sustained practice of non-possessive action.
Primary text: Bhagavad Gita (Chapters 3, 5)
Raja Yoga — The Path of Meditation
The systematic refinement of the mind through ethical practice, physical postures, breath control, sense withdrawal, concentration, meditation, and finally samadhi — absorption in the Self.
Primary text: Yoga Sutras of Patanjali
What Moksha Feels Like
Different schools describe moksha differently:
Advaita Vedanta (Shankaracharya): Moksha is the recognition that individual self (Atman) and universal consciousness (Brahman) are identical — Aham Brahmasmi — “I am Brahman.”
Vishishtadvaita (Ramanujacharya): Moksha is eternal loving communion with the personal God — liberation is not merger but eternal relationship.
Dvaita Vedanta (Madhvacharya): The soul remains distinct from God forever, experiencing eternal bliss in God’s presence.
Despite these philosophical differences, all schools agree: moksha is the end of suffering, the end of fear, the recognition of one’s ultimate nature as deathless, infinite, and whole.
Jivanmukta — Liberated While Living
The Hindu tradition recognizes the jivanmukta — one who is liberated while still alive in a body. Such a person acts, eats, speaks, and moves in the world, but is inwardly free. The liberated sage knows they are not the body-mind complex; they rest in the pure awareness that witnesses all experience without being bound by any of it.
“Having realized the Atman, the wise man sees no other.” — Mandukya Upanishad