Ashramas and Varnas
Q. Swami! Of the four ashramas [stages of life as defined in Hinduism]—the brahmacharya [student], the grihastha [householder], the vaanaprastha [retired], and the sanyasa [renunciation]—which is basically important?
A. As all living things are dependent on the Pranavayu (life-giving breath), so are all ashramas dependent on the girihastha. It is he who provides food and drink to the rest and fosters them. He promotes the study of the Vedas; he guards the scriptures. So, the grihastha–ashrama is the most important. In the Shrutis, the Narada parivrajak-opanishad and in the Manu-dharmashastra, it is declared that a girihastha who strictly adheres to his ashrama–dharma is worthy of the greatest respect.
Q. But, Swami, some people say that the sanyasi is superior to the grihastha; how far is this correct?
A. Whatever be the ashrama, if the person follows the dharma laid down for that stage and carries it out in practice and steadfastly yearns for liberation, he can get it, there is no doubt. To win atma-jnana [knowledge of Self], one need not prefer this ashrama to that; all are capable of securing it. There is no superior or inferior. It is only conduct and character that can be labeled as superior and inferior.
Q. Swami! They say that the grihastha-ashrama binds while brahmacharya and sanyasa liberate. How did that opinion arise?
A. I will not agree with that. Why, he who earns money by lawful means, he who honors his guests, who serves and pleases his fellowmen, attains liberation along with those learned in the Shastras and those who are well established in the fundamental philosophy of the Spirit. No one can cross the ocean of birth and death because he is a sanyasi or brahmachari. High ancestry, attainments in asceticism, the status of a monk, profound scholarship, nothing will help by itself. There must also be the faithful and steady pursuit of swadharma [our righteousness], the study of the scriptures like the Veda or the Bhagavad-Gita, and a disciplined spiritual life of japam [repetition of the name] and dhyanam [meditation].
Q. Swami! What virtues should persons in each of these four ashramas cultivate in order that they may be saved?
A. There are ten virtues that together comprise the basic dharma of the aspirants: daya [compassion], a-stheya [no stealing], dhee [intellect], vidya [education], sathya [truth], indriya-nigraha [control of senses], soucha [external & internal cleanliness], kshama [forbearance], dhrithi [patience], and a-krodha [without anger]; these ten all persons must cultivate, whatever their ahsrama may be. They are enough to save you, wherever you are. And if one has not acquired them, his life is a waste, whatever be his ashrama. The daily routine of his life is the essential thing and it should reflect these ten qualities. It is this very thing that Lord Krishna told Arjuna in reply to his question.
Q. Swami, you said that Arjuna asked this same question about the importance of nitya-karma [daily actions] observed with the ten conditions; what was the reply that Krishna gave?
A. Krishna said, “The highest stage of liberation that is attained by sankhyayogis, adept at jnanayoga, is also attained by those who are adept at nishkama-karma-yoga; both yield the self-same result. Know that this is the truth. There is no difference in this between the grihastha and the sanyasi. What is needed is unremitting practice and sincere endeavor. This requires the renouncing of desire; the giving up of egoism and the sense of possession, even the discarding of active thinking; and single-pointed contemplation of the Brahmatatwa. For one who has achieved this, there is no grief, for there is no shade of ignorance. The wise man who has won this height can never be deluded by the false and the temporary. Even if at the last moment of his life one is able to realize this jnana, he is certain to be liberated from the cycle of birth and death.
Q. Then why were these castes, these varnas [classes] established?
A. They relate to the physical aspect of man; they cannot affect the spiritual aspect at all. They indicate physical make-up. Of course, ‘physical’ includes the intellect, the mind, the chitta [consciousness], the antah-karana [inner cause], etc. Unless these are trained and regulated, the atma dharma cannot be understood. Jati, mata, dharma are all to help in regulating and sublimating the instincts and impulses of man. That is the reason why wise men accepted and honored these.
The atma is sat, chit, and ananda; those are its nature, if somehow it has to be indicated. This can be realized only by purifying the heart, mind, and intellect of man. Persons who have that purity, whatever their varna or ashrama, can attain moksha [liberation]; that is what the Shastras declare. When a person is beset by attachment to some and hatred toward others even in the solitude of the jungle, he will meet only evil. Even if one is leading the grihastha life in the midst of the family, if he has achieved victory over the senses, he is a real tapasvi. Engaged in karma that is not condemned, he is entitled to become a jnani. For one who is un-attached, the home is a hermitage. Then even by means of progeny, of activity, of riches and of Yajna, Yaga, and similar rituals, liberation can be achieved. What is wanted for liberation is just freedom from the impurity of attachment. Attachment is the bondage.
Source: Prasnottara Vahini
