[Advaita-l] Query: co-relation between 'Ashrama' and 'purushArtha'

[Jaldhar H. Vyas]

On Sat, 2 May 2015, dinesh bn via Advaita-l wrote:

> Kindly bless me in knowing the co-relation between 'Ashrama' and
> 'purushArtha' which is abundantly referred to in various scriptures.
>
> 1. Does the 4 'Ashrama' directly co-relate to the 4 'purushArtha'?
> 2. Or, is there any hierarchical relashionship?
> 3. Or, is it simply a natural truth of life for an Asthika?
>

We can visualize it as a table

                      dharma    artha     kama    moksha
No ashrama             Y[3]      Y        Y        N/Y[5]
Brahmachari            Y         N        N        N/Y[5]
Grhastha               Y         Y        Y        N/Y[5]
Vanaprastha[1]         Y         N        N        N/Y[5] 
vividisha sannyasi[2]  Y/N[4]    N        N        Y[5] 
vidvan sannyasi[2]     Y/N[4]    N        N        N[6]

[1] Assuming such an institution actually exists otherwise N for all.

[2] I have split up sannyasis into vividisha ("seekers") and vidvan
     ("knowers")

[3] He has to observe the samanya or sadharana dharmas.

[4] Both types of sannyasi can do dharmic acts as an example to others but
     they do not have an obligation to do so.

[5] Moksha can be pursued from any ashrama (or none) but it is the special
     province of sannyasis as we discussed recently.

[6] A vidvan sannyasi has already achieved jivanmukti so obviously moksha
     cannot be considered a purushartha for him.

-- 
Jaldhar H. Vyas <jaldhar at braincells.com>