Morality in Indian Tradition 4

MORALITY
IN
INDIAN TRADITION
MORALITY IN INDIAN TRADITION
Unit I
1. Metaphysical Presuppositions of Indian Moral Thinking
2. Freedom of Will and Moral Agency
3. Law of Karma and Its Moral Implications
4. Cardinal Values Emanating from Indian Culture: Varṇa, Āśrama and Puruṣārthas
Unit II
5. The Concept of Dharma: Mīmāṁsā, Vaiśeṣika
6. Ethics of Yoga: Yama, Niyama and Pratyāhara
7. Buddhism (Brahmavihāra) and Environmental Ethics in Jainism
8. Śrimadbhagavadgītā: The ideal of Niṣkāma Karma
Unit III
9. Moral dilemmas (B.K. Matilal’s Epics and Ethics)
10. Ethical Skepticism
11. Hindu Theory of Tolerance (Bhikhu Parekh)
12. Indian ethical response to some contemporary moral issues pertaining to Applied Ethics
CARDINAL VALUES EMANATING FROM INDIAN CULTURE:
VARṆA, ĀŚRAMA AND PURUṢĀRTHAS
 What is Cardinal Values ?

 The most important moral qualities.
 Varṇa
 Āśrama
 Puruṣārthas
VARṆA
ĀŚRAMA
PURUṢĀRTHAS
 Puruṣārtha is a composite Sanskrit word from Purusha and Artha

 Purusha means - spirit, immaterial essence, Soul.
 Artha in one context means "purpose", "object of desire“.
 Purushartha literally means "purpose of human being" or "object of human pursuit".
PURUṢĀRTHAS
 How many purusarthas?

 There is several opinion- Tri Purusarthas, Purusartha, Chatushthaya and
Pancham Purusartha.
 Tri purusarthas – Dharma, Artha and Kama.
 The four puruṣārthas are Dharma (righteousness, moral values), Artha
(prosperity, economic values), Kama (pleasure, love, psychological values)
and Moksha (liberation, spiritual values, self-actualization).
 Pancham Purusartha – above four and Bhakti.
PURUṢĀRTHAS : DHARMA
 The word dharma comes from the Sanskrit root word dhri, which
means “to hold,” "to maintain," or "to preserve.“
 In the early Vedas and other ancient Hindu texts, dharma referred to the
cosmic law that created the ordered universe from chaos.
 Later, it was applied to other contexts, including human behaviors and
ways of living that prevent society, family and nature from descending
into chaos.
 This included the concepts of duty, rights, religion and morally
appropriate behavior, and so dharma came to be understood as a means
to preserve and maintain righteousness.
 On an individual level, dharma can refer to a personal mission or
purpose.
 Traditionally, an individual’s dharma is thought to be pre-determined.
 Depending on karma, a soul is born into a particular caste or social group, either as
a reward or a punishment for actions in their past lives. Their path in life is set by
universal laws, and the only way to progress is to live within this path and work
toward their destined purpose.
 According to the Bhagavad Gita, it is better to do your own dharma poorly than to
do another's well.
 It is said that all beings must accept their dharma for order and harmony to exist in
the world. If an individual is following their dharma, they are pursuing their truest
calling and serving all other beings in the universe by playing their true role.
 To Hindus, all entities have their own dharma: even the sun must shine and the
bees must make honey.
 In Buddhism, dharma additionally means acting in accordance with the teachings
of the Buddha and the Four Noble Truths.
 The result of living in this “right way” is believed to be self-realization and
enlightenment. Above all, when your life is aligned with your dharma, it brings
a sense of joy and fulfilment.
 Dharma have two types – Unique Duty and Universal Duty
 Unique Duties depend upon Varna and Ashrama.
 Universal Duties for everyone.
 The Sanskrit term varna is derived from the root vṛ, meaning "to cover, to
envelop, count, classify consider, describe or choose".
 The word appears in the Rigveda, where it means "colour, outward appearance,
exterior, form, figure or shape". The word means "color, tint, dye or pigment"
in the Mahabharata.
 Varna contextually means "colour, race, tribe, species, kind, sort, nature,
character, quality, property" of an object or people in some Vedic and medieval
texts. Varna refers to four social classes in the Manusmriti.
 The ideology is epitomized in texts like Manusmriti. which
describes and ranks four varnas, and prescribes their occupations,
requirements and duties, or Dharma.
 Brahmins: Vedic scholars, priests or teachers.
 Kshatriyas: Rulers, administrators or warriors.
 Vaishyas: Agriculturalists, farmers or merchants.
 Shudras: laborers or servants.
 Communities which belong to one of the four varnas or classes are

called savarna Hindus.
 The Dalits and tribals who do not belong to any varna were
called avarna.
 Āśrama (Sanskrit: आश्रम) is a system of stages of life.
 The four asramas are: Brahmacharya, Gṛhastha, Vanaprastha, and Sannyasa .
 Brahmacharya - The student went to a Gurukul (family/clan of the guru)
and typically would live with a Guru , acquiring knowledge of science,
philosophy, scriptures and logic, practicing self-discipline, working to earn
dakshina to be paid for the guru, learning to live a life of Dharma
(righteousness, morals, duties).
 Gṛhastha- This stage referred to the individual's married life, with the
duties of maintaining a household, raising a family, educating one's
children, and leading a family-centred and a dharmic social
life. Grihastha stage was considered as the most important of all stages in
sociological context, as human beings in this stage not only pursued a
virtuous life, they produced food and wealth that sustained people in other
stages of life, as well as the offsprings that continued mankind.The stage
also represented one where the most intense physical, sexual, emotional,
occupational, social and material attachments exist in a human being's life .
 Vanaprastha-The retirement stage, where a person handed over
household responsibilities to the next generation, took an advisory role,
and gradually withdrew from the world. Vanaprastha stage was a
transition phase from a householder's life with its greater emphasis on
Artha and Kama (wealth, security, pleasure and desires) to one with
greater emphasis on Moksha (spiritual liberation).
 Sannyasa -The stage was marked by renunciation of material desires and
prejudices, represented by a state of disinterest and detachment from
material life, generally without any meaningful property or home
(Ascetic), and focused on Moksha, peace and simple spiritual life.
Anyone could enter this stage after completing the Brahmacharya stage
of life.
 Samanya Dharma : This deals with the ethical principles like truth, non-injury,
non-stealing, etc., which are common duties of all beings. They are universal
principles applicable to all irrespective of their class, gender or nationality. For
eg. Goodness is not a property of any one class, creed, sect or community. It is
a virtue every human being should possess. Thus, Samanya Dharma is the
general law for all human beings.
 ahiṁsā satyaṁ asteyaṁ śaucaṁ indriyanigrahaḥ ।
etaṁ sāmāsikaṁ dharmaṁ cāturvarṇye'bravīnmanuḥ ॥ 10.63 ॥
अहिंसा सत्यं अस्तेयं शौचं इन्द्रियनिग्रहः ।

एतं सामासिकं धर्मं चातुर्वर्ण्येऽब्रवीन्मनुः ॥ १०.६३ ॥
PURUṢĀRTHAS : ARTHA
 Artha – signifies the "means of life", activities and resources that enables one to
be in a state one wants to be in. Artha incorporates wealth, career, activity to
make a living, financial security and economic prosperity.
PURUṢĀRTHAS : KAMA
 Kama – signifies desire, wish, passion, emotions, pleasure of the senses, the
aesthetic enjoyment of life, affection, or love, with or without sexual
connotations. Gavin Flood explains kāma as "love" without violating dharma
(moral responsibility), artha (material prosperity) and one's journey towards
moksha (spiritual liberation).
PURUṢĀRTHAS : MOKSHA
 Moksha – signifies emancipation, liberation or release. In some schools of
Hinduism, moksha connotes freedom from saṃsāra, the cycle of death and
rebirth, in other schools moksha connotes freedom, self-knowledge, self-
realization and liberation in this life.
PURUṢĀRTHAS: VARṆA, ĀŚRAMA

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MORALITY

 What is Cardinal Values ?

 Puruṣārtha is a composite Sanskrit word from Purusha and Artha

 How many purusarthas?

 Kshatriyas: Rulers, administrators or warriors.

 Vaishyas: Agriculturalists, farmers or merchants.

 Shudras: laborers or servants.

 Communities which belong to one of the four varnas or classes are

अहिंसा सत्यं अस्तेयं शौचं इन्द्रियनिग्रहः ।

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