PURUSHARTHAS

REPRESENTING HINDU VIEW OF LIFE

THE CONCEPT OF PURUSHARTHAS

Hinduism- more of a way of life than a religion

Hindu attitude to life- four noble ends of man

These four noble ends exemplified in hindu

dharmashastras or purusharthas

Meaning of purusharthas

Purusharthas- life purposes

Aim of every person- four noble ends or

purusharthas

They are dharma, artha, kama, moksha

Purusharthas govern- hindu attitude to life

They are guiding principles of life

Hindu social organizations built on purusharthas

The four purushastras : Dharma, Artha, Kama and moksha

I.

DHARMA( the principle of righteousness)

Dharma- supreme principle of life, a major end in life

Derived from sanskrit root, dhri meaning to hold

together, to sustain, to preserve

Dharma holds together whole universe

It is essential to maintain stability of society

Dr. S. Radhakrishnan

Every forms of life, every group of men has dharma

Which is law of its beings

Dharma or virtue is conformity with truth to it

Adharma or vice- is opposition to it

Mimamsa a philosophy

Dharma means moral code of conduct to be observed by all

human beings

Dharma is not Religion

Religion is a system of dogmas

Particular way of worshipping

Dharma

is living experience

Guiding principle of life

Complete rule of life

It leads way towards ultimate reality

It is not supernatural belief

it aims at highest perfection of life- moksha

It is knowledge of reality

Performance of duties, moral law

Righteous way of living

Guidelines in all social actions
It is foundation of social structure
Members of society to subject themselves to obligations

Kinds of Dharma

Manu speaks of sapta dharma(seven types of dharma)

1) Samanya Dharma - general rules, duties, truth, nonviolence, non-stealing, control of senses
2) Raja Dharma duties of responsibilities
3) Stridharma - duties, responsibilities, character of woman
4) Dampatya dharma duties of husband and wife
5) Varna dharma duties of different varna- brahmins,
kshatriya, vyshya, shudra
6) Ashrama dharma rules relating to different stages of
ashramas, brahmacharya, grihastha, varnaprastha,
sanyasa
7) Apaddharma rules to be followed when one is in a crisis
Sources of dharma Vedas - main source of dharma

II.

ARTHA: (WEALTH)

Wordly prosperity wealth & power

To acquire wealth by honest means

Without artha no desire(kama) can be satisfied

Hungry stomach knows no virtue

Economic stabilty basis of social stability, individual

advancement, spiritual attainment

Artha or wealth helps to sustain and enrich life

Pursuit of wealth legitimate human aspiration

Artha is to be secured through righteousness

III.

KAMA ( PLEASURE OR DESIRE)

Desires of man for enjoyment, satisfaction of life of senses

Innate desires, urges in man

It is the essence of life

With passage of time, desires increase

These desires determine social action

Pleasures of life need not be discarded for the

sake of other world

Kama does not mean instinctive life

It involves sexual, emotional and aesthetic life

Aesthetic life appreciation of all that is fine

and beautiful

Kama represents emotional expression

Lowest manifestation sex drive

It is often regarded one of the six enemies of

IV.

MOKSHA

Ultimate aim of life

Salvation, liberation from bondage of the

world

It is called moksha

When dharma becomes absolute concept it

gets the name of moksha

It is supreme aspiration of life

All our activities directed toward this end

The other three purushastras dharma,

artha, kama are called trivangas

WAYS OF ATTAINING MOKSHA

Four ways of attaining moksha or salvation

I.

Meditation Yoga marga

II.

Knowledge Jnana marga

III.

Devotion Bhakti marga

IV.

Correct action Karma marga

One is free to choose any of the four of these paths