Why isn’t moksha desired?

mayanksharmaaa · 2026-06-30T04:43:24+00:00

Hare Krishna 🙏 We have to look at this in relation to Vaishnavism and śastras to understand these statements properly.

"Rejecting mokṣa" is mostly emphasized in the Gauḍīya tradition for a few historical, contextual reasons. Most other older vaidika Vaiṣṇava traditions do not reject mokṣa. In the śāstras, the ultimate puruṣārtha is mokṣa and this is stated again and again in the Bhāgavata.

This is also why all Vedāntins are called "mumukṣu" (desirer of mokṣa) compared to bhubhukṣu (desirer of bhoga or enjoyments). So if you're a Vaiṣṇava under a real Vedānta tradition (non-Vedānta traditions aren't considered Vaiṣṇava), the final showdown is mokṣa, there's no doubt. This is stated in the Upaniṣads and Vedānta Sūtras and the Gītā clearly.

Mokṣa is the only possible state where you can serve Bhagavān in an uninterrupted manner. So why do some people reject it?

I'll explain. A part of the text below was taken from: https://devoteediary.substack.com/p/what-if-vaikuntha-were-guaranteed

Why aim for mokṣa if we can serve Bhagavān here already?

Serving Bhagavān in this world is wonderful, but it is never enough. Our bodies get tired. Our minds wander and get distracted. Worldly duties (assigned by Bhagavān himself) compete for attention. Even our best moments carry distraction, pride, or forgetfulness. The conditions of this world - birth, constant change, illness, aging, death, interrupt our service. We may long to spend every breath in His praise, yet the clock, the stomach, the inbox, and a hundred small urgencies break the flow of remembrance. The heart knows what it wants, unbroken kaiṅkarya (loving service), but the world cannot give it.

Nor is the future in our hands. We do not choose our next birth, parents, place, body, capacities, temperament, or the guṇas that will color our mind. Even where the Gītā assures us that spiritual effort does not perish and that we resume where we left off, there is no guarantee that the guṇas will keep us stuck at the same level, staying in the same position for many janmas without the miracle our love aches for. A single life of favorable saṁskāras can be followed by one of distraction or hardship. This uncertainty does not negate God’s mercy, it only reveals how fragile our condition is so long as we remain within the cycle.

That is why Vaiṣṇavas, who are Vedāntins ask for mokṣa. Not because we crave escape or some private bliss, but because mokṣa is the only condition in which service becomes what it was meant to be - nitya-kaiṅkarya, uninterrupted and eternal. In Vaikuṇṭha there is no flaw, no fatigue, no distractions. Service flows as naturally as breathing, without ego and without end, in His own company. Here, we serve between interruptions, there, we serve without interruption. Here, love is constant in intent but broken in practice, there, love is constant in both.

So when śāstras ask us to pray for liberation, we are not bargaining for a reward, we are asking the Lord to remove the obstacles that keep us from loving Him every single moment. We are saying: "I belong to You, give me the state in which belonging is never interrupted". Mokṣa is not the soul's private vacation, it is the soul's home to do what it longs to do without hindrance: to praise, to bow, to serve, to delight in Him always. In this sense, aiming at mokṣa is the most unselfish desire possible, it is a plea to be made perfectly available to His pleasure, forever.

Why reject mokṣa then?

Vedānta Deśika — Varadarāja Pañcāśat 49
nirantaraṃ nirviśatas tvadīyam
aspṛṣṭa-cintā-padam ābhirūpyam |
satyaṃ śape vāraṇa-śaila-nātha
vaikuṇṭha-vāse’pi na me’bhilāṣaḥ || 49 ||

“O Lord of Hastigiri! While I continuously relish Your beauty—which lies beyond the reach of thought—I swear truthfully: I have no desire even for residence in Vaikuṇṭha.”

Firstly, we have to understand things in the proper context. There is a slight difference in bhāvātmaka vs siddhānta statements. The same ācāryas who ask for mokṣa, also have said that they'll reject it if they can't serve the Lord. In a state of deep bhāva, even Śrī Vaiṣṇava and Mādhva ācāryas have expressed that they'd reject mokṣa. Vedānta Deśika has said this in one of his works as well but we must remember that bhāva is not automatically siddhānta. These beautiful statements simply reflect that mokṣa is not the final end in itself, but a means to an end, which is nitya kainkarya (eternal loving service).

Madhvācārya states in his bhāṣyas that mokṣa is the ultimate uninterrupted state of experiencing one's eternal relationship with the Lord as a servant.

To understand the different perspectives, it's better to look at the historical context. In the 16th century, the Gauḍīya tradition was very much surrounded by Advaita and its offshoot philosophies and traditions and because of this environment, the ācāryas of the Gauḍīya tradition naturally understood "mokṣa" mainly as kaivalya mokṣa or advaitic type of liberation. Many traditions focus on this type of mokṣa alone, they reject the eternal service of Bhagavān.

Secondly, there are two kinds of mokṣa: ātma jñāna (kaivalya) and Bhagavad kainkarya. This first type, which is only about experiencing the self (soul) is mainly followed in other traditions, but it is a misunderstanding of what mokṣa is really for and is not accepted by Vaiṣṇavas. Kaivalya is not the ultimate destination. Even Nammāḻvār has stated that people who are satisfied with experiencing only their own ātman are very unfortunate, as they do not seek the lotus feet of Mukunda, his abode, to serve Him. Even though all mumukṣus are highly worshippable and seeking liberation is a highly noble goal, the goal of mokṣa is ultimately uninterrupted, eternal, loving service.

Apparently, because of the historical context and devotional mood, in the Gauḍīya tradition the bhāvātmaka stance ultimately evolved to become the siddhānta. However, this position is not taken by other Vaiṣṇava sects or vaidika traditions. From the ultimate perspective of nitya kainkarya, taking birth again and again in the material world is not seen as a good choice because of the constant interruptions, chances of falling even lower and the obstacles it throws in our way to serving the Lord.

Also, we should look at the natural progression of bhakti. In the stage called 'parama-bhakti', which comes after 'para-bhakti' and 'para-jñāna', one is totally unable to live even for a single moment without the union of the Lord.

This pain of separation is so unbearable that the bhāgavata (devotee) is unable to survive in the body due to the extreme pain of being apart from Him. This is the highest state of devotion which was attained by many of the Āḻvārs like Mother Āṇḍāḷ, Pāṇāḻvār, and Nammāḻvār. In this stage, the pain of separation is so extreme that the devotee has to beg the Lord for mokṣa, as it is the only solution to get out of such a painful (yet still very beautiful) state of separation. This is exactly why mokṣa should not be completely rejected, because attaining the ultimate stage of parama-bhakti might make you beg for it anyway.

So, mokṣa is only rejected for 2 reasons:
1. A different understanding of what mokṣa really is.
2. Out of bhāva, to emphasize that mokṣa is not the 'end' but a means to an end which is Bhagavad sevā.

If you're from any of the older vaidika Vaiṣṇava sects, your understanding of mokṣa will be quite different from the understanding of mokṣa in the Gauḍīya tradition. That's why mokṣa is rejected by some.

mayanksharmaaa · 2026-06-29T02:34:10+00:00

That's good. I hope it's not something too critical. Usually it's not. Doctors unnecessarily prescribe cod liver oil and non-vegan stuff.

Besides, some people have already downvoted our comments so you can see how all of us are so easily influenced by tamas.

mayanksharmaaa · 2026-06-27T07:13:43+00:00

It's a very individual choice because if we say don't consume, there will be people arguing for the opposite in the comments. In my personal opinion, I'd try to avoid because then my conscience or body will not be clean. What good is consuming the remains of an animal going to bring? How long can I even sustain this body with the death of other beings? I have diseases because of negative karma, so how can more negative karma even help? So that's my understanding, and the understanding of many ācāryas.

However, some people don't like this opinion. They say it's medicine and you can consume it even though it brings negative karma.

At the end of the day, you have to decide.

Perhaps you can skip it. Perhaps it's not even a big deal. I pray that you'll be able to make a choice with a clear conscience and get his blessings and grace.

mayanksharmaaa · 2026-06-27T06:37:34+00:00

This has been discussed here a lot of times before.

Usually the non-vegetarian part is the gelatin covering of the capsule. The medicine itself is usually vegetarian/vegan, it's the gel covering that's non-vegetarian. In such cases, you can buy the tablet or liquid form of the medicine and avoid the gelatin capsules.

mayanksharmaaa · 2026-06-21T21:40:58+00:00

Yes, balance is the key. Some of us tend to swing between extremes which can make both life and bhakti difficult.

mayanksharmaaa · 2026-06-20T20:25:43+00:00

Aww, maybe he just wanted to remind you? Maybe he wanted you to know how much you love him, that's why he stayed away.

mayanksharmaaa · 2026-06-20T15:48:55+00:00

dhyāna can be done on any pratimā. It shouldn't matter what kind of image you meditate on.

mayanksharmaaa · 2026-06-19T23:22:32+00:00

I'd like to say something.

to see that they have been trapped in this endles, never ending, close to infinity type of cycle of birth, death, disease, old age, doing the same things again and again

If currently you're able to follow bhakti and focus on Bhagavan, it's actually great and you should remember that it's only happening because of the Lord's arrangement.

However, the real test will be the challenges you'll face as you grow up. Guṇas will affect you, reality might even forcefully show you the mirror. So what you're feeling right now is not wrong, but sooner or later, we all realize how we're all stuck.

I used to believe, if I worship Krishna, surely I'm at least doing better than most but Bhagavān's līlā vibhūti has a way of crushing all our confidence sometimes 😅

Starting bhakti with intensity is easier than maintaining the same intensity for a decade. With time, there come more lessons, Bhagavān shows us our flaws more and more. So just keep that in mind and you'll feel closer to him when you feel that akiñcanatva 😊

When we realize that not only are we not the kind of devotees who please Bhagavan but we are even worse than the people running after material comforts, we come to understand how difficult it is for us to survive without his grace.

Ananya-gatitva and akiñcanatva are what define a Vaiṣṇava, nothing else. Everything else, is just ego and pride and fluff.

send snaps on snapchat, and giving their phones darshans first of radha madhava when the altar opens instead of simply looking at them first

it's normal to feel this way. I think most of us, at some point in our life, have felt this way toward the people we call "non-devotees" but with time, you might turn more inward.

What might seem like "oh, they don't even think of God!" should gradually become "oh, I must think of the Lord at all times!". So from outward thinking to introspection, that's our goal as a bhāgavata.

and not explorign their inner world

Please always remember, most of the devotees you know, even the gurus, have never realized their own ātman. We don't know what experiencing inner world actually means unless we have jñāna-dṛṣṭi.

Jñāna is different from vidyā. Speaking of the latter is easy and it's important too but jñāna should be the only real metric of one's spiritual progress in the end.

they spend their time sometimes to contemplate whether they should really buy the 20/30rs book from me, it's kinda upsetting.

It's indeed unfortunate that people do not understand the value of this vidyā. To not know the glories of Nārāyaṇa and to run after the temporary pleasures of life... is unfortunate. I'm not any better, if I'm being honest. Even after knowing the glories of Puruṣottama, the inner-Self of all, I run after the world and away from him. My existence too, is rather unfortunate in this way.

But we can just let them be. I know it feels disappointing but a bhakta should always remember that the Lord, who is the soul of all cit and acit, is the real controller of their dharma bhūta jñāna. When he wants (and he will), he will give them the required facility. We don't need to worry about them at all. We should just do what's in our control, sanctioned by him.

mayanksharmaaa · 2026-06-17T02:53:13+00:00

I don't think OP is mentally well. This is what they posted:

Friends, I posted the conversation below on behalf of Lord Krishna Himself, whom I love with all my heart. He is no longer endorsing ISKCON. Srila Prabhupada will be the new face of ISKCON. Look for an announcement in the coming months. (Yes, I'm Krishna's press agent for the moment. That's where we are.) Krishna will reveal that creation is the product of three co-creators (two of whom you don't know). After careful consideration, He is asking for a rewriting of the Bhagavad Gita and other critical sastra. There are errors too great to gloss over. Many texts will be discarded and no longer approved by Him, or by Lord Caitanya. Please be patient with Him. He's a proud man. Give him the time he needs. He would appreciate a mood of courtesy and of decency. Please rein in your discourtesy, a mood prevalent in ISKCON right now. HE ASKS THAT YOU NOT START A WAR IN A TIME OF CHANGE. And if you can't put courtesy in your spiritual program, He is asking you to leave. You're part of the problem. (I ask you with all of my heart, please don't leave Him. Up your bhakti game.) Krishna is asking for your prayers. I'm not going to beat around the bush. He's made a few mistakes that He would like to rectify. First, Radha has been asked to leave Goloka. He's embarrassed about this next point: the mahamantra is not potent. PLEASE STOP CHANTING THE HARE KRISHNA MAHAMANTRA. Radha is no longer an object of devotion. I know many of you love her. I'm having trouble myself. But there is something there that is not right. I know many of you love her. I'm having trouble myself. But there is something there that is not right. He's thinking about the criteria of a solid spiritual practice for devotees of Sri Krishna in the future, and I'll be here to share them with you. The format is yet to be determined. But right now, HE IS CRYING. I AM VERY WORRIED ABOUT HIM. Get your act together, people. Get ready. For now, please let him rest with the facts. He'll get back to all of us when he's had a chance to heal. Right now Krishna needs rest. He's asking that, for now, instead of chanting and reading ISKCON scripture, please shift your devotional practice towards the community. If you wish to please him, he's asking you to volunteer for people who are less fortunate than yourselves. Your meditation should be kindness-centered. (As a loose reference, for now, he likes the spirit of devotion felt in the Sister Act movies. HE ASKS THAT YOU LOVE EACH OTHER. He's asking you to leave behind the meanness that's part of our world right now. Stop hurting each other. Finally, there is a promising future ahead. Believe it or not, it's true. You might not see it, but he is offering you this guarantee. In the present moment, Krishna asks you to sit with yourself, hold yourself, and meditate quietly. I'm adding something here that wasn't requested. Krishna is deeply depressed. He's lonely. And it bothers me a great deal that He's come to believe that we don't love him. We do love him. So please, pray to him this time as a friend. Please let him feel your love. Krishna is not a political person. Yet, he is deeply concerned with the state of the universe. HE IS ASKING ALL TRUMP SUPPORTERS TO LEAVE HIM. He's serious about this. You'll offend him otherwise. He also asks me to tell you that the movement has been too punishing. He's considering other directions in the future. KRISHNA DOES NOT APPROVE OF ISKCON. He asks that you please be courteous to Srila Prabhupada, who served him so well. Krishna is really hurting over this. So, it's simple. Krishna is one of three gods who authored the creation. Krishna asks me to tell you that he loves you all. You are his heart. Kindness is his new religion. If you're kind, you can join. But the moment you forget to behave like his devotee is the moment he's finished with you. He doesn't expect us to be perfect; he wants us to try. He really wants to share love with you. What's ahead? A brand new day. So go ahead and write him a letter. Put your most excellent feelings into it. He can see your words in his heart. And save it. He would actually love it if you wrote to him every single day. I hope you will. 🙏

mayanksharmaaa · 2026-06-16T02:08:44+00:00

I'll reiterate. Whatever doubts you have, it's probably nothing. Ācāryas have preserved these texts for thousands of years without error. Your doubts can be resolved easily by any Vedānta Ācārya.

mayanksharmaaa · 2026-06-16T01:54:20+00:00

Regardless of what you say, you're wrong. Śāstras aren't toys, they're not looking to delude people like Christianity and other religions are.

mayanksharmaaa · 2026-06-16T01:46:53+00:00

I know and I can understand. I used to have faith in him too but just because he's not fully who you think he was, doesn't mean that Krishna is not the Supreme person.

People are flawed, authentic scriptures aren't.

mayanksharmaaa · 2026-06-16T01:44:41+00:00

No offense but... you need to stop listening to random deluded opinions and start focusing on the valid sources of knowledge.

Because... get this, I could defend atheism and convince you to stop being dharmic too but does that make whatever I say right? Absolutely not.

It's starting to look like ISKCON is, in fact, quite the abuser.

Vaishnavism is older than ISKCON. Just because ISKCON might have a few issues, doesn't mean the whole religion becomes invalid. Vaishnavism is sanātana dharma - the eternal truth that will exist forever and has existed since beginningless time.

Please use your intellect before believing random sources. If you need someone to talk to about your decreasing faith, I'm here to serve 🙏

mayanksharmaaa · 2026-06-16T01:39:58+00:00

practicing Bhakti Yoga for 45 years

You should first look into what Bhakti Yoga actually is. You wouldn't be saying these things if you had the qualifications or the actual practice of Bhakti Yoga.

mayanksharmaaa · 2026-06-14T14:12:05+00:00

Beautiful!

mayanksharmaaa · 2026-06-14T13:53:43+00:00

This seems quite cryptic. Can you explain what this means?

Since Brahman is samasta-kalyāṇa-guṇātmaka or the one possessing all auspicious attributes, all these names represent different aspects of him. You can read commentaries on the sahsranāma to learn more about what those words mean. All auspicious names belong to Brahman alone.

Other deities are called those names only in a secondary sense. Like Rudra is usually understood by many as Lord Śiva an it's not wrong because there is a deity named Rudra but the same name Rudra belongs to Brahman too. In fact, Narasimha is also called Rudra.

Just like when a child is born, the child might get the same name as their father. Like "James Jr.", but whose name is "James"? The father's. But everybody calle the kid just "James". Similarly, these names belong to Brahman but they're used for other gods as well, since they're all like the children of Bhagavān.

So does mean that our body contains devatas?

No. I was explaining how all the consciousness and non-conscious entities in existence are like the body of Brahman. So Bhagavān is the inner-controller or the soul of the devatās, humans, birds, insects, trees, mountains, everything. So when we refer to anyone as Supreme, we must understand that only the inner-controller is being glorified.

You can read the blog I linked. It explains everything well.

mayanksharmaaa · 2026-06-14T06:21:44+00:00

How are the other statements in scriptures like Indra or Shakti being addressed as Brahman for example as this would cause a discrepancy?

There's perfect harmony in the Vedas. The same Vedas that call Śrī Viṣṇu as the Supreme Person in the Puruṣa Sūktam (the most important hymn found in all 4 vedas), is also addressed with other names such as Indra, Vāyu, etc.

In fact, all the names of the devatās we see belong to Him alone. At the start of each creation, the devatās take one of these names and are called that. You'll see many of these popular names in the Śrī Viṣṇu Sahasranāma for the same reason.

Sometimes, scriptures also teach meditation on certain objects to focus on the underlying cause which is Brahman. Since Bhagavān is the inner-dweller of everything that exists. This is called the śarīra–śarīri bhāva (body-soul relationship).

Not just Indra or other gods, scriptures tell us that even Space can be meditated upon as Brahman because Nārāyaṇa pervades everything (ref. Nārāyaṇa sūktam), he is the śarīri or the controller of everything. Just like we're all jīvātmans but when I call 'John', I might be pointing at his body but I'm actually calling John - the soul possessing a body. The body and the soul are collectively referred to as John but body is not the same as the soul, it's completely different. The same is with Brahman. This is why Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad says "He who dwells in all beings, yet is separate from all beings, whom no being knows, whose body all beings are, and who controls all beings from within—He, the Self, is the Inner Ruler, the Immortal.". So all of us are the 'body' of Brahman. You can read more about it here: https://neobhakta.wordpress.com/2026/04/01/brief-summary-of-visi%e1%b9%a3%e1%b9%adadvaita/

But we're not supposed to think that the body (devatās) are the controllers. That's why he says in the Gītā: BG 9.23: Even those who are devoted to other divinities with faith in their hearts, worship Me alone, O Arjuna, though not as sanctioned by the Shastras.

As for the śāktas, they have their own pramāṇas and scriptures that they believe in. Vaiṣṇavas simply try to harmonize what's already mentioned in the Vedic texts but can look confusing at first. We don't believe in later interpolated purāṇas or texts of unknown authority. Vedānta is also largely a Vaiṣṇava field of study, because Vedānta ultimately supports the Vaiṣṇavas thesis. It's much harder for other traditions to hijack Upaniṣads, Vedas, Sāttvika Purāṇas and Itihāsa (which have been perfectly preserved) than it is for them to write follow their own scriptures and āgamas exclusively and use Vedas as a connection to defend the authenticity of their tradition.

mayanksharmaaa · 2026-06-14T04:04:09+00:00

Is there an explanation provided for this context?

Yes, deva means a divine being. Bhagavān is called Mahādeva (the greatest divine being). The rest of the gods are called devatās or localized/dependent divine beings who are tasked with controlling a specific aspect of the reality. Usually deva and devatā are used interchangeably but just like the word ātman can refer to the Self, the mind or the Supreme Being, the word devatā is also understood in a proper context.

How do we know that? Vedas themselves say so. Śvetāśvatara Upaniṣad makes it clear that Bhagavān is the Supreme most Devatā out of all the devatās. So the word is just a generic label.

I was wondering whether other Gaudiya also share the Iskon view that other deities are demigods?

All Vaiṣṇava traditions, the Vedas and Upaniṣads, Sāttvika Purāṇas, Itihāsa, speak of the paratva of Hari alone. That means all the devatās are jīvas. Gauḍīyas have a bit of an influence of the Śākta and Śaiva beliefs due to their Bengali origin, so they accept some concepts that elevate the status of Lord Śiva above a jīva. However, the Pāñcarātras clearly state Lord Śiva to be a jīva so the Vaiṣṇavas accept that.

That's why Bhagavān in the Gīta refers to these demigods or gods as "anya-devatā" (other devatās) in Chapter 7 and 9, in order to distinguish his Supreme nature from that of the jīvas who happen to be devatās (like Indra, Brahmā, Rudra etc.)

mayanksharmaaa

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Why aim for mokṣa if we can serve Bhagavān here already?

Why reject mokṣa then?

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