History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v7.c96.s1.68

v7.c96.s1.68

VI. *Āśramas*: Another important characteristic of our culture is the system of Āśramas, which have been in existence for certainly several centuries before the Christian era. The word Āśrama does not occur in the Vedic Saṁhitās or Brāhmaṇas. In Śv. Up. VI. 21 occurs the word 'atyāśramibhyaḥ' (to the best of ascetics) which indicates that the word 'āśrama' had then been known. A generic word comprehending several matters is coined long after the several words for the component parts have been current for centuries. The word śrāddha does not occur in any ancient Vedic passages, though the Piṇḍapitṛyajña (performed by an *agnihotrin* on each Amāvāsyā), the Mahāpitṛyajña (performed in the cāturmāsya rite Sākamedha) and the Aṣṭakā rites (all of which are rites in honour of pitṛs) were known in early Vedic literature (vide H. of Dh. Vol IV. pp 349-50). Similarly, some of the āśramas were certainly known from the times of the Ṛgveda. The Āśramas²⁶²³ long before the time of the sūtra literature at least have been four viz. brahmacarya (stage of studenthood), gārhasthya (householder stage), vānaprasthya (stage of forest hermit) or vaikhānasa (Gaut. III. 2), Sannyāsa (stage of ascetic life) or Mauna or Pārivrājya or Pravrajyā or Bhikṣu (Gaut III. 2). Āśramas have been dealt with in H. of Dh. Vol II pp. 416-426, brahmacarya in H. of Dh. Vol. II pp. 349-382, forest hermit (in pp 919-929) and sannyāsa in pp.