Moksa or liberation is one of the common concepts of Indian philosophy. Both traditions of Indian philosophy – The ͞Astika which accepts the authority of the Vedas and the Nāstika which denies that authority have Moksa of liberation as the ultimate aim of life. The C̄arvāka does not regard liberation as such significant aim and therefore does not lay much stress on this problem. Moksa or liberation in Indian philosophy means freedom from suffering and obtainment of eternal happiness. All systems of Indian philosophy agree fundamentally that life as it is full of suffering. Happiness which is also available in the nature of life is uncertain and impermanent and thus it is not ultimately desirable. Indian philosophy urges human beings to seek real happiness and such happiness is available only in Moksa which is free from birth and death. The idea of liberation in Indian philosophy appeared firstly in the Vedas but in incomplete form. It is in the Upanisads that this idea attains its complete form as the ultimate goal of life. The Upanisads speak of Brahman as the cause of all things in the whole universe. The essence of human beings, according to the Upanisads, is identical with the Absolute, Brahman: liberation of a man consists in realization of this ultimate nature of himself which will destroy Avidyā, the cause of bondage, eternally. The ͞Astika tradition of Indian philosophy consists of six authodox systems, namely, Nyaya, Vaisesika, Sāmkhya, Yoga, Mimāmsa and Vedanta. Although all these systems accept the authority of the Vedas and continue their idea of philosophy from the Upanisads, their ideas of Moksa and the means there to differ from one another considerably. Only the main idea of the concept remains the same. There are three systems of Māstika traditions, namely, the Cārvāka. Jainism and Buddhism. Among these three the Cārvāka denies the typical concept of liberation of other systems. To the Cārvāka death is liberation. Jainism and Buddhism have the same idea of liberation as all other systems of Indian thought. But since these two systems are Atheism, their concepts of liberation differ mainly from that of other systems in details. This Thesis have purposely demonstrated the nature of liberation and the means there to of all systems of Indian philosophy and also discusses comparatively to show how this concept of one differs from and similar to that of the other.
