Puruṣārtha is formally defined as that which a human being seeks (puruṣeṇa arthyate iti). Thus, a human being is a seeker. He has spiritual turmoil, and feels, rightly in itself, that things should and can be different. Four goals are defined in Vedānta. Artha (safety, security) kāma (pursuing desires, entertainment), dharma (doing good) and mokṣa (liberation by realising one’s freedom).

A person thinks he is seeking security, safety, property offspring, entertainment and distraction, and a good life, but being born a human being means being a seeker of freedom. This also manifests itself in inner peace. People want to find peace. Their true nature consciousness is infinite peace. When you know completely internalised that you are that free consciousness, you are free and at total peace.

The first three goals are called preyas. Preyas means ‘what is dear to me’. This starts with a basic drive, namely artha. Artha means what we today call subsistence security or safety. These are the deeper drives out of self-preservation. Survival instinct and some degree of well-being and prosperity (vittaiṣaṇā), in other words. This includes the basic necessities of life. Food, housing, health, offspring (putraiṣaṇā) etc., adequate resources. These are the somewhat more animalistic goals.

Then when I get my act together, it is not done, the restlessness remains, I still need to ‘shape’ my life, or feel that something is missing, I find that I am a caterpillar never enough. There is desire for more, or there is desire out of boredom from a sense of luxury. This second goal is called kāma (desire). As we know, desire is addictive and can turn out to be quite insatiable in people.

Still I will feel limited and incomplete. This is about the existential feeling of meaninglessness in many people. This can be exorcised by constantly occupying myself with ‘fun’ or ‘useful’ things (kāma, bucket list principle) or I exorcise this feeling by doing ‘good’ (dharma), the third goal.

Now of course there is nothing wrong with doing good, and it is also a stage that should definitely be entered into. But dharma as meant here is not yet the dharma of one who seeks knowledge, and knows that he must first live according to the immaculate laws of divine empirical reality, in order to remove the tensions from his life.

The dharma as described here under ‘human motivations’ is basically ‘doing good’ to make oneself feel ‘less bad’, so again meant to get out of that uncanny feeling of being limited. It is the conjuring up of the idea that there would be something wrong with existence as it is. This goal also includes the desire for higher worlds (lokaiṣaṇā). Action according to dharma produces a heaven (svarga or nāka), whether it is in your mind or would actually be ‘somewhere’. Action that violates dharma yields hell (naraka), whether it is in your head or would actually be ‘somewhere’. Both hells and heavens have gradations (seven in the Vedic system). But these are better thought of as levels of relative happiness or relative suffering.

In these first three motivations or goals, one tried to find true happiness by impermanent means, which by definition cannot succeed, if only because what you try to preserve will perish or die.

But a healthy style of living according to dharma will bring a certain relative happiness. A temporary, relative happiness.

The underlying fourth goal of every human being is mokṣa (freedom). This is the most secret driving force, present in every being, without people generally realising it.

Looking at this exactly: Any action to serve myself, I actually wish to become free from the feeling of being a circumscribed being. In other words, I do not want to obtain something: Security, things, resources, objects, relationships, partners you name it. What I am doing is: I want to get rid of that gnawing feeling of insecurity, poverty, inferiority, longing, having less green grass than the neighbours etc. etc. So I don’t want to get something, I want to get rid of something.

What do I want to get rid of? From the feeling of not being free and full. Why do I want to get rid of that? Because in reality I am full and free. So I sense that I am living in a make-believe state. Because of ignorance of my infinite nature, I feel limited. This is what is called existential restlessness. The restlessness is evident and justified.

Once I get through that worldly striving does not lead to lasting happiness, once I get through that every phenomenon has a pro and a con, perfectly balancing each other, I come to realise that earthly life does not really solve anything, and to really solve my problems once and for all, I should not seek with the first three relative goals! Thus, I will have to see through the duality that is presented to me. That which makes the apparent duality possible is my non-dual nature as existence itself, radiant as consciousness.

Then I look beyond my nose, and one day I will somehow interact with the teaching.

The goal, the motivation ‘freedom’ is called śreyas. That which is good in all circumstances. Indeed, freedom is that which is true without circumstances. Freedom is freedom from circumstances. Freedom is even beyond dharma and adharma. Not that one who is free will act badly. No, one who is free contemplates everything as himself, and acts from the love that she or he is.

Freedom is through knowledge. To hear knowledge, my mind has to be ready. Vedānta is the means of knowledge that guides me in this and will make me free, if I sincerely and consistently go through the vedānta programme.

However, first it will have to be somewhat understood that all the goals I vainly pursue will come to nought. For that, I will have to have developed an objective view, and be free of binding desires (dispassion, vairagya).

Why is mokṣa an absolute goal? Because mokṣa’s goal is to be beyond, param-, all goals, -ārthika.