Vamana Purana — Rules of Purity (Shauca), Shloka 8
Rules of Purity (Śauca), Permissible Foods, and the Duties of the Householder and Forest-Dweller
गार्हस्थ्याश्रमकामस्तु गार्हस्थ्याश्रममावसेत् वानप्रस्थाश्रमं वापि चतुर्थं स्वेच्छयात्मनः
gārhasthyāśramakāmastu gārhasthyāśramamāvaset vānaprasthāśramaṃ vāpi caturthaṃ svecchayātmanaḥ
إن رغب في مرحلة ربّ الأسرة فليدخل أشرم الغارهستيا؛ أو فليدخل أشرم الفانابرستها (ساكن الغابة)، بل وحتى المرحلة الرابعة، أي السَّنْياسا (الزهد والترك)، بحسب اختياره هو.
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FAQs
Dharma is presented as a structured path with legitimate diversity: different temperaments may choose household life, forest retirement, or renunciation. The ethical core is alignment of one’s life-stage with inner readiness and disciplined duty.
As with the prior verse, it is ancillary dharma instruction (ācāra/āśrama-niyama), not directly one of the five lakṣaṇas, though purāṇas often include such guidance alongside genealogies and narratives.
The ‘fourth’ signifies ultimate detachment; placing it as a permissible choice underscores that liberation-oriented life is not merely an end-stage of aging but a vocation dependent on qualification (adhikāra).