g worthy of the normal efforts of every single individual. Among the remaining three goals or ends, kama-sexual, emotional, and aesthetic of man-has been given the least value. And between dharma and artha, dharma plays the most significant role as it not only regulates the desire for artha (acquisition of wealth and its use) and kama (enjoyment of pleasure), but it also paves the way for the attainment of mukti or moksa (Gupta 1991, 41). According to the Mahabharata, a wise man has to serve all three goals or ends; but if all three cannot be attained, he should try to secure dharma and artha. And if under any circumstances it comes to choosing only one among three, he must choose dharma only for it is the source of artha, kama, and ultimately moksa.If dharma is the ultimate goal that one has to attain, how is that an individual can attain this goal? Obviously, one should follow dharma; but what is the dharma that one should follow in order to attain the goal. The answer is not easy because there is not just one certain dharma that one should follow in order to attain the goal. There are several dharmas mentioned in the Mahabharata, and some of them are worth mentioning here. They are broken down in accordance with the social classes a person is born into, different stages of social life and other duties. They include varna-dharma, duties according to the social class a person is born into; asramadharma, duties of person in the different stages of social life; rajadharma, duties of a king to its kingdom; kuladharma, duties of a family; stridharma, the duties of a women; etc.One of the dharma that is prominent in the epic is the Varna-dharma. According to this dharma one should do the duty dictated to each individual on the basis of varna (social class) into which he is born. Each of the four varnas has a social function to fulfill and has specific rules of conduct and modes of life that circumscribe the behavior of its member...
