Trivarga/Caturvarga

[George Hart]

The exact meaning of the three original purusartha's is vexing -- and
would make a fascinating subject of study.  I do hope that any work
on this subject will not be confined to a mechanical list of what
appears where -- that would be of limited value.  Certainly the
connotations of dharma, artha, and kama change significantly over
place and time and are endlessly complex.  Perhaps the most detailed
exposition of these anywhere is the Tirukkural (4th century CE?),
which is organized according to these subjects.  The commentary of
Parimelazakar is equally enlightening.  The Tamil words are aRam,
poruL, and kaama (or inpam).  Certainly a  study of the purusarthas
would sadly incomplete if completely ignored the large literature on
the subject in Tamil.  G. Hart