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Salvation in Hinduism
"Salvation" is an ambiguous word that can refer to a lot of phenomena. When trying to understand the concept of salvation in any religion, we need to be very clear on what the context is. It is not just a question of how one might get saved, but also what one is saved from and to. In Hinduism, salvation is most frequently referred to as "moksha," which means most literally "release." One is saved, not from sin, as a Christian might say, but from one's own existence. The fundamental problem for all human beings is that we live in a world of suffering and illusion, and that, left to ourselves, we will continue to do so for all time. As long as we exist in the phenomenal world (maya), we will suffer, and since we are doomed to move from life to life to life in the cycle of reincarnation (samsara), the suffering will theoretically never end. What drives this seemingly unbreakable chain of existences is the law of karma; it determines as what kind of a being (plant, animal, or human) and in what circumstances we will reappear in our next life, depending on what we do in this life. So, the point of moksha is to be released from the cycle of reincarnation and to attain a state of bliss in union with God.
Hinduism has traditionally recognized three main paths of salvation.
The "way of works" is the attempt to purify one's soul by the meticulous observance of all the laws and obligations of the Hindu scriptures.
The second way, the "way of knowledge" goes into the opposite direction and counsels the total renunciation of all one's life and to seek salvation in a mystical realization of identity with God.
The third way is by far the most popular; it is the "way of devotion (bhakti)." According to this point of view, if one commits oneself totally to the worship of a particular god or goddess, then one's deity will do all that is necessary on one's behalf. So, for example, in this third way, if I devote myself completely to Krishna, then Krishna will take care of my karma problems and usher me into fellowship with him when I die.
So, in Hinduism one is saved from karma and reincarnation by following one of the three ways. Finally, the result will be a state of bliss in union with God (sometimes conceived of as identity with God). Heaven, as Christians think of it, would not be the goal since one would still be sent from heaven back to further physical lives.
See what the bible says about Salvation.
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