Vedānta teaches that freedom arises through jñāna, which means knowledge or direct understanding. This knowledge is not the accumulation of information but the recognition of what is already true about the self. According to Vedānta, human suffering often arises from avidyā, a misunderstanding of our identity. When we believe that we are only the body, the mind, or the roles we play in life, we naturally become attached to changeable circumstances. Success and failure, gain and loss, praise and criticism begin to define our sense of self. Vedānta encourages a different orientation. Through listening to the teachings (śravaṇa), reflecting on them (manana), and contemplating their meaning deeply (nididhyāsana), a person gradually recognizes that the true self is not limited by these changing conditions. The self remains the witnessing awareness in which all experiences arise and pass. When this recognition becomes steady, life can still be lived fully, but it is no longer burdened by the belief that our identity depends on the fluctuations of the world.