Preface - Chapter 2
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On the Acquisition of Dharma. Artha and Kama
MAN, the period of whose life is one hundred years, should practise
Dharma, Artha and Kama at different times and in such a manner that
they may harmonize together and not clash in any way. He should
acquire learning in his childhood, in his youth and middle age he
should attend to Artha and Kama, and in his old age he should perform
Dharma, and thus seek to gain Moksha, i.e. release from further
transmigration. Or, on account of the uncertainty of life, he may
practise them at times when they are enjoined to be practised. But
one thing is to be noted, he should lead the life of a religious
student until he finishes his education.
Dharma is obedience to the
command of the Shastra or Holy Writ of the Hindoos to do certain
things, such as the performance of sacrifices, which are not generally
done, because they do not belong to this world, and produce no visible
effect; and not to do other things, such as eating meat, which is
often done because it belongs to this world, and has visible effects.
Dharma should be learnt from
the Shruti (Holy Writ), and from those conversant with it.
Artha is the acquisition of
arts, land, gold, cattle, wealth, equipages and friends. It is,
further, the protection of what is acquired, and the increase of
what is protected.
Artha should be learnt from
the king's officers, and from merchants who may be versed in the
ways of commerce.
Kama is the enjoyment of appropriate
objects by the five senses of hearing, feeling, seeing, tasting
and smelling, assisted by the mind together with the soul. The ingredient
in this is a peculiar contact between the organ of sense and its
object, and the consciousness of pleasure which arises from that
contact is called Kama.
Kama is to be learnt from
the Kama
Sutra (aphorisms
on love) and from the practice of citizens.
When all the three, viz. Dharma,
Artha and Kama, come together, the former is better than the one
which follows it, i.e. Dharma is better than Artha, and Artha is
better than Kama. But Artha should always be first practised by
the king for the livelihood of men is to be obtained from it only.
Again, Kama being the occupation of public women, they should prefer
it to the other two, and these are exceptions to the general rule.
Objection 1
Some learned men say that as Dharma is connected with things not
belonging to this world, it is appropriately treated of in a book;
and so also is Artha, because it is practised only by the application
of proper means, and a knowledge of those means can only be obtained
by study and from books. But Kama being a thing which is practised
even by the brute creation, and which is to be found everywhere,
does not want any work on the subject.
Answer
This is not so. Sexual intercourse being a thing dependent on man
and woman requires the application of proper means by them, and
those means are to be learnt from the Kama Shastra. The non-application
of proper means, which we see in the brute creation, is caused by
their being unrestrained, and by the females among them only being
fit for sexual intercourse at certain seasons and no more, and by
their intercourse not being preceded by thought of any kind.
Objection 2
The Lokayatikas1 say: Religious ordinances
should not be observed, for they bear a future fruit, and at the
same time it is also doubtful whether they will bear any fruit at
all. What foolish person will give away that which is in his own
hands into the hands of another? Moreover, it is better to have
a pigeon today than a peacock tomorrow; and a copper coin which
we have the certainty of obtaining, is better than a gold coin,
the possession of which is doubtful.
Answer
It is not so. 1st. Holy Writ, which ordains the practice of Dharma,
does not admit of a doubt.
2nd. Sacrifices such as
those made for the destruction of enemies, or for the fall of rain,
are seen to bear fruit.
3rd. The sun, moon, stars,
planets and other heavenly bodies appear to work intentionally for
the good of the world.
4th. the existence of this
world is effected by the observance of the rules respecting the
four classes of men and their four stages of life.2
5th. We see that seed is
thrown into the ground with the hope of future crops.
Vatsyayana is therefore
of opinion that the ordinances of religion must be obeyed.
Objection 3
Those who believe that destiny is the prime mover of all things
say: We should not exert ourselves to acquire wealth, for sometimes
it is not acquired although we strive to get it, while at other
times it comes to us of itself without any exertion on our part.
Everything is therefore in the power of destiny, who is the lord
of gain and loss, of success and defeat, of pleasure and pain. Thus
we see that Bali3 was raised to the throne
of Indra by destiny, and was also put down by the same power, and
it is destiny only that call reinstate him.
Answer
It is not right to say so. As the acquisition of every object presupposes
at all events some exertion on the part of man, the application
of proper means may be said to be the cause of gaining all our ends,
and this application of proper means being thus necessary (even
where a thing is destined to happen), it follows that a person who
does nothing will enjoy no happiness.
Objection 4
Those who are inclined to think that Artha is the chief object
to be obtained argue thus. Pleasures should not be sought for, because
they are obstacles to the practice of Dharma and Artha, which are
both superior to them, and are also disliked by meritorious persons.
Pleasures also bring a man into distress, and into contact with
low persons; they cause him to commit unrighteous deeds, and produce
impurity in him; they make him regardless of the future, and encourage
carelessness and levity. And lastly, they cause him to be disbelieved
by all, received by none, and despised by everybody, including himself.
It is notorious, moreover, that many men who have given themselves
up to pleasure alone, have been ruined along with their families
and relations. Thus, king Dandakya, of the Bhoja dynasty, carried
off a Brahman's daughter with evil intent, and was eventually ruined
and lost his kingdom. Indra, too, having violated the chastity of
Ahalya, was made to suffer for it. In a like manner the mighty Kichaka,
who tried to seduce Draupadi, and Ravana, who attempted to gain
over Sita, were punished for their crimes. These and many others
fell by reason of their pleasures.4
Answer
This objection cannot be sustained, for pleasures, being as necessary
for the existence and well being of the body as food, are consequently
equally required. They are, moreover, the results of Dharma and
Artha. Pleasures are, therefore, to be followed with moderation
and caution. No one refrains from cooking food because there are
beggars to ask for it, or from sowing seed because there are deer
to destroy the corn when it is grown up.
Thus a man practising Dharma,
Artha and Kama enjoys happiness both in this world and in the world
to come. The good perform those actions in which there is no fear
as to what is to result from them in the next world, and in which
there is no danger to their welfare. Any action which conduces to
the practice of Dharma, Artha and Kama together, or of any two,
or even one of them, should be performed, but an action which conduces
to the practice of one of them at the expense of the remaining two
should not be performed.
Footnotes
- These were certainly materialists who
seemed to think that a bird in the hand was worth two in the bush.
-
Among the Hindoos the four classes of men are the Brahmans or
priestly class, the Kshutrya or warlike class, the Vaishya or
agricultural and mercantile class, and the Shoodra or menial class.
The four stages of life are, the life of a religious student,
the life of a householder, the life of a hermit, and the life
of a Sunyasi or devotee.
-
Bali was a demon who had conquered Indra and gained his throne,
but was afterwards overcome by Vishnu at the time of his fifth
incarnation.
-
Dandakya is said to have abducted from the forest the daughter
of a Brahman, named Bhargava, and, being cursed by the Brahman,
was buried with his kingdom under a shower of dust. The place
was called after his name the Dandaka forest, celebrated in the
Bamayana, but now unknown.
Ahalya was the wife of the
sage Gautama. Indra caused her to believe that he was Gautama,
and thus enjoyed her. He was cursed by Gautama and subsequently
afflicted with a thousand ulcers on his body.
Kichaka was the brother-in-law
of King Virata, with whom the Pandavas had taken refuge for
one year. Kichaka was killed by Bhima, who assumed the disguise
of Draupadi. For this story the Mahabarata should be referred
to.
The story of Ravana
is told in the Ramayana, which with the Mahabarata form the
two great epic poems of the Hindoos; the latter was written
by Vyasa, and the former by Valmiki.
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