Social and Political Life in the Vijayanagara Empire (A.D. 1346 – A.D. 1646) v2.c17.s3.t2.4

v2.c17.s3.t2.4

The Hindu lawgivers have ascribed all happiness resulting from the acquisition of the above mentioned attributes to one of the four stages into which, according to them, wordly life may be divided. These four stages or orders, as is also well known, are those of the *brahmachārin* or student, *gṛihasta* or house-holder, *vānaprasta* or hermit, and *bhikshu* (or beggar) or ascetic. Without dwelling at length on the specific duties pertaining to every one of the four orders, which are mentioned in detail by the lawgivers,³ we may observe that according to the Hindus great importance was attached to the *gṛihastā-śrama* or the order of the house-holder. This is evident from the following in the code of Manu : "As all living creatures subsist by receiving support from air, even so (the members of) all orders subsist by receiving support from the house-holder. Because men of the three (other) orders are daily supported by the house-holder with (gifts of) sacred knowledge and food, therefore (the order of) house-holders is the most excellent order."⁴