Any discussion of traditional dharmic thought about a jiva usually revolves around the principles of varna, asrama and puruṣārtha. These three are intimately related to each other and any one cannot be understood without understanding the others. But the notion of puruṣārtha is treated as the most fundamental of the 3 principles from a dharmic point of view. It is also important because as stated by Shri Aurobindo – it breaks down the common misrepresentation – that Indian dharmic culture denies all values of life, detaches from terrestrial interests, and insists on the unimportance of the life of the moment.
The term puruṣārtha comprises of 2 words – Purusa meaning human, soul, and universal being and artha meaning purpose or objective(artha here is different from artha-one of the puruṣārtha). So puruṣārtha means jiva’s purpose/objective/aim of life. The four puruṣārtha are Dharma (righteousness, moral principle), Artha (prosperity, resources, means), Kāma (pleasure, attachment), and Moksha (liberation, bliss).
The pursuit of material prosperity, fulfilment of one’s desire and attainment of liberation are all based on Dharma which is the foundation of all practical life. The word Dharma is derived from the word “dhri” which means to hold together or preserve. It can be translated as “that which upholds”. Krishna in Mahabharatha provides a complete definition of Dharma.
“Dharma protects and preserves the praja. So it is the conclusion of the Pandits that what maintains is Dharma”
While Praja may be fellow jivas for a jiva, its not the same for Krishna. When he says praja, he means the entire cosmos other than himself! From that point of view, Dharma can be seen to have 3 sides to it. Individual, social and cosmic. From an individual perspective, it refers to one’s duty and righteousness in performing that duty. Dr. Radhakrishnan states that any individual can be free from the holds of the past and be fearless of the chances of the future if he abides by his dharma in such a way. Dharma in a society is the code of conduct or morality to be followed to attain social harmony. In a society, it needs to be amply supported by the general conscience of the people. In any culture that has reached its dharmic heights, the underlying dharma would have become a matter of habit and second nature so that the citizens are not even explicitly conscious of it. In a cosmic perspective, dharma refers to the cosmic order and balance. In Vedas, this cosmic order is often referred to as Rta. It consists of laws that govern the functioning of the manifested universe in its creation, sustenance and destruction. But just like any other important principle in our dharma, Rta is much more than what has been said here.
We will look more into the principle of Rta, at the relationship between Dharma, Rta and Sathya in the next post.
mythological squirrel 