Purushartha: Kama, Artha, Dharma, Moksha. The Four Aims of Life

Purushartha or chaturartha are the four goals of material life. Kama is enjoyment, artha is prosperity, wealth, dharma is adherence to religious laws, fulfilment of duty, and moksha is liberation.

Kama, artha, dharma, and moksha are goals attained through personal effort, early acquired karma, and various rites, rituals, ascetics, and sacrifices. The section on the attainment of these four goals of life is called karma-kanda, which describes the three types of pious activities that make it possible to attain all these goals.

Purushartha – methods of attainment

Purushartha is attained by pious activities includes: ascesis, sacrifices and charity. Purushartha is attained by performing pious activities.

Asceticism consists of voluntary self-restraint, such as fasts, vows, restrictions on sleep, food, speech, and movement. In Vedic times, ascesces were severe, the kind that modern man would not be able to repeat, but the Bhagavad-Gita describes the most acceptable form of self-restraint:

Austerity of the body consists in worship of the Supreme Lord, the brahmanas, the spiritual master, and superiors like the father and mother, and in cleanliness, simplicity, celibacy and nonviolence.
Austerity of speech consists in speaking words that are truthful, pleasing, beneficial, and not agitating to others, and also in regularly reciting Vedic literature.
And satisfaction, simplicity, gravity, self-control and purification of one’s existence are the austerities of the mind.

Bhagavad-Gita. 17.14-16

Ascesis gives power with the help of which the attainment of any goal of life becomes possible. A person acquires a strong and steady mind, a strong will, and the obstacles in front of him dissolve. It is believed that the fruits of ascesis are given to man by the demigods, who embody the world in its various manifestations, and therefore, having performed ascesis, man will not meet serious obstacles on the way to achieving the goal.

Sacrifices are not performed in Kali-yuga. Sacrifices require repetition of rhythmic long hymns, one mistake in which can spoil the whole sacrifice. The rhythmic repetition of long hymns requires qualified brahmans with perfect memory. In Kali-yuga the qualifications of brahmans are low, and therefore mistakes will always be made in the course of the sacrifice. In the present age, the only form of sacrifice is sankirtana-yagya, the repetition of the holy names of God in the form of a Mahamantra.

Charity prescribes to support the life of the suffering and to make donations to deserving persons. The Vedas prescribe that only Brahmans of all four varnas are entitled to receive donations. In the Vedic texts one can often find descriptions of donations at a strictly defined time and place, such as during the solar eclipse at Kurukshetra. It is believed that a properly performed donation purifies a person and bestows upon him such a proportionate amount of good karma, which will manifest itself in the ability to receive multiplied wealth. The donation should be offered to a worthy person, in the right place and with the right mindset. It should be made from the heart, without the desire to receive something in return, out of a sense of duty and benevolence. Only such a donation will bring real good.

Sacrifices bring enjoyment, charity brings prosperity, and ascesis brings mighty power to be channelled into the fulfilment of duty.

Purushartha: Kama, Artha, Dharma, Moksha

Having achieved one of the goals, one should act in such a way that the achieved goal does not immediately turn into a cause of degradation. For this purpose there are various regulations limiting and imputing human activity. A living being can enjoy unlimited pleasure only on paradise planets, the attainment of which is also a matter of karma-kanda, pious activity, or fulfilment of duty, dharma.

Kama is the level of pleasure

Kama is a level of varied pleasures, chief among which are sexual pleasures. Kamashastras such as Ananga-Ranga describe the civilised level of enjoyment that is permissible for a Vedic person. The civilised level of enjoyment does not lead to degradation and hence it is extremely important to observe:

It is assumed that all those who enter into love games, both boys and girls, know the rules of yogic niyama, which inculcates from childhood such habits as purifying the body by ablutions and eating healthy and pure food; and in addition to external purification (bahya), lovers should have full assimilation of abyakhtara, or internal purification, i.e. cultivation of good feelings in themselves – friendliness, benevolence, not causing moral or physical pain to others, etc.; cultivation of the habit of contentment with what comes by itself, without much effort, i.e. santoshi.

Ananga-Ranga. Treatise One.

It also describes that those who desire pleasure should strengthen their bodies with physical exercises, asanas, breathing practices, pranayama, meditation, dhyana, and the ability to divert the senses from objects of pleasure and gain deep concentration. Civilised pleasure is meant for those who live a family life, in order to strengthen family ties. Any sexual enjoyment outside the life of husband and wife is considered sinful and thus leads to degradation and vice.

In order to increase the level of pleasure not only in sexual life, it is prescribed to practise the arts, as they sharpen the senses, allowing one to perceive the world in a more subtle way. The mind should be cleansed of mental impurities, which makes it possible to experience pleasure more attentively and without giving in to the urges of the mind that lead to dissatisfaction.

The pleasures of an educated and honourable man do not degenerate into vicious actions, deeds and words. In Vedic times it was believed that sex outside marriage was the lot of people who had sunk to the level of animals and were ready to have intercourse with anyone, anywhere and anytime. The highest pleasure is achieved just from attraction at the level of body, mind and reason, which is achieved only through trust, intimacy, understanding and long-term relationship built on the basis of two moral characters. Anything else is like trying to get juice from a chewed reed – just tasteless. The human form of life is not designed for uncontrolled and continuous enjoyment. Humans are not capable of prolonged sex, eating, sleeping or socialising, but animals are. The essence of pleasure is not duration, but intensity and the ability to approach pleasure freely, civilised and without becoming dependent on it.

Artha – material prosperity

Artha is the level of all-round material prosperity. Artha is mainly manifested in wealth and methods of attaining it, but without family, health and friends, artha is not considered complete. Therefore, modern careerism, in which one gets fully involved in activities undermining all other areas of life is not considered worthy. This is a manifestation of guna rajas, which inevitably leads to change, for it is impossible to work hard for the rest of one’s life, and if it is possible, it will be a short life. Does such a life have meaning and dignity?

The attainment of artha is divided into two spheres: karma and personal effort. It is difficult to attain artha by karma alone or by personal effort alone. Karma manifests itself as the totality of past deeds. If a person has done righteous deeds, he will be accompanied by great good fortune. If a person has committed vicious, sinful or unacceptable deeds, there will always be various insurmountable obstacles in the way of attaining artha. Good karma gives such natural qualities and abilities, which contribute to the acquisition of prosperity, and bad karma burdens with negative qualities and inclinations. Therefore, for the sake of present prosperity as well as for the sake of future prosperity, one should perform virtuous deeds.

Personal endeavour consists of acquiring education and skills. Diligent study, training and discipline, the ability to control one’s actions and to direct one’s efforts in the right direction can give one prosperity. Arthashastra describes that for a young man, the day is divided into different forms of learning. During the day, the young man should learn his trade and spiritual science, and in the evening he should listen to legends, stories, sacred texts and repeat what he has learnt. This is the case until adulthood, after which the young man begins to engage in activities. It is believed that learning comes from listening, and the ability to listen from the authority of the tutor, so the young man’s parents select experienced teachers who impart sciences appropriate to the nature of the young man.

From listening comes understanding, from understanding comes application to practice, from application to practice comes full self-awareness. This is the power of science.

Arthashastra

A trained, capable, educated person in material and spiritual sciences has the ability to apply the acquired knowledge and skills in practice. This is where personal endeavour comes in. After all, few people have control over their birth or what they will be. Therefore, for a favourable birth one should give up bad deeds, even though they may lead to temporary prosperity.

Artha enables the fulfilment of duty and proper enjoyment, being the foundation for material life. In Vedic society artha was considered not as a sign of wealth, but as a sign of morality, because only a virtuous person could attain great prosperity. At the same time, great prosperity obliged to help others in the form of charity and sacrifices. Generosity allowed a man to remain independent of his own wealth, combining dignity with great prosperity.

Dharma is the fulfilment of duty

Dharma in Vedic society was the fulfilment of duty and adherence to legal and religious laws. Dharma can be defined as a set of moral principles that motivated man to virtue and fulfil his duties. Purushartha reflected dharma as an activity done out of a sense of duty that brings about the highest good. Dharma manifests its influence as a protecting, rewarding and evolutionary force. It is believed that if one fulfils one’s dharma honestly, one is protected by dharma itself, and dharma is one of the highest material laws.

The rewarding power lies in the fact that by fulfilling one’s dharma one easily attains the highest benefits. For example, performing the duty of a warrior frees one from all sins and enables one to attain life on the heavenly planets. Fulfilment of the duty of a brahmana leads to attainment of life on even higher heavenly planets. Dharma leads to the attainment of prosperity and enjoyment that is not available in the human body.

As an evolutionary force, dharma enables man to rise to a higher and higher stage of development. A dog’s dharma is to protect his master, by fulfilling his dharma he becomes a human being. A shudra’s dharma is to serve the master, by fulfilling his dharma a shudra becomes a master. A vaishya becomes a kshatriya, a kshatriya becomes a brahman. Brahman in turn is the most suitable degree of development to attain spiritual peace or liberation. Therefore, one should perform dharma both for the sake of attaining pleasure and prosperity and for the sake of attaining ultimate liberation. However, one should perform such activities without expecting reward, out of a sense of duty.

For man, by following the dharma declared in sacred revelation and sacred tradition, attains glory in this world, after death the highest bliss.

Manu-smriti. 2.9

In Vedic society, the most learned and moral people valued the opportunity to fulfil their dharma above pleasure or prosperity. Not only because the fulfilment of dharma was rewarded in one way or another, but because exalted individuals are usually free from material, selfish motives. At the same time, their thoughts are directed towards acquiring the true good for themselves and others. Therefore, the fulfilment of dharma was a natural extension of their exalted character.

Moksha is liberation

Moksha is liberation from sansara, the cycle of birth and death. Real liberation happens when the soul reaches the spiritual world, thereby returning to its original abode. In the material world the soul is conditioned by the three gunas, ignorance, false ego, mind and intelligence. The influence of such powerful forces can only be overcome by a superior force. It is only through spiritual knowledge that liberation is attained.

God is the supreme spiritual being, and to attain liberation by His grace is the only path to liberation. Grace can be earned through devotional service, which is selfless and arises out of a sincere desire to satisfy the Supreme Lord. In the process of devotional service, steady remembrance of the Supreme Lord arises, the consciousness is purified and spiritualised, and one gets rid of the material influence of false ego, mind and intelligence, for they become spiritual. The living entity comes out of the influence of the three gunas and so becomes liberated, attaining the spiritual world.

Purushartha: Kama, artha, dharma, moksha

Purushartha can be illustrated as the holistic process of harvesting sugarcane. Kama, artha, dharma and moksha can be compared to the cultivation of sugarcane.

Kama is the attempt to pick the reed and enjoy its juice. Artha is the cultivation and harvesting of the reed. Dharma is the offering of the reed to the king. And moksha is when the king, seeing the devotion of the offerer frees him from work and makes him his personal servant, allowing him to live in the palace. But liberation is available only if there is sincere devotion and not a desire for reward. Purushartha depicts the material world: from the very first attempt to enjoy it, to ultimate liberation by sacrificing the possibility of enjoyment. This is how spiritual peace is attained – through detachment from material motives.