Weekly Definitions - Moksha

[Guest guest]

Namaste,

 

Weekly Definitions – Moksha (mokSha)

 

The word `moksha' is derived from the root verb `mokSh' which means:

to wish to free one's self. seek deliverance;

to free one's self from (acc.) , shake off ;

to free or deliver from (abl.);

to liberate , emancipate (from transmigration) ;

to loosen , untie , undo ;

to detach , extract , draw out of ;

to wrest or take away anything from ; *

 

A synonym for mokSh is `muc' (or `much'):

to loose , let loose , free , let go , slacken , release , liberate

from;

to free one's self , get rid of , escape, to relax the throat i.e.

raise a cry ; ,

to slacken the reins ;,

to deprive of life , kill) ;

to set free , allow to depart , dismiss , dispatch to ;

to relinquish , abandon , leave , quit , give up , set aside ,

depose, to quit the body or give up the ghost i.e. to die) ;

to yield , grant , bestow; to send forth , shed , emit , utter ,

discharge , throw , cast , hurl , shoot at , to throw one's self

down from) loosed , to be set free or released. ;

to deliver one's self from , to get rid of , escape (esp. from sin

or the bonds of existence);

to abstain from ;

to be deprived or destitute of, to cause to loose or let go or give

up or discharge or shed; to gladden , delight , yield enjoyment, to

wish to deliver (from the bondage of existence) , (to wish or be

about to set;

to be about to give up or relinquish (life);

to wish or intend to cast or hurl to wish to free one's self;

to desire final liberation or beatitude *

 

Some have explained the derivation as an acronym formed by combining

the first two letters of the words moha (delusion) and kShaya

(destruction), mo(h)a + kSha(ya).

 

The word is sparsely used in the Vedas, only once in the 10 major

upanishads (Brihad. 3:1:3), and once in Chandogya upan., though the

meaning is conveyed in many other phrases. It occurs more frequently

in Shvetashvatara , Tejobindu, Maitri and Muktika upanishads.

 

A word allied to both is `mumukShu', one who desires moksha or

freedom.

 

The verb declensions of the verb `muc' are somewhat more in number.

3 Brahmasutras refer to mukti by word -1:3:2; 3:4:52; 4:4:2

 

Gita uses both words quite frequently, besides many other phrases.

 

Moksha is counted as the fourth and ultimate goal (niHshreyas or

Summum Bonum) of human life (puruShArthas) , preceded by the

foundation of Dharma (virtuous actions), Artha and Kama (wealth and

pleasures conducive to the prosperity or `abhyudaya') in this world.

The epic, Mahabharata, has one whole section devoted to `Moksha-

Dharma'.in Shati Parva (Book 12).

Bhagavata Purana has many touching stories related to moksha, one of

the best-known being `gajendra-moksha', the liberation of the King

of Elephants by Vishnu Himself.***

 

At the phenomenal level (`vyAvahArika') of discussion, the word

moksha naturally brings up its antonym – bandha, or bondage. Thus

many of the phrases pointing to the meaning of moksha are couched in

words saying `freedom from bondage'. The bondage is also referred to

as `chit-jaDa granthi', the knot of Ignorance lodged in

one's `heart'.

 

At the noumenal level (`pAramArhika') neither word holds valid

(Gaudapada Karika on Mandukya Upanishad 2:32).

 

Scriptures and Sages have declared that the knowledge of the true

nature of one's own self (svarUpa- or Atma- j~nAna) is the only key

to understanding the mystery of Existence, and this Knowledge alone

secures limitless and eternal Happiness (Ananda), and ends the

recurrent cycles of births and deaths (saMsAra or prapa~ncha). This

knowledge itself is moksha or mukti. Other epithets for the

liberated individual are: j~nAnI, sthitapraj~na, yogArUDha, guNAtIta

(Self-Realized, Liberated, Enlightened, etc.).

 

As Gita states (18:30), the understanding of bondage and freedom

depend on the `sAttvika' (pure) nature of the intellect.

 

The bondage refers to the ego's desires for actions (karma) that

give pleasures (rAga) and avoid pain (dveSha) to the body and mind,

through contacts with objects (viShaya). As objects are infinite,

so desires also seem to be endless. The pleasures, however, are

ephemeral, and alternate with the pain of either not getting them or

of losing them once they are achieved.

 

The thirst for their enjoyment can be overcome by the restraint of

senses and the proper performance of one's duties and their results

as sacrificial offerings (`yaj~na') to the Supreme Spirit (Brahman) .

 

Moksha or mukti has been described as `sadyo'- (immediate) in this

life itself, and `krama'- (gradual) going through grades of

expanding awareness of more and more subtle worlds ( e.g. mahA,

jana, tapa, satya or brahma loka).

 

Jivan-mukti and videha-mukti are other terms one comes across,

indicating the dissolution of one's ego while living in the present

body, or happening after the body's death respectively.

 

Some examples of phrases from the scriptures: (for translations pl.

ref. Celextel link below):**

 

Ishavasya upan. 2 – na karma lipyate nare |

Katha upan. 2:3:8 – yaM j~nAtvA muchyate |

Mundaka upan. 3:2:8 – nAma-rUpAd vimuktaH |

Chandogya upan. 7:26:2 – sarvagranthInAM vipramokShaH |

Brihadaranyaka upan.3:1:6- sA muktiH, sA atimuktiH, iti atimokShAH |

Shvetashvatara upan.6:16 – saMsAra-mokSha-sthiti-bandha-hetuH |

Maitri upan. 6:34:8 – etaj j~nAnaM cha mokShaM cha |

:11 - mana eva manushhyaaNaa.n kaaraNaM

bandhamokShayoH |

bandhaaya vishhayaasaktaM muktyai

nirvishhaya.n smR^itamiti ..

 

Gita 3:9- yaGYaarthaatkarmaNo.anyatra loko.aya.n karmabandhanaH .

tadartha.n karma kaunteya muktasaN^gaH samaachara ..

4:9 - punarjanma naiti maameti so.arjuna

:16 - tatte karma pravakShyaami yajGYaatvaa

mokShyase.ashubhaat.h

:32 - taansarvaanevaM GYaatvaa vimokShyase

5:17 - gachchhantyapunaraavR^itti.n GYaananirdhuutakalmaShaaH

:28 - vigatechchhaabhayakrodho yaH sadaa mukta eva saH

7:29 - jaraamaraNamokShaaya maamaashritya yatanti ye

8:15- maamupetya punarjanma duHkhaalayamashaashvatam.h .

naapnuvanti mahaatmaanaH sa.nsiddhiM paramaa.n gataaH ..

:16- aabrahmabhuvanaallokaaH punaraavartino.arjuna .

maamupetya tu kaunteya punarjanma na vidyate ..

9:1 - GYaanaM viGYaanasahitaM yajGYaatvaa

mokShyase.ashubhaat.h

:3 - apraapya maa.n nivartante mR^ityusa.nsaaravartmani

:28 - sa.nnyaasayogayuktaatmaa vimukto maamupaiShyasi

11:54 - bhaktyaa tvananyayaa shakya ahameva.nvidho.arjuna .

GYaatuM draShTu.n cha tattvena praveShTu.n chaparantapa ..

13:35 - bhuutaprakR^itimokSha.n cha ye viduryaanti te param.h

15:4 - tataH padaM tatparimaargitavyam

yasmingataa na nivartanti bhuuyaH

16:5 - daivii sampadvimokShaaya nibandhaayaasurii

17:25 - daanakriyaashcha vividhaaH kriyante mokShakaaN^kShibhiH

18:30 - bandhaM mokSha.n cha yaa vetti buddhiH saa paartha

saattvikii

:49 - asaktabuddhiH sarvatra jitaatmaa vigataspR^ihaH .

naiShkarmyasiddhiM paramaa.n sa.nnyaasenaadhigachchhati ..

 

3:13 - yaGYashiShTaashinaH santo muchyante sarvakilbiShaiH

:31 - shraddhaavanto.anasuuyanto muchyante te.api karmabhiH

5:3 - nirdvandvo hi mahaabaaho sukhaM bandhaatpramuchyate

10:3 - asammuuDhaH sa martyeShu sarvapaapaiH pramuchyate

18:53- vimuchya nirmamaH shaanto brahmabhuuyaaya kalpate

 

2:39 - buddhyaa yukto yayaa paartha karmabandhaM prahaasyasi

:51 - janmabandhavinirmuktaaH padaM gachchhantyanaamayam.h

4:14 - maa.n yo.abhijaanaati karmabhirna sa badhyate

14:6 - sukhasaN^gena badhnaati GYaanasaN^gena chaanagha

 

Brahmasutra – 1:3:2 – muktopasRRipyavyapadeshaat.h |

3:4:52 - evaM muktiphalAniyamastadavasthAvadhRRiteH....|

4:4:2 - muktaH pratij~nAnAt.h |

 

* http://webapps.uni-koeln.de/cgi-bin/tamil/

 

** http://www.celextel.org/

 

*** http://www.tirumala.org/sapthagiri/092002/gajendra.htm

 

http://www.sankara.iitk.ac.in/

 

http://sanskritdocuments.org/doc_upanishhat/doc_upanishhat.html

 

http://www.himalayanacademy.com/resources/books/vedic_experience/Part

6/VEPartVIChC.html

OR

http://tinyurl.com/2p7l6f

 

 

[THE MAHABHARATA SANTI PARVA PART II SECTION CLXXIV

(Mokshadharma Parva) ]

 

http://sanskritdocuments.org/mirrors/mahabharata/txt/12.txt

(Sanskrit)

 

http://www.sacred-texts.com/hin/m12/m12b001.htm (Engl.transl.)

[Guest guest]

Namaste Sunder-ji.

 

Your post 35882.

 

Exhaustive, thorough, well-researched and simply marvellous! You are

too selfish to leave anything for others to write on!

 

As I was away from the Group for long, I haven't yet seen the other

definitions you have attempted. This in fact is the first one I

read. A very relishing and rewarding experience indeed. The

grammarian and language-expert that you are, you have shown us the

right way to write definitions.

 

Thanks, best regards and pranams.

 

Madathil Nair

[Guest guest]

PraNAms Sunder

 

You have provided a text-book definition of moksha,

leaving no stone unturned.

 

From the Vedantic understanding, I would like add the

following.

 

Moksha as you illustrated is freedom from bondage.

The desire for that (mumukshutvam) is the utmost

desire that one should have to fulfil one's goal in

life - that is to be absolutely happy with no

limitations of what-so-ever. Hence it is the highest

purushhaartha or highest human goal to be achieved.

Hence freedom from limitations is moksha. Hence

Shankara defines moksha as freedom from any body

identification - sthuula, suukshma, kaaraNa shariira

which are by definition are limited. Absolute

limitless freedom (anantatvam) and infinite

inexhaustible happiness (anandatvam) are thus equated

with moksha.

 

Since moksha involves limitlessness and infiniteness;

it cannot be gained or given. In this respect advaita

Vedanta stands tall in comparison to other Vedantic

interpretations, where moksha is given through the

grace of God, and Lord Narayana alone has the capacity

to give for those who deserve - 'maam evaye

prapadyante maayaam etaam tarantite' - by complete

surrendence to me alone one can gain moksha or one can

cross over the insurmountable delusory maaya. That

which can be gained or given comes under the category

of apraaptasya praaptam - 'gaining something that I do

not have' - If moksha comes under that category, then

it is not intrinsic with me as it is gained or given.

Hence there is a beginning for moksha. That which has

a beginning must have an end - essentially that which

is given or earned can be lost too. Therefore moksha

becomes finite and not infinite since only finite

things alone can be given.

 

Hence advaita Vedanta says moksha cannot be of the

type 'apraaptasya praaptam' but should be of the form

'praaptasya praaptam' that is gaining something that I

already have or that which is intrinsic with me.

Happiness is not something that I gain, but something

I have to realize. Quait and contended mind is the

happy mind. Mind free from the notions of limitations

is the mind free from any longing to be free. That is

the mind free from all limitations - limitations of

place, time and qualities. Hence amRitabindu U. says

manaeva manushyaaNaam kaaraNam bandha moksha yoH|

 

Mind alone is responsible for both bondage and

freedom. Identification with the finite is bondage and

realization of one's own true advaitic nature is

freedom. Like all other knowledge, this knowledge has

to take place in the mind alone - as Swami Dayanandaji

used to say 'there is no nasal knowledge'. One cannot

become free; one has to understand that one is free.

One cannot become infinite one has to understand that

one is infinite. That is moksha, as per advaita.

 

 

Hari Om!

Sadananda

 

 

 

 

 

 

--- Sunder Hattangadi <sunderh wrote:

 

> Namaste,

>

> Weekly Definitions – Moksha (mokSha)

>

> The word `moksha' is derived from the root verb

> `mokSh' which means:

[Guest guest]

praNAms

Hare Krishna

 

Advaita/shruti's first & foremost clarion call is we never ever bound by

anything & we never ever *get* that mOksha since we are already

THAT....shruNvantu vishvE amrutasya putrAH...shruti calls us, irrespective

of cast & creed, sons of immortality...mOksha is our svarUpa, nobody can

grab it & grant it at some point of time after repeated bribery in the

form of prayer, pUja, japa, dhyAna etc. etc. Ofcourse these practices are

required to clean up the garbage in our conditioned minds. mOksha is

indivisible & ever existing non-dual nature of ours. The mOksha (the real

nature of ours) shines automatically at once if we free ourselves from the

ahaNkAra/mamakAra. It is not the situations of our life which causes us

bondage it is our unwarranted identification with the *life situations*

with ahaNkAra & mamakAra binds us. If we are inwardly free and calm

amidst the crowd of saMsAra we are not bound. So, strictly speaking mOksha

is not a goal of our life but it's a way of life to be lived in its

entireity.

 

Just few of my abrupt thoughts...

 

Hari Hari Hari Bol!!!

bhaskar

[Guest guest]

our most respected Sadaji writes :

( Mind alone is responsible for both bondage and

freedom. Identification with the finite is bondage and

realization of one's own true advaitic nature is

freedom. Like all other knowledge, this knowledge has

to take place in the mind alone - as Swami Dayanandaji

used to say 'there is no nasal knowledge'. One cannot

become free; one has to understand that one is free.

One cannot become infinite one has to understand that

one is infinite. That is moksha, as per advaita.)

 

May i please recall the following verse from Yoga Vasishta in this

context ?

 

Sage Vasishta told Lord Rama in the Yoga Vasishta:

 

Chit Chalathi Samsare;

Nichale Moksha Muchayatha

 

when chit [mind] vibrates;

This whole world come to existence;

When the mind stop vibrating [stoppage of thoughts];

This whole world is destroyed;

And person attains salvation

 

Hari Aum Tat Sat !

[Guest guest]

> Sage Vasishta told Lord Rama in the Yoga Vasishta:

>

> Chit Chalathi Samsare;

> Nichale Moksha Muchayatha

>

> when chit [mind] vibrates;

> This whole world come to existence;

> When the mind stop vibrating [stoppage of thoughts];

> This whole world is destroyed;

> And person attains salvation

 

If I may add Dhyanasaraswatiji

 

Here chalanam involves more than just the thought

perturbations - it is attachment to the thoughts that

arise from identification with the thoughts as aham

vRitti - or I am 'this' thoughts.

 

Echoing Arjuna's statement - manaH chanchalam,

asthiram, Krishna says by vairaagya, detachment and

abhyaasa, practice one can get over those attachments.

Hence thoughts are not the problem but attachment to

the thoughts cause samsaara. Any attempt to eliminate

the thoughts will only invigorate them - on the other

hand by sublimating the thoughts at the alter of

devotion, one can transcend them.

 

 

Hari Om!

Sadananda

[Guest guest]

our most respected Sadanandaji Writes

 

(Echoing Arjuna's statement - manaH chanchalam,

asthiram, Krishna says by vairaagya, detachment and

abhyaasa, practice one can get over those attachments.

Hence thoughts are not the problem but attachment to

the thoughts cause samsaara. Any attempt to eliminate

the thoughts will only invigorate them - on the other

hand by sublimating the thoughts at the alter of

devotion, one can transcend them.)

 

Yes! Chanchalam ( OR CHAPALAM- WANDERING MIND) ! this word reminds

me of a verse from Adi shankara Bhagvadapada's Shivananda Lahari :

 

Sadaa mohatavyam charathi yuvatheenam kucha girou,

Nata thyasha sakhasvatathi jhatithi swairamabhitha

Kapaalin bhiksho me hridaya kapi matyantha chapalam,

Dridam bhakthya bhaddha shiva bhavad dheenam kuru

vibho. (VERSE 20 )

 

Oh Lord Shiva, who is every where,

Wanders my mind always in the forest of evil desires,

It dances ,always on the mountain of breasts of young maids,

And it wanders at its will on all four directions,

From the branches to branches of desires,

Oh Lord who bears the skull for begging,

Be pleased to take under your control,

My mind that like a monkey,

Wanders without control in all directions,

And tie it with the rope of your affection.

 

YES! HOW TO TAME THE MONKEY MIND ?

 

Control speech by (thy) self, and that by buddhi (intellect); and

buddhi by the witness of buddhi (divine light), merge that in

nirvikalpa-p™rÐâtman (the Logos where no distinction exists between

ego and non-ego) and obtain supreme BLISS SAYS VERSE 369 IN VIVEKA

CHUDAMANI!

 

HARI AUM TAT SAT