“Ikigai: A Modern Simplification That Sacrificed Ancient Depth”, Pragyata, July 15, 2026

“Somewhere in the last decade, “Ikigai” became the answer to every question about meaning. What should I do with my life? Ikigai. Why do I feel empty despite the seven-figure salary? Ikigai. How do I find purpose? Draw four overlapping circles, find the sweet spot in the middle, and call it a philosophy.

I want to be fair to Ikigai. And I want to be honest about what we gave up when we traded the OG Purusharthas for it.

Because here is the thing nobody says out loud: the Purusharthas – the four aims of human life that Vedic civilisation codified as the operating architecture for a meaningful existence – are so much richer, so much more complete and so much more honest about what being human actually involves. Calling Ikigai its equivalent is a bit like saying a map of your neighbourhood is equivalent to Google Earth…..”

Read full article at pragyata.com