Introduction to Advaita Vedanta
Purushartha:
The four-fold human goals are called purushartha.
These goals are 1. kama 2. artha 3. dharma and 4. moksa
Kama:
We constantly seek objects of enjoyment - kama to keep ourselves entertained and happy.
Both animals and humans seek the goal of kama. Seeking of this goal is common to both animals and humans.
For animals the pursuit of pleasure is defined and controlled by instinct. They pursue what the are programmed to enjoy, directly and simply. Their enjoyment is not complicated by philosophy or self-judgement. A dog or a cat eats what tastes good until it is full, quite unconcerned by considerations of health or aesthetics.
Humans pursuit of pleasures is more complex than animals. Our desires are driven both by instinct and personal value systems. We have the capability to entertain wide-ranging, changeable personal desires. Each one of us live in a private, subjective world where one sees objects as desirable, undesirable, or neutral—neither desired nor undesired.
I find that I do not desire the objects all the time or in all the places. What I desire changes with time and place. What I do not want any more is sold in Garage Sales.
My objects of desire are objects as well as relationships. Everything I desire to possess is termed as kama. I seek the company of my friends and the family to be happy. I seek money to be happy. And so on.
Anything that satisfies your senses, that pleases your mind, that touches your heart and evokes in you a certain appreciation, is kama. Any form of pleasure you derive from your home, for example, or from a relationship is kama. Music and travel are also kama.
Artha:
Artha is security. That which gives you any kind of security - emotional, economical, or social, is called artha in Sanskrit. Artha may be in the form of cash or liquid assets, stocks, real estate, relationships, a home, a good name, a title, recognition, influence, or power of any kind. Such accomplishments boost one’s ego and therefore also provide some security for the ego. And although each person seeks various forms of security at a given time, that he or she is seeking security is common to all.
We want to keep our possessions and relationships safe. We want to live comfortably when we are old. We invest for our and our family's future living. These all come under artha.
Animals also pursue security for survival. Thus kama and artha are common goals for humans and animals.
We seek kama and artha constantly and continuously, hoping that these will make us a complete person.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Based on "Introduction to Advaita Vedanta" and "Bhagavad Gita Home Study Vol 1" by Swami Dayananda Saraswati
Purushartha:
The four-fold human goals are called purushartha.
These goals are 1. kama 2. artha 3. dharma and 4. moksa
Kama:
We constantly seek objects of enjoyment - kama to keep ourselves entertained and happy.
Both animals and humans seek the goal of kama. Seeking of this goal is common to both animals and humans.
For animals the pursuit of pleasure is defined and controlled by instinct. They pursue what the are programmed to enjoy, directly and simply. Their enjoyment is not complicated by philosophy or self-judgement. A dog or a cat eats what tastes good until it is full, quite unconcerned by considerations of health or aesthetics.
Humans pursuit of pleasures is more complex than animals. Our desires are driven both by instinct and personal value systems. We have the capability to entertain wide-ranging, changeable personal desires. Each one of us live in a private, subjective world where one sees objects as desirable, undesirable, or neutral—neither desired nor undesired.
I find that I do not desire the objects all the time or in all the places. What I desire changes with time and place. What I do not want any more is sold in Garage Sales.
My objects of desire are objects as well as relationships. Everything I desire to possess is termed as kama. I seek the company of my friends and the family to be happy. I seek money to be happy. And so on.
Anything that satisfies your senses, that pleases your mind, that touches your heart and evokes in you a certain appreciation, is kama. Any form of pleasure you derive from your home, for example, or from a relationship is kama. Music and travel are also kama.
Artha:
Artha is security. That which gives you any kind of security - emotional, economical, or social, is called artha in Sanskrit. Artha may be in the form of cash or liquid assets, stocks, real estate, relationships, a home, a good name, a title, recognition, influence, or power of any kind. Such accomplishments boost one’s ego and therefore also provide some security for the ego. And although each person seeks various forms of security at a given time, that he or she is seeking security is common to all.
We want to keep our possessions and relationships safe. We want to live comfortably when we are old. We invest for our and our family's future living. These all come under artha.
Animals also pursue security for survival. Thus kama and artha are common goals for humans and animals.
We seek kama and artha constantly and continuously, hoping that these will make us a complete person.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Based on "Introduction to Advaita Vedanta" and "Bhagavad Gita Home Study Vol 1" by Swami Dayananda Saraswati