Liberation (मोक्ष)

मोहक्षयाज्ज्ञानदर्शनावरणान्तरायक्षयाच्च केवलम् ॥१॥

Omniscience (perfect knowledge) is attained when deluding, knowledge-obscuring, perception-obscuring, and obstructive karmas are destroyed.

Before the soul can be fully free, it must achieve "Kevala Jnana" — perfect, infinite knowledge. This happens when the four "heavy" or destructive karmas are wiped out. Imagine a bright sun hidden behind thick clouds. When you blow the clouds away, the sun doesn't "get" bright; it's already bright. The soul is naturally omniscient; we just have to remove the karmic clouds hiding it.

बन्धहेत्वभावनिर्जराभ्यां कृत्स्नकर्मविप्रमोक्षो मोक्षः ॥२॥

When no new karma can enter and all existing karma is shed, the soul is completely free — this is Moksha.

Moksha is simply the state of being 100% karma-free. It happens when you stop making new karma (Samvara) and you finish cleaning out the old karma (Nirjara). When the last particle falls off, the soul is no longer "weighted" or "bound." It is finally, perfectly itself.

औपशमिकादिभव्यत्वानां च । अन्यत्र केवलसम्यक्त्वज्ञानदर्शनसिद्धत्वेभ्यः ॥३-४॥

All temporary mental states disappear, but infinite faith, knowledge, and perfection remain forever.

When you reach liberation, you lose all the "modes" or temporary states of mind that were caused by karma (like anger or even temporary calm). But you don't lose yourself. Instead, your natural qualities — infinite faith, infinite knowledge, and perfect bliss — shine out at full strength forever. You don't become "nothing"; you become "everything."

तदनन्तरमूर्ध्वं गच्छत्यालोकान्तात् ॥५॥

Immediately after liberation, the soul moves upwards to the very end of the universe.

The moment the soul is free from karma, it "shoots up." It doesn't stay in the middle of the universe anymore. It moves in a straight line to the highest point possible — the "Siddha-shila" at the very top of the cosmos. It happens instantly, without any delay, because the soul is now weightless.

पूर्वप्रयोगादसंगत्वाद्बन्धच्छेदात्तथागतिपरिणामाच्च ॥६॥

The soul moves up because of its natural tendency and the momentum of its past discipline.

Why does it go up? For four reasons. Think of a potter's wheel: even after the potter stops pushing, it keeps spinning for a bit (momentum). Think of a gourd covered in mud: once the mud is washed off, it naturally rises in water. Think of a seed popping out of a pod, or a fire flame naturally pointing up. The soul is like that — its natural direction is up, and karma was the only thing holding it down.

धर्मास्तिकायाभावात् ॥८॥

The soul stops at the edge of the universe because there is no medium of motion beyond it.

Why doesn't the soul just keep going forever into empty space? Because the "Medium of Motion" (Dharma-astikaya) only exists inside the universe. Like a fish can't swim beyond the edge of the water, the soul cannot move where there is no medium of motion. So it rests at the very ceiling of the universe, in a state of perfect peace.

क्षेत्रकालगतिलिङ्गतिर्थचारित्र... साध्याः ॥९॥

Emancipated souls are all equal in their essence, but can be distinguished by their past history.

In the state of Moksha, all souls are identical in their purity and power. However, we can still talk about them by looking back at their history — where they were liberated from, at what time, from what gender, or through what kind of conduct. This reminds us that every single path to liberation is unique, even though the destination is the same for everyone.