Explain The Four Stages Of A Person's Life

Chapter 5: The Four Phases of a Person’s Life

Hinduism is a religion that teaches people not only the ultimate goal of their existence but also the best method to achieve it. In order to do this, an individual’s life must be separated into four phases (also called Asramas). These are:

1. Brahmacharya (or celibacy) – This is the phase where the person must collect knowledge from his instructor. It usually starts when the individual is 8 years old. He will be considered as a student who will be introduced to a guru. The introduction ceremony is referred to as “Upanayana”. During this stage, the student must practice celibacy.

You should keep in mind that this phase is only applied to boys. The student has to live with his guru until his studies are completed. Brahmacharya usually ends

when the person reaches the age of twenty to twenty-five.
2.

Grihasthashrama (or married life) – This is the phase of a person’s life where he needs to fulfill his obligations towards his spouse, offspring, mother, and father. This phase immediately starts as soon as Bramacharya ends. During this time, the individual needs to earn money by applying the skills and knowledge he acquired from his guru. Since this phase is usually longer than the other three, Hindus consider Grihasthashrama as the most important stage in a person’s life. Often, this stage ends when the individual reaches the 50th year of his existence.

3. Vanaprastha (which literally means “going to the forest”) – This is the third phase of a person’s life. During this phase, the person is expected to retire, refrain from sexual activities, transfer his possessions to his children, and go to the forest. He has the option to let his children take care of his wife or let her go with him. The individual has to live in the forest as an ascetic.

As a general rule, a person can only enter this phase once all of his sons can live independently and all his daughters are married. The purpose of this rule is to guarantee that the person will fulfill all of his obligations towards his

family.
4. Sannyasa (or absolute renunciation) – This is the final stage of a person’s life. Although there is no specific age requirement, it is often reached when the individual is 75 years old. During this phase, he has to spend all his time and energy on spiritual activities. He needs to eat the fruits found in the forest. He is not permitted to ask for alms or consume cooked food. Also, he must avoid unnecessary interactions with other people. He needs to forget about his body and concentrate on practicing asceticism so he can achieve mukti (i.e. liberation). If a person properly follows all these rules, he will be released from the repetitive cycle of births and deaths.