| Q30
Contd.
At
the appearance of the first signs of old age, when the body is still
going strong, he should retire to the forest, with or without his
spouse, and spend his time in contemplation on God. This is
Vanaprastha, the third stage, which however is considered. as an
intermediary step only, the final step being Sannyasa. Total
abjuration of the desires of the flesh, and striving for Moksha with
single minded devotion are the chief characteristics of this
Ashrama.
It is the crowning glory of the
Ashrama system. Though these Ashram as are to be
accepted one after another in tha order exceptions have been
recognized and permitted. Those endowed with an intense spirit of
renunciation and hankering for Moksha can take to
Sannyasa at any stage of life. The life of an
individual is a journey towards perfection. To make this journey
safe and smooth is the primary purpose of the Ashrama system. This
however needs a congenial atmosphere to be generated in the society
of which the individual is an integral part.
The Varna system was the
result of the attempt at creating such an atmosphere. This was
actually a recognition of the natural fourfold division that already
existed in the society, a division based on Guna (qualities) and
Karma (vocation). The four Varnas are: Brahmanas,
Kshatriyas, Vaisyas and Sudras. Men of learning,
wisdom and austerity who had devoted their lives to the acquisition
and dissemination of knowledge were called Brahmanas. They were
personifications of the ideal of 'simple living and high thinking'.
Men of arms, who excelled in valour and chivalry, devoted their
lives to the Protection of the society, by acting as bulwarks
against external aggression and maintaining internal law and
order, were known as Kshatriyas.
Many of them, especially the kings, rose
to enviable spiritual heights also. Those engaged
in trade, commerce and agriculture, who were responsible for the
production of wealth and distribution of goods, were named Vaisyas.
Others who earned their livelihood by physical labour and service to
the other three groups came to be known as Sudras.
In the contemporary society, for all practical purposes, only two
Ashramas exist: Grahasthya and Sannyasa. As regards the
Varnas, they have been lost in the labyrinth of innumerable castes. |
