The word moksha (मोक्ष), unlike mukti, has neither been defined in any of the four Vedas nor the 11 ancient Upanishadhs (codified probably between 600 BCE and 200 BCE) that have been commented upon by the Adi Shankaracharya. In fact, the word moksha (मोक्ष) has not even been used in any of the Vedas, or the 11 ancient Upanishadhs. The word does appear, for the first time, in Charak Samhita, authored by sage Charak, the father of Ayurveda.
Charak Samhita is believed to have been codified between the 1st and 2nd century CE, nearly 500 years after the 11 key Upanishadhs were codified.
In Sutra 1/15 sage Charak describes the essence of Purusharth Chatustay (पुरुषार्थचतुष्टय):
धर्मार्थकाममोक्षाणाम् आरोग्यं मूलमुत्तमम्। रोगास्तस्यापहर्तारः श्रेयसो जीवितस्य च॥
Says Charak: Dharma, Arth, Kama and Moksha together constitute the basis of health. Disease destroys both health and life.
Go through entire Rigveda and you’ll find just 22 verses where the root verbal form of the word मुच् (meaning “freedom from”) has been used with a prefix and/or a suffix.
Similarly, none of the 11 ancient Upanishads carry the word “Moksha”, instead the derivatives of the root verb मुच् are found in the forms like:
- मुक्ति- meaning release, freedom
- प्रमुच्यन्ते – completely freed
- विमुच्यमानस्य – being released from the body
- विमुक्त / प्रमुक्त — freed, liberated
Thus, we find that the concept of moksha as “liberation from saṃsāra” or liberation from the temporal world came much later — in the epics and later Sanskrit religious and philosophical literature.
Now comes a bewildering question: how and from where did concept of moksha as “liberation from saṃsāra” creep-in in the later Sanskrit theological and philosophical literature?
The answer is: Jain theology and philosophy.
Jainism, traditionally a sect of the Hindu religion was, on 27 January 2014, awarded the status of a “minority religion” by the Government of India. Before that it was one of the variants of Hinduism. This is the reason why most of Jain scriptures are in Sanskrit and Prakrit. Out of these the earliest ones are written in Ardhamagadhi Prakrit, a language spoken in, and around, ancient Magadha empire (part of Bihar and eastern Uttar Pradesh) where Jainism was born. Nevertheless, from early centuries of CE onward, many Jain philosophers and scholars consistently wrote in Sanskrit, particularly their philosophical and scholastic works. For example, Tattvārtha Sūtra, accepted by both major Jain sects as the key philosophical work, is written in classical Sanskrit, following all essential rules of Panini’s Sanskrit grammar called Ashtadhyayi. Authored by Acharya Umaswami probably between 2nd and 5th centuries CE, Tattvārtha Sūtra (तत्वार्थ सूत्र) for the first time defines a new theological meaning to the word Moksha. Etymologically evolving from the Sanskrit root verb much (मुच्) the word “moksha” is suddenly transformed into a new concept with a new meaning and a new grammar, leaving its poor country cousin mukti (मुक्ति) far behind.
Tattvārtha Sūtra begins with the sutra:
सम्यग्दर्शनज्ञानचारित्राणि मोक्षमार्ग:॥
The amalgamated words in the above mantra may be deconstructed as:
सम्यक्-दर्शन–ज्ञान–चारित्राणि मोक्ष-मार्गः
Right Faith, right knowledge and right conduct leads to Moksha.
In Jain philosophy Right Faith, Right knowledge and Right conduct (सम्यक्-दर्शन-ज्ञान-चारित्राणि ) are collectively called रत्नत्रय that is “the three jewels” and their right pursual leads to moksha.
In the subsequent three sutras the author systematically elaborates the meaning and the effects of the “the three jewels” and explains how shedding of evil karmas leads one to moksha or salvation.
Next: Moksha to Kevalya