Hinduism divides the life of a Hindu in the the pursuit of 4 purusharthas of life. These purusharthas can be called the goals of life of a Hindu. Purushartha literally means action or work. Hinduism divides the life of an individual in four stages
Each stage has a different purushartha as its goal for example brahmacharya ashram’s main goal is Dharama i.e. a brahmachari learns to understand what Dharma is? On the other hand,the goal of of Grihastha ashrama is artha i.e. he focuses all of his energies to attain material well-being as well as financial requirements. The goal of vanaprastha Ashram is preparing for Moksha. While the goal of Sannyasa ashrama is the attainment of moksha.
The four Purusharthas are:
- Dharma
- Artha
- Kama
- Moksha.
Dharma is the principle of righteousness and includes all of our duties and responsibilities. Artha is the principle of wealth and includes all of our material pursuits. Kama is the principle of pleasure and includes all of our desires and pleasures. Moksha is the principle of liberation and includes all of our spiritual pursuits.
Dharma
Dharma is the principle of righteousness and duty. It is the path of Dharma that one must follow in order to achieve purification of the soul.
Artha
Artha is the principle of material wealth and prosperity. It is the path of Artha that one must follow in order to achieve material wealth and prosperity.
Kama
Kama is the principle of love and desire. It is the path of Kama that one must follow in order to achieve love and desire.
Moksha
Moksha is the principle of liberation from the cycle of birth and death. It is the path of Moksha that one must follow in order to achieve liberation from the cycle of birth and death.