Swami Sivananda

Sri Sathya Sai Baba

There are four Purusharthas namely, Dharma, Artha, Kama and Moksha. For Kama and Artha, we have Dharma and Moksha on either side. We should try to regroup the four into two groups. 

If we take these four and treat them as four separate entities, we will not get any benefit out of our actions. 

If we can combine Dharma with Artha and Kama with Moksha, then we realise that we will have to acquire wealth for the sake of Dharma and we must turn all our desires to acquire Moksha. Wealth is not permanent and Kama is something which wavers. 

Wealth and lust are things which are impermanent and keep on changing. It is not possible that man can become happy by the possession of these two things.  The reason for this is that they are unsteady and impermanent and such things cannot give happiness to man. 

When these impermanent things, wealth and lust, are combined with permanent things like Dharma and Moksha, they also acquire such sacredness and become somewhat true and permanent. 

If wealth is combined with a permanent truth like Dharma and similarly lust which is of a wavering type is combined with permanent Moksha, then we will be able to acquire Ananda in the aspect of Brahman. Our purpose should be to combine the impermanent things with the permanent things of life. We should strive to move on from the minutest aspects to one of infinity.

(Discourse -Summer course-1974)

Sri Sathya Sai Baba