The Hindu Way of Life

In the previous post, I talked about the objective of the human form and why is it so important. The main aim of Hinduism is to show a person how to lead a life through which he can attain Moksha. So now, let's look at the Hindu way of life.

In Hinduism, there are four aspects to the human life or the four Purusharthas (purposes): Dharma (social, moral, and religious duties), Artha (material and financial needs), Kama (desires) and the ultimate goal Moksha (freedom from the cycle of life and death). Lets look at each of these Purusharthas in detail.

Dharma:
I had mentioned in the previous post that the human form is considered to be the superior form, because with the human form one gets free will. With this benefit comes responsibilities. A person has to make responsible decisions considering a lot of things in mind. He should think how his decisions affect not just himself but also the society, and act accordingly or perform karma. Performing the right action or karma according to ones Dharma, is considered as a service to the society and to God.

Bhagawath Geeta is entirely based on the concept of Dharma and Karma. When Arjuna sees his grandfathers, cousins, uncles, friends in the battlefield standing against him, he becomes overwhelmed with compassion. He tells Krishna that he will not gain anything by fighting against his beloved ones, even though they may be following the wrong path. So Sri Krishna reminds him of his duty and asks him to do the right karma. For more details, read the summary of the epic Mahabharata.

Artha: 
This purushartha refers to a persons material needs. For example, everyone needs food to satisfy hunger, clothes and shelter to protect from the harsh weather, and money to buy food, clothes, etc. So a person has to works towards getting all these material needs. However, this should not be the only purpose in a person's life. Usually, people are not satisfied with what they have. They desire for more. This is a clear example of greediness. Such desires create attachments to materialistic things and divert us from the main objective of human life i.e. attaining moksha.

Kama:
Kama means sexual desires. However, in a broader sense it also means desires. Desires are common to human nature. Nobody can deny that he is free of desires. But one shouldn't succumb to it. In Hinduism, one is free to have desires(be it material or sexual) as long as it doesn't conflict with his Dharma. 

In Bhagawath Geeta, Sri Krishna says that desires lead to attachments. Attachments are the chief cause of sufferings and divert us from doing our Dharma. When one becomes free of desires, he finds satisfaction in self. Such a person is called a Sthitapragya. A sthitapragya has a steady mind and is in full control of his senses. Even while enjoying the worldly pleasures, a Sthitapragya remains free from desires. He understands his purpose in life and acts accordingly.

Moksha:
I spoke about this Purushartha in my previous post as well. Attaining moksha should be the main purpose in a persons life. Human life is rare and one should make the best use of it. Only in this form does one get free will; and thus has to act responsibly. Depending on his karma, he either gets liberated or trapped in the vicious cycle of life and death.

I may have written this article but I know how hard it is to follow these perfectly. I hope one day we all can be free of irrational desires and be able to do our duties responsibly; and ultimately reunite with the ParamAtma.

References:

Bhagawad Geeta, ISKON
Some articles on Wikipedia
Sri Krishna by Ramanand Sagar, (which is primarily based on Srimad Bhagavatam)