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Ancient Indian wisdom believes that the four purusharthas provide the key to living a fulfilled life. Think of dharma - purpose, artha - prosperity, kama - pleasure, and moksha - liberation as the stepping stones towards discovering your life’s true purpose, according to Chopra.
Your path to a meaningful life starts with the four Purusharthas. Discover the spiritual meaning of these four values and how to use them to shape your life.
Find Your Purpose through Dharma: Purpose
The word dharma comes from ancient Sanskrit teachings and is considered the path of righteousness, according to Learn Religions. It guides your soul’s purpose. Through discovering your dharma, you understand the why behind your everyday life. You go beyond just doing and discover the meaning behind what you do.
Everyone has been placed on this earth with a purpose. Take the time to discover what your soul’s purpose is. Ask yourself: “What are your values and passions?” This will paint the path toward your dharma. When you find these answers, you’ll go down the road to discovering your dharma. It might take a little time to get there, but eventually, you can begin to live with purpose.
Live Prosperously through Artha
Financial and material means are necessary to live comfortably in your day-to-day life. Basic needs like food, water, warmth, rest, and security must first be fulfilled before you can tend to spiritual needs.
That’s where artha comes into play. According to the Wisdom Library, artha translates to wealth or prosperity in Sanskrit. It looks at attaining financial well-being while also serving your community. It provides the key to a joyous life through the material comfort required to live securely.
You can tap into artha through the root chakra, the home of basic needs. Spend time meditating, to open the flow of energy through this chakra. Practice affirmations like “I have my needs met” to feel supported by the universe. Planting seeds of prosperity encourages you to survive and thrive. Through nourishment, these seeds transcend through material and financial comforts allowing you to reach your life goals.
Harness Pleasure through Kama
Kama represents an expression of desire according to the Bhagavad Gita organization. It refers to life’s greatest pleasures. Individuals can become attached to desires, which can lead to toxic traits and addictive behaviors. However, when desire is harnessed in a controlled manner, you can go after your dreams and achieve what you have set out to do in this lifetime. Free yourself from desire, through mindfulness practices like active meditation.
Become Liberated through Moksha
Hinduism believes in samsara, a circle of death and rebirth throughout a lifetime. Once you have completed this full circle, you’ll reach moksha, according to Yogapedia. When you have achieved all that you came to do this lifetime for, you finally enter moksha, the ultimate state of bliss.
Moksha also refers to universal consciousness. When you connect to moksha, through dharma, artha, and kama, you realize your true self as one with the universe. This creates the moksha state, a feeling of absolute freedom, peace, and oneness with the divine.
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