Within the Shaiva vision, moksha, karma, and dharma are all understood in the light of Shiva as the supreme reality and liberating principle. Moksha is regarded as freedom from the cycle of birth and death and from the bonds that obscure the soul’s inherent divinity. Different Shaiva traditions describe this state in slightly different ways: some speak of a direct realization that one’s own consciousness is none other than Shiva, while others describe an eternal, loving nearness to Shiva in which the soul remains distinct yet fully purified and immersed in Shiva’s consciousness and bliss. In every case, liberation involves the dissolution of ignorance and ego, and the recognition or “re-cognition” of one’s Shiva-nature. Such realization is said to arise through Shiva’s grace, supported by right knowledge, meditation, initiation, devotion, and disciplined practice.

Karma, in this framework, is one of the principal bonds that keep the soul turning in saṃsāra. Actions of body, speech, and mind leave impressions that ripen into future experiences, and thus karma explains why beings remain entangled in repeated births. Shaivism generally affirms that Shiva is the supreme Lord who governs the dispensation of karmic fruits, not as a mechanical judge but as the inner ruler guiding each soul toward spiritual evolution and eventual liberation. Spiritual disciplines—ritual worship, mantra recitation, yoga, and heartfelt devotion—are understood to “burn” or neutralize karmic seeds, especially when suffused with Shiva’s grace. In more nondual Shaiva perspectives, when all actions are seen as movements of Shiva’s own power and performed without ego-identification, karma may continue on a relative level but ceases to bind the liberated being.

Dharma, from a Shaiva standpoint, is both the cosmic order upheld by Shiva and the set of ethical and ritual duties that harmonize the individual with that order. Living in accordance with dharma includes virtues such as truthfulness, non-harming, self-control, compassion, and the faithful performance of one’s social and life-stage responsibilities. Shaiva sources also speak of a specifically Śaiva-dharma: daily worship of the liṅga, recitation of mantras such as “Oṃ Namaḥ Śivāya,” observance of vows, and reverence for guru, scripture, and all beings as manifestations of Shiva. Such conduct is not merely moral discipline; it is treated as a form of worship that purifies the mind and refines karma, preparing consciousness for higher realization. While conventional social and personal duties are affirmed, the higher dharma is to live in steady awareness of Shiva, recognizing and honoring Shiva in all phenomena.

Seen together, these three concepts form a coherent spiritual trajectory. Karma describes the web of cause and effect that binds the soul; dharma offers a way of living that gradually purifies and aligns that soul with the divine will; moksha is the culminating state in which, through Shiva’s grace and sustained practice, the soul stands free of bondage and abides in or with Shiva in unending consciousness and bliss.