Caste, Ashrama, Karma and Moksha

[Ms. Aikya Param]

Namaste MitraaNi,

In the JIVA MAN series, Mr. Vyas writes further:
The goal of the Mumukshu is not to stay here.

I have a question at this point.  Where does the mumukshu feel bound?
Also, what good is liberation if it doesn't free one "here"?

 However for one who does
stay here there is no alternative but to perform karma.

Does Mr. Vyas use the word "karma" here to mean religious ritual or any action?

Arjuna seemed tremendously interested in not having to kill his relatives,
a caste-related duty during the particular ashrama he was in when
he found himself on the battlefield.  He wanted to take sannyas
instead of killing the relatives.  That was the karma he wanted to avoid, right?

So now if we're only talking about caste-based duties, then this whole
philosophy doesn't apply except if there's a caste system in place, is
that so?  And if Arjuna had been a little older and been vaanaprastha
the whole problem wouldn't have come up for him. So the philosophy
also seems to require adherence to the four ashramas, and the caste
system.  Is that so?

So now is it also true that people outside the caste system do not experience
 bondage
and thus do not require liberation.  Or is it that only people in the social
 system defined
by caste are bound and all others are already free?  The latter seems improbable
 since
happiness is supposed to mark those who are liberated or at least contentment
 and
these qualities are not universal among those inside or outside the caste
 system.

Aikya