---
type: Concept
title: "Mokṣa"
description: "Liberation — the recognition that Ātman was never bound, ending the cycle of transmigration. Not salvation, not heaven."
reception_note: "Present moksha as liberation through knowledge, not as 'salvation'; the salvation gloss is documented missionary lexicography (Serampore era; fixed by Monier-Williams 1899) addressed in the not: field and Error Genealogy."
tags:
  - metaphysics
  - liberation
  - Vedanta
  - non-translatable
  - purushartha
darshana:
  - Advaita Vedānta
  - Bhāgavata
not:
  - term: "Salvation"
    why: "Implies rescue by an external savior from a fallen state; in Vedānta you are not fallen but Brahman appearing limited, and no one saves you."
    instead: "Keep Mokṣa untranslated; gloss as liberation, the recognition that Ātman was never bound."
  - term: "Heaven"
    why: "A temporary reward destination; even Svarga is exhausted and one returns. Mokṣa is beyond all lokas and permanent."
  - term: "Enlightenment (New Age)"
    why: "A vague experiential glow; Mokṣa is the precise, permanent cessation of saṃsāra through recognition that Ātman is Brahman."
  - term: "Nirvana (though related in Buddhism)"
    why: "Belongs to a different darśana with different metaphysics; a family resemblance, not a synonym."
  - term: "Kaivalya (Kaivalya is a specific type of mokṣa, not a synonym)"
    why: "Kaivalya is one type of liberation (isolation from Prakṛti, or merger into Brahman), not liberation as a whole."
related:
  - /concepts/atman.md
  - /concepts/brahman.md
  - /concepts/samsara.md
  - /concepts/karma.md
  - /concepts/maya.md
  - /concepts/yoga.md
  - /concepts/dharma.md
  - /concepts/samadhi.md
  - /concepts/vairagya.md
  - /concepts/viveka.md
timestamp: "2026-06-18"
okf_version: "0.2"
---

# Mokṣa

**Not:** Salvation, Heaven, Enlightenment (New Age usage), Nirvana (related but distinct — Buddhism), Kaivalya (a specific type of mokṣa — not a synonym)

## What It Actually Means

Mokṣa is the fourth and ultimate *puruṣārtha* (aim of human life) — the permanent cessation of [Saṃsāra](/concepts/samsara.md) through direct recognition that [Ātman](/concepts/atman.md) is [Brahman](/concepts/brahman.md). It is not "going somewhere" — it is recognizing what you already are and always were.

**There is no Original Sin in Hinduism.** Every jīvātmā reaps the fruits of its own karma. The conditioning of the jīva is beginningless (*anādibaddha*) — not caused by anyone else's act. Liberation therefore requires no intercession, no belief in a savior, no judgment.

**Liberation is available at any time** — not only after death. The Bhagavad Gītā states: one who departs the body while chanting Om becomes liberated, independent of any intermediary. Multiple valid paths lead there.

### The Five Types of Mukti

Liberation is not one-size-fits-all. The mokṣa śāstra-s describe **five** types (*pañca-mukti*). The first four are forms of *personal* liberation in which the jīva retains its individuality and reaches the divine abode of Bhagavān (Bhakti Mārga); the fifth, *sāyujya* (union), is read two ways depending on darśana:

| Type | Description |
|---|---|
| **Sālokya** | Residing in the same loka (*abode*) as Bhagavān |
| **Sāmīpya** | Attaining eternal proximity to Bhagavān |
| **Sārūpya** | Attaining the same form as Bhagavān |
| **Sārṣṭi** | Attaining the same opulence and powers as Bhagavān |
| **Sāyujya** | Union / merger, read two ways: **Brahman Sāyujya** (*Kaivalya*, Jñāna Mārga) — the jīva drops body/ego identification, realizes identity with Brahman, and individuality dissolves into Universal Consciousness; **Īśvara Sāyujya** (Bhakti Mārga) — complete oneness with Bhagavān with the loving relationship retained. |

The five honor different temperaments: some seek dissolution into pure consciousness (*Kaivalya*), others seek loving eternal relationship with Bhagavān. Both paths are valid.

Mokṣa is NOT earned — it is recognized. [Karma](/concepts/karma.md) cannot produce Mokṣa because Mokṣa is the nature of Ātman, which is already free. Karma can only remove obstacles (ignorance) that prevent recognition. The rope was never a snake; you just need to see clearly.

## Why the Substitutes Fail

**"Salvation"** implies rescue by an external savior from a fallen state (Original Sin). In the Vedāntic framework, you are not fallen — you are Brahman appearing to be limited. No one saves you; you wake up. The jīva's bondage is beginningless, not caused by transgression.

**"Heaven"** is a temporary destination in a reward-punishment schema. Even *Svarga* (the closest to "heaven") is temporary — beings exhaust their merit and return to earth. Mokṣa is beyond all *lokas* and entirely permanent.

**"Kaivalya"** specifically — Kaivalya is one *type* of mokṣa (the Sāṃkhya/Yoga term for isolation from Prakṛti and the Advaita term for merger into Brahman), not a synonym for liberation as a whole.

## Audience Metaphor

Mokṣa is like waking up from a dream. In the dream, you ran, suffered, fought, loved — all of it felt absolutely real. Waking up doesn't "fix" the dream or "reward" you for dream-behavior. It simply reveals that you were always the dreamer, safe in bed, never actually in danger.

## Citations

1. [Vivekacūḍāmaṇi](/references/vivekachudamani.md), [Kaṭha Upaniṣad](/references/katha-upanishad.md), [Muṇḍaka Upaniṣad](/references/mundaka-upanishad.md)
2. [Brahma Sūtras](/references/brahma-sutras.md) 4.4 (on liberation)
3. [Bhagavad Gītā](/references/bhagavad-gita.md) chapters 2, 13, 18
4. Srimad Bhāgavatam 11.9.18 (Bhagavān as Kaivalya personified)

## Error Genealogy

- Mokṣa-as-"salvation" was built for translation purposes by missionary Bible-translation lexicography (Serampore era, early 19th c.) and fixed as the default English gloss by Monier-Williams's dictionary (1899). See [G7 — Mokṣa = salvation](../../../GENEALOGIES.md) in the repository root for the full chain and sources.
