The Inner Conflict of Tradition: Essays in Indian Ritual, Kingship, and Society c6.s5.2

c6.s5.2

The ritual is usually thought of as belonging to the sphere of the householder, but it is possible to find traces of the other modes of life in the classical theory as well. The four āśramas divide themselves neatly in two parts: life in the world as a householder (*gṛhastha*) and life outside the world, either as a Vedic student (*brahmacārin*), as a forest dweller (*vānaprastha*), or as a roaming mendicant (*pravrājaka*, *saṃnyāsin*). The solidarity of the various modes of life outside the world seems to be borne out by the possibility of passing immediately from the brahmacārin's to the other modes of life outside the world without living first as a householder. These modes of life outside the world correspond to the stages through which the sacrificer has to pass. The brahmacārin corresponds to the dīkṣita; not only are their observances and dress similar, but the connection between brahmacārin and vrātya and between vrātya and dīkṣita suggests that they were originally variants of the same basic type.⁷⁹