Moksha
Etymology
From Sanskrit “mokṣa,” from the root “muc” (to loosen, free, let go) — literally “release” or “liberation.” It names the soul’s freedom from samsara, the wheel of death and rebirth. It stands as one of the traditional aims of human life alongside duty (dharma), prosperity, and pleasure.
noun · /MOHK-shuh/
In Hindu and Jain thought, liberation from the cycle of rebirth and its suffering.
What it names
The ultimate goal of much Indian religious life — final release, not a better rebirth but freedom from rebirth altogether.
Example
The retreat’s glossy brochure promised “moksha in a weekend,” which rather missed the scale of what the word means.
Related idea
Buddhist nirvana and Hindu moksha both name release from samsara, but they rest on different metaphysics — moksha often as union with the ultimate, nirvana as the extinguishing of craving and self.