Moksha

Moksha – liberation from ahamkara and samsara

Moksha is the final goal of life, to detach oneself and merge with the supreme consciousness. The first step towards Moksha is through overcoming our ego.

Our ego (‘ahamkara’) is attached to our intellect and together this ‘ego complex’ (without going into detail) is responsible for identifying what our senses and mind have sensed and perceived. The ‘ego complex’ thus distinguishes external objects and creates preferences or possessions out of these identifications. ‘Karma’ is the result of our attempt to satisfy our ‘ahamkara’ by trying to acquire or achieve something even if it is unjustified or undeserved or at the expense of others which results in bad karma (Paap).  When the ‘jiva’ takes a new birth, it carries with it old habits and tendencies developed in the past life (‘ Vasanas’) and ‘previous karma’ as part of its ‘ego complex’. So when the ego dissolves then the Karma also cannot survive.  Karma exists as long as the ‘I’ (is-ness) exists. Surrendering to Ishwara can gradually release one from attachments and one’s karma in this way.

This results in freeing the jiva-atma from the conditioning provided by the body, mind and intellect (known as ‘Upadhis’ that also form the five koshas or layers covering the jiva) which control and separate the ‘jiva-atma’ from ‘Atman’ the supreme God. Moksha means liberation from these Upadhis to merge with Atman. Just as the cycle of birth and death keeps on recurring, so does the cycle of karma through deeds and thoughts. Moksha means liberation from this cycle (known as ‘Samsara’)

Even those who are not on a path to attain Moksha can and should work on their ‘ahamkara’. It may not be possible to become completely detached and devoid of desires arising out of ‘ahamkara’ and the feeling of possessiveness regarding something or someone as well as qualities such as personal ambition and a wish to gain a reputation etc. In practical life, it may be sufficient to aim simply to satisfy one’s own ahamkara purely through self effort and without relying on negative efforts to undermine others in order to achieve one’s goals. Deserved gains through following ‘Dharmic ways’ i.e. working harder rather than through sabotaging others will not give ‘bad karma’ regardless of whether we choose to thereafter take the next step of complete detachment that leads to the path of Moksha.