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)

Ayurveda - YOUR freedom, YOUR choice

For many, conventional Western medicine is rapidly becoming a thing of the past. Over the last 5 years, more ethical, traditional and dharmic practices are becoming the norm. Believe it or not, this practice is not something new to the world – in fact, it is regarded as one the oldest forms of healthcare, otherwise known as Ayurveda.
Ayurveda is a form of complementary and alternative medicine currently available in the UK. The word Ayurveda stems from the Sanskrit ‘āyus’ meaning ‘life’ and ‘veda’ meaning ‘knowledge’, thus signifying the science as ‘life knowledge’. The origins of the medical practice come from the Charaka Samhita, which deals with internal medicine and Sushruta Samhita, which deals with the surgical aspect of medicine, both dating back 2000 years. The practice itself dates back at least 5000 years. In that time frame, the number of reported negative effects from Ayurvedic treatment is pretty close to zero.
As Hindus, Ayurveda has become instrumental in every day living – often our elders produce a remedy consisting of perfectly natural ingredients and they work better than conventional Western medicine. Not limited to just medicine, Yoga constitutes a large part of Ayurveda too. Yoga is extremely beneficial for ones health, and has caught on massively in the West.
Why, therefore, should British Parliament plan to ban a system that has proved beneficial for thousands if not millions of people? The European Union has proposed a ban on all Ayurvedic herbal remedies which will come into effect in April 2011. That’s 7 months from now! Ayurvedic remedies consist of nothing more than regular plants and herbs, which are often used in every day cooking. To ban it would be absolutely preposterous – surely that would mean a ban on Indian foods? Suffice to say, many delicacies of Indian cuisine stem from Ayurvedic herbs and plants.
Let’s investigate this further; Ayurveda seldom produces a negative reaction, and it most certainly isn’t the root cause of diseases. On the other hand, alcohol, cigarettes and meat are all known to cause death in one way, shape or form. Can the UK Government honestly justify banning Ayurvedic remedies, whilst allowing these death-inducing products to be readily available? This point was quite rightly made by HH Swami Ramdevji at a meeting held recently in London organised by Amarjeet S Bhamra of the Save Herbal Medicine National campaign.
Thankfully, a large number of established Ayurvedic practitioners and organisations have joined together to help stop this ban. You too can help by clicking HERE and downloading a letter that you can post to your Member of Parliament. Remember, it’s your freedom of choice to use Ayurveda – don’t let anyone stop you from receiving what is rightfully yours.

What is the point?

Religion. Most people have one, most of them believe in it, most of them practice it.



It is said to be the cause of all war's. True to a certain degree. Where does it begin? With those that take their religion a little too far.



Now I'm not one to say that we shouldn't take religion seriously, because I'm an active Hindu. But when people start formulating their own idea's of certain texts and aspects of faith, without full knowledge and background, that's when, as the saying goes, "shit gets messy". A prime example of "shit getting messy" is on a particular Facebook group; "The Sick Truth About Hinduism"; where the admins of the group appear to be of the Sikh faith, and are spreading malicious rumours about Hindu rituals and pastimes. Now cleverly they have created a reference list to show where their information has been obtained from, but upon closer research I found that all of the discussions and topics have been taken from an Anti-Hindu website, which is run by those of the Muslim faith.

Subsequently, I let the group know that I'm fully aware of where the information is from, and that I'm fully aware of the truth that the Administrators of the group are not of the Sikh faith, but are followers of Islam. When a certain "Gulab Singh" (which is the name of a Sikh freedom fighter, and the first Maharaj of Jammu & Kashmir) read my comments, I was blocked from posting any more messages.

Now, I have no problems with people who want to discuss issues related to Hinduism, however controversial, but when people can't handle arguments against their own and go off on a tangent, that's when it gets irritating. Especially since I have been blocked from making any comments, it shows the blatent cowardice of those opposed to my views. If you can't stand the heat, you better get out the kitchen is probably the best way to put it.

What I'm trying to get at in essence, is that if people are willing to start such a controversial issue, and truly believe what they saying is right, then understand what I say and argue against it. Excuse my language, but DON'T PUSSY OUT OF A DEBATE. I love debates, and have done since primary school (my first experience was when we re-enacted the House of Commons in year 5 with Miss Jackson - how many of my fellow Barley Lane companions remember that?). And I like to think that I keep an open and rational mind when it comes to such debates, but if the opposing party cannot reciprocate I ask you this- what is the point?

"Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who matter don't mind, and those that mind, don't matter"

~Dr Seuss