Scripture says mOksha as the ultimate freedom from the shackles of life and rebirth-death cycle. It is not easily obtained and is not a commodity to buy or trade even though many swamijis and babas promise it to increase their flock. One on-line swamiji said, "My disciples ask me frequently if they are ready to receive mOksha."
The scripture says there are two kinds of mOksha:
- vidEha mukti
- krama mukti
In vidEha mukti one attains mOksha while still alive. It has been said that one's sanchita karma and aagaami karma will be nullified. One lives for as long as the praarabda karma lasts. Great ones like Tyaagaraja -- a revered soul in the carnatic music -- waited for the vidEha mukti for decades. The movies have dramatized their ascendance to para loka -- heaven, vaikuntha, kailaasa, etc. -- while still alive. The great Adi Sankara was said to belong to this eclectic group as well. vidEha mukti happens while one is still embodied and having functioning faculties. It is not clear from scripture what happens to vidEha mukta's body. One can infer that it will merge with that of whichever divinity the mukta is praying. Tyaagaraaja could have merged with Lord Rama, the bard Annamayya could have merged with Lord Venkateswara, etc.
In krama mukti one's sookshma sareera (subtle body), after death of the sthoola sareera (gross body), is supposed to travel to Brahma lOka where the denizens receive him fondly. They then teach him how to pray for nirguna Brahman (attributeless creator). With daily prayers they receive the blessing of Brahman and will be merged with Brahman.
The story isn't over yet. It has been stated that one who merges with Brahman will never be born again. He is free from janana-marana (birth-death) cycle. Even the creation of another universe after dissolution will not affect them. We can say they will forever remain in avyakta (unmanifest). It is not known what activities they carry out there as it is avaykta. One can draw inferences from science that they will be in the dark matter or within a black hole where information will be lost forever. Only astrophysicists can tell us in the future how to retrieve the information from black holes. Some speculate the invisible side of the blackhole reconstructs the information. I digress.
Given all this, we have to be careful in what we wish for our enemies. Some people like Kauravas of Mahabharata wanted total annihilation of their enemies or Pandavas in this case. For common people, it means the destruction of their physical bodies. The enemies/pandavas can still have rebirth based on their sanchita karma. How can total annhilation be possible with rebirth waiting in the wings?
The answer is mOksha. If Kauravas wished mOksha for Pandavas with prayers and austerities, then their wishes would have come true. Because Pandavas safely in unmanifest, Kauravas will never encounter them in the visible universe. There is no better way to honor an enemy than praying for his/her mOksha. One should not assume that the enemy will be ending his/her life the moment the prayer is made, however sincerely. Because the enemy has to burn all of his praarabda karma before attaining mOksha.
Imagine how much blood shed could have been prevented if people prayed for the mOksha of their enemies. The world would have been peacful and pious. The Brahman has to worry how the creation will end when all of its creatures attain mOksha. Brahman might reconsider how the denizens of unmanifest universe carry on their karma. Since there is complete loss of information in the unmanifest universe, Brahman might never be able to create a manifest world. Check-mate.
Some people don't like the idea of mOksha for several reasons. The world is an interesting place to enjoy life; the heaven or swarga is full of entertaining distractions; being reborn as a rich person is tempting; etc. Such people are the perfect children of Brahman as Brahman likes to see that the creation carries out unendingly albeit in cycles of birth and death.
Why doesn't scripture tell us to pray for the mOksha of our enemies? I think it is because of the intent. Scripture says our papa/punya (sins) are decided based on the intent of our thoughts and actions. One can push a person away from a speeding bus and cause a minor injury for that person. Still it is an act of punya because the person would have been crushed by the bus were it not for you. Somewhere in the universe that information will be recorded and used to determine the next life. It is entirely possible that one praying for the mOksha of the enemies ends up in naraka (hell) despite leading a pious life. But he will be reborn.
So when is "Rama" a bad word? It depends on the context. If you call a truant "Rama" then the parents will take it wrongly. When Vaamana put his foot on Bali's head he was supposed to have sent Bali to rasaatala. We can only infer that he went to a place to never return. Certainly rasaatala sounds ominous. If you tell your enemy, " You will end up in rasaatala", most likely, he would laugh at you. But if you say, "I wish you moksha", then he might reconsider his attitude towards you.
Now to the question of cultural relativism. All of this mOksha business applies to Hindus. How about non-hindus? For example, westerners don't know anything about these intricate terms. Their piety means entering heaven behind the golden gates or paradise whatever that means. In their case, we can still pray for their mOksha without explaining to them lest you should be mistaken as a missionary.
So mOksha is the "secret" password for the hindus. Given the history, hindus never waged wars on outsiders and always accepted the occupation of others. We have truly understood the word mOksha and wished that for our enemies as well as friends albeit with different intent. That's why Bharatmaata is an epitome of forbearance and tolerance. She will be around until Brahman decides otherwise. So let us not wish for Bharatmaata's mOksha any time soon.
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