World of Philosophy

Author(s): Christopher Key Chapple, Intaj Malek, Dilip Charan, Sunanda Shastri, Prashant Dave
Publisher: Shanti Prakashan

Page 431

follow Dharma. "Dharma is, then, the unconditional principle of morality," claims Balbir Singh. It is objective in appeal and universal in application. If we believe that pleasure alone is the good of our life then morality for us would simply mean the discipline as recommended by our natural self. But if the good is considered as something that is not accountable then it must be believed to consist in the realization of self. If the end is self-realization, then the means must equally be accounted for in terms of the activity. Dharma is the command or the order which the pure self (Atman) dictates to the human will. This runs very closely to the Categorical Imperative of Kant where he says that the moral worth of the action performed is to be judged by the motive with which it has been performed and not by its ends or consequences. All those actions are then representatives of Dharma, which have been motivated by the notion, or a sense of duty. The Manu speaks of two kinds of Dharma namely relative Dharma and common Dharma. The former relates to one's station of life and the latter to one's cast (varna) or stages of life (ashrama). Another distinction is recognized between general and special duties. The former are those which have a binding on all human beings alike; the latter have a binding on people of a certain class or station of life. However, the ideas behind both classifications are almost the same.
It is common belief among the Indians that every man has a goal or end in life and the highest goal consists in its realization. Such a goal when attained is believed to be full of bliss and is called as Moksha. When a man reaches this state he becomes totally free from the cycle of births and deaths. He becomes immortal and is free from worldly pain and suffering. There are four main views about Moksha. They are:
Moksha is reached when the soul finds itself as the very essence or truth of Brahman. In another sense Moksha is attained when the soul realizes its own inherent truth whereby it remains itself. Moksha is also attained when the soul attains the status of god. Finally the view, of Moksha as held by the Buddhists, that the highest is achieved when all that is not-self is given up. This however is a negative view. It tells us when Moksha is attained or reached. It does not tell us what it is in reality as well as in actuality.
Uddyotakara considers the attainment of pleasure (sukha-prapti) or the avoidance of pain (duhkha-prapti) as a value, that is pleasure or absence of pain is the only value according to him. According to Uddyotakara, "What is desired is always pleasure or freedom from pain." Pain or the loss of pleasure is always considered as a 'disvalue'. Moksha is the summum bonum of life and is the highest good. It is the ultimate experience that a man can get. Although all Indian philosophers agree that Moksha can be attained, they differ in an important aspect. Some, like Ramanuja, take the view that it can be attained only after this life, while others like Shankara asserts that it is attainable even here in this present world and not necessarily after death.
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