Meaning Of Life – Through Indian Eyes

A walks through in the world of realities and believes; get an insight view of its culture and philosophy of life. Let’s take a journey of lifetime to find meaning of Life.

When we think of life and its realities there are three events i.e. birth, way we lived and finally how we leave this physical world. Whole of the mankind is curious to solve the mystery of life that is our living in the world. Everyone wants to get the answer of the question “What is the purpose of life? Is it to live, work & die or there is something more to it than this. When we attain few years of age, we start realizing and getting confused with the realities of the world and spiritualism of the religion. Many times we believe that religion & rituals are the influences of the family and society we belong this is because human is an entity gifted with body, mind and intellect. We take good care of our body for the sake of domestic, social & political well being but at times we miss to take care of our inner self, can call it intellect or soul.

Human has successfully explored all the physical dimension of earth, oceans & space but has done very less for self realization or to find the purpose of life. If we think, what made us so successful in this physical world we will realize it is the knowledge or Gyan. Thus Gyan or to gain knowledge is the main purpose of human life. Knowledge here means atma-gyan (self-realisation). If you leave this world without self realization you have failed to achieve the purpose. In order to achieve those knowledge humans should lead a very ordinary life.

The spiritualism or religion has both monotheistic and polytheistic components. If we try to understand the purpose of life in the light of God, we find that it has many deities and in them the most treasured gods — the Hindu triumvirate of Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva — are considered as the creator of life as well as its destroyer. Although its complex cosmology is layered, it does encourage four universal goals, or purusharthas, that shape the meanings of life: dharma, artha, kama and moksha.

Dharma

Dharma — meaning virtue, morality or duty — is one of the four concepts that give meaning to life for a Hindu. Dharma is different for each person, as a Hindu’s obligations are wholly dependent on a number of factors, including social position or caste, age and gender. In that sense, dharma aptly represents the complex nature of Hinduism: Although it is a universal concept for Hindus, dharma operates differently for each person, shaped by particular circumstances.

Artha

Artha means success. In addition to leading a virtuous life that meets specific social and personal obligations, a Hindu should strive for success in any given activity. Artha encourages the gaining of wealth through lawful means.

Kama

Hindus should also seek out Kama, or pleasure. Kama refers to a range of pleasures, from aesthetic — enjoying the arts, music, writing and dance — to sexual pleasure. Perhaps one of the better-known publications underlying the principle of Kama (in the West) is the “Kama Sutra,” which is a guide to love, family life, sexual activity and pleasure.

Moksha

One of the most important concepts within Hinduism is moksha, the final goal that a Hindu should strive for in his or her lifetime. As reincarnation is a fundamental aspect of the religion, the cycle of rebirth ends with moksha. A Hindu who overcomes desires and therefore gains enlightenment can achieve moksha.

Do you contribute unconditional love in the life of others?

We spend a lot of time in trying to be correct and perfect and win the attention and approval of others. In our own egoistic ways, we expect the same perfection from others, especially those who are important to our peace and happiness. As parents, we expect a lot of perfection from our children. We want them to become responsible adults and bring a good name to themselves and to their family.

We follow a similar pattern of our behaviour in other relationships also making them or breaking them, depending upon how people stand up to our expectations or live according to the standards we deem important. We categorize and stereotype them according to our beliefs, desires, attachment and judgment.

If people fit into our expectations, we love them and like them. Otherwise, we criticize them or keep them away. There is certain selfishness in this approach, which we chose to ignore because it does not make us feel good. Most of the conflicts in our relationships arise because of our desires and expectations. When both people in a relationship are selfish and self-centred, they do not remain in that relationship for long. Eventually, they develop differences and separate.

The ideal relationship is that which is based upon unconditional mutual love and respect. It is as difficult as finding an ideal or saintly human being upon earth. We cannot practice it if we have desires and expectations and if we are guided by fear, egoism and self-interest.

We are potentially capable of unconditional love, but it does not surface in us easily until we subject ourselves to intense spiritual transformations. In our eagerness to be something, have something and find security, we build walls around ourselves and become prisoners of our own actions, losing sight of our innate ability to radiate the light of God and His unconditional love. We cease to see the divinity in ourselves as well as in ours.