The Purpose of Religion
by Sri Chandrashekarendra Saraswati
Hinduism is a means of achieving the four canonical goals of life, or purusharthas - kama, artha, dharma and moksha. These four goals represent a holistic approach to achieve spiritual, emotional and material satisfaction for human beings.These four aims are known in Tamil as inbam, porul, aram, and vidu, respectively. It is interesting to note that the term ‘artha’, denoting material wealth, occurs in the compound word purusharthas, but is itself one of the goals of life. The purusharthas are basically what a man wants in life, his aspirations and aims. What men typically want is to live happily without want for anything. There are, however, two different kinds of happiness – one fleeting and ephemeral, the other eternal and everlasting. The former is what is referred to as kama which denotes worldly desires and mortal pleasures. Moksha, on the other hand, is the true, eternal happiness that is everlasting, and is the ultimate purpose of human life. It is ignorance of the enduring happiness that comes from moksha that ultimately drives people to pursue the transitory, momentary joys of kama.
The primary quest of human life, therefore, must be the fourth and highest goal – moksha. Unfortunately, most people yearn for the transient pleasures offered by kama, which while being one of the four goals of life, is the lowest human need. We are content when we have a hearty meal, we are elated when we are promoted to a higher office, and are delighted when praised by our peers, but such simple pleasures are momentary. Pleasure is also gained by obtaining material possessions, artha or porul, such as property, money and titles. But the pleasure achieved through material wealth is also fleeting, and only serve to increase the hunger in one for more of such possessions.
Moksha is the highest objective of human life; it is the state of supreme bliss. It is the final destination of the human journey, but we go from place to place suffering all manner of hardship seeking fleeting pleasures due to our ignorance. Because our soul is imprisoned in a mortal body, humans commit the error of identifying the Self with the body. Moksha means liberation, release of the soul from the mortal body leading to an eternal state of bliss. This state is the final home of our soul, and we must achieve liberation to get to this eternal abode that is the Lord. We are imprisoned in this body due to our karma, but by leading a virtuous life we can overcome our sins and be released from the prison of our body. Living an immoral life and committing sinful acts will serve to extend our imprisonment, leading us away from the goal of moksha. Therefore, humans must endeavor to free themselves and reach the state of supreme bliss that is beyond understanding, bliss that is not bound by limitations of time and space.
Material wealth may be a means of pleasure, but it is in utilizing that wealth to perform dharma that true happiness is achieved.
The other purushartha is dharma, which denotes righteousness and virtuous deeds. While dharma relates to all noble action, the term has come to symbolize charity, and doing dharma indicates the act of giving. Dharma can be seen as the giving away of our possessions, artha. Therefore, the goal of gaining material wealth is in fact a means to fulfill the higher goal of dharma. But how do we acquire the wealth to do this charity in the first place? Hinduism teaches that the charity that we practiced in our previous birth is what brings us the material rewards in this life. Practicing dharma is the very purpose of our having possessions. Material wealth may be a means of pleasure, but it is in utilizing that wealth to perform dharma that true happiness is achieved. However, it is not charity alone that yields material reward but indeed all virtuous deeds.
The practice of dharma must, nevertheless, be sincere with faith in Isvara but without expectation of reward. Only then will we be able to wash away the impurity tainting our being and obtain exalted bliss that is the domain of the pure. The unselfish pursuit of dharma brings with it material rewards and associated worldly pleasure and will become the means of attaining the highest goal of liberation. The wise will see artha or material wealth as instruments for practicing dharma, the basis for virtuous deeds. This leaves kama or desire alone among the purusharthas as the purpose of life that neither fulfills itself nor becomes an instrument for fulfilling higher aims. Practiced immorally, kama can indeed lead one away from the goal of liberation, corrupting our thoughts and deeds toward sinful ends.
However, it is not easy to cast off desires altogether. Hinduism serves to gradually rein in desire and lead men systematically from petty, transient pleasures to eternal bliss. Hinduism takes a holistic approach in teaching about the meaning and significance of dharma, the proper manner in which material wealth or artha is acquired and then used to practice dharma, and the correct approach in satisfying desire or kama. Hinduism is a process of acquiring the wisdom and maturity needed to forsake ephemeral pleasures for the ultimate bliss of moksha.
Moksha is release from all worldly attachments. It is a state of unfettered liberation and freedom in which the soul is eternally blessed.
Moksha is release from all worldly attachments. It is a state of unfettered liberation and freedom in which the soul is eternally blessed. Ordinary people often mistake transitory pleasures for eternal happiness without ever achieving the latter and it is the purpose of religion to lead them towards such happiness. Only by forsaking the pursuit of petty delights can one achieve everlasting blessedness. The dictates of dharma guide us to abandon the quest for sensual pleasures and instead seek eternal bliss. These laws are also essential for the creation of a virtuous social order with exalted values and lofty aims. Hinduism lays down the doctrine of dharma with its ultimate goal of liberation, and as a result, the wise apply the term dharma for religion itself.
About the Author – Sri Chandrashekarendra Saraswati
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