4 MAIN GOALS OF LIFE IN EARTH

Dharma

righteous living

Duty, honor, justice, good works, character, and virtue. In many stories of Hinduism, when a
person is in trouble, they turn to dharma to find their way out of a difficult situation.

This is a central part of Hinduism, and shows up just about everywhere!

Artha

Artha means goal, purpose, or means of life.

Artha is a very important part of Hinduism, because it helps define the direction a person will
take in their lifetime. Its tied to concepts of income and security.

Without artha, many people are aimless and feel incomplete.

Kma

Kama means longing or desire in Hinduism.

But this isnt just a simplistic longing or desire; its actually the right kind of desire.

This is a principle where the person must understand what desires he/she has and how they
interrelate to their interests and goals.

Often times, were influenced by desires in a negative waythey may lead us to the wrong
environments and social circles. Think of it as anything that distracts us from our artha in life.

Moksa

In Hindu traditions, moksa means self-realization or enlightenment and is the ultimate goal of
life.

It could be said that the other 3 are simply stepping stones to this state of heightened awareness
and perception.

Vivekachudamani, a popular text on Moksha, defines it as the following:

Beyond caste, creed, family or lineage,

That which is without name and form, beyond merit and demerit,
That which is beyond space, time and sense-objects,
You are that, God himself; Meditate this within yourself
These four goals are important to Hindu practicers because they believe that these will allow
them to escape the wheel of suffering, move higher in the Caste system, or reach Enlightenment.
Hindus believe that one goes through the process of reincarnation, or samsara. To escape
samsara, one has to perform actions in their life that follow the four main beliefs of Hinduism,
listed above. This is the one main goal of Hinduism, to escape samsara and to join moksha,
where they "become one with the universal soul.

KARMA

The theory of karma harps on the Newtonian principle that every action produces an equal and
opposite reaction. Every time we think or do something, we create a cause, which in time will
bear its corresponding effects. And this cyclical cause and effect generate the concepts
of samsara (or the world) and birth and reincarnation. It is the personality of a human being or
the jivatman - with its positive and negative actions - that causes karma.

YOUR KARMA IS YOUR OWN DOING

Hindu philosophy, which believes in life after death, holds the doctrine that if the karma of an
individual is good enough, the next birth will be rewarding, and if not, the person may actually
devolve and degenerate into a lower life form. In order to achieve good karma, it is important to
live life according to dharma or what is right.

THREE KINDS OF KARMA

satvik karma, which is without attachment, selfless and for the benefit of others;

rajasik karma, which is selfish where the focus is on gains for oneself;

tamasik karma, which is undertaken without heed to consequences, and is supremely selfish and
savage.