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The ages of man

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posted on Aug, 18 2016 @ 04:32 PM
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In Hinduism there is something called the "ashramas" in the western culture its called the four or seven ages of man. Cultures through out history always referred to them as something else or something similar.. The roman poet Ovid tells a similar myth of "Four Ages in Book 1.89–150 of the Metamorphoses". Hesiod calls them "Five ages", or in the modern term of Shakespeare "Seven ages of man".

The character follows these stages in life;







- The Infancy

" In this stage the man is born as a helpless baby and knows little but waiting as a man in embryo to spring out "


- The Schoolboy

" Here, he begins his schooling; the charms of helpless innocence cease.It is in that stage of life that he begins to go to school. He is unwilling to leave the protected environment of his home as he is still not confident enough to exercise his own discretion. "


- The Lover

" The lover is depicted as a young man composing his love poems, shown beneath two pictures of Cupid, the god of love and on the left, Romeo-Juliet balcony scene.In this stage he is always maudlin, expressing his love in a fatuous manner. He makes himself ridiculous in trying to express his feelings."


- The Soldier

" Here, he is hot-blooded with a high degree of self-respect. He looks forward to gaining a reputation, even if it costs him his life. He is inflamed with the love of war and, like a leopard, he charges.He is very easily aroused and is hot headed. He is always working towards making a reputation for himself, however short-lived it may be, even at the cost of foolish risks."


- The Justice

" In this stage he thinks he has acquired wisdom through the many experiences he has had in life, and is likely to impart it. He has reached a stage where he has gained prosperity and social status. He becomes vain and begins to enjoy the finer things of life.and he attains a socially accepted state and expounds the wisdom he has gained in his life. "


- The Pantaloon

" He is a shell of his former self — physically and mentally. He begins to become the butt of others' jokes. He loses his firmness and assertiveness, and shrinks in stature and personality and tries to shrink himself into a shell of his worries and is indifferent to his physical appearance and apparel, just as he was in his youth."


- The Old Age

"In this stage he is Dependent on others for care and unable to interact with the world, he experiences "second innocence, and mere oblivion. this stage is also known as second infancy."



In Hinduism they have four;




- The First Ashrama - "Brahmacharya" or the Student Stage

" This is a period of formal education. It lasts until the age of 25, during which, the young male leaves home to stay with a guru and attain both spiritual and practical knowledge. During this period, he is called a brahmachari, and is prepared for his future profession, as well as for his family, and social and religious life ahead. "


- The Second Ashrama - "Grihastha" or the Householder Stage

" This period begins when a man gets married, and undertakes the responsibility for earning a living and supporting his family.
At this stage, Hinduism supports the pursuit of wealth as a necessity, and indulgence in sexual pleasure, under certain defined social and cosmic norms. When a person's skin wrinkles and his hair greys, he should go out into the forest. "


The Third Ashrama - "Vanaprastha" or the Hermit Stage"

" This stage of a man begins when his duty as a householder comes to an end: He has become a grandfather, his children are grown up, and have established lives of their own. At this age, he should renounce all physical, material and sexual pleasures, retire from his social and professional life, leave his home, and go to live in a forest hut, spending his time in prayers. He is allowed to take his wife along, but is supposed to maintain little contact with the family. This kind of life is indeed very harsh and cruel for an aged person. No wonder, this third ashrama is now nearly obsolete. "


The Fourth Ashrama - "Sannyasa" or the Wandering Ascetic Stage

" At this stage, a man is supposed to be totally devoted to God. He is a sannyasi, he has no home, no other attachment; he has renounced all desires, fears and hopes, duties and responsibilities. He is virtually merged with God, all his worldly ties are broken, and his sole concern becomes attaining moksha, or release from the circle of birth and death. (Suffice it to say, very few Hindu men can go up to this stage of becoming a complete ascetic.) When he dies, the funeral ceremonies (Pretakarma) are performed by his son and heir."




These ashramas are predominantly designed for the male, but its foremost insight in how we should live our lives.. However, in real life, most of us are so much in love with this second ashrama that the Grihastha stage lasts a lifetime!

Source - Ashramas
Seven ages of man - Wikipedia
Ages of man - Wikipedia

edit on 2016818 by tikbalang because: (no reason given)



posted on Aug, 18 2016 @ 04:38 PM
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a reply to: tikbalang




When a person's skin wrinkles and his hair greys, he should go out into the forest


Bookmarking for further reading....

This is also the period we should be looking for the fountain of youth



posted on Aug, 18 2016 @ 05:08 PM
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a reply to: tikbalang

Okay. So this is one window through which we can attempt to explain ourselves, but it's not the only
window. As long as mankind thinks, and long as he lives the natural and senses the supernatural, he
will look for a anthropological "theory of everything." Such a TOE is about as forth-coming as the
scientific one. LOL.



posted on Aug, 18 2016 @ 05:35 PM
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morgan freeman looks so young there
such an iconic voice



posted on Aug, 25 2016 @ 06:37 PM
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About the Hindu Ashrama, they seem to me to be completely backwards? Like, shouldn't our first priority be pursuing the third and fourth ashramas, and only after proceeding to second stage?

Also, if the first stage of education is completed properly, wouldn't it nullify the need for the third and fourth stages?



posted on Aug, 25 2016 @ 06:39 PM
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a reply to: LucidWarrior

ever tried to go against instincts? You likely break



posted on Aug, 25 2016 @ 06:56 PM
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Oh, all the time! The only thing that breaks, is unwanted action/thought!

a reply to: tikbalang




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