Purushartha or Chaturvidha Purusharthas (four objects of human pursuit) are Dharma (duty and righteousness), Artha (wealth), Kama (desire) and Moksha (liberation).
Purusharthas are mentioned in the Surya Upanishad of Atharva Veda.
Chaturvidha means four, Purusha means an individual or person, and Artha means objective, goal, aim, purpose or pursuit. So, Purusharthas means the “objects of human pursuit” or “ideal goals of an individual” or “purpose of human life”.
Purusharthas emphasise the development of morals, ethics and values, and guide the humanity to lead a fulfilled, satisfyingly balanced, meaningful life at the deepest and the most holistic level.
One is supposed to diligently follow the first three Purusharthas, then the last one, the most important, Moksha (liberation), gets granted automatically. What it actually means is if one follows righteousness (Dharma), makes effort and succeeds in gaining large wealth (Artha) and fulfils all kinds of legitimate desires (Kama) then soon the wisdom will dawn so that the individual realises the temporariness of all the pleasures that the world has to offer and undertakes the pursuit of much higher ideal which is Moksha.
Swami Vivekananda echoes the same by saying, “Fulfill your desire for power and everything else, and after you have fulfilled the desire, will come the time when you will know that they are all very little things; but until you have fulfilled this desire, until you have passed through that activity, it is impossible for you to come to the state of calmness, serenity, and self-surrender”.
What this means is if one lives the life to the fullest, joyously, righteously, without shirking the responsibilities, enjoying all the while then one gains Viveka (sound reasoning and discriminative wisdom) and develops Vairagya (contentment and dispassion). This then opens the path towards Self-Realisation and attaining Moksha.
See Also:
Post a Comment
Post a Comment