Sage Vyasa sends his son Suka to learn about Moksha from
King Janaka. The teachings of King Janaka and Suka are found in the Mahabharata
and the Puranas.
Janaka said: “To get the state of emancipation (moksha or
liberation), a man should order his life and live gradually and progressively
through the four stages of life (Ashramas) – Brahmacharya, Grihastha,
Vanaprastha and finally Sannyasa (Brahmasharma) – discharging the duties of
every stage.
At this point Suka intervened and asked – “If knowledge
which is essential for the state of emancipation arises in a man’s mind, is it
still necessary for him to live through all the customary Ashramas of life?
Janaka replied – the traditional religious code of the four
ashramas is meant to preserve the uninterrupted continuity of society and of
activities essential to it. One whose mind has become purified can attain the
state of emancipation even in his youth in this first ashrama i.e. stage of
life. For him the remaining three ashramas have no meaning. The “Light” is
within and can be visualized by one who has equanimity. One who does not bear
ill in thought, word and action.
The complex knot of desires is difficult to cut at a stroke.
It can be removed only gradually by living through the four stages of life.
Even who lives a householder’s life can get a state of emancipation if he lives
a life of detachment. The states of bondage and emancipation are after all
contingent on the state of the mind. One, whose mind is still, gets serene.
The bondage consists in the belief that ‘this body is mine’,
while freedom from this belief is emancipation.