Sanskrit text on salvation for non-ascetics, later vedanticized into the Yoga Vasistha
The Mokṣopāya or Mokṣopāyaśāstra is a Sanskrit philosophical text on salvation for non-ascetics (lit. 'means to liberation'), written on the Pradyumna hill in Śrīnagar in the 10th century. It has the form of a public sermon and claims human authorship and contains about 30,000 śloka's (making it longer than the "Rāmāyaṇa"). The main part of the text forms a dialogue between Vasiṣṭha and Rāma, interchanged with numerous short stories and anecdotes to illustrate the content. This text was later (11th to the 14th century) expanded and vedanticized, which resulted in the "Yogavāsiṣṭha".
Philosophy.
The text of the "Mokṣopāya" shows that a unique philosophy has been created by the author. It taught a monism ('advaita') that is different from Advaita Vedanta. It makes use of other Darśanas in an inclusive way. The text teaches that the recognition that cognitive objects are non-existent, leads to ultimate detachment, which causes an attitude of "dispassion and non-involvement with worldly things and matters", though still fulfilling one's daily duties and activities. It is only by one's own effort ("pauruṣa") that one can be liberated from the bonds of existence. For one who knows the reality, "fate" ("daiva") does not mean anything, something like "fate" does not exist and has, accordingly, no consequences at all.
Three stages of liberation.
Liberation is available for everyone, no matter their sex, caste or education, as long as one uses reason and maintains an active life in this world. To reach this liberation, one has to go through three stages: rational thinking and discernment ("vicāra"), true understanding ("jñāna") and detachment ("vairāgya"). "Vicāra" specifically involves knowledge that the world is non-existent. "Jñāna" is the true understanding of the "atman" as the ultimate reality, due to which one loses "ahamkara". The last stage of "vairagya" is dispassionate and without a cause. 
Mokṣopāya Project.
The Mokṣopāya Project supervised by professor Walter Slaje at the Martin Luther University of Halle-Wittenberg in Germany is currently working on a critical edition of the "Mokṣopāya". The project is embedded in the Centre for Research in the Historiography and Intellectual Culture of Kashmir (under the Patronage of the Academy of Sciences and Literature, Mainz). A commentary by Bhāskarakaṇṭha ("Mokṣopāya-ṭīkā"; late 17th century) and more than thirty manuscripts in Nāgarī, Śāradā, Grantha, and Telugu scripts are being used.
The goal of the project is a critical edition of the complete Sanskrit text, accompanied by a German translation, a philological commentary and a dictionary of its Sanskrit vocabulary.
References.
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