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Concept

Mokṣa

Liberation from the cycle of birth and death; the highest human goal.
Sanskrit
mokṣa मोक्ष
Sanskrit
mukti मुक्ति
Sanskrit, Advaita Vedānta
jīvanmukti जीवन्मुक्ति

Definition

Mokṣa, “release”, is the goal of the Indian philosophies of liberation: freedom from saṃsāra, the round of birth, death and rebirth driven by action (karma) and ignorance. Classical Hindu thought lists it as the last and highest of the four aims of human life, after duty (dharma), prosperity (artha) and pleasure (kāma).

The schools agree that liberation ends rebirth and suffering. They disagree about what it is, how it is reached, and when. For Advaita it is the realization that the self was never bound, reached by knowledge, and possible in this life: the liberated person (jīvanmukta) lives on until the momentum of past action is spent. For Viśiṣṭādvaita and Dvaita, liberation is reached after death by the Lord’s grace, and consists in the self’s eternal enjoyment of the Lord, in communion with him rather than identity. For classical Yoga it is isolation (kaivalya), consciousness standing alone, free of entanglement with nature.

Buddhist traditions use other words, chiefly nirvāṇa, for their goal, and deny that it is the liberation of a permanent self.

In the traditions

Advaita Vedānta

Liberation is the knowledge that the self is Brahman. It is not produced by action, and it can be attained while living (jīvanmukti).

Viśiṣṭādvaita

Liberation follows death, by the Lord’s grace in response to devotion or surrender. The liberated self remains distinct and enjoys the Lord eternally.

Yoga

Liberation is isolation (kaivalya): pure consciousness (puruṣa) no longer entangled with nature (prakṛti).

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Cite this entry
Chicago (bibliography)

“Mokṣa.” Concept. The Library, Unitive Knowledge Society. Last modified November 7, 2026. https://www.unitiveknowledge.org/library/concepts/moksha.

Chicago (note)

“Mokṣa,” concept, The Library, Unitive Knowledge Society, last modified November 7, 2026, https://www.unitiveknowledge.org/library/concepts/moksha.

MLA

“Mokṣa.” The Library, Unitive Knowledge Society, 7 Nov. 2026, www.unitiveknowledge.org/library/concepts/moksha.

BibTeX
@misc{concepts-moksha,
  title = {{Mokṣa}},
  howpublished = {The Library, Unitive Knowledge Society},
  note = {Concept. Last modified November 7, 2026},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://www.unitiveknowledge.org/library/concepts/moksha}
}

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