| These four are
called the Purusharthas or the ends of life. This formula embraces both earth and heaven,
both time and eternity. Moksha or the freedom of the spirit is the kingdom of God. It is a
thing of eternity. Its counterpart in time is Dharma, which is the kingdom of God on earth
under human conditions. It is half-divine and half-human. It is divine because it is the transcript of Moksha, which is
another
word for divine consciousness. It is human because it is subject to progress
and changes and has to fulfil itself in spiritual freedom beyond time.
It includes Artha and Kama that is, our
possessions and our passions.
In other words, we are taught that in this
life righteousness consists in our directing our possessions and passions to a spiritual
end. The more we do this, whether as individuals or as nations, the greater is our
progress in Dharma. Hence progress in Dharma means the progress of man towards divine
perfection.
God is eternal perfection and to reach Him we have not only to
discharge faithfully the duties that belong to our station in life and to the stage of our
spiritual development but also to cultivate the essential virtues and become thoroughly
pure and virtuous in character.
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