Purushaarthas
Purushaarthas represent the goals of human existence. According to the Sanatana Dharma, there are four Purushaarthas, dharma, artha, kama and moksha.[1]
Related Terms
Sanatana Dharma > Achara, Ashramas, Brahman, Brahmarishi, Dharma, GodHead, Gunas, Illusory Self, Moksha, Neo-Hinduism, Paramatman, Purushaarthas, Rishis, Salvation, Samadhi, Sanskrit Literature, Saptarishis, Satya Yuga, Srutis, The Imperishable, Varnas, Vichara
Syncretic Terms
Notes
The term is syncretic with the LP term Right Action
"By dharma is meant the code of righteousness, which should govern the life and activities of everyone. It is all the disciplines, inspirations, restraints, and obligations necessary to blend and fuse individual life with the societal one, to make a beautiful whole.
In such a righteous life, everyone should find and develop their own monetary resources. Thus the second object is artha, meaning financial sufficiency. Wealth earned by one’s own effort is the best, most desirable. That gained from patrimony comes next. That derived from marriage in the form of dowry and the like is derogatory.
By self-earned wealth, one must try to fulfill his legitimate desires, kama. Stinginess or miserliness is detestable. Frugality is the ideal, the right option. The true objective of wealth is to gain dharma, for that alone will lead to inner spiritual enlightenment, bestowing peace, wisdom, and freedom in the end.
When dharma, artha, and kama are pursued in their right order and measure, the fourth object, moksha, becomes relevant, facile, and meaningful. Moksha denotes the release from the suffocating shackles of the mind and intelligence. With such release, or redemption, one becomes heir to immortality and inner ecstasy. This is to be achieved while living here and now. Everything about dharma is thus relevant to our life, to be pursued wholesomely here and now. It enriches, empowers, enlightens, and fulfills human life. "[2]
