Essentials of Hinduism

Chapter 2: God-Realisation

Among these four, kama is considered the lowest because this urge is common to both man and animals. Artha, on the other hand, is noticeable mainly in human beings, and is considered superior to kama. The third goal, dharma, is no other than a training in self-sacrifice. Kama and artha are rooted in selfishness, dharma is not. Thus, dharma is superior to kama and artha.

The Hindu way of life consists in the performance of a series of religious duties or dharma as dictated by the scriptures. Even in order to acquire worldly possessions or to satisfy his passions a Hindu must hold on to dharma. This is why kama and artha – which are mentioned as two separate goals different from dharma – are placed under the category of dharma by some scholars.

Moksha, which means “liberation,” can be achieved only through the realisation of God. Hinduism believes in God’s omnipresence and speaks of the presence of Divinity in every human being. At any given point of time Divinity is equally present in all, but not equally manifest. The purpose of spiritual practice is to manifest this inherent Divinity. When this Divinity becomes fully manifest, a person is said to have become a God-realised soul; he is also said to have attained moksha.

This Divinity is the true Self of man. It forms the very core of man’s existence. One can give up whatever is extraneous, but not that which forms the very core of one’s being. Sooner or later this true Self, or Divinity, must manifest itself. All without any exception will eventually attain moksha. Some highly evolved souls may accomplish this in this life, or after their death. Others who are not as evolved may need several more incarnations. Conscious effort or sincere spiritual practice, however, can help one to achieve this goal faster. Nonetheless, everybody is unconsciously proceeding towards this goal.

According to Hinduism Infinite Bliss is one of the principal aspects of Divinity. Even when man pursues kama or artha he is unconsciously trying to reach his Divine Self – which is Infinite Bliss. No matter how much pleasure or money he gets, he craves for more. He cannot find satisfaction through them, because the joy that he gets from such pleasure or money is finite. Eventually he realises that searching for Infinite Bliss through such finite external means will lead him nowhere.

This awareness inspires him to turn around and consciously search for that fountain of Infinite Bliss within himself. When he arrives at this perennial source of Infinite Bliss, all his wants and cravings disappear. He then experiences God – the all-pervading Divinity – both within himself and without. He experiences God as the essence of everything and every being. He loves all, even his enemies, because he sees no enemy anywhere. He transcends all suffering, fear and sorrow. In this state any interaction with the world is a most joyous and rewarding experience, because it is no other than directly interacting with God. He sees himself as a part of a Divine play where God is playing all the roles, including his own. He can no longer identify with his body-mind-complex, which is subject to birth, change, decay and death. He gains the unshakable conviction that he is the eternal Divine Spirit – deathless and birthless.

This is moksha or “liberation.” Moksha is the inevitable goal of human life. Compared to this intensely blissful experience every other joy derived from the senses is tasteless and insipid. The scriptures of Hinduism again and again urge Hindus to consciously strive for this goal.