Shloka 8
Rules of Purity (Shauca) — 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
Wenn er die Lebensstufe des Hausvaters begehrt, soll er in den gārhasthya-Āśrama eintreten; oder er kann in den vānaprastha-Āśrama eintreten, ja sogar in die vierte Stufe, den saṃnyāsa (Entsagung), nach eigenem Willen.
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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).