puruShArtha

[Guest guest]

namaste.

 

I wonder if anyone can give information when and where is the

earliest mention of puruShArthA-s - dharma artha kAma moksha -

in the Indian spiritual literature.

 

I am asking this question in the context of my continuing doubts

on the capability of 'human's 'action' vis-a-vis to change his/her

'future'.

 

Regards

Gummuluru Murthy

--

[Guest guest]

Namaste,

 

Thank you very much for raising my curiosity about this subject.

 

The dictionary meaning of purushhaartha is : any object of human

pursuit.

 

Tilak, in his celebrated book 'Gita Rahasya', wrote: " Any particular

thing which a man likes and which he desires to attain, is

called 'purushhaartha' [Jaimini Sutra IV:i:1,2]."

 

[" atha ataH kratu artha purushha arthayoH jij~naasaa .

athaato kratvarthapurushhaarthayorjij~naasaa ."]

 

" 'kratu' is a synonym for 'yaj~na'and therefore the

word 'kratvaartha' is also used in place of the word 'yaj~naartha',

and therefore, all actions fall into the two divisions

of 'yaj~naartha' ['kratvartha'] , that is actions which do not give

any independent fruit or benefit and are therefore, non-binding;

and 'purushhartha' , that is actions performed for the benefit of the

doer,and therefore, binding."....

 

H.H. Sw. Chandrasekharendra Saraswati,in the book, 'The Vedas', wrote:

 

"".... Though Vedas have so designed it that the duties which are

required to be done for individual salvation also indirectly produce

commonweal, and what serves this dual purpose is Dharma, we do not

find any orderly or clear-cut list or any detiled procedural

instructions.....

 

"....From out of such Vedas, 'Kalpa', the sixth vedaa~Nnga, has

presented an orderly and consolidated list of duties or Karmas in the

shape of Sutras. But these are by their very nature brief nor do they

offer detailed guidance. Dharma Shastras alone make these sutras

understandable and explain them beyond doubt......

 

"...Dharma Shastra lays down the code of conduct for man covering all

aspects of life....

 

"...Manu, Parasara, Yajnavalkya, Gautama, Harita, Yama, Vishnu,

Sanka, Likhita, Brihaspati, Daksha, Angiras, Prachetas, Samvarta,

Asanas, Atri, Apastamba, Satatapa - these 18 Maharshis had grasped

the contents of all the Vedas ....have given us their compilations in

the form of Dharma Shastra...."

 

Ramayana, Mahabharata, Puranas are repositories of the same tenets.

 

In Brahma Sutra [iII:iv:i] the word 'purushhartha' is used is used

strictly in the sense of the'highest goal of human life.'

 

[if anyone would like more detailed references to the quotations

above,

please let me know.]

 

Regards,

 

s.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

advaitin , Gummuluru Murthy <gmurthy@m...> wrote:

>

>

> namaste.

>

> I wonder if anyone can give information when and where is the

> earliest mention of puruShArthA-s - dharma artha kAma moksha -

> in the Indian spiritual literature.

>

> I am asking this question in the context of my continuing doubts

> on the capability of 'human's 'action' vis-a-vis to change his/her

> 'future'.

>

> Regards

> Gummuluru Murthy

> --

[Guest guest]

Namaste,

 

This is one of the references:

 

Mahabharata: Salya Parva, 60:21, 22 :_

 

dharmaH sucharitaH sadbhiH sa cha dvaabhyaa.n niyachchhati .

arthashchaatyarthalubdhasya kaamashchaatiprasa~NgiNaH .. 21..

 

dharmaarthau dharmakaamau cha kaamaarthau chaapyapiiDayan.h .

dharmaarthakaamaanyo.abhyeti so.atyanta.n sukhamashnute .. 22..

 

Balarama (who was conversant with the rules of morality) said:

 

Morality is well practised by the good. Morality, however, is always

afflicted by two things, viz., the desire of Profit entertained by

those that covet it, and the desire for Pleasure cherished by those

that are wedded to it. Whoever without afflicting Morality and

Profit, or Morality and Pleasure, or Pleasure and Profit, follows all

three, viz., Morality, Profit and Pleasure, always succeeds in

obtaining great happiness.

 

Regards,

 

s.

 

 

 

 

advaitin , Gummuluru Murthy <gmurthy@m...> wrote:

>

>

> namaste.

>

> I wonder if anyone can give information when and where is the

> earliest mention of puruShArthA-s - dharma artha kAma moksha -

> in the Indian spiritual literature.

>

> I am asking this question in the context of my continuing doubts

> on the capability of 'human's 'action' vis-a-vis to change his/her

> 'future'.

>

> Regards

> Gummuluru Murthy

> --

[Guest guest]

On Mon, 27 Nov 2000, sunder hattangadi wrote:

> Namaste,

>

> Thank you very much for raising my curiosity about this subject.

>

> The dictionary meaning of purushhaartha is : any object of human

> pursuit.

>

> [...]

 

namaste shri Sunder,

 

Thanks very much for all the references.

 

You seem to have encyclopedic knowledge and access to vast amount

of information at your fingertips. It is nice to have someone like

that and so willing to help, on the List.

 

I will follow up on the references and see the contexts in which

they were mentioned.

 

Thanks again for all the valuable information.

> Regards,

>

> s.

>

 

Regards

Gummuluru Murthy

------

[Guest guest]

advaitin , Gummuluru Murthy <gmurthy@m...> wrote:

>

>

> Thanks very much for all the references.

>

> You seem to have encyclopedic knowledge and access to vast amount

> of information at your fingertips. > Regards

> Gummuluru Murthy

> --

---

***Namaste Murthy-garu,

 

You are welcome! That's all 'mithyaa-j~naana' inflated by

the cyber-technology!

 

Regards,

 

s.

[Guest guest]

advaitin , Gummuluru Murthy <gmurthy@m...> wrote:

>

> I will follow up on the references and see the contexts in which

> they were mentioned.

 

 

Namaste,

 

Sw. Chinmayanandaji's commentary on Vishnusahasranama #252

[verse 27]:

 

siddhaarthaH = ..."...four aims of life[purushhartha]...One who has

gained [siddhaH] all that has to be gained [arthaH]...."

 

The word purushhaartha has also been used in the sense of 'self-

effort'.

 

Regards,

 

s.