History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v2.c25.8

v2.c25.8

The theory of Manu about these āśramas is as follows. The span of human life is one hundred years (śatāyur vai puruṣaḥ). All do not live to that age, but that is the maximum age one can expect to reach. This should be divided into four parts. As one cannot know beforehand what age one is going to reach, it is not to be supposed that these four parts are each of 25 years. They may be more or less. As stated in Manu IV. 1 the first part of man's life is brahmacarya in which he learns at his teacher's house and after he has finished his study, in the second part of his life he marries and becomes an householder, discharges his debts to his ancestors by begetting sons and to the gods by performing yajñas (Manu V. 169). When he sees that his head has grey hair and that there are wrinkles on his body he resorts to the forest i. e. becomes a vānaprastha (Manu VI. 1-2). After spending the third part of his life in the forest for some time he spends the rest of his life as a saṁnyāsin⁹⁹¹ (Manu VI. 33). Similar rules are found in many other smṛtis.⁹⁹² Baud. (Dh. S. II. 10. 5)⁹⁹³ states as his own opinion that the sages prescribe saṁnyāsa after the 70th year.