Vanaprastha

Okay.

When a Grihastha couple would go to the Vanaprastha ashrama, they would stay in the forest, and we have already read that before, and when the husband decides to take sannyasa, what would happen to his spouse? Come home.

Or she comes home and then she stays with her children? Or she can

stay.

So he has described the duties of Brahmachari and Grihastha in the chapter number 17.

In chapter 18, he describes the duties of Vanaprastha and Sannyasi.

So they are tough, not easy.

So Sri Bhagavan Uvacha.

So panchasat ūrdhvaṁ vanam vishet.

So if you divide, considering people living 100 years, divide it into four.

So 25 years Brahmacharya, 25 years Grihastha, then comes Vanaprastha.

So therefore he said third part of one's life.

Bhaji, but this is only an injunction for Grihasthas to get rid of their rena in this way.

Sannyasis and Vanaprastha?

Sannyasis they don't have.

Because if somebody is Brahmachari and then he takes Sannyasa or he becomes Vanaprastha then?

He is already free.

Okay, so this rena will not apply.

So Agrihastha, so this is for principle for a person who is not Agrihastha.

It is not only for Brahmachari, but it is also for Vanaprastha and Sanyasi.

Because this person, since he is not getting married, he may stay Brahmachari or he may move to Vanaprastha or Sanyasa ashram.

So he has to avoid that.

So therefore he says, agrihastha brahmachari vanprastha sannyasi che.

Brahmana can go to Sannyas.

So now the commentator says that there are possibilities, that one can either go directly, you can also go to sannyas or avoid greshthasram, but if one has desire then one goes through all of them gradually.

So this is the order that after Brahmacharya Ashram goes to Grihastha Ashram, then Vanaprastha, then Sannyasa.

This is Abhimanyu's son and Arjuna's grandson.

These six people, the Pandavas and Draupadi, decided to go on their Vanaprastha.

And when they walked out of Hastinapur, people gathered in huge numbers because they have been around for so long.

There are many of the older generation who have seen them through all kinds of trials and tribulations and they have come out successful.

What you want is to break that cycle, and to break that cycle is to move into the third phase, which some people do.

That's when they go into what's called vanaprastha.

Vanaprastha.

And, and again, we're gonna...

These phases are gonna be, you know, the, the words are gonna be on the screen, so you can see them.

Vanaprastha is actually an amalgam of two Sanskrit words, van and prastha.

Van is, is, is to retire.

A-I don't mean that literally, like quitting your job.

they were required to help those that were less well provided for and also just generally civil projects for society and everything.

Then you had what was called vanaprastha.

Vanaprastha, it literally means forest dweller, but what it was addressing, that a person should not remain bound in family life, just living for themself.

that once your duty is complete in that area, which is usually around 55, 60, that sort of age, one should give up the efforts to earn money for yourself.

and should become more focused now towards preparing for your inevitable death and also contributing not only to their own family but society with the acquired knowledge and guidance that they had.

Swamiji in his lectures, he talks about the five V's for the big V.

And what is the big V? The big V is quote unquote Vanaprastha Ashrama, meaning as you get older, you know, what do you need to keep in mind and what do you need to follow? So Vastram is of course clothes and you know, dress appropriately is what he means.

Vapuhu.

So be your age and keep yourself fit.