Schooling at 12. College till 25. Getting a job at 25. Marriage and kids around 35. Retire at 60. A few decades later, begins a spiritual journey. These days, most people follow a specific pattern in life. More or less, this ideal pattern is observed almost everywhere on the globe. With some minor variations, even you are part of this system. But do you know when precisely this system was formed? Almost 2500 years ago, in India, a system similar to this existed, termed the Ashrama system.

Moksha or Nirvana is the ultimate goal of spirituality. As per the value system created by the sages in ancient India, life has been divided into four parts purposefully to meet life goals and achieve fulfillment and satisfaction. The four parts in which life has been divided are called Ashramas, and in this blog, we will learn about Ashramas.

Term Ashrama is derived from the word Shrama, which means effort. Ashramas are the stages in which well-defined actions must be taken to ensure stability, development, and timely progress in life. Ancient texts of Upanishads and Dharma Shastras have explained four Ashramas in detail. Brahmacharya (studying), Grihastha (householder), Vanaprastha (retirement), and Sannyasa (renunciation).

Four Ashramas explained
Each Ashrama has one unique goal, leading towards the development and fulfillment of the individual. Dharma (duties), Artha (wealth or means of life), Kama (love), and Moksha (liberation) are the four principal objects of pursuits (Purushartha) in life as per Vedas. Four Ashramas are constructed as a foolproof system, built around an average human life, to achieve those goals. Let’s take a look at them one by one.

Brahmacharya: Brahmam is the Divinity, the ultimate truth. Charya means to conduct, to proceed, to follow. Brahmacharya means conduct, consistent with Brahmam – the ultimate truth. It means to be in complete control of Chitta, a state of mind, to gain Brahma Dnyana (ultimate knowledge).

In ancient times, students used to attain schooling systems called Gurukuls. Gurukul means house of a Guru, where students learn all aspects of life, including science, scriptures, weapons training, logic, self-discipline, righteousness, morality, and much more. Brahmacharya Ashrama is represented by this time of their life, where students learn these things, focusing on education while practicing celibacy.

Brahmacharya began after the initiation ceremony called Upanayana, after which the student used to be sent to Gurukula, where he used to learn until his 25 years. During this time, his Guru used to play a significant role in life. After gaining the knowledge as per their inclination, a student entered into the next phase in his life. He used to enter Grihastha Ashrama, or they used to take Sanyasa Ashrama, pursuing spirituality.

Grihastha Ashrama: After the bachelor life of Brahmacharya, it used to be the time for the next step, called Grihastha Ashrama. Griha means household, and Astha means being in, where a student will become a married individual, acquiring his duties of maintaining the home, raising a family, educating the children, and contributing to society. This Ashrama usually started in the 26th year and used to last till he reached his late 50s.

An individual practicing Grihastha Ashrama used to be known as the creator of wealth and sustainer of society by supporting the individuals in other stages of life. Tantra says this is the most life-fulfilling stage in human life, and one must thoroughly enjoy all the pleasures of life while completing his duties. In this stage, a human being experiences the most intense sexual, occupational, emotional, and materialistic attachments, making him fulfilled for his next journey. Grihastha Ashrama fulfills three out of four Purusharthas, namely Dharma, Artha, and the Kama.

Vanaprastha Ashrama:
गृहस्थस्तु यदा पश्येत् वलीपलितमात्मनः ।अपत्यस्यैव चापत्यं तदाऽरण्यं समाश्रयेत् ॥

Grhasthastu yada pasyed vali palitam atmana| Apatyasyaiva capatyam tadaranyam samasrayet||

When a householder starts observing wrinkles on his skin, when his head is white and has grandchildren, he should head towards the forest.

Vana means the jungle, and Prasthan represents the departure. After Grihastha Ashrama, when the individual reached 51, it was time to retire, hand over the responsibilities to the next generation, and gradually withdraw from the world. As he had completed responsibilities related to Dharma, Artha, and the Kama, now it was time to fulfill the last pursuit of Moksha or liberation. This tradition has been going on in the Indian subcontinent for thousands of years.

When the great war of Mahabharata was over, elders of the Kuru clan like Vidura, Dhritarashtra, Kunti, and Queen Gandhari went to the jungle to spend the rest of their lives atoning to their sins and pursuing spirituality. Their departure is called Vanaprastha Ashrama. In earlier centuries, vanaprastha Ashrama used to begin when a couple became grandparents. In Vedas, the appropriate age for going to the jungle has been mentioned in between 51 to 75.

Sanyasa Ashrama: After one fulfills one duty of guiding the society, it’s time to take a step towards renunciation. After 70, when an individual completes his tasks in Vanaprastha Ashrama, he proceeds towards the exit from worldly life. He shall focus on a simple and spiritual life, devoid of any of the possessions. If someone is inclined towards asceticism, the provision has been made in Hinduism so that the person can directly go from Brahmacharya Ashrama to the Sanyasa Ashrama, and that is the reason, even at this age, you can see many yogis of young age in the saffron clothes, pursuing spirituality in India.

Yadnyavaikalya Smriti, an ancient scripture written 2700 years ago, says that one should renounce everything, walk on the path of spirituality by pursuing their Parajivika(homeless) lifestyle. He must lead a frugal life, sleeping on the floor, consuming only fruits, focusing entirely on spiritual progress. In Hinduism, males who have entered this stage of life are called Sanyasi, or Sadhu, and females are termed Sanyasini or Sadhvi. In Buddhism, the terminology was Bhikkhu and Bhikkhunis.

However, Tantra has to say something different about all these categorizations of life. Tantra says, when a person completes his education, instead of waiting for Grihastha Ashrama and Vanaprastha Ashrama, one can get into his spiritual path right then. One can walk on the path of spirituality while enjoying all the material pleasures in life, and with Tantra, one can achieve that. With the help of his Ishta Deva and Guru, one can fulfill all of his Sankalpa while being one with the Divine.

As in this modern age, more and more people are unaware of these four stages and duties related to each Ashrama; a wide range of socio-economical and cultural problems arise in modern Indian society, creating all sorts of social evils. Many sages suggest that this is happening because we have forgotten our old ways of living.

So, do you think it will be beneficial for a modern Indian society to go back to its root values and bring back the four Ashramas, paired with the contemporary values? Let us know in the comments section below.