What is traditionally called as mukti is a freedom from the cycle of birth, death, and rebirth. In Vedantic literature, it is supposed to be achieved by annulling the soul in Brahman, the ultimate Reality. In the Buddhist understanding, it is more akin to untying the knots of the ego, like peeling the coverings and layers of the onion until there is nothing. According to both these thoughts, it is considered as the highest possible state of spiritual enlightenment that leads to a complete annulment of the sense of an individual self and the knot of Karma, which act like strings to bind us and thereby pull us back into the cycle of creation.
This leaves two important questions unanswered. Who created this system of bondage? And for what purpose, if any? There are other connected questions to these two, such as the very purpose of creation itself and the nature of the ultimate Reality. The answers given by the various schools, all of which speak of mukti or moksha as the final goal, remains incomplete. The traditional Vedantic declares creation and individuality to be a kind of ultimate fiction created by an inexplicable Maya. The Buddhist simply calls it a painful Illusion because of the seed of Desire somehow sown in the soil of life. There are other variations, but all agree on this common ground that birth is a bondage; the chain of karma with its cause and effect binds us and release from this binding chain is Moksha. It is from this understanding that the whole idea of asceticism came up because being engaged with life means Karma and Karma means creating knots of bondage.
Sri Krishna, however, reveals an important truth that one cannot avoid Karma as long as you are in the body. But by dedicating and consecrating the Karma to the Divine, you can yet be free from the bondage. This is so because then the Divine Himself takes up the burden of consequences and liberates you (Moksha) even though one is engaged in Karma. The Gita does it by extending the idea of Brahman to a yet further step, the Ishwara or Purushottama. As to Maya, Sri Krishna affirms that it is His Maya and creation is a play staged by her for the manifold delight of existence. But before the delight comes the preparation through a long journey in a state of Ignorance. Ignorance implies lack of true knowledge about self and world. But here too the end point is Mukti.
It is here that Sri Aurobindo steps in to answer the last remaining question as to the very purpose of creation. Delight, yes, but then how can one be in a state of delight when there are limitations on every side. Even if we are inwardly free, the body and earthly life is still subject to various forms of physical suffering, accidents and death. Perfect delight in creation would require a change of the earthly conditions and of the body itself. This is possible only if the inner and outer consciousness as well as the body itself is transformed by the Divine Consciousness and becomes a Divine Body, not only in its origin but also in its final outermost creation. It completes the picture by bringing together the missing pieces of the cosmic puzzle.
This, of course, is a broad summary. There are minor details of different systems of spiritual practices that offer Mukti. In essence, they imply that life upon earth is difficult, full of suffering and from which there is a door of escape for good. Sri Aurobindo, on the other hand, affirms that while suffering and evil are there, no doubt, the real purpose of life is a divine fulfilment by progressively embodying Truth and Harmony and Delight. That is our ultimate divine destiny for which the soul plunged into the great adventure of creation.
Hope this makes it a little clearer. Let me know if there are any follow-up questions.
Affectionately,
Alok Da
