ma ▁and ▁m ok sha ▁domin ated ▁the ▁initial ▁impress ions ▁and ▁colonial - era ▁literature ▁on ▁H indu ism , ▁through ▁the ▁works ▁of ▁Th ib aut , ▁Max ▁Müller ▁and ▁others . ▁ ▁History ▁▁ ▁The ▁concept ▁of ▁m ok sha ▁appears ▁much ▁later ▁in ▁ancient ▁Indian ▁literature ▁than ▁the ▁concept ▁of ▁d har ma . ▁The ▁proto - con cept ▁that ▁first ▁appears ▁in ▁the ▁ancient ▁S ansk rit ▁vers es ▁and ▁early ▁Up an ish ads ▁is ▁mu cy ate , ▁which ▁means ▁fre ed ▁or ▁released . ▁It ▁is ▁the ▁middle ▁and ▁later ▁Up an ish ads , ▁such ▁as ▁the ▁S vet as vat ara ▁and ▁M ait ri , ▁where ▁the ▁word ▁m ok sha ▁appears ▁and ▁begins ▁becoming ▁an ▁important ▁concept . ▁ ▁Kath aka ▁Up an ish ad , ▁a ▁middle ▁Up an ish adic ▁era ▁script ▁dated ▁to ▁be ▁about ▁ 2 5 0 0 ▁years ▁old , ▁is ▁among ▁the ▁earliest ▁expos itions ▁about ▁sa ṃ s ā ra ▁and ▁m ok sha . ▁In ▁Book ▁I , ▁Section ▁III , ▁the ▁legend ▁of ▁boy ▁Na ci k eta ▁queries ▁Y ama , ▁the ▁lord ▁of ▁death ▁to ▁explain ▁what ▁causes ▁sa ṃ s ā ra ▁and ▁what ▁leads ▁to ▁liber ation . ▁Na ci k eta ▁inqu ires : ▁what ▁causes ▁sorrow ? ▁Y ama ▁explains ▁that ▁suffering ▁and ▁sa ṃ s ā ra ▁results ▁from ▁a ▁life ▁that ▁is ▁lived ▁absent - mind edly , ▁with ▁imp urity , ▁with