Does human life have a purpose?
Hinduism alone gives the answer to this million dollar question!
The greatest problem in modern life is that our youth are not given any goal in life except the making of money. This is why our modern generation has so many depressed and unhappy people because they find that even after they get a lot of money they are never satisfied. The Sanatana Dharma on the other hand gave us certain goals in life by following which our human lives would be fulfilled. These were taught to children at the beginning of their school careers so that they knew what the purpose of life was.
Hindu dharma is called sanatana or eternal for two reasons. Sanatanam karoti iti sanatana. Everything that has a beginning in time and space has to end at another point in time and space. Sanatana, however, means eternal. Nobody knows when the Sanatana Dharma began therefore it will never end. Those who follow this dharma will also realise the eternity and immortality of their true Self. It makes the votary feel and realise that his personality is, in truth, immortal – sanatana. He is not the body. He only has a body, like he has a house or a car. The “presence and power” that animate the body are not physical but spiritual. He is totally different from the matter that constitutes the body. He is actually the unborn, undying, eternal atma that is present everywhere.
Equally so, Hindu dharma is eternal because it relates to the mind and intelligence of the human, which have not changed over ages. Ancient human beings had the same emotional mind and rational intelligence as their modern counterpart. Values that relate to these changeless constituents of the human personality are naturally eternal.
The scientific nature of the Sanatana Dharma rests upon the observations our senses make, and the inferences that the mind and intelligence derive from these observations. In fact, these are the two canons on which all objective sciences also rely. Objective science uses instruments like the telescope and microscope but that makes no difference to the fundamental nature and validity of both science and spirituality. The parts of a person that employ the instruments are one’s senses. And it is the mind and intelligence within that employ the senses. Thus, the grounds on which western objective science and Sanatana Dharma, the subjective science, rest are exactly the same.
The highest or final goal in the Sanatana Dharma is to attain moksha or liberation from the eternal cycle of births and deaths that a jiva (embodied soul) has to go through due to the karmic balance that he or she has incurred during their many lives. This is the final goal but Hinduism being a practical religion realised the need for temporary goals which the human being needs during his life on this earth. These goals are four in number inclusive of moksha.
These goals take into consideration the nature of the human being and cater to all his needs – physical, mental and spiritual. In fact, these goals are a basic necessity for every human being. They are: dharma – righteousness, artha – desire for wealth, kama – desire for pleasure, and moksha – desire for liberation. These are known as the four purusharthas or goals of human life.
You will notice that the desire for wealth (artha) and desire for pleasure (kama) are hemmed in by righteousness (dharma) in front and liberation (moksha) at the back. This is to show us that if we use righteous or dharmic means to attain wealth and pleasure we will automatically attain liberation. So, we see that Hinduism not only caters to all the different sides of the human personality but also sees to it that by following these goals he will eventually be led to the final goal of liberation or moksha.
Out of these four, the first and the fourth refer to transcendental realms as can be noticed. But Hinduism has always recognised the need for a practical approach to life since none of us are born perfect and all of us have to make our way to the final goal through this sensory world, however imperfect it might be. Even though the rishis knew that this world of the senses is maya, they also realised that we have to go through maya in order to go beyond it. So, we find the middle two goals recognised the need for the embodied human being to find satisfaction in this world. However deep our desire for liberation, the fact is that the journey to liberation has to be travelled through this world, which is very real to us in this state of consciousness. Let us take the meanings of these four, one by one.
The first purushartha is known as dharma. This word has multiple meanings. The normal translations for the word are religion, truth, righteousness, wholesomeness etc. All these meanings point to some moral or spiritual duty. Each and every activity of ours should not be harmful or irritating to another. People mistakenly believe that only spiritual work, prayer, worship etc. is dharma. This is not true. Any work, duty or activity which is beneficial for oneself as well as for other people can be called dharma. We live in a cosmos which is purely dharmic. In fact, dharma is the law of nature. Everything in this cosmos lives for the sake of everything else. The sun shines, rains fall, flowers bloom, rivers flow, all for the sake of everything else in this world. This is the cosmic dharma. If the cosmos deviated even one millimetre from this, there would be chaos. If human laws follow these cosmic laws and the laws are equal and just for everyone and everything in the society, we would have a Rama Rajya or a Utopia!
If every human being behaved in this fashion looking out for the benefit of all in the community, we would have a perfect society which acts according to the cosmic dharma. Any deviation from this would be adharmic. A dharmic life does not depend on whether you believe in God or not. The question is how you behave towards everyone and everything in this world. Hinduism teaches us to see God in everything and therefore we should not harm or hate anything or cause suffering to any creature either human or animal. Every action of our bodies, minds and speech should be aimed towards the welfare of all. Dharma is the very basis of all true religion. It cannot be imprisoned in the narrow confines of one sect or one religion. It is meant for the whole of life on this planet and not for just one sect or only for human beings!
The next purushartha is artha. The first need when living in this world is the satisfaction of our material needs. In the ancient world everyone had to have some type of assets that could be bartered in exchange for their basic necessities like food, shelter and clothing. In the present world our first necessity is for money which will help us to buy all these requirements. This is known as artha and has been recognised as one of the goals in Hinduism. The word artha also gives the meaning of earthly recognition. The prestige, name and fame we gain in the society all come under the category of artha.
Another important worldly gain is good health. Unless one is healthy, one cannot achieve the goals of life. Being healthy all the time is itself a treasure. It is the basis and foundation for performing any work.
One is allowed to acquire as much money as is necessary for a comfortable life in the world. One tenth of the money earned by dharmic means should be given in charity is what our scriptures tell us. Wealth earned by one’s own effort is the best. That which has been left by parents is second best.
By this self-earned wealth, one must try to fulfil the next goal of kama or desire for pleasure. This pleasure can be of many types and is inclusive of sexual pleasure. Hinduism certainly had a very healthy view of sex. The sexual drive is absolutely essential for the propagation of the species and was not ignored, nor was it considered as something bad as in many other religions. The highest stage of kama is the bliss we feel when we can connect to our highest self.
When artha and kama are pursued through rightful means, the fourth goal of moksha becomes easy. This moksha is not something to be hoped for after death but it is to be achieved and enjoyed while living in this world – here and now. “Moksha” means liberation from the eternal round of birth and death which the normal jiva experiences. Thus, all these goals are relevant to our life in this world because they enrich our experience of life and help us to go beyond.
But what we have to notice in this fourfold classification is that both artha and kama have been hedged in by dharma on one side and moksha on the other. From this we can understand that if the acquisition of wealth and the pursuit of pleasure are in accordance with the standards of dharma, they will automatically lead to moksha even though moksha may not be one of our priorities. This is why Hinduism is known as a way of life rather than a religion. Life in this world of the senses is a very tricky business. Our senses and our egos are always out to lead us into strange pastures. In fact, we can say that “eternal vigilance is the price of freedom.”
These four goals are connected with each other. They are like the four legs of a chair which are equally important for the balance of the chair. If children are taught these goals early in life, their life would become meaningful and joyous. In fact, a truly successful and fulfilled life would entail the achievement of these four goals.
To put it in a nutshell, by dharma is meant the code of righteousness, which should govern the life and activities of everyone. It includes all the disciplines, inspirations, restraints, and obligations necessary to blend and fuse individual life with the social, to make a beautiful whole.
In such a righteous life, everyone should find and develop their own monetary resources. Thus, the second object is artha, meaning financial sufficiency. Wealth earned by one’s own effort is the best, most desirable. That gained from patrimony comes next. That derived from marriage in the form of dowry and the like is derogatory.
By self-earned wealth, one must try to fulfil their legitimate desires – kama. Stinginess or miserliness is detestable. Frugality is the ideal, the right option. The true objective of wealth is to gain dharma, for that alone will lead to inner spiritual enlightenment, bestowing peace, wisdom, and freedom in the end.
When dharma, artha, and kama are pursued in their right order and measure, the fourth object, moksha, becomes relevant and meaningful. Moksha denotes the release from the suffocating shackles of the ego. With such release or redemption, one becomes heir to immortality and the inner ecstasy which is the right of every human being. This is to be achieved while living here and now. Everything about dharma is thus relevant to our life, to be pursued wholesomely here and now. It enriches, empowers, enlightens, and fulfils human life.
These goals again are linked with the Hindu concept of “varnas” and “ashramas” that was wrongly translated as “caste” by the British. This will be discussed in another blog.
The whole thing is also linked to the Law of Karma. If we use righteous means to attain our goals, we will naturally be given good results by the Law of Karma. Sometimes it may seem to us that we are not being given the good results which we expect from our good actions. At this time, it is important to understand that due to the effect of some past karma, we might have to go through some small bad period. We should not become depressed by this but should keep on doing actions in the correct way, keep on helping people, doing kind actions and speaking kind words. Helping other people is the only way in which we can erase the effects of the bad karmas of our past.
This will eventually bring a positive change in our lives. No one can go against the Law of Karma which is a natural law. But we must remember that it is a very just law. When our actions and intentions are good, most definitely we will be rewarded for them just as we will be punished for our evil thoughts and actions.
The uniqueness of the Sanatana Dharma is that the same basic spiritual and philosophical notes can be found in every form of its practice and exposition. It has two phases, achara and vichara. Achara denotes various kinds of practices and habits relating to individual, family, society, and the administration that governs them. Vichara denotes truthful introspection on these and allied matters. The intention is to begin with achara, which alone will be possible for children and young people. Then, the maturing adult should turn to meaningful introspection, or vichara, and elevate the practices from the sensory level to the mind and intelligence. In the human, the mind and intelligence are the causal factors in all activities and considered to be the highest.
The Sanatana Dharma also lays down a set of common disciplines for all people, despite their bodily or psychological differences. These are known as the Pancha Mahayajnas and will be discussed in another blog.
Hari Aum Tat Sat!