Purusharthas - The Goals of Life

Students often find themselves contemplating the mysteries of life; what purpose am I serving as a human being on this earth? Am I here to just eat, drink, sleep and attend lectures? Surely there is more to this? I am sure many of you have, at some point, questioned your own existences. This is perfectly natural. As human beings we have a tendency to question and contemplate deeper thought. Thanks to the beauty of Hindu Dharma, such mysteries need not exist. Such a system exists that gives meaning and depth to not only to an individual, but to society as a whole. Even more enlightening is that you need not be a Hindu to follow these objectives, these goals are called the Purusharthas.

The word Purushartha is a Sanskrit compound that directly translates to “human purpose”. This translation demonstrates the objectives are for Human society. Hindu Sadhu’s realised the four simple goals to leading a fulfilled life are: Dharma (duties), Artha (material prosperity), Kama (desire) and Moksha (liberation).
Dharma incorporates finding the truth by leading a disciplined life. One must fulfil their duty rather than be selfish. For example, it is an MPs duty to lead his whole constituency, not just those who voted for him. Honesty, truth, love and justice are the virtues which should be practised in life.

Artha recognises the need for material things in order to live a suitable life. As humans, we cannot be expected to live like animals in a forest. Everyone needs a home, food and money in order to live a worldly life. Money should be earned by fair and honest means and should be spent wisely on necessities. Gaining wealth should not be ones only objective – there is more to life than money.

Kama understands the need to enjoy worldly happiness through the five senses. However, we are warned that not all desires can be fulfilled immediately as the karmic effect would lead to unhappiness. Students should understand that the desire for sexual happiness is natural, but there is time set aside for it in life, called the Grihastha Ashram (family life). Therefore is a necessity to lead a disciplined life.

Moksha is the final objective of life and is to gain freedom from worldly sufferings and inevitably the continuous cycle of birth and death. This can be achieved by leading a virtuous, righteous and disciplined life.

Just as a student plans and studies for exams, so should one set a guideline to uphold and maintain these Purusharthas. This not only gives meaning to ones life, but benefits society as a whole - what better objective than understanding Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam – The Whole World is One Family.

ayam bandhurayam neti
ganana leguchetasaam
udharacharitanaam tu
vasudhaiva kutumbakam

'Only small men discriminate saying: One is a relative; the other is a stranger. For those who live magnanimously the entire world constitutes but a family.'
- maha upanishad (6.72)

You Can't Make Everyone Happy

I read an interesting article in the "Asian Voice" newspaper not too long ago. It was written by a 9 year old boy who had attended the "Learning through Eastern Wisdom" seminar. Although he admitted to the seminar being more beneficial for those older than him, he also went on to talk about what he had learnt from there. One such case was learning how in life, one cannot make everyone they encounter happy. I've written what I can remember from the story which he told.

Once, a father and his son were looking to sell their donkey to raise some money to support the family. They had to travel through 5 villages in order to sell the donkey, so they set off on their travels.

They left home, the father and the son walking beside the donkey. After going through the first village, a villager said,

"Look at that poor boy being forced to walk alongside the donkey". The father heard this and promptly told his son to sit on the donkey whilst they continued on their journey.

Whilst entering the second village, another villager said,

"Look at that poor man. He must walk whilst his son rides on the donkey." The son heard this and jumped off the donkey, and told his father to sit on the donkey.

They then approaced the third village, where yet another villager said,

"Look at that poor boy, being forced to walk beside the donkey whilst his father sits on it." Having heard this the father told his son to sit on the donkey with him.

When they got to the fourth village, another villager was heard saying,

"Look at that poor donkey being forced to bear the weight of both father and son in this heat." Both father and son heard this, so they got off the donkey, tied up its legs and carried it on their shoulders.

Whilst approaching the fifth village, the father and son were crossing a bridge, but the weight of the donkey became too much and they slipped and the donkey fell off the bridge. Subsequently, the father and son who had been trying to please all the villagers, were left without a donkey and nothing to show for it.

This story goes a long way to show us that in life, we can't always please everyone, because in the end it will backfire on us. We should do what we feel is best, and what we feel comfortable doing, because at the end of the day we live our lives for ourselves - not for others.