Arth means wealth. In simple terms we symbolise it as money. It is the second most important thing after Dharm in our broader categorisation of the four fundamental pursuits of life. If Dharm is the first that enables us to have an existence as an animate entity, it is the Arth that becomes the means of our sustenance. We need arth just after our birth, and without this arth we will have to suffer a lot. We are not presuming here that human beings cannot survive without money. We can, as we survived when there was no wealth in the form of money in the ancient era of our civilization. We survived without money as all the creatures except human beings are doing. But there have to be one or the other forms of wealth to nourish the baby. They are to be provided with the food and the other things that are required for sustenance of the life. What sustains our life just after birth are called wealth or Arth. Natural wealth are sufficient for the sustenance of life of any creature, but not for the modern human beings. We need more than this natural wealth.

As we grow, we constantly feel the importance of Arth, and it slowly becomes our one of the major pursuits of life. We pursue it in the hope of gratification of the senses (Kama) and in the hope of realising dharm. This hope is not altogether baseless. It has some strong footing. For without wealth we may lose our health, and without health we can neither get pleasure of the senses nor can realise the dharm. Body is the means for realising the dharm, the pleasures, the bliss. Even the concept of salvation, freedom from all the tribulations of life, becomes meaningless without good health. And, good health is largely dependent on Arth.

This Arth includes everything except the three - Dharm, Kama and Moksh. Let us not be confused at this point.