Write a short note on Discuss the nature of Moksa as given by Sankracharya.

Adi Shankaracharya, a towering figure in Hindu philosophy, provides profound insights into the nature of Moksha, or liberation, through his Advaita Vedanta teachings. Shankara's interpretation of Moksha is deeply rooted in the concept of non-dualism (Advaita), emphasizing the oneness of the individual soul (Atman) with the ultimate reality (Brahman).

In Advaita Vedanta, Moksha is the realization of the inherent unity between Atman and Brahman. Shankara posits that the individual soul, which is often obscured by ignorance (avidya), is fundamentally identical to the supreme reality. The process of attaining Moksha involves removing this ignorance through knowledge (jnana) and realizing the ultimate truth of non-duality.

Shankara contends that the world, often perceived as diverse and real, is an illusion (maya). He argues that the empirical reality we experience is a manifestation of Brahman, and true knowledge lies in recognizing this underlying unity. Moksha, then, is not an attainment but a realization – the recognition that the individual self is, and always has been, one with the ultimate reality.

The nature of Moksha in Shankara's teachings transcends the cycle of birth and death (samsara) and the dualities of pleasure and pain, success and failure. It is a state of absolute freedom (mukti) where the individual realizes the eternal, unchanging nature of the self beyond the temporal fluctuations of the material world.

In essence, Shankara's vision of Moksha is the culmination of self-realization, unveiling the eternal truth of non-duality and liberating the individual from the shackles of ignorance and illusion. The nature of Moksha, according to Shankaracharya, lies in the profound understanding that the essence of the individual soul is identical to the ultimate reality, Brahman.