PARAKUNNATH SREE VETTAKKORUMAKAN PAYYAN KSHETHRAM (TEMPLE), AROLI, KANNUR, KERALA: The Purusharthas, referred to in Vedas, Ramayana and Mahabharata, are translated in Sanskrit as the “goals of human existence” or “the soul’s purpose.”

Sunday 25 December 2016

The Purusharthas, referred to in Vedas, Ramayana and Mahabharata, are translated in Sanskrit as the “goals of human existence” or “the soul’s purpose.”

The Purusharthas, referred to in Vedas, Ramayana and Mahabharata, are translated in Sanskrit as the “goals of human existence” or “the soul’s purpose.” These universal aims influence every thought and deed of our lives. They are artha, kama, dharma, and moksha.

Artha is material welfare and the pursuit of the means we need to survive and prosper within the complex political and economic forces of our times. Kama is desire, our experience of enjoyment, pleasure, beauty, sensual satisfaction, love, and delight. Dharma is right action in accord with natural law (Rta), service to the greater good, and the discovery of our true purpose, why we are here. And, moksha is spiritual realization and freedom.

Traditionally, yoga is most widely understood as the pursuit of moksha. Perhaps a more integrated vision of the four Purusharthas is that for such a complete spiritual ripening to occur, we need to integrate and balance all four, the foremost of which is dharma.

No matter how many experiences we might have, if we don’t follow and fulfill our life’s purpose, the journey will be empty no matter how seemingly full. Dharma refers to one’s life purpose, why we are here, deeper lessons we’ve come to understand, & gifts we’ve come to offer the world. In the Bhagavad Gita, Krishna counsels Arjuna: “It is better to do one’s own dharma, however imperfectly, than to do another’s, however perfectly.” Dharma encompasses not only our responsibilities to our families and society, but also the inner lessons we’ve come to learn and the qualities we are here to embody.

Moksha is the full awakening to our real nature and the liberation from suffering. Moksha is a final yogic attainment expressed as the release from ignorance and an extrication from this world. In the tantric tradition, moksha is being free in the midst of the cacophony of the world, a continuing revelation and opening to the never-ending depths of wisdom and love. At its root, moksha is the universal desire for healing, well-being, spiritual understanding, and the experience of our true nature!