Moksha and the Parabrahman: Exploring the Unity in Diversity of Spiritual Paths

Moksha is the dissolution of the illusionary ego into the Parabrahman (परब्रह्म).

When Chitta (चित्त) is fused with Aham (अहम् or I-being), existence comes into being from non-existence. When this fusion is fuelled further by Idam (इदम् or qualities like location, time, form, causation, etc.), existence becomes expanded into the manner in which we experience it right now.

Everything, the Absolute (नित्य) and the Relative (लीला), are of the Parabrahman. That which appears to one devotee as Lord Dattatreya can appear to another as Goddess Durga. It all depends on factors that mould the individual consciousness such as past life karma, doshas, vrittis, etc. that in which manner a person experiences Parabrahman in.

All the ways — Vedanta, Tantra, Bhakti, etc. — are correct. It is like saying that because Mt. Everest looks different from the right side than the left side, the right side is the correct Mt. Everest and the left side is not. No, that cannot be. The methodologies can be different, but the truth being searched for is the same.

The only methods that cannot be considered a path to attain moksha are the ones that are disturbing, violent, that cause a loss of analytical power of the mind, and those that are harmful to other living beings around them for no reason.

Now, the Parabrahman can be visualized as Lord Krishna by some, as Lord Shiva by some, as Goddess Kali by others, as Jesus, Buddha, Venkateshwara, etc. In the dark, when you hold a rope, one person could think it is a snake, the other could think it is a branch, or the other could think it is the leg of a horse. We are all in that same darkness of the mind when we discriminate and distinguish between different forms of Parabrahman, saying this god is better than that goddess and so on. But when the light of illumination comes forth, all darkness vanishes and each person realizes that they have been holding onto the same rope, which is a rope and not any of the things they mistook it to be.

So the answer is both yes and no. Parabrahman when visualized as Lord Krishna is moksha. Thinking Lord Krishna is the only path of moksha while others are rubbish or wasteful is not moksha.

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