Dharma and purushartha

Introduction • In order for an individual to realize their supreme Self, they

need to identify the reasons and objectives why they came into being on this earth plane, and fulfill them.

• The ancient seers clearly articulated the objectives of humankind as "Purusharthas" -- 'Purusha' means an individual or person, and 'Artha' means meaning or objective or pursuit. They articulated four Purusharthas as:

• Dharma : Righteousness, Duty• Artha  : Wealth• Kama   : Desire• Moksha : Liberation

• .

• The four purusharthas are really the objectives of God, of the Supreme Self, the qualities of God.

• And since an individual person is a reflection of God, is a part of God, it is the rightful pursuit of a person to fulfill these four purusharthas.

DHARMA…….!

(Righteousness)

“DHARMA “ (Righteousness)

• This concept is very central to the Indian Philosophy. Dharma does not mean religion. Dharma is derived from the word ‘Dharma’ which means to hold, absorb and assimilate in such a way that it becomes one’s nature. The Dharma of ice is to sooth and cool anything it comes in contact with.

• Dharma also is interpreted as a path of righteousness. Sanatan Dharma or eternal path of righteousness prescribes various values to be imbibed ad some values to be refrained, so s to lead an ethical and moral life.

• According to the Sanatan Dharma there are three components of Dharma:• SATYA:-• YAGNA-• TAPASYA-

COMPONETS OF DHARMA

• Satya-• Truth- in thoughts, words, deeds,

intentions and actions

• Yagna-• Dedication and sacrifice-giving up

dreams and aspirations , selflessness, looking at larger good, faith in supreme power

• Tapasya-

• Sublimation-purification of mind ,body and soul so as to control one’s desires, instincts and passions

• SATYA:-

• This means complete truth in thoughts, intentions, words and deeds. If there is any discrepancy either in intention, spoken words or thoughts and one’s deed it is not Satya.

• Such a man who is Man of integrity who is completely truthful in thoughts, words and deeds is called a Dharmic Man. He may belong to any religion. Yet he follows Dharma.

• YAGNA-• In Yagna - like in the holy fire, we offer our dreams and aspirations and have full

faith in the divine power. We do the selfless act as we wish to do maximum GOOD of maximum number of people.

• We forsake our petty and temporary pleasures, as also give up all the negative emotions which obstructs our development in the holy fire as our offering to the omnipotent God. If any person does it irrespective of his religion or caste, he is truly a Dharmic person.

• TAPASYA-

• This refers to sublimation of one’s desires, instincts and passions leading a disciplined life, purifying the body, mind and the soul. In various religions practiced in India, there are various rituals and fasts observed to purify our body, mind and soul.

• Muslim fast for an entire month of Ramzan, similarly the have Jains a week of ‘Paryushan’ and Hindus have ‘Shravan’ All these rituals are aimed to purify our heart as the pure hearted only can entitled to the divine grace of the Lord.

Kinds of Dharma• Dharma-

• It has Kshama (forgiveness), Daya (pity), Ahimsa (non violence), No Krodh (Anger) & Ahankar (ego)

• Apad Dharma-

• A course of action which is not usually proper but permissible in times of distress and calamity. To help even enemy when they are in need would come under apad dharma

• Adharma- According to Rishi Manu in his Manu Shruti,

“ध र्मो� इवा� हतो हतितो !

धर्मो� रक्षतितो रक्षिक्षतो : !

तोस्र्मो�द धर्मो� ना� हन्तोवायो !

र्मो� ना धर्मो� हतो वाधतो� !”

• if dharma is destroyed, it destroys us. If Dharma is protected, it protects it. Therefore, do not destroy dharma lest dharma may destroy us.

• Swadharma-“ श्रे�यो�ना स्वाधर्मो� तिवागु�ठा�:   परध�र्मो�तो स्वाना�ष्टि�तो�तो !

स्वाधर्मो� निंना�धना श्रेयो:   परधर्मो� भयो�वाह: ! 

• one’s duty based on one’s swabhava (nature) and aptitude. The duty one has to do, by one’s virtue of birth in a particular family, place in society should be carried out for the general welfare of the society and worship of DIVINE.

• An example :- “According to Indian Philosophy, the duty of a son is to make his parents proud by his success in a field in which his parent wants.

• but In this case, if the Parents forced the son to be a Doctor or Engineer and not pursue a career of his choice and Swabhava that would be Adharma.

• Hence, Swadharma gives the individual freedom to choose his career and important decisions as per his Swabhava (behavior ).

 

“Dharmic leadership…!”

Dharmic leadership….!

• Ethical decision making:-

• Ethical behavior both by individual and organization

• Perfection

• Difference between right and wrong

• Maximum benefit for max people

Example of Dharmic Leadership:

• The eldest son of Kunti, in Mahabharat, Prince Yudhisthira is not represented as a valorous warrior but is portrayed as excelling in virtues and was called “Dharma Raj”.

• He lost his Kingdom as it was at stake at a game of dice and as a result of second game he and his 4 brothers were compelled to a exile of 13 years, and 1 year in total “agyatvas”.

• He was “dharma” personified and in the most crucial times of war he followed principles like Truth (Satya), Yagna and Tapasya. He was full of virtues and compassion not only for human being but also for animals and insects.

• After death, he got a place in heaven but renounced it because his faithful dog was refused entrance with him. Later on he was readmitted to heaven with his dog, by the consent of his Godfather, dharma

Later on he was readmitted to heaven with his dog, by the consent of his Godfather, dharma

VARNASHRAM DHARMA:

• It laid down the right conduct in the different stages of life. During the making of Indian Civilization and culture in the ancient past, it was conceived as a code of functioning, in logical sequence.

• The four social classes in Ancient India:

• (1) Bramhins:- • This social class was engaged in imparting and accumulating

knowledge and skills in different walks of life. The ultimate aim of this class was to know ‘Bramhan’ to the ultimate spiritual truth.

• Used to run gurukuls (schools & colleges )

• (2) KshatriyaThis social class was engaged in protection of the civilians and were the

“Protectors” hence the name Kshatriya,

• (3) Vaishya:-

This was the trading community which was engaged

in commerce and business and for providing goods and services

to the local community at competitive rate.

• (4) Sudra.They were the working class which took care of publichealth and sanitation and were engaged in keeping the environment neat and

clean. This classification was based on the occupation of the individual

However, a son of a Vaishya (Trading Community) who was engaged in pursuit of knowledge was considered a Bramhin and hence one was not born in this community but choose to, due to the occupation they choose. Similarly, there was another set of rules laid down for different stages of life like:

There was another set of rules laid down for different stages of life like:

• Ashrams in life

• Brahmacharyashram-• 8-21 years, male child, Gurukul,

• Grihasthashram-• 25years, marriage, law abiding citizen, dutiful householder

• Vanaprathashram-• after fulfilling the duties moving to the forest for a tranquil life and to look for

soul .

• Sanyasashram-• renounce the worldly pleasures and live like ascetic.

Purushartha….!

Intro

• The ancient seers clearly articulated the objectives of humankind as "Purusharthas" -- 'Purusha' means an individual or person, and 'Artha' means meaning or objective or pursuit. They articulated four Purusharthas as:

• Dharma : Righteousness, Duty

• Artha : Wealth

• Kama : Desire

• Moksha : Liberation

Artha (अर्थ�)

It refers to the idea of material prosperity. In Hinduism, artha is one of the four goals of life, known as purusharthas.

It is considered to be a noble goal as long as it follows the dictates of Vedic morality.

The concept includes achieving widespread fame, garnering wealth and having an elevated social standing. It is the second of the four purusharthas.The important thing to remember is not to be attached to the possession or attainment of wealth.

It can be sought with detachment, and with awareness, and when done in this state of mind, the pursuit of wealth is not different from the pursuit of the Divine, because one sees abundance, or wealth as a form of the Divine. And in this state of detachment, one recognizes when one has attained their financial objectives, and hence the desire to pursue more automatically dies away, paving the way for Moksha.

Kama • Kama is fulfilling one's desires.  Desires are in various forms -- to be

wealthy, powerful, sexual needs, recognition, service, etc. The Kama purushartha advocates that one's desires in this lifetime need to be fulfilled, albeit in a state of awareness and without harming anyone in the process.

• As one becomes aware of their desires and one goes about fulfilling them in awareness and without judgement, one soon reaches the stage of being able to sublimate them. The Divine, the Universe, lends a big hand in the process.

Moksha ( liberation )

• Moksha means liberation, realizing of the Self, and is the ultimate destination for this human birth.

• It is the stage of inner realization that the individual self is the same as the Supreme Self.

• It is the experience of the cosmos within one's self. It is the experience of the flow and fusion of the Shiva and Shakti energies in one's self.

• It is the experience of union, oneness, Ekatvam, with the Universe.

Thank you….!