मोक्ष
Moksha
(mokṣa)Liberation; freedom from the cycle of birth, death, and rebirth
Full Meaning
Moksha is the fourth and ultimate aim of human life (the fourth puruṣārtha, after dharma, artha, and kāma). It is liberation from saṃsāra — the cycle of death and rebirth driven by karma and ignorance. In Advaita Vedānta, moksha is the recognition that the individual self (ātman) was never separate from the universal self (Brahman). Liberation is not going somewhere — it is seeing clearly.
Etymology
From the root muc (मुच्) — to release, to set free. Moksha is the ultimate release.
Usage in Sanskrit Texts
Different schools describe moksha differently: Advaita sees it as merger with Brahman, Dvaita as eternal love of God, Jainism as perfect isolation of the soul from karma.
The Katha Upanishad: "The wise one who knows the Self crosses beyond grief." (2.1.1)
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