Swami Brahm Bodhi

Revered Gurudev, pranam 🙏🙏

How should a follower of Bhagavad Dharma undertake self-evaluation in order to know his true position in spiritual life?

And Gurudev, should we necessarily live our lives strictly according to the four stages — Brahmacharya (0–25 years), Gṛhastha (26–50 years), Vānaprastha (51–75 years), and Sannyāsa (76–100 years)?

Kindly guide us, Gurudev. 🙏🙏

Answer (Brahm Bodhi) : We find that although Hindu Dharma is also called Varna-Āshrama-Dharma, in practice it has largely been limited to the observance of Varna-Dharma. The Āshrama system—which means the first 25 years for Brahmacharya, the next 25 years for Gṛhastha, the following 25 years for Vānaprastha, and the last 25 years for Sannyāsa—is mentioned here and there, but it was never universally practiced. In the early period, some people did adopt it, but in the lives of the principal guiding personalities of Dharma, we rarely find its observance.
For example, Shri Rama did not enter Vānaprastha or Sannyāsa. Shri Krishna also did not. Nor did Arjuna, Bhishma, or Drona.

Thus, it is clear that in Sanātana Dharma the system of four āshramas was never compulsory.

Another point is that the depiction of Vānaprastha Āshrama in certain scriptures carries elements of extreme self-mortification. But the Bhagavad Gita is against self-torture of the body:

“nātyaśnatastu yogo’sti na caikāntam anashnataḥ
na cāti-svapna-śīlasya jāgrato naiva cārjuna” (Gita 6.16)

Meaning: O Arjuna, yoga is not for one who eats too much or too little, nor for one who sleeps too much or too little.

The Bhagavad Gita does mention Varna, but it does not endorse a caste-based, birth-determined Varna system. The Lord explicitly connects Varna with qualities (guṇa), actions (karma), and disposition (svabhāva)—not with birth:

“cātur-varṇyaṁ mayā sṛṣṭaṁ guṇa-karma-vibhāgaśaḥ
tasya kartāram api māṁ viddhy akartāram avyayam” (Gita 4.13)

As for the four āshramas, that is, the 25–25 year stages of life, there is no mention or approval of them in the Gita.

Brahmacharya Āshrama was indeed a noble arrangement, devoted to study and preparation for life. The Gṛhastha Āshrama too was appropriate, though not mandatory. Many great souls went directly from Brahmacharya to Sannyāsa—for example, Ādi Śaṅkarācārya. Many ancient ṛṣis too never entered the household stage.

Yes, it is true that after the age of fifty, one must turn with greater intensity towards spirituality. But turning towards spirituality does not necessarily mean taking formal Sannyāsa. The Lord Himself states in the Gita:

“anāśritaḥ karma-phalaṁ kāryaṁ karma karoti yaḥ
sa sannyāsī ca yogī ca na niragnir na cākriyaḥ” (Gita 6.1)

Meaning: He who performs his duty without attachment to the fruits of action—he is a sannyāsī and a yogi, not the one who has merely renounced fire or external acts.

As life advances, human nature itself changes. In childhood, toys are objects of delight; in youth, men and women are drawn to each other; but in old age, these attractions wane and the mind naturally inclines towards God. Therefore, the Gita teaches that not only in old age, but throughout life, one should gradually reduce attachment to worldly pleasures and turn towards God:

“antakāle ca mām eva smaran muktvā kalevaram
yaḥ prayāti sa mad-bhāvaṁ yāti nāsty atra saṁśayaḥ” (Gita 8.5)

Now that the average human lifespan is limited to 75–80 years, it becomes all the more important that after fifty, a person should intensify the pursuit of God-realization and liberation, withdrawing the mind from sensory objects and moving towards self-fulfilment.