How far are you in the quest of salvation

The joy of salvation comes from liberation from ignorance, liberation from suffering. Liberation comes from the realization of the truth. The realization of the truth comes from overcoming ignorance, overcoming ignorance happens when we go in quest of the truth. Therefore, salvation is a journey, the journey may be called enlightenment, it may be called Nirvana, Moksha or Mukti, the world has different names for this salvation or enlightenment, but it is basically that state of consciousness where we feel the presence of the Divine within us, all around us, we are free from all misery, pain of the body, misery of the mind, agony of the ego. We become united with the Divine and we experience God in the temple of our heart. This is salvation, living as an instrument of the Divine with the kingdom of God within us.

When each Kalpa (cycle of history) begins, its first half is heaven (two quarters—satyayuga and Tretayug combined) on earth; and its second half is hell (two quarters—dwaparayuga and Kaliyuga combined) on earth. When each Kalpa ends, all souls go back to heaven where God resides, and When each Kalpa begins, souls start descending in certain order. The egoless (around 333.33 million) inherit the first half, and the egoistic inherit the second half. When each Kalpa (cycle of around 5000 years) turns into second half, the egoless continue to take birth in the second half too, thus they are available throughout Kalpa enjoying both heaven on earth and living through hell on earth—either living along with the egoistic or being affected by them.

When the egoless live through the first half of the Kalpa, they are enjoying salvation; and when they move into second half salvation is lost. Thus the egoless enjoy salvation every time Kalpa revolves through its first half, but lose it when the Kalpa revolves into the second. In contrast, the egoistic always take birth only in the second half, hence never experience salvation. Since both choose their life-style, Law of Karma is helpless in this matter.

Regarding the egoistic, Shrimad Bhagwad Gita (16:18-20) says: “Having taken refuge in false ego, personal strength, arrogance, desire and anger, these malicious people detest Me even within their own bodies or within others. I dispatch these cruel enemies of Mine, lowest among mankind, into material existence where they perpetually enter into inauspicious demonic wombs. O child of Kunti, after entering into demonic wombs through repeated births without achieving Me [or without inheriting the first half of His Kingdom on earth], the foolish eventually go to the vilest destination.”

The equivalent word for salvation in Hinduism is Moksha, liberation, freedom. Hinduism divides life into two categories: samsara and Moksha. Samsara is the life of birth-death-reincarnation. Samsara is conditioned by one's karma or actions. Moksha is freedom from Samsara. The experience of moksha depends on the belief a person holds. According to Advaita system: moksha is realising oneness with Brahman. I am in God and God is in me. According to Dvaita system: moksha is to be in the presence of God.

Hinduism focuses on Karma or Action (even Inaction) and its consequences. No one, not even the gods or demons are exempt from the consequences of their actions. Consequences can occur sooner, later, even in the future lifetimes. The only way out, philosophically speaking, is to attain Moksha, the freedom from the cycle of birth and death. A Hindu seeks liberation (moksha/nirvana), not salvation. We don't need to be “saved” from someone that we would need salvation. Rather, we seek to realize our inner self and unite with the divine, transcending the cycles of repeated birth and death. So, a Hindu can seek three “kinds” or ways to liberation: Liberation through divine knowledge (Jnana Yoga) Liberation through conscious and unattached actions (Karma Yoga) Liberation through intense devotion and love for God (Bhakti Yoga). Hare Krishna!