The Four Purusharthas: Dharma, Artha, Karma and Moksha
Purusha means human being and artha means object or objective. Thus Purusharthas means objectives of a man.
Here, ‘Purusha’ does not mean a male in its physical sense of the word. It means any soul in its differentiated form. The Purusharthas are applicable to both men and women.
According to Vedanta, a person should strive to achieve four main objectives (Purusharthas) in his life. They are:
- Dharma (righteousness)
- Artha (material wealth)
- Kama (desire)
- Moksha (salvation)
Every person is expected to achieve these four objectives and seek fulfillment in life before death. The four principles can be summarized as “acquiring material wealth through righteousness to fulfill the desires of acquiring inner happiness”
The word dharma means, “To hold together”. It represents “any act” of omission or commission, which holds people together in the society. The purpose of earning money should be to hold one’s dharma and the money should be earned using the principles of dharma.
Moksha is the very purpose of life and in broader sense denotes acquiring inner happiness. The same can only be acquired using the principles of duty, discipline and devotion. Only if the desire or intention to acquire one’s happiness is focused on it one can get it. Intention and attention are thus the main two tools of acquiring any thing in life. With right intention and focused attention, one can overcome all adversities in life.
These main principles also enlighten us about the message of the Trimurti: Brahma, Vishnu and Mahesh (Shiva), the three Gods of our existence. Brahma teaches us about Dharma, Vishnu about righteous earning and Mahesha about fulfilling the desires.
All the four Purusharthas are also related to the Ashrams of life; Bramhacharya Ashram with dharma, Grasthya Ashram with Artha, Vanprastha Ashram with Kama and Sanyasa Ashram with the Moksha.
Vedic texts are available on each of the objective: Dharmashastra, Arthashastra, Kamashastra and the Upanishads.
Summary
“Using dharma to earn money which in turn can be spent on fulfilling the desire to get inner happiness” or “Fulfilling one’s desire of inner happiness using the means earned through righteous earning.”
