MOKṢA. The term mokṣa, a Sanskrit masculine substantive, and its feminine synonym mukti, are derived from the linguistic etymon muc, meaning "release." Both terms have always been employed in an exclusively religious sense, denoting release from the tedious and painful cycle of transmigration (saṃsāra). Such a notion first appears in Indian thought with the oldest Upaniṣad, as well as in early Buddhism.

The notion of mokṣa is found neither in old Vedic literature, nor in the Saṃhitās ("collections"), nor in the Brāhmaṇas, the commentaries referring to sacrificial rites. Indeed, the oldest known Vedic texts are concerned with enjoyment (bhukti) of the earthly world, not with release from it. The metaphysical, moral, and soteriological associations of the concept of mokṣa are based on a religious sensibility that places absolute priority on the...