The Four Aims of Human Life (AQA GCSE Religious Studies A (8062))

What are the Four Aims of Human Life?

The Four Aims of Human Life

• The purpose of life for Hindus is to achieve four aims, called Purusharthas

• The four aims are dharma, kama, artha and moksha

• These provide Hindus with opportunities to act morally and ethically and lead a good life

• By leading a good life Hindus hope to end the cycle of samsara and behave in a way that provides good karma in this life and the next

Dharma

• This is related to a person’s true purpose and is concerned with a person’s duty and the actions the person takes

• Each Hindu believes that they have their own personal dharma

• This is about leading a righteous life

• Hindus want to end the cycle of samsara, and therefore they aim to make morally right decisions in order to achieve good karma

Kama

• This Sanskrit word means love, desire and pleasure and is a very practical part of Hindus’ aims in life

• Hindus aim to achieve pleasure in many ways, including sporting activities and cultural interests, but it is important to note that kama is also derived from sexual pleasure

• Therefore, Hindus consider kama to be important in their personal lives

• As Hinduism is a very practical religion, it is widely accepted that many Hindus attempt to achieve kama in their lives with their partners

• This sexual aspect of kama is considered to be a natural part of human instinct and also produces children

Artha

• Artha means prosperity and to Hindus it refers to the pursuit of wealth

• Many Hindus believe that there are only a few people who do not require material wealth

• Therefore, it is important that Hindus attain material wealth as part of attempting to achieve moksha

• However, they must not become attached to this wealth

Moksha

• Moksha is the ultimate aim in life for Hindus

• It means to be saved (salvation). When a Hindu achieves moksha, they break free from the cycle of samsara

• Hindus aim to end the cycle of samsara through gaining good karma, which means doing good actions and deeds

• Therefore, the actions of their previous lives and the actions of their mortal life today are all part of their effort to break the cycle of samsara, which each individual Hindu works towards

What is the meaning of Dharma?

• Hinduism recognises four stages of life, called ashramas

  • Hindus go through all of these in their lifetime

  • The duties of life (or dharma) don’t just depend on the community (or caste) a Hindu is born into

  • They also depend on a person’s stage of life, or ashrama

• The four stages of life are mapped out for all humans

• During each of the stages, Hindus have duties and samskaras that they must perform

• By following the ashramas Hindus will be following their dharma and getting good karma

What is Dharma?

• Hindus believe life involves a series of duties (dharma) which are different for each Hindu depending on their family background,  job and stage of life

• Dharma includes a range of things including worshipping God, doing your job properly, not hurting people or living animals and being honest

• It is up to every human to do their dharma as well as they possibly can

• Hindus should try to be led by their duty to do the right thing rather than the pursuit of material possessions or human pleasures

• There are various types of dharma for a Hindu

  • Some are personal duties and some are eternal duties, meaning that they are for everyone

Sanatana dharma

• Sanatana dharma is an important dharma that means eternal truth

• It is universal, which means it applies to all people at all times

• Many Hindus would refer to their religion as sanatana dharma rather than Hinduism as they believe it sums up their beliefs better

• For Hindus, following sanatana dharma means living their lives in such a way that they are always considering their moral choices and making the best decisions they can

• They should also worship and pray so that they are thinking about God

• They should read and learn the scriptures so that they can understand their religion and its teachings better

• They should live their lives with the ultimate aim of achieving freedom from samsara, or moksha

• Hindus should also care for all other living beings, such as plants, trees and animals, which means treating them with respect and looking after the environment

• Hindus should also consider how they are treating people who are in need of help and support, and they should look after them in the best way they can

Varnashrama dharma

• Another important dharma is varnashrama dharma, which is more of a personal duty

• Varnashrama dharma means the duties a Hindu should follow depending on their stage in life and their caste

• Some Hindu societies are organised according to caste

• There are four main traditional castes and thousands of subgroups, called jat or jati, within these

• The group a Hindu is born into can decide what jobs they may get and what their duties are in life

• Some aspects of this concept are controversial because they raise human rights issues about fairness and equality in Hindu societies today

• The Rig Veda describes the whole of society as if it were a human body:

  • The teachers and priests are like the head and are regarded as those closest to achieving moksha

  • The warriors and leaders are like the upper body

  • The merchants, traders and farmers are like the strong legs

  • The manual workers and labourers are like the feet

• The Dalits are a large group in Hindu society, making up over 15% of India’s population

  • The word ‘Dalit’ means ‘the broken’ or ‘the oppressed’ and is a name that Dalits choose for themselves

  • It replaces older, very negative terms such as ‘untouchables’ and ‘outcastes’

  • The Dalits are excluded from the caste system, and they have experienced persecution

  • It is illegal in India to discriminate against anyone in employment, but caste groupings can still keep society unequal and unfair in some ways