[Advaita-l] vanaprasthashrama

[Dr D Bharadwaj]

Very good observation Jaldharbhai.

Sant Thyagaraja was given a prior intimation by Lord Rama, in a dream
experience, that he was to shed his physical sheath in 10 days' time.

On waking and finishing his ablutions, Thyagaraja goes directly to his elder
brother's house, seeks and obtains his permission to take up sanyas. On the
very same day he takes up Sanyas Diksha.

There was no marked vaanaprastha phase in exemplary the life of this man of
Dharma too.

I know instances where the mahaswami  of Kanchi had given permission for
sanyas diksha directly from the grihasthaashrama.

sarvE bhavanthu sukhinah
sarvE santhu niraamayaah
sarve bhadrANi pasyanthu
maa kaschit duhkhabhAg bhavEt.



Regards,
Dr. D. Bharadwaj
drdbharadwaj at gmail.com
dr.d.bharadwjvyaas at gmail.com


On Tue, Jun 16, 2009 at 6:14 AM, Jaldhar H. Vyas <jaldhar at braincells.com>wrote:

> The vanaprastha ashrama has always been rather ill-defined.  We have
> volumes of dharmashastra about the duties and rituals of the brahmachari,
> grhastha, and sannyasi but next to nothing about the vanaprastha.  The
> Nirnayasindhu goes as far as to suggest that the vanaprastha ashrama doesn't
> exist in the Kaliyuga.  Certainly historical practice shows that people went
> directly from grhastha to sannyasa without any intermediate stage.
>
>
> --
> Jaldhar H. Vyas <jaldhar at braincells.com>
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