CHAPTER II.

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 be always

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 Lokayatikas[4] 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 to-day than a peacock to-morrow;

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[5] of men and their four stages of

life.

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 the Bali[6] was raised to

the throne of Indra by destiny, and was also put down by the same power,

and it is destiny only that can re-instate him.

_Answer._

It is not right to say so. As the acquisition of every object

pre-supposes 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,[7] 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,[8] was

made to suffer for it. In a like manner the mighty Kichaka,[9] who tried

to seduce Draupadi, and Ravana,[10] who attempted to gain over Sita, were

punished for their crimes. These and many others fell by reason of their

pleasures.

_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:

[Footnote 4: These were certainly materialists who seemed to think that

a bird in the hand was worth two in the bush.]

[Footnote 5: 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.]

[Footnote 6: 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.]

[Footnote 7: 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 Ramayana, but now

unknown.]

[Footnote 8: 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.]

[Footnote 9: 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.]

[Footnote 10: 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.]