CHAPTER VI.
The Four Ashramas.
NATIONS have characteristics, just as have individuals, and among the characteristics of the Hindu nation in old days were order and balance. The Sanatana Dharma stamped these characteristics on the people, and thus shaped a very dignified type of man, evenly developed and well balanced. So much are these the characteristics of the true follower of the Sanatana Dharma, that Shri Krishna said : "Equilibrium is called-Yoga."*[समत्वं योग उच्यते।।2.48।।]
The large view of life taken in the Vedas is the root of these characteristics. All things exist for the sake of the Atma, the Self, and by his/(or Her?) will. They exist merely to give him the experiences he desires to pass through. He wills to unfold his powers in the lower worlds, and to become the self- conscious Ruler of the outer realms of denser matter, as he is ever the Inner Ruler, Immortal. He is not in haste, being Eternal, and knows it best to take each experience in order, and thus to unfold symmetrically and harmoniously.
This order is imposed by Ishvara, the Supreme Self, on the lower kingdoms of our world ; the seed, the root, the stem, the leaves, the flower, the fruit succeed each other in due order, and each has its place and its beauty in its season ; so also He imposes the stages of human life infancy, childhood, youth, maturity, old age ; this sequence man can- not escape from nor change ; but the unfolding Jivatma in man, clouded by the matter he has not yet mastered, pushes irregularly in various directions, led by Manah [मनः] dominated by Kama [काम ], grasping at the things of one stage while yet in another, and so hindering his due evolution in each. The child would be a youth, the youth a man ; the old man grasps backward at the joys of youth ; thus life is robbed of its serenity and thereby of half its usefulness.
In order to counteract this mistaken eagerness and lack of balanced order, the great Rishis marked out for the eldest-born family of the Aryan race the definite stages in the life of the individual from birth to death, and the definite stages in the life of the Jivatma in his long evolution through myriads of births and deaths. In each case these stages are four ; in the life between one birth and one death they are called Ashramas, resting-places dwellings : in the life passing through countless, births and deaths they are called Varnas, colours, or castes.
We are concerned here with the Ashramas. As said, these stages are four: Brahmacharya, the stage of studentship ; Garhasthya, the stage of house-holdership; Vanaprastha, the stage of forest-dwelling, i. e., seclusion ; Sannyasa, the stage of total re- nunciation, i. e., asceticism.*
ब्रह्मचारी गृहस्थश्च वानप्रस्थो यतिस्तथा ।
एते गृहस्थप्रभवाश्चत्वारः पृथगाश्रमाः ॥
मनुस्मृति ६.८७॥
In none of these stages must the man grasp at the special duties of the other three: the student must not be a householder, a recluse, or an ascetic ; the householder must not be a celibate, a recluse, or an ascetic ; the recluse must not seek again the joys of the household ; nor must the ascetic long after the quiet attachments of the recluse. Each stage has its own duties and its own pleasures. Discharged and enjoyed each in its own stage, they lead to the orderly unfolding of the Jivatma ; when the Ashramas are disregarded, his evolution is delayed.
Now in modern days the Ashramas cannot be exactly lived according to the details of the ancient rules, the conditions having changed so much ; but if we get a clear idea of the fundamental duties of each, we shall still be able to shape the life to an orderly course of development.
The life of the student begins with the Upanayana ceremony, his "second birth," and from that time forward certain virtues must be striven for by the boy. He must be hardy and simple in his habits ; these virtues make his body strong and healthy ; he acquires them by rising early, bathing, eating moderately of plain food, taking plenty of exercise, not allowing himself to lounge luxuriously and idly. Contrast a boy who lives in this way with one who lies late in bed, who over-eats himself on sweetmeats and rich dishes, who takes little exercise, and spends much of his time lying on soft pillows. The one is alert, strong, hard-muscled, vigorous, active, and will be a strong healthy man: the other is heavy, flabby, fat, lazy or too thin and weak, and will soon be diseased and suffering.
The student must also strive for the virtues of industry, obedience, humility and serviceableness ; youth is the preparation-time of life, and industrious study to acquire knowledge is absolutely necessary for useful manhood ; obedience is using the experience of his elders to guide his conduct, and saves him many a trouble in early life, and only he who knows how to obey is fit to rule hereafter ; humility lifts him quickly, as all are willing to share what they have with the humble ; and serviceableness in the narrow circle of the family and the school builds up the nature that will serve humanity.
The student must be chaste in thought and act, a celibate in mind and body. He must guard his thoughts, for the boy who does not think impurity will not act impurity. He should not think of sex, nor yield to day-dreaining. Only the pure in thought and in body can pass unstained into happy household life. The very name of the student is the Brahmacharl, which has come now to mean almost exclusively the celibate. Premature age, weakness, disease, race-decay, spring from student-marriage, against the ancient law.
The household stage is entered at marriager when the youth has completed his school and college career, and is ready to take up the duties and responsibilities of household life. Of all the Ashramas this is the most important, for it supports all the others.*
यथा वायुं समाश्रित्य वर्तन्ते सर्वजन्तवः ।
सर्वे जीवन्ति जन्तवःतथा गृहस्थमाश्रित्य वर्तन्ते सर्व आश्रमाः ॥ मनुस्मृति ३.७७॥
The welfare alike of the family and of the nation depends on the house-holder, and their happiness and prosperity are in his hands. A good husband, a good father, a good master, a good citizen, is the noblest of men. The home is the school of unselfishness, compassion, tenderness, temperance, purity, helpfulness, prudence, industry, right judgment, charity. The qualities that make the good householder, when shown to his own circle in house and State, are the qualities that make the Sage and the Saint when shown to all.
The degradation of the ideal of the householder has made modern life petty and sordid, and the half entrance into it and the confusion of its duties with those of the student, caused by the modern evil of student-marriage has deprived the entry into it of its ancient solemnity and dignity. The plucking and eating of unripe fruit deprives the eater of its sweetness. Certain well-born but thoughtless Brahmana youths abandoning their homes before due time, went into the forests to lead a life of asceticism.
Indra pitied them, and, assuming the form of a golden bird, taught them: "Follow the household-life ! It is the field for the cultivation of virtues. It is sacred. Worship of the Devas, study, repayment of the debt to the pitris by the rearing of a family and helping on new lives as we have been reared and helped these are the austerest of penances. Bear the heavy burthen of the duties of the household ! They that run away from their work fall into sin. To eat the remnant of the food left after helping the needy is to eat the true remnant of sacrifice.*
[*https://sanskritdocuments.org/doc_z_misc_sociology_astrology/manu.html
उच्छीर्षके श्रियै कुर्याद्भद्रकाल्यै च पादतः ।
ब्रह्मवास्तोष्पतिभ्यां तु वास्तुमध्ये बलिं हरेत् ॥ मनु ३.८९॥
विश्वेभ्यश्चैव देवेभ्यो बलिमाकाश उत्क्षिपेत् ।
दिवाचरेभ्यो भूतेभ्यो नक्तञ्चारिभ्य एव च ॥ मनु ३.९०॥]
When the householder sees his sons able to boar the full burden of his duties, when the signs of age appear, and his children's children are round him, the time has come for him and his wife to surrender the headship of the home, and to retire from active life and worldly labour. A quiet and somewhat secluded life, given to study, to self- sacrifice for the good of others, to the counselling of the younger, such should be the third Ashrama in our modern days.
Finally in old age a man may rightly enter the fourth Ashrama, that of the ascetic, passing his last days in meditation and worship, till he enters willingly the life beyond death, to reap the fruits of a well spent earthly life, hereafter to return for further evolution.
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ब्रह्मचारी गृहस्थश्च वानप्रस्थो यतिस्तथा ।
एते गृहस्थप्रभवाश्चत्वारः पृथगाश्रमाः ॥ मनु ६.८७॥
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