2022
Puruṣārtha explained completely
According to Ancient Philosophy of India, Puruṣārtha (literally means Object of Human Pursuit) refers to four proper Goals or Aims of Human Life. Those are Dharma, Artha, Kama & Moksha.
Historical Indian scholars recognised and debated the inherent tension between active pursuit of Wealth (Artha) and Pleasure (Kama), and renunciation of all wealth and pleasure for the sake of spiritual liberation (Moksha). Thus the Artha & Kama coupled with Dharma (righteousness, moral values) ultimately leads to Moksha.
So, in this process of moving towards Liberation (Moksha), the Kama plays an equal role as of Dharma & Artha. Thus, being an attribute of Kama, Sringara (Erotic Love) which is termed as King of Rasa (aesthetics) coupled with Dharma is the easiest way to spiritual liberation, Moksha.
Unlike the Digital era, explaining Sringara and its importance towards attaining Moksha in a period like Medieval era has its own challenges.
Since Sringara is one such Rasa which is widely appreciated from a Youth to Old, this got much more popularity and Khajuraho is the standing example of all this.
So, the Sensuous Sculptures of Khajuraho depicting different phases of Human life, mostly concentrated on amalgamation of Righteous Sex into Spirituality to attain Moksha, the liberation.
It should be borne in mind that the Khajuraho sculptures depicting erotic figures are not the pornographic scenes to excite savage passion. The Unique sculptures of Khajuraho Temples should be seen in totality.
One thousand years ago, under the generous and artistic patronage of the Chandela Rajput Kings 85 temples, magnificent in form and richly carved, came up on one side near the village of Khajuraho.
An amazingly short span of 100 years, from 950 A.D. - 1050 A.D. saw the completion of all the temples in an inspired burst of creativity. Today out of original 85, only 22 have survived the ravages of time. These remain as a collective pean to life, to joy, to creativity and to the ultimate fusion of man with the creator.
The profusely carved figures on the walls of Khajuraho Temples have been classified broadly into 5 categories: 1. Principal Deities (like Shiva, Ganesha, Vishnu, Surya & Jain Tirthankaras) 2. Divinities (Goddesses, Apsaras, Surasundaris) 3. Mithunas (couples engaged in sexual orgies) 4. Life style (Group of Dancers, War Tactics, Education System, Marriages etc) 5. Sculptures of Animals.
No space on the walls of some of the temples has been left without significant sculptures. One can count as many as 872 Hindu Gods / Goddesses of 2½ ft - 3 ft in height on the walls of each of the 22 preserved temples! Chisels of the finest Craftsman have created a rhythmic movement through varied activities, further accentuating the Feminine grace.
The female figures that embellish the temples are elegant and typically twist around the axis in the Tribhanga pose, evoking a Languid and Sensual air.
Surasundaris form a favourite theme at Khajuraho. They are the manifestation of the artist's imagination depicting feminine Grace and Sensuousness. The photograph of Surasundari shows her hair curled into her hands smoothly giving us impact of her day dreaming about her lover. Instead of considering these erotic sculptures as vulgar or obscene, they should be taken as the ecstasy, the beauty and the truth!!
Further we have Sculptures representing an emblem of Chandela dynasty, the builders and rulers of Khajuraho. According to the Legend, Child was born to Hemavati and Chandrama - the moon god named Chandravarman.
He grew so robust, bold and valiant hero that at the age of sixteen he had enough strength to kill a lion and a tiger without any difficulty. Thus the Emblem of Chandellas became a young man grappling with a Lion, a scene on which there is several sculptures at Khajuraho.
Khajuraho is the most frequently visited monument in India. Khajuraho is an unique example of Indo-Aryan architecture. It is well-known all over the world for its temple architecture and exquisite sculpture.
Kamasutra states the relative value of three goals as follows: Artha is more important and should precede Kama, while Dharma is more important and should precede both Kama and Artha.
