Sri Sathya Sai Baba's Message to the Russians. The Four Goals of Family Life How this knowledge can be put into practice

What is the purpose of human life? Often this question leads a person to a dead end, because he either never thought about it, or thought about it, but did not find an answer for himself. Many still answer that the main thing in their life is family and children.

Of course, this is better than living completely aimlessly, but in fact, as the Vedic scriptures say, family and children are not the goal of life, but only one of the duties, by fulfilling which, a person can come closer to understanding the meaning of his existence on this planet.

I think each of you will agree that more than anything in the world we want to become happy. The problem is that we don't know how to do it. Therefore, we go to look for this happiness in various places, often where it does not exist and cannot exist. For mistakes in the direction of this search, we pay with failures and disappointments in our lives.

The thing is that happiness, like everything in this world, happens in the three modes of material nature (or on three levels). Happiness in ignorance is, for example, robbing a bank, going for a drink of vodka or eating lots and lots of sweets in order to somehow drown out mental pain, to silence the voice of conscience, which always points to a problem, and which we do not want to hear. It is difficult to call this kind of happiness even happiness, and it is dangerous with consequences that everyone knows about.

Happiness in passion is, for example, working hard to earn money and go on vacation to Hawaii or build a house, pay a mortgage, buy a car, etc. In doing so, we lose personal time, health and family happiness. But a person in passion does not think about it, for the sake of his own benefit he is ready to sacrifice a lot in his life. Such happiness is short-lived and what we gain is not comparable to what we lose as a result.

Happiness in goodness is to live not only for yourself and satisfy your needs, as in the first two cases, but to start serving society in one way or another that is available to you. There are an infinite number of steps for growth. And with each step, doing more and more for others, a person becomes more and more happy. This kind of happiness tends to only increase with time.

There are four main goals of human life that we must strive for if we want to become happy precisely in goodness:

1. Dharma (duty);

2. Artha (material prosperity);

3. Kama (sensual pleasure);

4. Moksha (liberation).

At the heart of these four goals is the knowledge that we are eternal souls who come to this earth time after time to learn certain lessons. It is not by chance that we are born in certain conditions. Each time these conditions are different, but there are four main debts (duties) that remain the same:

1. I am a good child;

2. I am a good husband (wife);

3. I am a good parent;

4. I am a good specialist.

The correct performance of each of these four duties is following the path of dharma. In order to understand exactly what your duties are as a child, spouse, parent and specialist, you need to study the laws of this world, described in all the scriptures that have survived to this day. It is also necessary to study psychology, to know what is the difference between the male and female psyche, to learn to build harmonious relationships with oneself and other people.

There are two kinds of dharma: upa-dharma and sanatana-dharma. Upa-dharma is exactly the four duties that we mentioned above. And sanatana-dharma is the highest duty of a person - service to God (or the Highest principle). Moreover, it is not necessary to serve him in the temple, to be a monk and live in solitude, you can serve in ordinary everyday life.

Each of you can remember a situation when he helped someone completely disinterestedly, when without your help a person would have taken a wrong step, would have lost his family, health or even life. Remember that feeling of joy and happiness that filled you then. This is our highest mission - to improve this world, to do good, to help others. By serving people, we thereby serve God and develop as a soul.

If a person conscientiously fulfills his duty (dharma), then, sooner or later, he will certainly achieve artha, that is, prosperity (material well-being). Kama (sensual pleasure) is also a consequence of the fulfillment of a person's dharma.

But nowadays people do not want to follow the path of dharma, they often do not even know what their duty is. Since childhood, we have been taught physics and mathematics at school, but they do not teach the most important lessons: what is the purpose of our life, how to build relationships in the family, with colleagues, what should be the right attitude to work ...

Modern humanity, for the most part, lives in the mode of passion. They treat work as a means of earning money, and they need money to satisfy their feelings and desires. That is, people initially confused everything: having almost completely excluded the most important goal of life - to learn how to fulfill their duty in relation to other people, they decided by any means to come to the next two goals: artha (prosperity) and kama (pleasure).

But since this aspiration is in the mode of passion, happiness can be obtained from it only temporarily, paying a rather high price for it. We usually pay with health, family well-being, free time that we could spend on spiritual development.

There is also the fourth, most important goal of human life - this is moksha (liberation). If a person is in the mode of ignorance or passion, for him liberation is death, and death in his understanding is non-existence or inaction and pleasure at best.

For a person living in the mode of goodness, death does not exist at all, he realizes himself as an eternal soul striving for God. And liberation for such a person is only liberation from the fetters of this material world and further service to the Almighty in the spiritual world. There is no suffering in the spiritual world; for the souls living there, the highest pleasure is the process of selfless service, and not the result.

So, to summarize, we all on this Earth, one way or another, are looking for happiness, this search is the meaning of our life. But the main thing is to learn to distinguish, fortunately in which guna we strive. If we want to achieve ever-increasing happiness without detrimental consequences for our lives, then it is necessary to learn to follow the path of dharma, that is, to study in detail what is my duty towards the people around me.

Dharma is the foundation on which our future destiny is built. Artha (prosperity) and kama (pleasure) come to us as a result of our life in accordance with the laws of this world. The ultimate goal of our many incarnations on this planet is moksha (liberation), which is the culmination of the first three goals. You can understand the meaning of your life only by becoming conscious, and you can become conscious only by realizing that the Earth is a school of life, and we are students in this school, where every day we go through certain lessons and from time to time we have to take exams. Mindfulness is the ability to see and understand the meaning of the lessons that life teaches us.

tell friends

5 185

According to Vedic knowledge, there are 4 main goals in the life of every person: dharma, artha, kama and moksha.
To understand oneself, one's internal and external motives, personal birth charts (horoscopes) help to determine which one or more of the main human goals prevail both in general and in a particular period of a person's life.

The first main goal in life is dharma.
Dharma is a term used in Hinduism, Buddhism and other Eastern religions. The concept of this word is quite extensive and, depending on the context and religious or philosophical currents, it has many different meanings.
Translated from Sanskrit, "dharma" means - to hold, to hold, to support. In Vedic culture, this term is most often understood as the fulfillment of one's destiny, duty to oneself, family, the society in which we live, and to the Supreme Personality of Godhead. As well as following religious and socio-moral laws. Dharma is understood as well as righteousness, truth and order. For the kshatriya varna, dharma is the main goal. In the natal chart, dharma is shown by the 1st, 5th and 9th houses. These houses are associated with the knowledge of one's nature and one's physical and psycho-emotional capabilities, Purva-punya (pious karma), reason, wisdom, religiosity and righteousness.

The next goal is artha.
Artha - wealth, prosperity, financial well-being, success, various material benefits. For vaishya varnas and family people, artha is one of the main goals in life. In the horoscope of the house of artha, these are the 2nd, 6th, and 10th houses - family values and traditions, family income, job duties, areas of work, the ability to cooperate and achieve material goals and economic development.

Kama- means desires, passion, enjoyment of material things. Kama is also the satisfaction of one's ambitions, desires and all the senses (touch, sight, taste, smell and hearing). Kama is the main goal of life in the Shudra varna. 3rd, 7th, 11th houses in birth charts are responsible for kama. These are the houses of aspirations, relationships, ambitions and desires.

And the last of the four main goals according to purushartha (the Vedic concept of human goals) is moksha.
Moksha means liberation, material independence, freedom from samsara (the cycle of birth and death). Moksha is liberation from illusions, attachment to material wealth, liberation from suffering. This is spiritual development, freedom from karma, enlightenment and awareness of oneself as an eternal Soul, a part of God. Moksha is the main goal of the Brahmins. In the horoscope, the goal of moksha is indicated by the 4th, 8th and 12th houses. The indicators of these houses are spiritual efforts, spiritual knowledge and practices, yoga, meditation, solitude, transformation and liberation.

All these goals are interconnected - in order to satisfy our desires (kama), we need money (artha), and in order to be financially secure, we should know our nature, our capabilities, and also observe the social and moral standards of society (dharma). And when a person fulfills his dharma, leads a righteous, spiritual lifestyle, then the understanding comes that true happiness is not in material things and not in satisfying his senses, but in realizing himself as a Soul, in knowing and serving God, which leads to moksha .

“The meaning of human life is simply to go back home to God, and the meaning of my life is simply to serve the Lord. If I serve the Lord, I am the happiest person, and if I do not serve, then I am the most miserable. And for me it makes no difference where to live - in a hut or in a palace. The main thing is to serve the Lord.”(Gopal Krishna Goswami).

In addition to the four main life goals described above, there is the main, true goal of life for each of us - this is to come to God with our service and love, to return home!

Dharma- sustains our existence. Dharma is knowledge of the law and following it, morality, piety, duty and its fulfillment, responsibility, religious duty, support for the law of being. Dharma is the natural law of how all living beings should be treated. The task of Jyotish is to explain the real dharma of a person, but a person himself is able to see his dharma by lowering the level of the gunas: tamas and rajas in his life.

Artha- material well-being, earnings, economic potential. Artha is nothing but the resources and economic development of a person. Artha includes: achieving fame, accumulating wealth, gaining knowledge and professional skills, gaining a high social position. In other words, artha is success in our material world.

Kama- these are desires and satisfaction of one's senses at different levels, physical pleasures, sensual pleasure, lust, passion. Kama is also the relationship with other living beings.

moksha- liberation from the mortal body, liberation from samsara, from suffering, dissolution of delusions / illusions.

Note:

Dharma - 1,5,9 houses
Artha - 2,6,10 houses
Kama - 3,7,11 houses
Moksha - 4,8,12 houses

If you look a little deeper into the topic of the houses of the horoscope and how the four goals in a person’s life are interconnected, then it is possible to notice how the houses of dharma, artha, kama and moksha are intertwined. In the houses of dharma, one way or another, themes of a person’s duty and responsibility, his moral values, knowledge of the law, religion, following this path, etc. are manifested. In artha houses, how a person achieves prosperity and success in this life, how he accumulates resources for a normal existence here. In the houses of kama, the strongest desires of a person are manifested, what he wants in this life most of all. In the houses of moksha, the themes of something transcendent, secret, the theme of human transformation appear.

How can this knowledge be put into practice?

It's simple, open your natal chart and see which of the houses has more planets. This knowledge will tell you a little about yourself, about what is important for you in life: dharma and following the path of dharma in life, possibly moksha, and that is why your financial affairs do not add up, because. the soul itself, before birth, wished to deal with issues that would relate to moksha and spiritual development in life. Knowledge must be practical, so apply it, study yourself. Only by understanding yourself and understanding your destiny can you understand others.

Although the goal of life is life itself, nevertheless, the Vedas describe 4 types of inner values that every person possesses.

Moksha, dharma, artha and kama- these are 4 types of values that are uniquely mixed in each person. Depending on the proportions of each goal, the individual nature of the personality is formed.

Moksha - liberation from suffering (≈0.1% of people)

Or in other words, the search for an eternal source of happiness and inner peace. moksha translated as liberation, problem solving, freedom. Each person, consciously or unconsciously, strives for inner freedom and self-acceptance. Freedom from experiencing material adversity and from attachment to external circumstances is the goal of life called moksha.

Looking around you can understand that a very small part of humanity is clearly aware of their suffering, therefore moksha a rare goal of life, if you take statistics around the world. Although moksha is the highest of all goals, quite a few people are looking for a fundamental solution to their deepest problems and dissatisfaction. For the most part, humanity prefers temporary “anesthesia” and oblivion of the deep layers of consciousness with the help of material pleasures.

disadvantage moksha is disinterest in material development and, as a result, indifference to the social and mercantile life of the world. Although, on the other hand, this shortcoming is fully compensated by spiritual taste and subtle development. People with a predominant goal of moksha should make an effort to share the light of knowledge with others and the world.

Dharma - following honor (≈1% of people)

Dharma quite a broad concept, if we take the Vedic philosophy and psychology. Dharma translated as nature, duty, morality, manners, purpose and law. This goal of life can be described as, the adoption of a certain order and code of life and strict adherence to the rules.

In the practical plane of life dharma takes 2 main forms: (1) following the rules of an organization or (2) following one's own principles and laws of life. Dharma not as rare a goal of life as moksha, but far from popular in the modern world.

The main disadvantage dharma is ossification in the built order. Therefore, followers of the goal of dharma life are advised to review and update their life paradigm and inner values more often, so as not to get stuck in their archaism.

Artha - desire for wealth (≈9% of people)

“Money is power and opportunity” is the slogan of people who follow arthe. And they are somewhat right. If a person thinks a lot about money and prosperity, he / she should definitely develop in this vein.

This goal is quite widespread in the world, but it also has a certain threshold of entry and adherence to it. Not every person is destined to get rich and manage large amounts of resources.

Negative side arthi is strongly conditioned by money and opportunity. The mind of such people is periodically eclipsed by external successes and takes away the opportunity to focus on the inner reality.

Kama - material enjoyment (≈90% of people)

The first place in the world in popularity is occupied by pleasure as the goal of life. Most people in the world are in constant pursuit of various material circumstances. Moreover, many of these people do not make appropriate efforts to achieve what they want, which causes a storm of indignation and complaints about life.

Insofar as 90% of people everywhere and always will seek high, the world will always revolve around the production and consumption of various types of pleasures. And this is absolutely normal for modern times and culture.

Any pleasure becomes boring and needs a change of entourage and scenery, this is main disadvantage kamy . The temporality of material circumstances will not make it possible to get high forever and sooner or later you will have to look for new pleasures. But most people are not a bit embarrassed and they embark on more and more new searches for material happiness, which they will never find.

Each purpose of life has its own unique charms and disadvantages. I suggest you reflect on what mixture of goals and values you have and how it manifests itself in life. I hope this article has helped to take another small step towards self-awareness and understanding of one's nature. Happy thinking!

Roman Gavrilov

12 houses can be conditionally divided into four groups: Kama, artha, dharma, moksha - 4 types of various human desires, 4 goals of life, which are intertwined in different combinations into one common one - Destiny. It is these desires that give rise to human activity, and indeed all life as such. Why is a person born? Soul wants know yourself through your own experience. Trying to get rid of desires is pointless, stupid and even dangerous, because in the end they are the reason for our existence.

Dharma houses - 1st, 5th, 9th. Duty, obligation, religion - these are several translations of this word. Dharma is what a person is born into the world for, a task, a purpose. Dharma always corresponds to innate personal qualities, desires and aspirations. The root of this word from Sanskrit is translated as "support". Dharma is the path that leads a person through his whole life. Following this path, he remains satisfied, creative and happy. From this follows another definition - Sanatana Dharma, the Eternal Path. If you follow the dharma, sincerely, and with a pure heart, you automatically get on the Eternal Path. There are many paths of dharma, they are as unique as living beings, but the goal for all paths is the same - the Eternal Path. And each living being follows the Eternal Path in its own special way.
Artha houses - 2nd, 6th, 10th. Wealth, means, resources... What is necessary for a fulfilling life and the fulfillment of dharma. Of course, this is not just about money. Experience, knowledge, skills - all this is artha. I would translate this word as "equipment" or "equipment" for this incarnation.
Kama houses - 3rd, 7th, 11th. Desire, passion, impulse, movement to achieve the goal. This word should not be interpreted as "lust". Kama is the desire to touch, to establish contact with any manifestations of the surrounding world, especially with living beings, the desire to Create and Love.
Moksha houses - 4th, 8th, 12th. Liberation. But not leaving this “material” world and incarnating in the spiritual one, but liberation from attachments, addictions. To love without expecting anything in return, to rejoice without worries about the future, not to be afraid of losing and not to cling, not to try to control, to be fluid. This is what true moksha is. Absolute unconditional love. Unconditional. Without conditions. Moksha is the dissolution of delusions and illusions inspired by dharma, artha and kama. Moksha is that which makes it possible to possess nothing while possessing everything.

All these four life goals for each person are differently distributed in their relationship with each other. It’s good for someone to wave a saber, someone to live as a hermit in the forest, and someone to perform on stage. However, one way or another, each of these four goals is necessarily manifested in every life. How exactly all the energy is distributed to these groups is shown by the horoscope.