+आश्रमः Life-stages

Intro

An individual’s life passes through various phases. Important among them were described and suggested by dharma-shAstra writers with the view of bringing and maintaining individual and social harmony. Phase transitions were especially marked. Following are the four major stages of life.

brahmacharya

Student life, starting with upanayana and ending with samAvartana.

  • naiShThika-brahmacharya, starting with a special ceremony after samAvartana. “He may also rekindle the fire with a ‘substitute wife[10]’… he may rekindle the fire alone for himself[11] (Trikandamandana 3.128) and taking Shraddha (faith/conviction) as his ‘substitute wife’ may perform agnihotra etc. " Nithin

gRhastha

Householder life, starting with vivAha/ marriage. The most important Ashrama, for this is where family traditions are maintained.

  • brahmachArin-s taking up sannyAsa or vAnaprastha without marriage is criticized. - Eg. indra in MBh - “ke cid gṛhān parityajya vanam abhyagaman dvijāḥ/ ajātaśmaśravo mandāḥ kule jātāḥ pravavrajuḥ/ etc..” [GA16]
  • Mate choice and marriage maintenance - KV18.
  • “Hindu parents rooted in Dharma are living temples.” [OGS]

vAnaprastha

  • Retirement to forest. (vaikhAnasa-gRhya-sUtra gives a procedure for transition to this Ashrama, while others don’t.)

sannyAsa

  • Asceticism in pursuit of mokSha or Ananda, mostly to the neglect of pravRtti-dharma.
  • Not at all dealt with by the gRhya-sUtra-s - some say because it is out of scope, others say that this is because this Ashrama was unknown, unpopular or frowned upon.
  • Early mention in the bRhadAraNyaka. An easy extension of the naiShThika-brahmachArI concept. Possibly later gained more and more acceptance due to the influential shramaNa streams.
  • Rejected by several later texts as kali-varjya.
  • The controversial role of Ananda-pursuit in the neglect of dharma by hindu-s is to be considered.

Before gRhastha

“Grandparents with a monk son also had more grandchildren, as their non-celibate sons faced less or no competition with their brothers. The practice of sending a son to the monastery … is therefore in line with a parent’s reproductive interests.” - AT