The Purusharthas
Divine Life
Society Publication: The Laws and the
Stages of Life in Hinduism by Swami Krishnananda
Life has been always regarded
in India as a process of progressive self-transcendence from the realm of
matter (Annamaya-Jivatva) to the realisation of supreme spiritual bliss
(Parama-Ananda). Human values and ends in life have been classified into the
scheme of the fourfold pursuit (Purushartha) of existence, viz., the practice
of righteousness and goodness (Dharma), the effort towards earning of the
necessary material values (Artha), the fulfilment of permissible desires
through honest means (Kama), and the endeavour for the final salvation of the
soul (Moksha). This analysis is based on a broad understanding of the different
levels of individuals in relation to the Universe.
The principle of Dharma is
summed up in the Mahabharata as the attitude of not meting out to others what
one would not expect others to mete out to oneself. What is contrary to the
welfare of one's own self should not be discharged or done in regard to others
(atmanah pratikulani paresham na samaoharet). Another definition of
Dharma is that it is the conduct which conduces to prosperity here (Abhyudaya)
and spiritual blessedness hereafter (Nihsreyasa). That charitable disposition
by which one regards others in the world as ends in themselves and not mere
means to one's satisfaction may be regarded as Dharma. The practice of Dharma
in this sense is more than ritual or ceremony. Morality is superior to external
rites. A moral act presupposes a moral condition of the mind within, and the
distinction between moral feeling and moral action is the same as that which
obtains between character and conduct.
The moral perspective is based
on a general view of the world as consisting of a larger family than the one
with which we are usually familiar. Our existence is bound up with great
mysteries and is more complicated in structure than is apparent from a
surface-view of things. The world-view which reaches its logical limits sees
all beings as constituting a single unit of a universal cooperative life, and
the recognition of this fact in the smaller circle of individual and social
life is Dharma, or righteousness. A violation of this principle is Adharma, or
unrighteousness. Dharma sustains the organic structure of the cosmos, like the
force of gravity which maintains the solidity of a body of matter. Adharma
tends towards a rupture of the organism and brings about a condition of what
may be called universal ill-health. If Dharma is health, Adharma is disease.
Dharma, thus, is eternal law
and not the custom or religion of a country or people. All minor Dharmas, which
go by the names of goodness and religion, receive the stamp of meaningfulness
only when they are in consonance with this Dharma of the Universe. The pursuit
of material prosperity (Artha), the fulfilment of one's desire (Kama), and even
attainment of salvation (Moksha) are all based on Dharma, which is the
rock-foundation of all practical life. None of these efforts can be successful
if it is rooted in the primary acceptance of the truth that the individual is
co-extensive with the Universe.
(To be continued.. The
Ashramas or Stages of Life)
Excerpts from:
The Purusharthas - The Laws and the
Stages of Life in Hinduism by Swami Krishnananda
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