“What’s the right mix then of kama and artha,” said Gautam, “for a moksha-enabling-dharma?”
“Dharma is not some physical compound that lends itself for the chemical formulation,” said the seer smilingly. “Why don’t you realize that we are dealing with the complexities of life? When it comes to the basics of living, even the wretched of the earth have their way. The handouts of charity would ensure their survival and the ratio of the sexes provides them their fair share of sex. Then, won’t the ‘eat and procreate’ regimen amount to an animal life in the human form? What are the human faculties for, if not for the enrichment of the quality of life? Thus, the evolution of dharma is seeded in the application of the mind. While the characteristics of our genes define the scope of our kama, the circumstances of birth shape our spheres of artha.”
“So swamiji,” said Gautam, “it all amounts to man cutting the coat of dharma according to the cloth of his life, isn’t it?”
“Won’t that amount to defeatism?” said the seer. “While giving up on hope is despair, not striving for betterment is self-denial. The dynamics of living lay in the limitations birth imposes and the possibilities the circumstances of life entails. Thus, lamenting over the limitations of birth and missing on the opportunities of life would only lead one to a state of frustration. And frustration paralyses the self and punctures the buoy of joy. What is worse, it breeds tendencies that are inimical to the social good. On the contrary, the precept of dharma is about trying to limit the limitations of birth and further the possibilities of life, all the while enjoying that engagement. This philosophy of living enriches the self and uplifts the soul, leading to a life of harmony, regardless of the restrictions one's environment imposes.”
“What stunts one's dharmic path swamiji?”
“It is artha, the alter ego,” said the seer. “Is it not the propensity of man to compare himself in arthic terms with others for his self-worthiness or otherwise? That is since the social niceties preclude one from making kama the measure of him or her? Well, culture would have us confine the nuances of romance to the precincts of the bedrooms. Leave aside kama, can there be a hallmark of comparison, of attributes of the creation, unique to the individuals. That’s how arthacame to dominate the human domain as a common denominator for universal comparison.”
“How disastrous that is proving to our life swamiji?”
“Well, with artha having become the visible measure of human worth,” continued the swamiji with a sense of sadness, “man began to exert himself at acquiring wealth. It’s as if he doesn’t want to lose in comparison! If anything, the opportunities of our times opened the doors to all comers. So, the wayward crowd swelled up to trample upon the values of life leading to a cultural chaos of material acquisitions. It is as if the talent in all other spheres of human endeavor ceased to count. In this mad rush for moolah people fail to realize that it requires a great strength of character to give up what’s not one's due than to accumulate through questionable means.”