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

[Sunil Bhattacharjya]

Dear Sankarji,
 
Interersting angle. It would be more useful if you can trace the source from which you wrote. To my knowledge if one had taken care of one's family well during the  grihasthashrama and made provision in the form household wealth, for the old age, then one does not have to worry about sustenance for oneself and spouse according to the Hindu law of inheritance. The rule of law did prevail in ancient India and it was incumbent upon the younger generation to look after the older generation and it was also the duty of the ksatriyas to see that the rule of law prevailed. One could not get rid of the old people just like that. According rto the Dharmashastras it is the duty of the grihasthashramis to take care of all the four Ashramas.
 
Some of the people in the Vanaprastha stage could opt for teaching but to be an acharya one need not have to wait till the advanced age. The Aranyakas have been linked to the Vanaprasthis and the Upanishads have been linked to the Sanyashis but there was really not so hard and fast rule on this. Probably only those people who went to the forest were the brahmins so that they could do their meditations quietly and study and discuss the shastras together. Naimisharanya was one such place where such people came together.
 
Sincerely,
 
Sunil K. Bhattacharjya
 
 

--- On Sun, 6/14/09, Sankar S <sangom at gmail.com> wrote:


From: Sankar S <sangom at gmail.com>
Subject: Re: [Advaita-l] Advaita-l Digest, Vol 59, Issue 8
To: advaita-l at lists.advaita-vedanta.org
Date: Sunday, June 14, 2009, 9:39 PM


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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>   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
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