Theory of Purusharthas: Dharma, Artha, and Kama and Moksha

 
Purusartha is a key concept in Hinduism and refers to the four proper goals or
aims of a human life. It is four-fold human aspirations. The four-fold human
aspirations are "Dharma”, Artha","Kama" and "Moksha". The word Purusartha
literally means "purpose of human being " or "object of human pursuit ".
Dharma, means righteousness, moral values, “Artha”, means prosperity,
economic values. “Kama” in its narrow sense denotes sexual desire, but in its
broader sense it stands for all sensual pleasure and the ultimate goal of human
life is “Moksha”. “Moksha” means self-realization which is the state of the
complete cessation of all sufferings. The aim of life of an individual is
determined by the doctrine of Purusartha. It also decides the course of life of
man and lays down norms and values for the behaviour pattern. In the modern
world, the society itself progresses through the use of huge technological
methods, forgetting the final destination of our life. The traditional meaning of
Puruṣārthas has been diluted today. Nowadays we see cruelty, sectarianism,
character defect, corruption, riot etc in our society. These are possible to
extirpated by the four purusarthas. So, the compulsions of pususarths are always
relevant in human life. On the other hand, we can say that the treatises of
purusarthas have made Sanskrit literature rich forever and as a guide material
for the people to improve their life.
           The word ‘puruṣa’ means “human being”, “Soul” as well as “Universal
principle and soul of the universe”. The word ‘Artha’ means not only wealth or
value, but also purpose or objective. So, the word “Puruṣārtha” etymologically
denotes the aim or purpose in life or "purpose of human being" or "object of
human pursuit". The purpose or goal of life is called ‘Puruṣārtha by the Hindu
scriptures. It is a key concept in Hinduism, and refers to the four proper goals or
aims of a human life. Puruṣārthas means with the purpose for which a person
strives for.
All four Purusarthas are important, but in cases of conflict, Dharma is
considered more important than Artha or Kama in Hindu philosophy.
Puruṣārtha is just like a weapon by which human beings protect their lives and
control themselves. In Mahābhārat it is also mentioned that the ultimate aim of
life is to attain moksha in the path of Dharma. Purusartha is also generally
assumed that the three are so intimately related to each other that each cannot be
understood without the other.
 
Dharma-The first of the goals is dharma. The word Dharma is derived from the
Sanskrit root ‘dhṛi’ which means to hold together or to preserve. Hence, the
social implication of Dharma as a principle to maintain the stability of the
society is brought out in various classical Hindu texts. Dharma is a concept of
central importance in Indian Philosophy and religion. Dharma includes the
religious duties, moral rights and duties of each individual, as well as
behaviours that enable social order, right conduct and those that are virtuous.
Dharma is so called because it protects all.
In ancient India Dharmashāstras played an important role in guiding people on
the path of dharma. Dharma consists of all that an individual undertakes in
harmony with divine injunctions and his own sense of morality and justice.
Dharma embraces every type of righteous conduct, covering every aspect of
life.
Artha- is one of the four aims of human life in Indian philosophy. The word
artha literally translates as "meaning, sense, goal, purpose or essence"
depending on the context. Artha means the economic and the material aspects of
life. Hinduism recognizes the importance of material wealth for the overall
happiness and well-being of an individual. Artha is also a broader concept in the
scriptures of Hinduism.Artha is one of the four goals of human life, in Hindu
traditions. It includes career, skills, health, wealth, prosperity and means of
fulfilling life. A house holder requires wealth, because he has to perform many
duties to uphold dharma and take care of the needs of his family and society. A
person should not seek wealth for wealth sake but to uphold dharma and help
the members of his family and society achieve their goals. Artha does give
security and material pleasure and above all it gives us a comfortable feeling.
Money is not only a means to some security, but it is also a means for getting
enjoyments, comforts of life. Nevertheless, every person must be taught the art
of acquiring money to have a certain sense of physical safety.
Kama-The third Puruṣārtha is Kāma, referring to pleasure. Kāma has to do with
the fulfilment of desires in the world. "Kama" means "desire, wish, longing in
Indian literature. Kama often connotes sexual desire and longing in
contemporary literature, but the concept more broadly refers to any desire, wish,
passion, longing, pleasure of the senses, aesthetic enjoyment of life, affection,
or love, with or without sexual connotations. Kāma refers to the art of enjoying
pleasures. Having acquired some money, having got some security, the next
step for everyone is to use this money for your comforts, enjoy yourself and
enjoy fulfilling your duties and responsibilities.
Kama often implies the short form of the word kamana (desire, appetition or
appetite). Kama is an experience that includes the discovery of an object,
learning about the object, emotional connection, the process of enjoyment and
the resulting feeling of well-being before, during, and after the experience.
Vatsyayana, the author of Kamasutra, describes kama as happiness that is a
manasa vyapara (phenomenon of the mind). Just like the Mahabharata,
Vatsyayana's Kamasutra defines kama as pleasure, an individual experience
from the world, with one or more senses - hearing, seeing, tasting, smelling, and
feeling - in harmony with one’s mind and soul. Kama Sutra, in its discourse on
kama, describes many forms of art, dance, and music, along with sex, as the
means to pleasure and enjoyment.
Vatsyayana claims kama is never in conflict with dharma or artha, rather all
three coexist and kama results from the other two. A man practicing Dharma,
Artha and Kama enjoys happiness now and in future. Any action which
conduces to the practice of Dharma, Artha and Kama together, or of any two, or
even one of them should be performed. But an action which conduces to the
practice of one of them at the expense of the remaining two should not be
performed. The pursuit of pleasure, claim objectors, encourages individuals to
commit unrighteous deeds, bring distress, carelessness, levity and suffering later
in life. These objections were then answered by Vatsyayana, with the
declaration that kama is as necessary to human beings as food, and kama is
holistic with dharma and artha.
Moksha: is one of the basic themes of Hindu philosophy.Moksha (Sanskrit:,
mokṣa), also called vimoksha, vimukti and mukti,is a term in Hinduism and
Hindu philosophy which refers to various forms of emancipation, liberation, and
release. Moksha means liberation, realization of the self and is the ultimate
destination of this human birth. In its soteriological and eschatological senses, it
refers to freedom from saṃsāra, the cycle of death and rebirth. In its
epistemological and psychological senses, moksha refers to freedom from
ignorance, self-realization. Moksha is a concept associated with saṃsāra (birth-
rebirth cycle). This bondage to repeated rebirth and life, each life subject to
injury, disease and aging, was seen as a cycle of suffering. By release from this
cycle, the suffering involved in this cycle also ended. This release was called
moksha, nirvana, kaivalya, mukti and other terms in various Indian religious
traditions. Some thinkers believe that Moksha is the most important Purusartha
and remaining three are only means while Moksha is an end in itself.
Mokṣa is a key concept in Yoga, where it is a state of “awakening”, liberation
and freedom in this life. In its historical development, the concept of moksha
appears in three forms: Vedic, yogic and bhakti forms. The words moksha,
nirvana (nibbana) and kaivalya are sometimes used synonymously, because they
all refer to the state that liberates a person from all causes of sorrow and
suffering. However, in modern era literature, these concepts have different
premises in different religions. Kaivalya, a concept akin to moksha, rather than
nirvana, is found in some schools of Hinduism such as the Yoga school.