Dharm, Arth, Kaam, Moksha: 4 Purusharthas

This was the systematic plan of the Vedic Rishis for the liberation of the souls bound in worldly maya and slowly get supreme freedom in the state of moksha, which is called Param Purushartha. The significance of this system was as follows:Dharma-this is a karma Marga. To fulfill the desires by worships, pujas and karma kanda and rituals. By following these many of the Sakam desires of a family men are fulfilled. : Righteousness, Duty. Artha: Wealth. Kama: Desire. Moksha: Liberation. The four Purushartha are indeed the qualities and objectives of the Supreme Self and God. And since an individual is a reflection and manifestation of God, it is the rightful pursuit of a person to fulfill these four Purushartha. In fact, it is both your individual and soul purpose. The English and closest word to Purushartha is the will power. This will comes from the Purusha of sankhya yoga that is the consciousness. This is what the Bible describes as the will of God. Cheers!

Dharma: A person is born on this earth to fulfill certain duties. The soul houses itself into the physical body which is most suited for performing these duties. The work that a person needs to do, which may be tied to their body, family, or commitments, among others, can be the Dharma of the person. Dharma is a difficult word to translate into English, but can roughly be explained as the rightful duty of a person.

Artha: Artha is the pursuit of material wealth, which may bring material comfort to a person. People sometimes believe that the path of spiritual growth and pursuit of material wealth are mutually exclusive, or even that a spiritual seeker needs to be in poverty. But that is not true. If we look at the Universe, it is a reflection of abundance. Nature is abundant in everything. Poverty is nothing but a state of consciousness. If abundance is a quality of the Divine, how is the pursuit of abundance in contrast with the pursuit of the Divine? If one is in poverty, in a state of continually worrying about how to support and feed, how can one pursue spirituality?

When one can move beyond daily worries, they can focus their attention on the goal of union with the divine. However, it is essential to remain unattached to the possession or attainment of wealth. We all need to prosper in our lives don't we. Good food, drinking water, all our basic needs, trees and some wealth come under prosperity. If you acquire only wealth in your life, you become happy in this life but unhappy in your next. If you devote yourself to only Brahmacharya, you will be unhappy in this life but blessed in the next. If you devote yourself to acquiring sufficient wealth and Brahmacharya, you will be happy in this and subsequent lives.

Kama: Kama is fulfilling one’s desires. Desires may come in various forms — to be wealthy, powerful, sexual needs, for recognition, etc. The Kama Purushartha advocates that one’s desires need to be fulfilled in their lifetime, albeit in a state of awareness and without harming anyone in the process. For a person to evolve spiritually and to reach the ultimate destination, the barrier of their desires needs to be crossed. This can be done either by fulfilling the desires or by sublimating or transcending them. He had to fulfill his emotional desires his feelings and his subtle desires and vasanas. By exhausting these karmas, in a virtuous way and in family he got released from worldly karma, in a great way.

Moksha: Moksha means liberation, the realization of the Self, and is the ultimate destination of this human birth. It is the stage of inner realization that the individual self is the same as the Supreme Self. Moksha is the experience of the cosmos within one’s self. It is the experience of the flow and fusion of the Shiva and Shakti energies in one’s self. The experience of union, oneness or Ekatvam with one’s Higher Self is Moksha. What is to be understood is that the word Moksha is used in a more process oriented context and as something to aspire towards. It is a Goal for our life… not better than our life. Remember all these were relevant with respect to the societal structure of the time. And as i mentioned before, they are mentioned in Smritis, that is they are applicable for the time they were written for.

A modern Interpretation of Moksha: We all seek Happiness in peace in our lives. Once we start asking the question what exactly is the cause of this happiness? Why I cannot I be Happy at all times? Who is this who is being happy? My mind? Who is this me? … Who AM I? This last question is the basis of all spiritual endeavors. Spiritual endeavors are not opposed to our life, they enhance our life. Thus the freedom that we desire for… Freedom from complaints, freedom from stress, freedom from conflict, freedom from anger, freedom from hate… is what we need to pursue. We must seek to make ourselves better human beings. This all that today's Self Help Gurus go on endlessly. This is a simple concept…We need to be happy…and if possible always happy…Let us seek that true unending Happiness, which never changes, never wanes, never alters…. The Ultimate Truth of life. All this is not beyond our life, but to enhance our lives in all possible ways !!!Cheers!