Purusartha

Introduction

At the onset, it can be said that the theory of purusartha is based upon two presuppositions.
One, that the universe and its cosmic processes are teleological, purposive and goal-oriented.
The other is that human beings are the highest emergent so far in the cosmic process, and
though finite, they can develop infinitely. Human existence has meaning and significance, but
this can be realized only through proper planning and skillful endeavor. Realization of the
imperfection of present worldly existence motivates knowledgeable persons to undertake
such planned and skillful performance. It can be said that the idea of purusatha originated in
the context of the recognition of teleology and the possibility of the development of persons.

The purusarthas outline the goals or ends that a rational and conscious being should pursue in
life. These are dharma, artha, kama, and moksa. These pertain to moral, economic, emotional
and spiritual goals of life. However, all four do not receive the same emphasis on all the
systems that accept them. In some systems, the first three ends are taken to be the means to
achieving the goal of liberation or moksha, which is given primacy, while in some others all
the four are regarded as equally important.

The term ‘purusartha’ etymologically means ‘artha’ of the ‘purusa’, that is any object in
human pursuit or the aim of human life. According to Purva Mimamsa, purusa means a moral
agent who is discursive, who possesses freedom of the will and who has a teleological or
purposive outlook.

The performance of purusartha involves three steps. These are the knowledge of the goal
(sadhya), the knowledge of the adequate and conducive means (sadhana) of achieving that
goal and skillful employment of modalities (itikartavyata). There is a quadruple principle
underlying the pursuit of purusarthas. It is knowledge-will-effort-result (jnana-iccha-kriya-
phala). For purusarthas to be successfully pursued, these four must be properly harnessed in
their symbiotic interrelationship.

1. Dharma

Dharma is regarded as the sustaining, regulating and life-enhancing force of the entire
cosmos. The term dharma stands for the whole range of virtues, which a person ought to
cultivate and virtuous conduct which a purusa ought to perform for his welfare and the
welfare of the society. The idea of being good and therefore, desirable is to build into it.

The word Dharma is derived from the Sanskrit root ‘dhri’ 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 so-called because it protects all. Dharma preserves all that is created. Dharma,
then, is surely that principle that is capable of preserving the universe. Dharma is for the
welfare of mankind. It protects and preserves all human beings. Hence, the Hindu view of
Dharma is that it is the force of power that protects man from all kinds of dangers.
K.M Kapadia is of the view that Dharma provides a link between Artha and Kama.
According to him, “Dharma is knowing that Kama and Artha are means and not ends “ He
believes that if a person devotes all his energies to the satisfaction of basic urges then life
becomes undesirable and even dangerous. Therefore, some power or force is required to
regulate and control mankind. Dharma provides direction to the acquisitive and emotional
drives in man and by enjoying life in this manner; Dharma brings about harmony between
temporal interest and spiritual freedom. It provides a code of conduct through which man has
to conduct his day-to-day life.

Dharma exists in all planes, in all aspects and at all levels of creation. In the context of human
life, dharma consists of all that an individual undertakes in harmony with divine injunctions
and his sense of morality and justice. However, to comprehend the true nature of dharma is
not an easy task. The world is enveloped in illusion as our human minds are. What we see in
the world and learn from it may not be true and reliable. What we consider as right and
wrong or dharma and adharma may not stand the test of truth. Hence to practice dharma we
are advised to rely upon the scriptures and follow the injunctions contained therein.

The sources of dharma are the Vedas, the Vedangas, the Sutra literature of which the most
important are the Dharmashastras, and scriptures such as the Bhagavadgita. In ancient India,
Dharmashastras (law books) played an important role in guiding people on the path of
dharma. It is, however, difficult to say how far they are relevant in the present age. One
should also remember that dharma should not be viewed as end in itself but the means to a
still higher end, liberation.

2. Artha

Artha is one of the four aims of human life in Indian philosophy. The word artha translates as
"meaning, sense, goal, purpose or essence" depending on the context.Artha means the
economic and the material aspects of life. For the fulfillment of human needs and aspirations,
both individual and collective, there has to be a search for appropriate means. A total of all
such means is called artha. These resources need to be cultivated and developed following
two guiding principles of yoga and ksema. Yoga means the generation and supplementation
of resources, ksema means the protection of these resources from depletion. .A householder
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's 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. For
this purpose, Kautilya in his Arthasastra prescribes two modalities, namely, of charity and
utilization. The concepts embedded in purushartha, which includes artha, reflect a deep
understanding and insights into human nature, and of conflicts which are inevitably faced by
all human beings. Without prosperity and security in society or at an individual level, both
moral life and sensuality become difficult but there is a limit to our capacity to enjoy these
and we should not hoard them beyond that limit.

3.  Kama:
The third Puruṣārtha is Kāma, referring to pleasure. Kāma has to do with the fulfillment 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, the pleasure of the senses, aesthetic enjoyment of
life, affection, or love, with or without sexual connotations. Kāma refers to the art of enjoying
pleasures. Kama as purusartha has an important place and role in the traditional schema. The
Vedic culture maintains a healthy and robust attitude toward life. The significance of family
life and the path of activism are paramount in worldly existence.

Apart from aesthetic enjoyment, kama also stands for legitimate fulfillment of all psycho-
physical needs. It has both individual and social dimensions that are interrelated. Such needs
are named desires which are threefold namely desire for progeny, wealth and life. So that the
fruits of Kama are enjoyed in a balanced and legitimate manner, intentions need to be
tempered with an attitude of detachment.

4. Moksha

The fourth Puruṣārtha is called Moksha, Moksha is derived from the Sanskrit root, muc,
which means free, let go, release, liberate. In Vedas and early Upanishads, the word Sanskrit:
mucyate appears, which means to be set free or release - such as of a horse from its harness. it
means liberation. Moksha is one of the basic themes of Hindu philosophy. Moksha 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, the
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
the remaining three are only means while Moksha ends in itself. The rebirth idea ultimately
flowered into the ideas of saṃsāra or transmigration - where one’s balance sheet of karma
determined one’s rebirth. Along with this idea of saṃsāra, the ancient scholars developed the
concept of moksha, as a state that released a person from the saṃsāra cycle. Moksha has been
defined not merely as the absence of suffering and release from bondage to saṃsāra, various
schools of Hinduism also explain the concept as the presence of the state of paripurna-
brahmanubhava.

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. In the Vedic period, moksha was ritualistic.veda mentioned that the
description of knowledge on different levels - adhilokam, adhibhutam, adhiyajnam,
adhyatmam - helped the individual transcend to moksa. 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.

Conclusion

Purusartha is a key concept in Hinduism, which holds that every human being has four proper
goals that are necessary and sufficient for a fulfilling and happy life, Each of this four
canonical puruṣārthas was subjected to a process of study and extensive literary development
in Indian history.

By and large, it is accepted that the theory of purusartha has arisen in the context of
obligations relative to the stages of life. Through the four stages (brahmacharya, grihastha,
vanaprastha, and sannyasa) a person seeks the fulfillment of the purusarthas. Moksa is
emphasized more in the last two stages while artha and kama are considered primary during
family life. However, dharma is essential in all four stages. It is generally agreed that human
beings should lead a balanced life with proper knowledge and include the pursuit of
proximate and ultimate goals of life. For this, there can be different patterns of theorizing but
the four-fold traditional schema seems to have much in its favor. The theory of purusartha
offers a holistic philosophy of life with due recognition to the material and spiritual needs of
human beings.