Moksha or Release

Moksha or Release

by Swami Sivananda

The release from Samsara means, according to Sankara, the absolute merging of the individual soul in Brahman, due to dismissal of the erroneous notion that the soul is distinct from Brahman. According to Ramanuja, it only means the soul’s passing from the troubles of earthly life into a kind of heaven or paradise where it will remain for ever in undisturbed personal bliss. As Ramanuja does not distinguish a higher and a lower Brahman, the distinction of a higher and a lower knowledge is likewise not valid for him; the teaching of the Upanishads is not twofold but essentially one, and leads the enlightened devotee to one result only.

Moksha or Release – Liberation, Self-Knowledge, and Freedom from Bondage

Moksha or Release is the highest goal of spiritual life in many Indian philosophical traditions. It means freedom from ignorance, ego, attachment, desire, karma, and the repeated cycle of birth and death. Ordinary life is often filled with pleasure and pain, hope and fear, success and failure, gain and loss. A person keeps moving through these changing experiences, but deep peace remains difficult until the root of bondage is understood and removed.

Human beings usually identify themselves with the body, mind, emotions, name, status, family, possessions, and achievements. This false identification creates bondage. When the body suffers, the person feels completely broken. When the mind becomes restless, they lose peace. When possessions are lost, they feel empty. When praise comes, ego becomes proud, and when criticism comes, ego feels hurt. This dependence on changing things keeps the soul trapped in sorrow.

Moksha or Release teaches that the true self is deeper than the body and mind. The body changes from childhood to youth and old age. The mind changes through thoughts, desires, memories, and emotions. But the witnessing awareness behind these changes remains present. Spiritual wisdom says that this witnessing self is pure, eternal, peaceful, and free by nature. Bondage exists because this truth is forgotten.

Ignorance is the main cause of bondage. A person mistakes the temporary for permanent and the impure for pure. They expect lasting happiness from objects, relationships, power, pleasure, and recognition. These things may bring temporary satisfaction, but they cannot give complete freedom. When they change or disappear, suffering arises. Therefore, right knowledge is necessary for liberation.

Moksha or Release is not an escape from responsibility. It does not mean running away from life, family, work, or society without understanding. Real liberation is an inner state where a person performs duties without egoistic attachment. They may live in the world, serve others, speak, work, and act, but their peace does not depend completely on outer results. They remain inwardly free.

The path to liberation requires purification of the mind. A restless, selfish, and impure mind cannot realize the truth clearly. Truthfulness, non-violence, self-control, compassion, purity, contentment, service, meditation, and self-study prepare the mind. When the mind becomes calm and clear, it reflects the light of the self like a clean mirror reflects the sun.

Desire is another cause of bondage. Desire makes the mind run outward again and again. One fulfilled desire gives birth to another, and the chain continues. If desire is blocked, anger appears. If desire is fulfilled, attachment grows. A seeker of liberation does not hate life, but learns to control craving. Needs are handled wisely, while unnecessary desires are gradually reduced.

Karma also plays an important role. Actions done with ego and attachment create bondage. Selfless actions, performed as duty and service, purify the heart. A person should act sincerely but surrender the fruits of action. This attitude removes anxiety, pride, and fear. Work then becomes a means of purification rather than a source of bondage.

Moksha or Release is supported by meditation. Meditation helps the seeker observe the mind and understand that thoughts are not the self. Thoughts come and go, emotions rise and fall, desires appear and disappear, but awareness remains. As this understanding deepens, identification with the mind becomes weaker. The seeker begins to rest in inner silence.

Devotion also helps in attaining freedom. Through love, prayer, surrender, and remembrance of the Divine, the ego becomes soft. The heart becomes humble, pure, and trusting. A devotee offers actions, worries, and results to a higher power. This surrender does not create weakness; it removes the burden of false doership and brings peace.

Self-inquiry is another direct method. The seeker asks, “Who am I?” Am I the body that changes? Am I the mind that thinks? Am I the emotions that rise and fall? When these are observed as changing objects, the seeker discovers the witnessing consciousness beyond them. This realization is central to liberation.

Moksha or Release is not merely a future reward. It begins as inner freedom in daily life. When anger is controlled, there is a taste of freedom. When desire loses its grip, there is freedom. When ego becomes humble, there is freedom. When the mind remains steady in success and failure, there is freedom. Final liberation is the complete flowering of this inner freedom.

A liberated person is not ruled by fear, greed, pride, hatred, or attachment. Such a person lives with peace, compassion, wisdom, and equality. They may act in the world, but they are not bound by the world. Their happiness comes from the self, not from temporary objects. Their life becomes a blessing to others.

In the end, Moksha or Release is the journey from ignorance to knowledge, from bondage to freedom, and from restlessness to eternal peace. It is attained through purity, self-control, right knowledge, meditation, devotion, and selfless action. The one who realizes the true self becomes free from inner slavery and lives in the light of wisdom, peace, and spiritual fulfillment.

Law of Karma