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
যদি তাৰ গাৰ্হস্থ্যাশ্ৰমৰ ইচ্ছা হয়, তেন্তে গাৰ্হস্থ্যাশ্ৰমত প্ৰৱেশ কৰিব; নতুবা বানপ্ৰস্থাশ্ৰমত, আৰু নিজৰ ইচ্ছানুসাৰে চতুৰ্থ (সন্ন্যাস) আশ্ৰমতো প্ৰৱেশ কৰিব পাৰে।
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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).