artha
Sanskrit for purpose
Artha is a Sanskrit term meaning wealth, prosperity, or material well-being, and is one of the four aims of human life in Hindu philosophy alongside dharma (duty), kama (pleasure), and moksha (liberation).
The concept encompasses not just money but all resources needed to live well—career success, economic security, political power.
In classical Indian thought, pursuing artha is considered legitimate and necessary, provided it doesn't conflict with dharma.
The king's artha depended on wise governance and a thriving economy.
Cosmic moral order
Quality of mattering
- purposeReason something exists
- sensePerception or judgment
- interpretationAssigned meaning
- definitionStatement of meaning
connotation · semantics · understanding · implication · denotation · nuance · essence · symbolism
Exchange of goods, services
- tradeExchange of commodities
- marketVenue for trade
- profitGain exceeding expenditure
- enterpriseCommercial undertaking or initiative
business · merchant · transaction · finance · investment · commodities · currency · exchange
dharma
Cosmic moral order
significance
Quality of mattering
- purposeReason something exists
- sensePerception or judgment
- interpretationAssigned meaning
definition · connotation · semantics · understanding · implication · denotation · nuance · essence · symbolism · context
commerce
Exchange of goods, services
enterprise · business · merchant · transaction · finance · investment · commodities · currency · exchange · livelihood
prosperity
Good fortune, success
capital · assets · treasure · opulence · luxury · money · funds · possessions · holdings · net worth
- Hindu conceptsmoksha, karma, atman, dharma, karma yoga
- Indic linguisticsSanskrit, Hindi, Bengali, Gujarati, Marathi
- Sanskrit grammarPanini, nominative, accusative, sutra, dative
- Dharmadharma, sacred duty, religious duty, righteousness, moral law
- purusarthaskama, moksha
- Purusharthakama, moksha, dharma, righteousness, moral law
arthamoksha
Release from rebirth cycle
spiritual liberation · renunciation · liberation · nirvana · enlightenment
arthapoverty
Severe lack of resources
destitution · penury · indigence · want · deprivation
arthameaninglessness
Lack of significance
purposelessness · aimlessness · futility · nihilism · absurdity
- rheumatoid arthritisAutoimmune joint disease
- arthritis treatmentTherapy for joint inflammation
- arthritis painDiscomfort from inflamed joints
- arthritis flareAcute joint inflammation episode
- arthritis creamTopical joint pain treatment
- knee arthritisDegenerative leg joint disease