‘T
he Book of Liberation’ (Moksadharmaparvan) is perhaps the most enigmatic philosophical text from ancient India. Although generally believed to contain some of the most important early Hindu teachings, at least one scholar has described it as “for the most part dull and unimportant” (Frauwallner 1973: 80). Both perspectives are valid. In scope, ‘Liberation’ is unrivaled by any other work of Hindu philosophy. It is much longer and more diverse than the equally elusive early Upanishads that predate it by a few centuries. But this diversity was unintended; ’Liberation’ was not an attempt to chronicle the intellectual achievements of a particular age. Compiled in a haphazard manner over several centuries, just like the roughly contemporaneous early Buddhist literature, it is a disordered work, the understanding of which has been further impeded by a deficient textual transmission.
Nevertheless, as the only record of Hindu speculation in the early post-Upanishadic period, ‘Liberation’ is an invaluable historical source. While lacking the mastery of the great poems of the “Rig Veda,” it develops its early speculations in a spirit of earnest enquiry. And while surpassed by the later philosophical texts of the Hindu tradition, it provides the intellectual background to much of what was to follow. But this is not all. ‘Liberation’ is far more than a useful, if confused, historical witness. It is also a compelling record of a unique period of intellectual endeavor.