5 - Human Life And Its Purpose - Stages Of Life

Question 1

What is

Answer 1

Stages of life

Question 2

What are the stages of human life according to Sanskrit literature?

Answer 2

In Sanskrit literature, human life is divided into four stages:

brahmacaarin – student
grrhastha – married householder
vaanaprastha – forest dweller
sannyaasin – an ascetic who has completely renounced material life

Question 3

Describe the brahmacaarin stage.

Answer 3

The first stage is the brahmacaarin.

This is the student stage of life, and it begins in childhood.

The brahmacaarin lives a chaste life serving a teacher and learning the ancient wisdom in preparation for the challenges that life will present in the later stages.

Question 4

Describe the grrhastha stage.

Answer 4

When the brahmacaarin finishes studying and leaves the teacher, he or she gets married and enters the second stage of life, the grrhastha, or householder.

In this stage the grrhastha raises a family and supports society on a wider scale.

Question 5

Describe the vaanaprastha stage.

Answer 5

Traditionally, the third stage of vaanaprastha, or forest-dweller, begins when the first grandchild is born.

At this point, the vaanaprastha leaves home and dependants
and takes to a life in the forest, sometimes accompanied by a spouse or sometimes as part of a group of disciples under a master.

Here the vaanaprastha returns to the texts studied as a brahmacaarin and reflects deeply upon them.

The vaanaprastha also practices austerities (tapas) and meditation (dhyaana).

Question 6

Describe the sannyasin stage.

Answer 6

Finally, after the vaanaprastha, or forest-dweller stage is abandoned he or she enters the life of a sannyasin, or complete renunciation.

Sannyasin is a life of solitary wandering, eating only what others offer for food.

The mind of the sannyasin is free from all concern.

Such a person, free of all social and bodily ties, gradually redeems all faults and becomes inwardly fixed on philosophical truths.

Sometimes a person who is sufficiently strong in character may take to the forest-dwelling or sannyasin stages straight after the stage
of studentship, thereby bypassing the householder stage.