Ancient Indian Education (Brahmanical and Buddhist) c11.s6.30

c11.s6.30

Āśrama. The Upanishads know of the four *Āśramas* of life, as already indicated. The Brahmacharya-āśrama has been fully described. The duties of the Gṛihastha are detailed in the *Taittirīya* [i, 2, 1–7] already cited. As regards the third Āśrama, that of Vānaprastha, we may recall the example of King Bṛihadratha who, "establishing his son in the kingdom, went forth into the forest where he performed extreme austerities" [*Maitri*, 1, 2]. As an example of the fourth Āśrama, we may cite the case of Yājñavalkya who renounced the world and embraced *sannyāsa*, or the life of a *parivrājaka* [*Bṛihad.*, ii, 4, 1; iv, 5, 1], declaring that "Brāhmaṇas knowing the Ātman overcome the desire for sons, for wealth, for worlds, and live the life of mendicants". The words, however, do not indicate clearly whether they refer to the third or fourth *āśrama*.