Dharma as the first aim

धर्म पुरुषार्थ

Also written: dharma purushartha · dharma as goal of life · duty in hinduism

Dharma is placed first not because it is the most attractive aim but because it is the container. Wealth and pleasure sought outside it destroy the one who seeks them; sought within it, they are called blameless by the śāstra itself.

धृतिः क्षमा दमोऽस्तेयं शौचमिन्द्रियनिग्रहः। धीर्विद्या सत्यमक्रोधो दशकं धर्मलक्षणम्॥

dhṛtiḥ kṣamā damo'steyaṁ śaucam indriya-nigrahaḥ dhīr vidyā satyam akrodho daśakaṁ dharma-lakṣaṇam

Steadfastness, forgiveness, self-restraint, non-stealing, purity, mastery of the senses, discernment, knowledge, truth and freedom from anger — these ten are the marks of dharma.

— Manu Smṛti 6.92

धर्म एव हतो हन्ति धर्मो रक्षति रक्षितः।

dharma eva hato hanti dharmo rakṣati rakṣitaḥ

Dharma destroyed destroys; dharma protected protects.

— Manu Smṛti 8.15 — first line

The three debts one is born with

The Taittirīya Saṁhitā states that a person is born owing three debts, and dharma at this level is simply their discharge.

Ṛṇa	Owed to	Discharged by
Deva-ṛṇa	The powers that sustain the world	Yajña, worship, the daily offering
Ṛṣi-ṛṇa	The seers who preserved knowledge	Study, and passing knowledge on
Pitṛ-ṛṇa	The ancestors who gave the body	Raising a family, and the rites for the departed

Sāmānya and viśeṣa dharma

Kind	Applies to	Contents
Sāmānya dharma	Everyone, without exception	Non-injury, truth, non-stealing, purity, restraint, patience, generosity, compassion — the universal floor
Viśeṣa dharma	This person, in this role, at this stage	Varṇa dharma, āśrama dharma, the duties of a profession, of a parent, of a ruler

Dharma as the first aim

The three debts one is born with

Sāmānya and viśeṣa dharma

The four Puruṣārthas — what a human life is for

Artha — wealth, means and capability

Kāma — desire, beauty and delight

Mokṣa — liberation

The four Āśramas — one life, four dharmas

Brahmacarya — the student stage