Most Hindus, nay Indians, are familiar with the term ‘moksha’. We read about it in our ancient texts like the Gita, Upanishads, Ramayana etc. We hear about it through the words of the saints and sages, who tell us that it is the very purpose of human life. But in spite of this familiarity, very few consider it as the aim of their own life. Perhaps, we think – “Moksha might be the aim of life, but right now I have other things to do. I have a home to look after, a family to raise, I have to look after my work, my business, and ensure its growth. These are my goals right now. I will come to moksha later.”

When most people hear about Moksha, they imagine that to pursue it they would have to give up their home and family life and go into seclusion like a sannyasi. Since this is something they cannot afford to do right away, they keep Moksha for later and continue with business as usual.  So, essentially, there is a disconnect between their life-goals and the goal of moksha. There is a belief that these higher ideals are meant for the select few, the saints and sages, but for the larger humanity, it cannot be the immediate aim of life. But as we will see, this is a grave error.

If we look at our life at present, we find that we are pursuing a number of different things. We all know what these pursuits are – wealth, an accomplished career, relationships, pleasurable experiences, etc. Why do we run after these things? We pursue them for happiness and fulfillment. We believe that once we have the desired wealth, or career, or relationship, we will be happy and fulfilled. That is, in a nutshell, how most people think and lead their lives.

There can be another way of looking at these pursuits. Let’s understand it through an example. Suppose, someone’s goal in life is to have a successful career. It is the main focus of his life. The reason why this is so important for him, perhaps, is that he is not satisfied with the way he is right now. He sees others having a good career and feels that he should have the same to be really happy and fulfilled. He feels insignificant and inadequate without it and, to overcome this sense of inadequacy, he pursues the career. He feels a sense of lack and he thinks that having a career will fill that void.

Thus, at the beginning of this pursuit lies an assumption about oneself – I am inadequate. And, the pursuit is undertaken to free oneself of inadequacy. So, the whole pursuit is essentially a pursuit for freedom. It may look like a quest for a career, but actually, it’s a pursuit for freedom. Take any other quest, for wealth, for name and fame, for relationships – they can all be looked at in this way – as a quest for freedom.

Now, these pursuits provide some relief from inadequacy, but not full relief. They are able to give temporary freedom, but not permanent freedom. Even after achieving the desired career, the sense of inadequacy remains. The person feels that without this accomplishment, s/he is nothing and every passing moment is a struggle to hold on to what has been achieved, if not chase new ambitions.

Therefore, the shruti says that all the pursuits of the world cannot give us what we are looking for – permanent freedom. It is really permanent freedom that we all want, not temporary. If we just wanted temporary relief, anything would have sufficed. But that doesn’t happen. We fixate upon certain specific goals which we imagine would help us achieve a self-image which is free from inadequacy and insignificance, which is completely fulfilled.

None of the pursuits of the world can give us this freedom. The simple reason is that the results of all these pursuits are limited, temporary – they have a beginning and an end and one cannot hope to achieve the permanent from the temporary.

न ह्यध्रुवैः प्राप्यते हि ध्रुवं तत्

The permanent cannot be gained from the impermanent – Kathopanishad 1.2.10

So, what is the solution? It appears that we need to review the assumptions that we make about life and how we relate to it. We assume – I am inadequate. In the view of the shruti, this is a wrong assumption about self as it is based in the ignorance of a belief that the self is mortal, body-mind complex, and nothing more. In the view of the shruti, one is not this limited being, one is limitless.

The classic example given is that of a ‘clay pot’. In a potters shop there are many pots and pans and articles of different shapes. Each of them has a distinct name and form. One pot may think of itself as insignificant as compared to the bigger pots, the better looking pots, and it may suffer feeling inadequate about itself. But the reality is that it is not limited to being that small, perishable pot, but is actually clay – the same clay that all the other pots are as well. Similarly, this universe, and everything in it, is the same undivided consciousness – satchidananda.

In the view of the shruti, one is not a mortal and limited individual but Satchidananda – the limitless consciousness which is the truth of it all. The body-mind-complex, like the pots, is not really who we are. Therefore, if our identity is limited to it, we are ignorant about our reality. So, the solution to our problem lies in correcting this mistake about our self. We need to understand that I am not inadequate, I am the whole. The person who I take myself to be is not really who I am. My reality is beyond space and time, beyond names and forms. The solution lies in this knowledge about self.

So, in the view of the shruti, what we are looking for, we already have! We are looking for freedom from inadequacy but the reality is that we are already free from it. If we already have what we want, then what do we need to do? Nothing. We don’t need to become free of inadequacy. We are free. If we are already free, then action becomes useless. What is required is knowledge. We just need to know our self.

That is why the shruti says that the only solution to our problem is self-knowledge. We need to know our self as satchidananda. Only then can our notion of the self change from inadequate to whole and limitless. To achieve permanent freedom, we only need to recognize that we are free. This is called moksha.

Moksha literally means freedom, and not just temporary freedom, but permanent freedom, and this permanent freedom is only possible through self-knowledge. So moksha simply means self-knowledge. A lot of erroneous notions about moksha are popular, one of which is that moksha means going to some divine loka after death, a place without any suffering. To reach this place, one is told to earn as much punya as possible – fill up the bank account of punya. The shruti unambiguously rejects such a notion on the basis of a simple logic that no matter how much punya one earns, it too will exhaust one day and one will have to come back to this loka.

इष्टापूर्तं मन्यमाना वरिष्ठं  नान्यच्छ्रेयो वेदयन्ते प्रमूढाः ।

नाकस्य पृष्ठे ते सुकृतेऽनुभूत्वेमं  लोकं हीनतरं वा विशन्ति ॥

Those deluded beings who consider punya karmas (ishta and purta) as the greatest and don’t consider anything else as better, they experience the results of their actions in heaven and then return to this loka or go to inferior lokas. – Mundakopanishad 1.2.10

Going to a divine loka or heaven is not moksha. It is just like a holiday and like every holiday, it too has an end. Therefore, no action of this world or of any other world can give one moksha. Only, and only, knowledge can.

So, the next logical question is – should we give up all actions? Does it mean, family and work are meaningless? The answer is no. Actions are not to be given up but utilized for inner growth. To become ready for self-knowledge, one has to grow immensely. Our work and family life is to be looked upon as a medium for such growth. This is called Karmayoga.

Karmayoga is about engaging in only those actions which are necessary as per one’s roles and responsibilities. In other words, it is about living a life of dharma. One no longer runs after various attractions of the world in the hope of freedom and fulfilment. So, instead of living a life desperate to ‘be somebody’, one lives a simple role-oriented life. This helps purify the mind of the limited, egoistic desires which confine one’s self-identity to the body-mind-complex. This also helps imbibe oneness with the world around and live as a contributor to society.

In such a way of life, one’s sole aim is inner growth. Just imagine, if the society is based on this ideal, people will not feel inferior because of their social status or career or any other such parameter. One can have nothing, yet be a very evolved person internally, and that is all that matters. It’s the vision of a truly equitable and happy society.

In Karmayoga, one not only connects with society but also with God – Ishvara. One lives in appreciation and acknowledgement of Ishvara in every action and result. One’s whole life is a spiritual pursuit – including one’s work and family life. And, while one can take to a sannyasa lifestyle after necessary growth to pursue self-knowledge, it is not mandatory. One can continue to live a family life and pursue self-knowledge as did many in the past, like Raja Janaka.

One has to understand that wealth, power, etc. are not bad in themselves. They are not seen by the shruti as “material” or “non-spiritual”. It is just that these things cannot give us what we want and that’s all that the shruti is pointing out. They are all very meaningful things and, if used according to dharma, can make society better. They are all spiritual because there is Ishvara in them. It is just the approach towards them that makes the difference.

Similarly, the so-called spiritual actions, the ishta and purta karmas, are also not the end in themselves as pointed previously. Those who think they are the end in themselves are as deluded as those who run after wealth or power. One has to understand the utility of actions, their place and purpose in life and not get lost in them. They are the means, not the end in themselves. So, it doesn’t matter what one’s outer circumstances are, whether one is a king or a mendicant, or what the outer form of action is, whether it is ‘materialistic’ or ‘spiritual’. What matters is inner purity, an inner sannyasa – of egoistic desire – and the limited self-identity that comes with it. Only such a life can lead us to our goal of moksha.

Om tat sat