I met a young man at temple this morning from Andhra Pradesh, who told me how he was studying for his Masters, where he went to school, etc. It occurred to me that his goal seemed to be a degree, rather than a more spiritual one. Of course the degree can be seen as a means to the other goals, but not the goal itself. In Hinduism, the ultimate goal is moksha. There are 4 main goals ... dharma, artha, kama, and moksha, the ultimate one.
Dharma is roughly duty, but religious duty. There are several categories within dharma, and many folks think mainly of one, called svadharma, or personal dharma. In other words, what is my personal duty for this life? Should I marry, should I raise children, what job should I have. Focussing on svadharma can often be a pastime of wandering selfishness. So 'Get a job and keep it' would be a more dharmic approach, rather that what should I do? Other categories of dharma include universal order in the universe, duty toward community, the planet, and more. Perhaps summed as stewardship.
Artha has been translated as wealth, and these days is often mistaken to be money and things. But it's far more than that. It's wealth in culture, wealth in friendships, wealth in happiness. Abundance of love, children, crops, laughter, and more. Far more than money, which my young friend was getting his degree for, it seemed.
Kama has been translated as pleasure, and in particular distorted as sexual pleasure. But once again, that's only one hundredth or less of it. It's also smelling a flower, feeling the wind, listening to the happy laughter of children, the joy of helping someone through a tough time, fine food, and more. Not in a selfish greedy way, but in the sense that life is meant to be enjoyed.
And finally there is moksha ... release from the cycle of reincarnation. After the first three goals have been satisfied completely, the soul sees little else this world has to offer ... not a disdain, but the ultimate in love, but it's just the natural time to move on, a natural transition, and where all souls are headed. So ... complete renunciation of the the world, especially artha and kama, vows of chastity, and poverty, all to seek the final goal. For that old mystic, his or her svadharma is seeking of self-realisation, enlightenment, through a lifetime of service, meditation, inner study, tapas (penance) not something that comes easy at all.
Then, if realised, the Self becomes God, is God, merges with God, and moksha awaits after the physical body drops off, not as a goal any more, but as an outcome of the long sojourn of many lifetimes on the planet, spawned by God as an extension of God, and then welcomed home in the final merger, water into water, the individual existing no more. The destiny of all souls, without exception.
Dharma is roughly duty, but religious duty. There are several categories within dharma, and many folks think mainly of one, called svadharma, or personal dharma. In other words, what is my personal duty for this life? Should I marry, should I raise children, what job should I have. Focussing on svadharma can often be a pastime of wandering selfishness. So 'Get a job and keep it' would be a more dharmic approach, rather that what should I do? Other categories of dharma include universal order in the universe, duty toward community, the planet, and more. Perhaps summed as stewardship.
Artha has been translated as wealth, and these days is often mistaken to be money and things. But it's far more than that. It's wealth in culture, wealth in friendships, wealth in happiness. Abundance of love, children, crops, laughter, and more. Far more than money, which my young friend was getting his degree for, it seemed.
Kama has been translated as pleasure, and in particular distorted as sexual pleasure. But once again, that's only one hundredth or less of it. It's also smelling a flower, feeling the wind, listening to the happy laughter of children, the joy of helping someone through a tough time, fine food, and more. Not in a selfish greedy way, but in the sense that life is meant to be enjoyed.
And finally there is moksha ... release from the cycle of reincarnation. After the first three goals have been satisfied completely, the soul sees little else this world has to offer ... not a disdain, but the ultimate in love, but it's just the natural time to move on, a natural transition, and where all souls are headed. So ... complete renunciation of the the world, especially artha and kama, vows of chastity, and poverty, all to seek the final goal. For that old mystic, his or her svadharma is seeking of self-realisation, enlightenment, through a lifetime of service, meditation, inner study, tapas (penance) not something that comes easy at all.
Then, if realised, the Self becomes God, is God, merges with God, and moksha awaits after the physical body drops off, not as a goal any more, but as an outcome of the long sojourn of many lifetimes on the planet, spawned by God as an extension of God, and then welcomed home in the final merger, water into water, the individual existing no more. The destiny of all souls, without exception.
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