Moksha
According to the Hindu belief system, a man is born again and again. The cycle of birth and death continues, and it is the aim of a man’s body and soul to get rid of this cycle by liberating the soul. The metaphor of moksha has been used to describe this liberation of body and soul from the cycle of reincarnation. This on-going cycle entraps both the body and soul and does not allow a person to find solace. An individual finds peace only after getting out of this never-ending cycle. A person gets rid of this cycle when his soul discovers Brahman, which is the ultimate true reality.
The Upanishads
The title of the book is itself a metaphor for the commonalities among religions. The word Upanishads mean ‘sitting near’ and the book includes all the teachings which are common in all religions whether they are eastern or western. The Upanishads propagates the idea of transcendence, which is evident in Ralph Waldo Emerson’s writings, the idea of enlightenment which is present in all eastern mystic poets and writers e.g. Farid-u-din Attar is one such example. He has urged mankind to embark on a journey towards enlightenment in his poem ‘The Conference of Birds’. Other ideas include search for meaning in life, which is also present in Victor Frankl’s book ‘Man’s Search for Meaning’. Frankl is a Jewish writer and a survivor of holocaust. All the major philosophies and teachings have been included in the metaphorical title of the book.
Samsara
The reincarnation of human beings has been metaphorically described by Samsara. The Hindu scriptures propagates this belief and it is evident in the Upanishads that the cycle of life and death is a never-ending cycle. Man has been sent into this world to perform his dharma and his way of righteousness determine the circumstances in the next cycle of life. If a person performs good deeds and behaves well with others, he will be born in favorable circumstances. On the contrary, if he misbehaves with others, he will be born in unfortunate circumstances. The cycle will continue until he would pay for the sins of his previous life and recognize the true reality.
