Ashrama (आश्रमः) and Purushartha (पुरुषार्थः)

All of us have heard about the Four stages of Life suggested in our scriptures.

Brahmacharya-ashram (ब्रह्मचर्याश्रम) Celibacy,

Gruhastha-ashram (गृहस्थाश्रम) Householdership,

Vanprastha-ashram (वानप्रस्थाश्रम) Retire to Forest and

Sanyasa-ashram (संन्यासाश्रम) Renunciation.

However, with the modern ways of living, the practicality of these 4 stages has been questioned.

Is it possible to be completely celibate during the first stage?

How can one renounce the world and go to the Forests once you have grandkids?

It is not possible to sustain without income nor is it legally allowed to retire to the forests any longer!!! Duh!!!

And so on..

Incidentally, these 4 stages of Life (आश्रमः) coincide with the 4 Purushartha - पुरुषार्थ (4 Aims of Life) in Hindu philosophy.

1. धर्म (Dharma) – path of piety, righteousness, morality, duties – to be imbibed and internalized in the first stage of Life

2. अर्थ (Artha) – earning wealth, health and means of living – to be focused on in the second stage

3. काम (Kama) – building on love, relationships, emotions – to be engaged in the third stage when Dharma and Artha (subsistence) are taken care of

4. मोक्ष (Moksha) – working towards freedom, liberation and self-realization – to be strived for in the last stage of life

I came across this Subhashitam/ सुभाषितम् which loosely corresponds to a similar concept. It focuses on what one’s aim should be in every stage of life.

It goes thus –

प्रथमेनार्जिता विद्या, द्वितीयेनार्जितं धनं ।

तृतीयेनार्जितः कीर्तिः, चतुर्थे किं करिष्यति ॥

It means -

If one doesn’t acquire Knowledge in the first phase of life, if one doesn’t acquire Money/Wealth in the second phase of life, if one doesn’t acquire Fame and Glory in the third phase of life, then what will one do in the last phase of one’s life?

In short, it advises that spend the first 25 years of your life acquiring a good education, the next 25 years working to earn Money and Wealth. The third set of 25 years should be spent in acquiring fame, fortune and glory – becoming known for something by a large number of people. Then you can enjoy a full life in your final years….

I liked this Subhashitam/ सुभाषितम् as without becoming too preachy, it gives an important life lesson as a simple two step process.

Step 1 – Check your Age.

Step 2 – If you under 25, Study well; If you are between 26-50, focus on earning Money; If you are between 51-75, aim towards giving back to society. And if you are over 75, benefit from the merits of the life well-spent thus far!

Period.

Look around you… you’ll find that people of any age (young to old) who are respected and looked up to by all are the ones who practice what this Subhashitam/ सुभाषितम् says.

Further reading :

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C4%80%C5%9Brama_(stage)

https://www.hinduismfacts.org/four-stages-of-life/