[Advaita-l] Advaita-l Digest, Vol 59, Issue 8

[Sankar S]

Dear Sir,

I remember having read that the practice of "vaanaprasthham" might
have started as a means of marginalising, without much cruelty,
unproductive old people who were unable to work in the agricultural
field. It was said that the old people were taken to the forest and
left there with a certain stock of foodgrains, clothes etc., in a hut
there and they were thereafter not supposed to come back to their
family or the village seeking sustenance. Over centuries, the old
people, especially of the two higher castes - Brahmins and Kshathrias
- themselves retired to the forests, not to return,so that the younger
members of their families were saved of the embarrassment and the
moral guilt of having driven out their parents. This was all the more
so in the case of kings who had to settle the question of succession
among feuding family members as also rich brahmins whose assets were a
bone of contention for the younger members of the family.

Some of the more knowledgeable people who were in the vaanaprasthha
stage, naturally, introspected about life and its vagaries and it is
said that the "aaranyakas" reflect, to a certain extent, their
thinking and ways of life.

sankar

On Sun, Jun 14, 2009 at 10:30 PM,
<advaita-l-request at lists.advaita-vedanta.org> wrote:
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> Today's Topics:
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>   1. vanaprastha in community (Michael Shepherd)
>   2. Re: vanaprastha in community (Sunil Bhattacharjya)
>   3. Re: vanaprastha in community (Michael Shepherd)
>
>
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> Message: 1
> Date: Sun, 14 Jun 2009 12:17:32 +0100
> From: "Michael Shepherd" <michael at shepherd87.fsnet.co.uk>
> Subject: [Advaita-l] vanaprastha in community
> To: "advaita vedanta" <advaita-l at lists.advaita-vedanta.org>
> Message-ID:
>        <ACEDIOLGHJFCANGNFFOICELIJPAA.michael at shepherd87.fsnet.co.uk>
> Content-Type: text/plain;       charset="iso-8859-1"
>
> Months without questions, and now two at once !
>
> Q: does the tradition speak of  vanaprastha as entirely to do with personal
> moksha; or is there a wider view of it ? i.e. does the prescribed
> dissociation with institutions or organizations, still have a spiritual or
> social connection with the community ?
>
> The idea of vanaprastha as social isolation feels to me as lacking something
> vital..
>
> I hope this question makes some sense..
>
> Michael
>
>
>
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 2
> Date: Sun, 14 Jun 2009 04:54:20 -0700 (PDT)
> From: Sunil Bhattacharjya <sunil_bhattacharjya at yahoo.com>
> Subject: Re: [Advaita-l] vanaprastha in community
> To: A discussion group for Advaita Vedanta
>        <advaita-l at lists.advaita-vedanta.org>
> Message-ID: <864132.23502.qm at web32701.mail.mud.yahoo.com>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1
>
> Dear Michaelji,
> ?
> Vanaprastha is the??stage of?retirement from the household responsibilities and?is? the stage of trying to understand the spiritual aspects of whatever Vaidic karma??one has been doing???as a householder, studying the sacred texts, having spiritual discussions with the Guru and the other Vanaprasthis. ?Vanaprasthis do not have to give up the fire rituals etc. Only in the next stage of? Sanyasha that one gives up??the? family??and the samsara? as well as the fire rituals and??one? cannot stay in one place for long.
> ?
> Regards,
> ?
> Sunil K. Bhattacharjya
>
> --- On Sun, 6/14/09, Michael Shepherd <michael at shepherd87.fsnet.co.uk> wrote:
>
>
> From: Michael Shepherd <michael at shepherd87.fsnet.co.uk>
> Subject: [Advaita-l] vanaprastha in community
> To: "advaita vedanta" <advaita-l at lists.advaita-vedanta.org>
> Date: Sunday, June 14, 2009, 4:17 AM
>
>
> Months without questions, and now two at once !
>
> Q: does the tradition speak of? vanaprastha as entirely to do with personal
> moksha; or is there a wider view of it ? i.e. does the prescribed
> dissociation with institutions or organizations, still have a spiritual or
> social connection with the community ?
>
> The idea of vanaprastha as social isolation feels to me as lacking something
> vital..
>
> I hope this question makes some sense..
>
> Michael
>
>
>
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>
> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 3
> Date: Sun, 14 Jun 2009 13:07:43 +0100
> From: "Michael Shepherd" <michael at shepherd87.fsnet.co.uk>
> Subject: Re: [Advaita-l] vanaprastha in community
> To: "A discussion group for Advaita Vedanta"
>        <advaita-l at lists.advaita-vedanta.org>
> Message-ID:
>        <ACEDIOLGHJFCANGNFFOICELJJPAA.michael at shepherd87.fsnet.co.uk>
> Content-Type: text/plain;       charset="iso-8859-1"
>
> Sunilji,
>
> Thank you for your prompt response. In practice, does the  vanaprasthi
> remain in the family home, but 'retired' -- like a Western gentleman in his
> 'study' room ?
>
> Michael
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: advaita-l-bounces at lists.advaita-vedanta.org
> [mailto:advaita-l-bounces at lists.advaita-vedanta.org]On Behalf Of Sunil
> Bhattacharjya
> Sent: 14 June 2009 12:54
> To: A discussion group for Advaita Vedanta
> Subject: Re: [Advaita-l] vanaprastha in community
>
>
>
> Dear Michaelji,
> ?
> Vanaprastha is the??stage of?retirement from the household responsibilities
> and?is? the stage of trying to understand the spiritual aspects of whatever
> Vaidic karma??one has been doing???as a householder, studying the sacred
> texts, having spiritual discussions with the Guru and the other
> Vanaprasthis. ?Vanaprasthis do not have to give up the fire rituals etc.
> Only in the next stage of? Sanyasha that one gives up??the? family??and the
> samsara? as well as the fire rituals and??one? cannot stay in one place for
> long.
> ?
> Regards,
> ?
> Sunil K. Bhattacharjya
>
> --- On Sun, 6/14/09, Michael Shepherd <michael at shepherd87.fsnet.co.uk>
> wrote:
>
>
> From: Michael Shepherd <michael at shepherd87.fsnet.co.uk>
> Subject: [Advaita-l] vanaprastha in community
> To: "advaita vedanta" <advaita-l at lists.advaita-vedanta.org>
> Date: Sunday, June 14, 2009, 4:17 AM
>
>
> Months without questions, and now two at once !
>
> Q: does the tradition speak of? vanaprastha as entirely to do with personal
> moksha; or is there a wider view of it ? i.e. does the prescribed
> dissociation with institutions or organizations, still have a spiritual or
> social connection with the community ?
>
> The idea of vanaprastha as social isolation feels to me as lacking something
> vital..
>
> I hope this question makes some sense..
>
> Michael
>
>
>
> _______________________________________________
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> ------------------------------
>
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> End of Advaita-l Digest, Vol 59, Issue 8
> ****************************************
>