Question

Which people have got Moksha ? Could anyone enlist people mentioned in Puranas and Ithihas who got Moksha?

Answer

As such, I'm afraid we cannot have a comprehensive "exhaustive" list of all those who got Mokṣa


Still, I'm providing here four instances, where people definitely got Mokṣa. Two instances are from Mahā-Purāṇas, and, the other two instances are from Itihāsas - the Mahābhārata & Ādhyātma Rāmāyaṇa.

1. Purāṇa.

  • a. Vārāha MahāPurāṇa:

Here a Brāhmiṇa (turned hunter) - named Satyatapas, and his guru - Āruṇi together get Mokṣa, as they are merged into Viṣṇu. The full story can be read in English, here and in Hindi, here., I'm just giving the relevant verse:-

श्रीवराहपुराणे पर्वाध्यायो नाम अष्टनवतितमोऽध्यायः

आरुणिरुवाच:

उत्तिष्ठ गम्यतां पुत्र मया सार्द्धं परं पदम् । यद्गत्वा न पुनर्जन्म भवतीति न संशयः ॥ ३६ ॥
एवमुक्त्वा तु तौ सिद्धौ उभौ सत्यतपारुणी । ध्यात्वा नारायणं देवं तद्देहे तौ लयं गतौ ॥ ३७ ॥

Āruṇi said:

  1. Arise, my son, we shall go to 'the Supreme Abode', after reaching which there will be no rebirth.
  1. Then both of them, Satyatapas and Āruṇi, meditated on god Nārāyaṇa and became merged in him.

Chapter 98 - Mokṣa of Satyatapas.
Translation taken from Motilal Banarasidass Publication


  • b. Skanda MahāPurāṇa:

Here, a former prostitute named Piṅgalā, taking advice from Dharma, and gets Mokṣa, as she gets merged in Śiva(lingam).

धर्म उवाच:

तस्य तद्वचनं श्रुत्वा धर्मस्य च यशस्विनि । जगाम पिंगला तूर्णं यत्र तल्लिंगमुत्तमम् । ददर्श परया भक्त्या पस्पर्श च पुनःपुनः ॥ ८८ ॥ दर्शनात्तस्य लिंगस्य तस्मिल्लिंगे लयं गता । अत्र चावसरे देवाः प्रोचुस्तत्रैव संस्थिताः ॥ ८९ ॥ अन्यजन्मनि पापिष्ठा मुक्ता त्वं पिंगलेक्षणा ॥ ९० ॥ अतो लोकेषु विख्यातः पिंगलेश्वरसंज्ञकः । भविष्यति न संदेहो महापातकनाशनः ॥ ९१ ॥

Dharma said:

  1. to 91. On hearing the words of Dharma, O lady of renown, Piṅgalā hastened to the place where the excellent Liṅga was present. She devoutly visited it and touched it repeatedly. Due to the visit to that Liṅga, she got merged into that Liṅga. On that occasion the Devas, stationed there itself, said: “Highly sinful in the other birth, O Piṅgalā, you have been liberated instantly. Hence this deity will become well-known in the world by the name Piṅgaleśvara. He will undoubtedly be the destroyer of great sins.

Chapter 81 - Piṅgaleśvara, Section 2 - Caturaśīti-liṅga-māhātmya, Book 5 - Āvantya-khaṇḍa
Translation by G. V. Tagare



2. Itihāsa:

  • a. The Mahābhārata:

Droṇa is liberated from the saṃsāra re-birth cycle, and he gets the Brahmaloka (and thus Mokṣa at the end of this Mahā-kalpa).

Droṇa Parva: Verse 7.165.42 - 45

वयमेव तदाद्राक्ष्म पञ्च मानुषयोनयः । योगयुक्तं महात्मानं गच्छन्तं परमां गतिम् ॥ ४२ ॥ अहं धनंजयः पार्थः कृपः शारद्वतो द्विजः । वासुदेवश्च वार्ष्णेयो धर्मराजश्च पाण्डवः ॥ ४३ ॥ अन्ये तु सर्वे नापश्यन्भारद्वाजस्य धीमतः । महिमानं महाराज योगयुक्तस्य गच्छतः ॥ ४४ ॥ गतिं परमिकां प्राप्तमजानन्तो नृयोनयः । नापश्यन्गच्छमानं हि तं सार्धमृषिपुंगवैः । आचार्यं योगमास्थाय ब्रह्मलोकमरिंदमम् ॥ ४५ ॥ वितुन्नाङ्गं शरशतैर्न्यस्तायुधमसृक्क्षरम् । धिक्कृतः पार्षतस्तं तु सर्वभूतैः परामृशत् ॥ ४६ ॥ तस्य मूर्धानमालम्ब्य गतसत्त्वस्य देहिनः । किंचिदब्रुवतः कायाद्विचकर्तासिना शिरः ॥ ४७ ॥

  1. When Drona thus ascended to heaven, Dhristadyumna was standing beside him stupified; only we five amongst mortal creatures beheld,
  1. The illustrious Drona. lost in yoga and meditation, ascend to the highest regions of blessedness. These five were, myself, Pritlia’s son Dhananjaya, Aswathama, the son of Drona,
  1. & 45. Vasudeva of the Vrisni race, and king Yudhisthira the virtuous son of Pandu. All else could not see the halo of glory that surrounded the intelligent son of Bharadwaja as lie ascended, rapt up in yoga, to the Brahma regions, winch are mysterious even to the gods and which is the highest of all celestial regions.
  1. & 47. In fact, all human beings were then unaware of the fact that Drona had attained to the highest mode of existence. None of them could then descry the preceptor, that subduer of foes, ascend tp the region of Brahma, devoted to yoga, in company with the best of sages, his body mangled with arrows, and steeped in blood after he had set aside his weapons.

English Translation by M.N. Dutt

The Hindi Translation by S.D. Satwalekar, suggest he indeed gets the Supreme Abode (whatever that be), or at least Brahmaloka, which is as good as Moksha (of course, at the end of a Mahā-kalpa though). Same conclusive Translation we get from the Mahabharta Hindi rendition by Ramanarayanadatta Astri. At least he reaches Brahmaloka as per verse 44 (59 there) & Verse 45 (60 there).


  • b. Ādhyātma Rāmāyaṇa :

Here the great devotee of Śrī Rāma - Śabri, a mendicant, and a bhilliṇī, attains Mokṣa through the grace of Śrī Rāma.

अध्यात्मरामायणे अरण्यकाण्डम्
॥ दशमः सर्गः ॥

इति रामं समामन्त्र्य प्रविवेश हुताशनम् ।
क्षणान्निर्धूय सकलमविद्याकृतबन्धनम् ।
रामप्रसादाच्छबरी मोक्षं प्रापातिदुर्लभम् ॥ ४१ ॥

Making this request to Śrī Rāma, Śabri entered into a well-lit fire. With all shackles of ignorance burnt in a moment, She (Śabri), by Rāma's grace attained Mokṣa, which is very difficult to attain.

English Translation by SringarAshrama Publication

Hindi Translation can be read from here.


The above is not an "exhaustive list" of all those who got Mokṣa, for there are many others listed across our vast literature, as to who got Mokṣa. Having said that, still Mokṣa is rare, and not just anyone & everyone can attain/acquire/realise it.

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