The Concept of Dharma and Purushārthas

Abstract

The notion of dharma is one of the most important concepts of Hinduism. This paper deals with the semantics diversity of the term of dharma, which is a Sanskrit word derived from the root of dhṛ that means to support, hold, maintain. In addition, the concept of purushārtha, consisting of the words purusha and artha, is examined by focusing on the different usages of that term. It is criticized why purusarthas are defined as trivarga or çaturvarga and the historical and philosophical significance of the purusarthas is discussed. Besides, the connection of purushārthas with varna and ashramas has been investigated as well as it is mentioned which purushārtha orders should be observed by caste members and which purushārtha should be considered by individuals in the ashrama system.
Purushārtha is a key concept in Hinduism and refers to the three/ four proper goals or aims of a human life. The word purushārtha literally means purpose of human being or object of human pursuit. All four purushārthas are important, but in cases of conflict, dharma is considered more important than artha or kama in Hindu philosophy. Moksha is considered the ultimate ideal of human life. It is also criticized that purushārthas are defined as trivarga or çaturvarga; its historical and philosophical significance was discussed. In addition, the connection of purushārthas with varna (brahman, kshatriya, vaisya, sudra) and ashramas (brahmacharya, grihastha, vanaprastha, sanyasa) has been investigated. In the caste system, the knowledge of which purushārtha element that caste members should observe has been mentioned. It was emphasized which purushārtha should highlight in the stages.

Keywords

• Dharma,Purushārtha,artha,Kama,Moksha

Dharma Kavramı ve Purushārthalar

Abstract

Dharma, Hinduizm’in en önemli kavramlarından biridir. Sözlükte “tutmak, kaldırmak, sürdürmek” anlamlarına gelen dhṛ kökü ve bu kökten türetilen dharma, bir kavram olarak ele alınmıştır. Böylece onun anlam çeşitliliğine değinilmiştir. Ayrıca purusha ve artha kelimelerinden oluşan purushārtha (Hindu hayatının dört temel gayesi) kavramı tetkik edilip onun hangi kavramları karşıladığı ele alınmıştır. Purushārthaların trivarga ya da çaturvarga olarak tanımlanmasının kritiği yapılmış; tarihi ve felsefi açıdan öneminin ne olduğu tartışılmıştır. Ayrıca purushārthaların varna (sınıf/kast) ve aşramalar (dört aşama) ile bağlantısı da araştırılmış; kast sisteminde kast üyelerinin hangi purushārtha emrini yerine getirmesi gerektiği bilgisine değinilmiştir. Aşramalar içerisinde kişinin hangi purushārthayı ön plana çıkarması gerektiği vurgulanmıştır. 

Keywords

• Dharma,Purushārtha,artha,Kama,Mokşa

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