MOkshasaadhanam (Means of Liberation) - 1

Krishna Sastri

I was keeping busy in the fight for our Dharma by words and deeds. I thought I should also keep reminding myself and our friends of our ultimate aim viz. Liberation. This has enthused me to post my ramblings on Moksha.

Every human being has one or other objective in life at sometime or other. All these objectives of the humanity called 'Purushaartha' can be classified under four categories.

They are Dharma, Artha, Kaama and Moksha.

Everyone from an ordinary anamadheyan to Brihaspathy wants to see order in life that they can cope with. Hinduism is the only religion that has the greatest emphasis on this order called Dharma. This means that both people and their abode should have an order inspite of the built in change in both of them called (a) birth, (b) life and (c) death. Since both the worlds and their inhabitants are none other than Bhagavan Vishnu, this Dharma is none other than Mahavishnu Himself. Yudhishtira the ever deligent seeker of Dharma asks his Pithaamaha Bhishma while he was lying on his death bed of arrows, of all the questions, this most profound one that he cared all his life: KO Dharmas sarva dharmaaNaam?" To this Bhishma points out to Vishnu by saying "Pundareekaakshan" and starts off educating Dharmaputhra of the thousand names of Vishnu with the names "Viswam Vishnur vashatkaarO bootha bowya bhavath prabhu:......"

Defending, seeking and worshipping, upholding and so on of this Dharma is the greatest bhakthi of every human being to the Paramaathman Mahaavishnu. Our great Adhi SankarachaaryaaL's very first vyaakyaanam, no wonder, was on Vishnu Sahasranaamam.

The other Purushaarthaas viz. Artha, Kaama and Moksha are achieved only through Dharma. Pursuing artha and Kaama through adharmic means will recoil on the individual. For example if a person tries to gains wealth by stealing would, instead of bringing fortune will bring the misfortune of incarceration! Also a person who tries to enjoy 'bhogam' by unfair means would find himself landing in 'soham'. Above all a person given to adharma will not have any inclination to seek liberation.

Moksha is the ultimate aim of a human being to liberate himself from the cycle of birth and death.

Thus Dharma and Moksha are considered 'Mukyam' or primary while the other two purushaarthas are known as gouNam or secondary.

Having known that Liberation is Mukyam we have to know what is the means of Liberation or simply 'MOkshasaadhanam'. It is the Knowledge or 'Gnana'.

(continued)