(“forest-dweller”) The vanaprastha was the third of the idealized phases of life (ashrama) for a twice-born man, that is, a man born into the brahmin, kshatriya, or vaishya community who had experienced the teenage religious initiation known as the "second birth," according to dharma literature.
According to this idealized pattern, a man should gradually
disengage himself from the world by giving up his attachments and withdrawing
to a more secluded place after engaging in religious learning as a celibate
student (brahmacharin), the first stage; marrying and raising a family as a
householder (grhastha), the second stage; and finally marrying and raising a
family as a householder (grhastha), the third stage.
The renunciation in this third stage of life is less harsh than in the previous stage, the Sanyasi—the scriptures make it plain that he should stay with his wife and continue to fulfill the daily household sacrifices as prescribed.
Although it is quite usual for elderly people to live a more
retired life in modern times, leaving the majority of the family concerns to
their offspring, few individuals follow the stringent vanaprastha
prescriptions.
The prescription for this third stage of life is usually
seen to have been a response to the rise of asceticism in the years before the
Common Era, notably Buddhist and Jains monastic austerity, which they said was
religiously superior to the life of a house holder.
The vanaprastha is a transitional stage that prepares one
for monastic life, yet it occurs in old age, allowing one to fulfill one's
obligations to family and society.
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