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Varnashrama Dharma (वर्णाश्रमधर्मः) (view source)
Revision as of 12:27, 16 May 2018
, 12:27, 16 May 2018→Ashrama System: Added subsection Importance of the Ashramas with content and citation
* In the third, as he ages further, he becomes a forest recluse and, without much attachment to worldly life, engages himself in Vedic Karma.
* In the third, as he ages further, he becomes a forest recluse and, without much attachment to worldly life, engages himself in Vedic Karma.
* In the fourth stage, he forsakes even Vedic works, renounces the world utterly to become a sannyasin and turns his mind towards the Paramatman.
* In the fourth stage, he forsakes even Vedic works, renounces the world utterly to become a sannyasin and turns his mind towards the Paramatman.
These four stages of life or ashramas are called Brahmacharya, Garhasthya, Vanaprastha and Sannyasa, thereby establishing its universal applicability, irrespective of the varna or class or caste of an individual. During each one of these stages, greater importance was required to be given to one particular obligation while discharging other obligations as well.<ref>Justice M.Rama Jois, [https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&pid=sites&srcid=ZGVmYXVsdGRvbWFpbnxib2RoaWhhbmdvdXR8Z3g6NzQzOGU4MWMxZTdlMDljMQ Dharma - The Global Ethic] (Chapter 1.5.5)</ref>
These four stages of life or ashramas are called Brahmacharya, Garhasthya, Vanaprastha and Sannyasa, thereby establishing its universal applicability, irrespective of the varna or class or caste of an individual. During each one of these stages, greater importance was required to be given to one particular obligation while discharging other obligations as well.<ref name=":3">Justice M.Rama Jois, [https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&pid=sites&srcid=ZGVmYXVsdGRvbWFpbnxib2RoaWhhbmdvdXR8Z3g6NzQzOGU4MWMxZTdlMDljMQ Dharma - The Global Ethic] (Chapter 1.5.5)</ref>
=== Importance of the Ashramas ===
==== Brahmacharya as the Foundation to Self-moulding ====
The Guru-disciple relationship, which comes into relief when we think of the first stage of ashrama dharma, namely Brahmacharya, tells us much about the need for physical discipline. The Brahmachari—the lad who is just budding into youth—is given the fullest type of physical training by means of the service that he is expected to render to the master. By this discipline, he is given the very outlook of his life, not merely the opportunity of disciplining the body. He knows how he has to conduct himself before others and in respect of other things, and a sort of ground is paved in the beginning itself for the contribution that he has to make later on when he becomes an adult, a unit of human society, as a Brahmana, Kshatriya, Vaishya or Shudra.<ref name=":0" />
==== Grhasthashrama as the sustainer of other Ashramas ====
Grhasthashrama is hailed as the most important, as it carries with it onerous responsibilities of maintaining and sustaining persons belonging to the other three ashramas. It is the foundation of family the structure based on 'Dharma'. Hence the saying, <blockquote>धन्यो गृहस्थाश्रमः | dhanyo gr̥hasthāśramaḥ |</blockquote>It is during this ashrama the husband and wife discharge both economic and social responsibilities jointly, they undertake any profession or avocation or employment private or public and through it earn money and also serve society. They bear the economic responsibility of providing maintenance to those who belong to the other three ashramas ie., financing the education of their children as well as younger brothers and sisters etc., maintaining those who have crossed the stage of Grhasthashrama and have ceased to earn income, and/or have entered 'Vanaprasthashrama' as also those who have entered the fourth stage ie., 'Sannyasa', whether they are members of their family or not. Thus it constituted the best form of private sector social security.<ref name=":3" />
== References ==
== References ==