Moksopaya
Encyclopedia
The Mokṣopāya or Mokṣopāyaśāstra is a Sanskrit
philosophical text on salvation for non-ascetics (mokṣa-upāya: 'means to release'), written on the Pradyumna hill in Śrīnagar
in the 10th century AD. It has the form of a public sermon and claims human authorship and contains about 30,000 śloka
's (making it longer than the Rāmāyaṇa
). The main part of the text forms a dialogue between Vasiṣṭha
and Rāma
, interchanged with numerous short stories and anecdotes to illustrate the content. This text was later (11th to the 14th century AD) expanded and vedanticized
, which resulted in the Yogavāsiṣṭha.
('advaita') that is different from Advaita Vedanta
. It makes use of other Darśanas in an inclusive
way. The text teaches that the recognition that cognitive
objects are non-existent
, leads to ultimate detachment, which causes an attitude of "dispassion and non-involvement with worldly things and matters", though still fulfilling one's daily duties and activities. This liberation
is available for everyone, no matter their sex, caste or education, as long as one uses reason and maintains an active life in this world. To reach this liberation, one has to go through three stages: rational thinking (vicāra), true understanding (jñāna
) and detachment (vairāgya
).
It is only by one's own effort (pauruṣa) that one can be liberated from the bonds of existence. For one, who knows the reality, "fate" (daiva) does not mean anything, something like "fate" does not exist and has, accordingly, no consequences at all.
is currently working on a critical edition of the Mokṣopāya. The project is embedded in the Centre for Research in the Historiography and Intellectual Culture of Kashmir (under the Patronage of the Academy of Sciences and Literature, Mainz). A commentary by Bhāskarakaṇṭha ("Mokṣopāya-ṭīkā"; late 17th century AD) and more than thirty manuscripts in Nāgarī, Śāradā, Grantha, and Telugu
scripts are being used.
The critical edition of the complete Sanskrit text is expected to be finalized by the end of 2018. It will be accompanied by a German translation, a philological commentary and a dictionary of its Sanskrit vocabulary (all in German).
Sanskrit
Sanskrit , is a historical Indo-Aryan language and the primary liturgical language of Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism.Buddhism: besides Pali, see Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit Today, it is listed as one of the 22 scheduled languages of India and is an official language of the state of Uttarakhand...
philosophical text on salvation for non-ascetics (mokṣa-upāya: 'means to release'), written on the Pradyumna hill in Śrīnagar
Srinagar
Srinagar is the summer seasonal capital of Jammu and Kashmir. It is situated in Kashmir Valley and lies on the banks of the Jhelum River, a tributary of the Indus. It is one of the largest cities in India not to have a Hindu majority. The city is famous for its gardens, lakes and houseboats...
in the 10th century AD. It has the form of a public sermon and claims human authorship and contains about 30,000 śloka
Sloka
Sloka may refer to:* Sloka, Latvia, a neighbourhood of Jūrmala, Latvia* Sloka meter, a Sanskrit meter* Śloka, a Hindu prayer* Sloka Gora, a small settlement in central Slovenia* Sloka...
's (making it longer than the Rāmāyaṇa
Ramayana
The Ramayana is an ancient Sanskrit epic. It is ascribed to the Hindu sage Valmiki and forms an important part of the Hindu canon , considered to be itihāsa. The Ramayana is one of the two great epics of India and Nepal, the other being the Mahabharata...
). The main part of the text forms a dialogue between Vasiṣṭha
Vasistha
Vashist in the seventh, i.e the present Manvantara, and the Rajpurohit / Rajguru of the Suryavansha or Solar Dynasty. He was the mānasaputra of Brahma. He had in his possession the divine cow Kamadhenu, and Nandini her child, who could grant anything to their owners...
and Rāma
RAMA
Rama is a first-person adventure game developed and published by Sierra Entertainment in 1996. The game is based on Arthur C. Clarke's books Rendezvous with Rama and Rama II and supports both DOS and Windows 95. It is the second Rama game to be produced...
, interchanged with numerous short stories and anecdotes to illustrate the content. This text was later (11th to the 14th century AD) expanded and vedanticized
Vedanta
Vedānta was originally a word used in Hindu philosophy as a synonym for that part of the Veda texts known also as the Upanishads. The name is a morphophonological form of Veda-anta = "Veda-end" = "the appendix to the Vedic hymns." It is also speculated that "Vedānta" means "the purpose or goal...
, which resulted in the Yogavāsiṣṭha.
Philosophy
The text of the Mokṣopāya shows that a unique philosophy has been created by the author. It taught a monismMonism
Monism is any philosophical view which holds that there is unity in a given field of inquiry. Accordingly, some philosophers may hold that the universe is one rather than dualistic or pluralistic...
('advaita') that is different from Advaita Vedanta
Advaita Vedanta
Advaita Vedanta is considered to be the most influential and most dominant sub-school of the Vedānta school of Hindu philosophy. Other major sub-schools of Vedānta are Dvaita and ; while the minor ones include Suddhadvaita, Dvaitadvaita and Achintya Bhedabheda...
. It makes use of other Darśanas in an inclusive
Syncretism
Syncretism is the combining of different beliefs, often while melding practices of various schools of thought. The term means "combining", but see below for the origin of the word...
way. The text teaches that the recognition that cognitive
Cognition
In science, cognition refers to mental processes. These processes include attention, remembering, producing and understanding language, solving problems, and making decisions. Cognition is studied in various disciplines such as psychology, philosophy, linguistics, and computer science...
objects are non-existent
Existence
In common usage, existence is the world we are aware of through our senses, and that persists independently without them. In academic philosophy the word has a more specialized meaning, being contrasted with essence, which specifies different forms of existence as well as different identity...
, leads to ultimate detachment, which causes an attitude of "dispassion and non-involvement with worldly things and matters", though still fulfilling one's daily duties and activities. This liberation
Moksha
Within Indian religions, moksha or mukti , literally "release" , is the liberation from samsara and the concomitant suffering involved in being subject to the cycle of repeated death and reincarnation or rebirth.-Origins:It is highly probable that the concept of moksha was first developed in...
is available for everyone, no matter their sex, caste or education, as long as one uses reason and maintains an active life in this world. To reach this liberation, one has to go through three stages: rational thinking (vicāra), true understanding (jñāna
Jnana
Jñāna or gñāna is a Sanskrit and Pali word that means knowledge. It has various nuances of meaning depending on the context. The idea of jnana centers around a cognitive event which is recognized when experienced...
) and detachment (vairāgya
Vairagya
Vairāgya is a Sanskrit term used in Hindu philosophy that roughly translates as dispassion, detachment, or renunciation, in particular renunciation from the pains and pleasures in the material world...
).
It is only by one's own effort (pauruṣa) that one can be liberated from the bonds of existence. For one, who knows the reality, "fate" (daiva) does not mean anything, something like "fate" does not exist and has, accordingly, no consequences at all.
Mokṣopāya Project
The Mokṣopāya Project supervised by professor Walter Slaje at the Martin Luther University of Halle-Wittenberg in GermanyGermany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
is currently working on a critical edition of the Mokṣopāya. The project is embedded in the Centre for Research in the Historiography and Intellectual Culture of Kashmir (under the Patronage of the Academy of Sciences and Literature, Mainz). A commentary by Bhāskarakaṇṭha ("Mokṣopāya-ṭīkā"; late 17th century AD) and more than thirty manuscripts in Nāgarī, Śāradā, Grantha, and Telugu
Telugu script
Telugu script, an abugida from the Brahmic family of scripts, is used to write the Telugu language, a language found in the South-Central Indian state of Andhra Pradesh as well as several other neighboring states. The Telugu script is derived from the Bhattiprolu script...
scripts are being used.
The critical edition of the complete Sanskrit text is expected to be finalized by the end of 2018. It will be accompanied by a German translation, a philological commentary and a dictionary of its Sanskrit vocabulary (all in German).
See also
- Buddhism and Hinduism in Kashmir
- Yogavāsiṣṭha
External links
- Website of the Mokṣopāya Project
- Moksopaya with Bhaskarakantha's Tika, Prakaranas 1-4 (with notes). (transliterated Sanskrit; uncorrected preprint of the edition published by W. Slaje in 1996)