"maRRai nam kaamangaL maaRRu" : (Part 5)

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The 4 “pUrUshArthA-s” of Vedanta

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The Vedantic texts describe 4 principal

“pUrUshArthAs”. They are “dharma”, “artha”, “kAma” and

“mOksha” and they are the goals most desired in life

by mankind. In Tamil they are known as “aram”,

“porUL”, “inbam” and “veedu” respectively. Whatever

may be their endeavors in life, whatever it is for

which they strive and struggle all their lives, the

rewards that men of this world expect to reap all fall

under either one or more of these 4 categories of

“pUrUshArthA”.

 

Masters of all the major Vedanta traditions, the gurus

and “AchAryAs” of both past and present generations,

have discoursed upon the 4 “pUrUshArthA-s” at very

great length indeed. It is not necessary for the

purpose of this essay to go into that discourse. It is

enough to know for now that, principally, the concept

of “pUrUshArthA” signifies that every man, who wishes

to make his life count for something worthy in the

end, ceaselessly strives through ethical means and

practices (“dharma”) to earn as much material gain

(“artha”) during his earthly journey as will afford

him sufficient fulfillment of desires (“kAma”) of this

life, in preparation for him to later receive the

greatest Self-fulfillment that awaits him in the life

hereafter --- that which is called “mOksha” or

“veedu”.

 

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The Vedantic conception of human life is a very

sophisticated one indeed. It is born out of

penetrating insight into human psychology. Vedanta

recognizes human life to be a spiritual process of

relentless search: Search for existential meaning and

self-fulfillment. This process of search is fuelled

and driven forward by primal human motivations

manifesting themselves in 4 principal forms viz.:

 

(a) the search for Material Well-being (i.e. “artha”)

 

(b) the search for Pleasure (i.e. “kaama”)i.e.

gratification of a variety of individual desires,

 

© the search for social acceptance and recognition;

in other words, the natural human tendency “to do good

unto others” and “to deny evil”; the drive which makes

one want to willingly contribute to causes in life

that are much larger and nobler than the individual’s

own (i.e. “dharma”); and finally,

 

(d) the search to actualize one’s inner self; to

realize the silent aspiration that throbs deep within

every man’s heart to be able to somehow transcend and

escape the confines of his narrow and selfish self and

to melt away or merge into an infinitely more natural

and expansive plane of cosmic experience that is both

liberating and eternal (i.e. “mOksha” or “veedu”).

 

 

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(to be continued)

 

Regards,

dAsan,

Sudarshan

 

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