Page 98 - Hinduism

or all-desire and sarvaśarṇya the refuge of all.
The mumukṣu who seeks mukti by following sādhanas or yogas at last attains it. The term mokṣa means freedom from samsara or the ills of life due to avidya and karma. It is freedom from the cycle of births and deaths to which the embodied Jīva, or baddha as he is called, is subject. The word mukti is negative as it means that there is no return to this world of Saṁsāra. But it has also a positive meaning as it refers to the ascent of the freed Jīva to the world of Brahman beyond space and time. Mokṣa is the attainment of Brahman by knowing whom everything is known. According to Rāmānuja, following the Upaniṣads, the Sūtras and the Gitā, the mukta, freed from the body, ascends gloriously by the arcirādi path or devayāna, led by a Divine guide to Vaikuṇtha beyond this world and the world of the devas. When the body dies, the mumukṣu has a glimpse of the Brāhmanādi. This nādi throws light on the path and he soars gloriously to Vaikuṇtha, through the shining regions of Indra, Śurya and other Devas, crosses the river Virajā and goes beyond. He is freed from avidya and karma and the subtle body by bathing in the purifying waters of Virajā. Then he reaches Vaikuṇtha, sees Brahman face to face, attains union with Him and enjoys eternal bliss. Though the language used by the Upaniṣad in this ascent and attainment is the earthly language of space, time and sensibility, it is really beyond human description. Vaikuṇtha is beyond space and time, mind and body and Brahman has a formless form, is eternal, ever self-shining and
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