The Different Stages Of One’s Life In Indian Ashram And Its Significance
What is an Ashram: The term “ashram” is derived from the verb root “श्रम्”, which means “to strive hard or exert effort.” It is the second most important Hindu social organisation. As a result, the Ashramas are the stages in which hard work or effort is required. Ashrama has to do with education and training.
Ancient Indian social thinkers separated human existence into four stages termed Ashram: Brahmacharya, Grihastha, Vanaprastha, and Sanyasa. An Ashrama is one of four age-based life stages in Hinduism that are discussed in ancient and mediaeval Indian scriptures. The Ashrama Upanishad, Vaikhanasa Dharmasutra, and later Dharmashastra present these as sequential stages of human life with age recommendations, whereas the early Dharmasutras presented the Ashramas as four alternative available ways of life, neither presented in a sequential manner nor with age recommendations.
Purushartha and Ashram
The Ashramas system is one part of Hinduism’s complex. Dharma idea, which is connected with the notion of Purushartha, or the four proper objectives of life in Hindu philosophy, namely Dharma (piety, morality, and duties), Artha (creativity), and Dharma (piety, morality, and obligations) (wealth, health, means of life), Kama (love, relationships, emotions), and Moksha (liberation, independence, self-realization) Each of the four Ashramas of life is a type of personal and social environment, with ethical norms, duties, and responsibilities for the individual and society at each stage.
The four proper ends of life are given varying degrees of priority in each Ashrama stage, with successive stages considered as steps toward the ideal in Hindu philosophy, namely Moksha.
Neither ancient nor mediaeval Indian literature suggest that any of the first three Ashramas must focus primarily on a single life purpose (Purushartha). The fourth stage of Sannyasa is distinct, and ancient and mediaeval literature agree that the Sannyasa stage of life must be totally devoted to Moksha with the assistance of Dharma.
Dharma is largely held for all periods of life. Moksha is the ultimate noble goal, which should be pursued by everyone at any stage of life. The texts on the other two are ambiguous. With the exception of Kamasutra, most literature gives no recommendations about whether an individual should stress Artha or Kama during what time of life.
To Read More Visit: https://eastsidewriters.com/the-different-stages-of-ones-life-in-indian-ashram-and-its-significance/
