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=== What is Ashrama ? ===

=== What is Ashrama ? ===

Ashrama is an order. It is a stage of life through which one has to pass by means of an educational career and a process of training, whereby the forces or powers of the individual are harnessed for the purpose for which they are intended.The ashramas are four, even as the varnas are four. While the four varnas—Brahmana, Kshatriya, Vaishya, Shudra—constitute the spiritual, political, economic, and manual aspects of the complete structure of human society, the ashramas—Brahmacharya, Grhastha, Vanaprastha, Sannyasa—constitute another order altogether, which is towards the achievement of individual perfection.

Ashrama is an order. It is a stage of life through which one has to pass by means of an educational career and a process of training, whereby the forces or powers of the individual are harnessed for the purpose for which they are intended.The ashramas are four, even as the varnas are four. While the four varnas—Brahmana, Kshatriya, Vaishya, Shudra—constitute the spiritual, political, economic, and manual aspects of the complete structure of human society, the ashramas—Brahmacharya, Grhastha, Vanaprastha, Sannyasa—constitute another order altogether, which is towards the achievement of individual perfection.<ref name=":0" /> So, the educational process takes the form of ashrama dharma.  

So, the educational process takes the form of ashrama dharma. The ashrama dharma is nothing but a process of education in a school; and our seers of the past visualised the whole of life as a period of studentship. We are students from birth to death. This is mentioned with great emphasis in the Chhandogya Upanishad.<ref name=":0" /> It says,<blockquote>त्रयो धर्मस्कन्धा यज्ञोऽध्ययनं दानमिति प्रथमस्तप एव द्वितीयो ब्रह्मचार्याचार्यकुलवासी तृतीयोऽत्यन्तमात्मानमाचार्यकुलेऽवसादयन्सर्व एते पुण्यलोका भवन्ति ब्रह्मसँस्थोऽमृतत्वमेति ॥ १ ॥<ref>Chandogya Upanishad, [https://sa.wikisource.org/wiki/%E0%A4%9B%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%A8%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%A6%E0%A5%8B%E0%A4%97%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%AF%E0%A5%8B%E0%A4%AA%E0%A4%A8%E0%A4%BF%E0%A4%B7%E0%A4%A6%E0%A5%8D/%E0%A4%85%E0%A4%A7%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%AF%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%AF%E0%A4%83_%E0%A5%A8 Adhyaya 2], Khanda 23, Verse 1</ref></blockquote><blockquote>trayo dharmaskandhā yajño'dhyayanaṃ dānamiti prathamastapa eva dvitīyo brahmacāryācāryakulavāsī tṛtīyo'tyantamātmānamācāryakule'vasādayansarva ete puṇyalokā bhavanti brahmasam̐stho'mṛtatvameti ॥ 1 ॥</blockquote>Meaning:There are three aspects of Dharma. Sacrifice, study of the vedas and giving gifts form the first aspect. Austerity is the second. Wearing out his life in the household of the preceptor practising continence is the third. All these lead to the attainment of virtuous worlds. He who is steadfast in Brahman attains immortality.<ref>Ranga Ramanujamuni, Principal Upanishads (Vol 2), Edited by Dr.N.S.Anantha Rangacharya, Bangalore (2003), Pg.no.</ref>

The Chandogya Upanishad says,<blockquote>त्रयो धर्मस्कन्धा यज्ञोऽध्ययनं दानमिति प्रथमस्तप एव द्वितीयो ब्रह्मचार्याचार्यकुलवासी तृतीयोऽत्यन्तमात्मानमाचार्यकुलेऽवसादयन्सर्व एते पुण्यलोका भवन्ति ब्रह्मसँस्थोऽमृतत्वमेति ॥ १ ॥<ref>Chandogya Upanishad, [https://sa.wikisource.org/wiki/%E0%A4%9B%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%A8%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%A6%E0%A5%8B%E0%A4%97%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%AF%E0%A5%8B%E0%A4%AA%E0%A4%A8%E0%A4%BF%E0%A4%B7%E0%A4%A6%E0%A5%8D/%E0%A4%85%E0%A4%A7%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%AF%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%AF%E0%A4%83_%E0%A5%A8 Adhyaya 2], Khanda 23, Verse 1</ref></blockquote><blockquote>trayo dharmaskandhā yajño'dhyayanaṃ dānamiti prathamastapa eva dvitīyo brahmacāryācāryakulavāsī tṛtīyo'tyantamātmānamācāryakule'vasādayansarva ete puṇyalokā bhavanti brahmasam̐stho'mṛtatvameti ॥ 1 ॥</blockquote>Meaning:There are three aspects of Dharma. Sacrifice, study of the vedas and giving gifts form the first aspect. Austerity is the second. Wearing out his life in the household of the preceptor practicing continence is the third. All these lead to the attainment of virtuous worlds. He who is steadfast in Brahman attains immortality.

The various activities of our lives are parts of our apprenticeship in this school of education called life. And we are educated gradually through the adaptation of our individuality to the reality outside in terms of the levels of our personality, which are especially taken into consideration by the ashrama system. We have levels of individuality; We are the physical body, but we are also, at the same time, the vital force; we are the mind, and we are the intellect and the spirit. We have to enable each of these layers of our personality to blossom into completeness by giving each stage its own due, and considering each stage as a necessary step in the process of education.These four orders only mean that there is a necessity for everyone to keep in mind the principle of perfection present in each person, each individual—and, again, a need for cooperation and collaboration. These stages of life, called the ashramas, are the processes of enabling the flowering of our personality into perfection, which is reached in the highest form of enlightenment.<ref name=":0" />

Explaining the verse further, it is said, the life of a household man (Grhastha) is implied by the first aspect ie. sacrifice, vedic studies and charity; By the word tapas (austerity), the vaikhanasa (vanaprastha) and parivrajya or sanyasa are implied as tapas is foremost in them. The third one is the brahmacharya. The four ashramas are here thus summarised by these three and amongst all these ashramas, he who is steadfast in Brahman and who realises Brahman attains Moksha.<ref name=":2" />

 

 

Therefore, it cannot be said that Brahma samstha exclusively relates to the fourth Ashrama, Sanyasa. Any one in any ashrama can gain knowledge of Brahman and become liberated.<ref name=":2">Ranga Ramanujamuni, Principal Upanishads (Vol 2), Edited by Dr.N.S.Anantha Rangacharya, Bangalore (2003), Pg.no.84</ref> And the various activities of our lives are parts of our apprenticeship in this school of education called life. We are educated gradually through the adaptation of our individuality to the reality outside in terms of the levels of our personality, which are especially taken into consideration by the ashrama system. We have levels of individuality; We are the physical body, but we are also, at the same time, the vital force; we are the mind, and we are the intellect and the spirit. We have to enable each of these layers of our personality to blossom into completeness by giving each stage its own due, and considering each stage as a necessary step in the process of education.These four orders only mean that there is a necessity for everyone to keep in mind the principle of perfection present in each person, each individual—and, again, a need for cooperation and collaboration. These stages of life, called the ashramas, are the processes of enabling the flowering of our personality into perfection, which is reached in the highest form of enlightenment.<ref name=":0" />

== References ==

== References ==