Purushartha

The Four Goals of Human Life

 Purusha-artha
“for the purpose of the Self”
“that for which we strive”

If you do not bring forth what is within you, what you do not bring
forth will destroy you. If you bring forth what is within you, what
you bring forth will save you. – Christ
Dharma (righteousness)
Artha (economic values)
Kama (pleasure)
Moksha (liberation)
Abraham Maslow
The Purusharthas are the inherent values of the universe

The Purusharthas are the blueprint for human fulfillment.

Working with them can help you create a satisfyingly balanced,
meaningful life at the deepest and most holistic level.

They offer a way for evaluating your life and making good
decisions.
Right action is that which supports the practice of Dharma,
Artha and Kama together, or singularly.

Are you managing your life in such a way as to support your spiritual
growth?
 Look within
“What do I really, really want at the level of my Soul?”

Knowing our goals brings enthusiasm to our Sadhana

The Vedas suggest three goals: Dharma, Artha and Kama.

The Upanishadic era added Moksha.
Dharma precedes both Kama and Artha while Artha precedes Kama,

Four Vedic stages of life, each 21 years

In a baby or child, education and Kama takes precedence; in youth and
middle-age Kama and Artha take precedence; while in old age Dharma
takes precedence and finally Moksha.
Dharma
Dharma means: - Truth, purpose
- right way of living and path of righteousness
- cosmic law, the rules that created the universe from chaos

- human behaviors considered necessary for order of

things in the universe,
- principles that prevent chaos, to hold, maintain
- behaviors and action necessary to all life in nature,
society, family and individual
- duty, rights, character,
vocation, religion, customs
and all behavior considered
appropriate, correct or
morally upright
Dharma is:
the ethical basis on which you live your life
being conscious in one’s actions, words and thoughts
compassion and sensitivity to the needs of others
being awake to the existence of the Divine
Dharma and Karma are interwoven
Without Dharma, Artha and Kama become self-destructive.

Dharma brings stability and order, a life that is lawful and

harmonious, the striving to do the right thing, be good, be
virtuous, earn religious merit, be helpful to others, interact
successfully with society.

The greatest dereliction of Dharma is to desert the helpless in their

time of need - Bhagavad Gita
Vedantic means to discover Dharma:
- Study of the Vedas, Upanishads, and other sacred texts
- Observing the behavior and example of good people.
- Reflecting on and following what satisfies one’s heart,
one’s own deepest inner feeling
- “What is my purpose?”
- “How can I serve?”

Better your own Dharma though imperfect than the Dharma of

another done perfectly - Bhagavad Gita

We exist for the service and realization of God

When we are in Dharma:
Actions are spontaneously correct
We automatically know what to do in any situation
We are in harmony with the Laws of nature
Our life is supported by everything around us
We are complete within ourselves
Life becomes effortless

Sanatana Dharma - the Eternal Dharma (order)

Truth underlying all existence.
The source of fundamental idea of right and wrong

Outward Dharma leads us to inner Moksha

Artha
Artha is security, having the material comfort you need to live
in the world with ease.
Artha is to live skillfully in a world of material objects that
exist for our benefit. It’s not about rejecting the world, but
being content with the things you own.
“What do I see as truly valuable?”

Artha is one of the basic human dignities—to have enough

assets to live on and care for your family, without hoarding or
being greedy.
What you need depends on who you are.

Artha refers to things, purpose, goal or aim of something, it

includes everything in one's environment that allows one to
live a fulfilling life.
It includes all kinds of wealth including:
knowledge,
friendship
love
career
skills
health
prosperity
activities and resources
“There is no joy in smallness, joy is in the infinite” - Upanishads
Artha is the foundation for Dharma and Kama. Without
prosperity and security in society or at individual level, both
moral life and sensuality become difficult.

It is important that Artha, as "worldly success" does not violate

Dharma (moral responsibility) and one's journey towards
Moksha (spiritual liberation)

At government level, Artha includes social, legal, economic and

worldly affairs and is an important and necessary objective of
government.
 The fear of not having, disguises the reality that we have everything

Wealth and poverty are states of consciousness

Artha is pursuit of activities and means necessary for a joyous and

pleasurable life
- Discover a way so money runs after you and not vice
versa.
- Do work which is compatible to your nature & capabilities
- Do work that serves society.
- Do work you really love
- Trust in the infinite organizing power of the Universe

Seek spiritual riches within. What you are is much greater than
anything or anyone else you have ever yearned for
- Paramhansa Yogananda
Kama
Desire for pleasure is
what drives human behavior.
A life without pleasure and
enjoyment is hollow and empty.

Kama relates to pleasure, which can be sensuality, but is also

art, music, beauty, love, intimacy, affection, fellowship, and
kindness—it’s what brings a sense of delight to our lives

Excessive Kama can lead to overindulgence, addiction, sloth,

greed, lust etc.
It is good, and necessary, when it exists to support Dharma
and becomes part of the richness of life
The right kinds of pleasure can lead you towards your Dharma
and help you fulfill it with passion.

As is your desire so is your will, as is your will so is your deed, as is

your deed so is your destiny - Upanishad

You are what your deep driving desire is.

We can fulfill our desires, transform them or move beyond
them. We cannot suppress a desire.

Be careful what you wish for

Are my pleasures aligned with my life’s purpose?
“To practice Kama yogically means to practice being fully
present with whatever you’re experiencing.

Kama is a total sensory experience that includes the discovery of

object, learning about the object, emotional connection, process of
enjoyment and the resulting feeling of well being before, during
and after the experience

Whatever lies behind us and whatever lies before us are tiny

matters compared to what lies within us
Kama should be followed with thought, care, caution and
enthusiasm, free from worries and egotistical problems

Know which pleasures are saturated with Divine Consciousness

and are drenched in the ecstasies of the soul

The highest Kama is the longing for Oneness with the Divine

Kama Sutra presents Kama as an essential and joyful aspect of

human existence.
 Moksha

Moksha is:
Your true nature it’s who you really are
Emancipation, liberation, release
Freedom from saṃsāra, the cycle of death and rebirth.
Freedom from ignorance:
Self-realization and Self-knowledge
Consciousness of the Oneness of the Supreme Soul
The removal of obstacles to an unrestricted life
Access to our full human potential of creativity, compassion
and understanding
Liberation comes to those who know Brahman as that which is the
origin and end of all things
The universal principle behind and at source of everything that
exists.
Consciousness that pervades everything and everyone

Such realization comes from self-knowledge and self-discipline

Self-discipline is the path to Dharma

Moksha is self-discipline that is so perfect that it becomes

unconscious, second nature, an unworldly understanding, a state of
bliss
Liberation comes from a life lived with inner purity, alert mind, led
by reason, intelligence and realization of the Supreme Self who
dwells in all beings.

“The whole Universe exists within us, ask all from yourself”
- Rumi

Vedanta separates Moksha into two:

Jivanmukti - liberation in this life, which includes liberation
from fears and ignorance or anything that is not true knowledge
Videhamukti - liberation after death
The Advaita tradition considers Moksha achievable by
removing avidya (ignorance).

Moksha is seen as a final release from illusion, and through

knowledge of one's own fundamental nature, Sat Chit Ananda.
Advaita holds there is no being/non-being distinction between
Atman, Brahman, and Paramatman. The knowledge of Brahman
leads to Moksha

Knowing others is wisdom, knowing yourself is Enlightenment

- Lao Tzu
Upanishads describe the liberated individual as:
• he is not bothered by disrespect and endures cruel words, treats others with
respect regardless of how others treat him;
• when confronted by an angry person he does not return anger, instead replies
with soft and kind words;
• even if tortured, he speaks and trusts the Truth;
• he does not crave for blessings or expect praise from others;
• he never injures or harms any life or being (ahimsa), he is intent in the welfare of
all beings;
• he is as comfortable being alone as in the presence of others;
• he is as comfortable with a bowl, at the foot of a tree in tattered robe without
help;
• knowledge alone is supreme. Outer appearances and rituals do not matter to
him, only knowledge matters;
• for him there is no invocation nor dismissal of deities, no mantra nor non-
mantra, no prostrations nor worship of gods, goddess or ancestors, nothing other
than knowledge of Self;
• he is humble, high-spirited, of clear and steady mind, straightforward,
compassionate, patient, indifferent, courageous, speaks firmly and with sweet
words.
 May your life be simple and pure so you know only beauty
May your mind be clear and quiet so you speak only of Truth
May your heart be filled with love and compassion so you radiate Light to
all you meet
May all you do be blessed with Divine Grace.

You Are Beautiful

- Swami Chinmayananda
 Photographer
Mehmet Genc
(Rotasiz Seyyah)

“It was only a sunny smile, and little it cost in the

giving, but like morning light it scattered the night
and made the day worth living”
- F. Scott Fitzgerald