The Vānaprastha Adventure, Installment 12 Along with old age (and birth and death), during retirement we can expect to undergo disease. This is unavoidable. It comes with the body. If we have “disease karma,” disease will come, no matter what. That said, as with financial planning there are sensible things we can do. First, of course, we can try our best to live a healthy way of life. As mentioned in the Bhagavad-gītā (6.17), we can reduce our risk of bodily troubles by living in a regulated way—eating not too little and not too much, sleeping as much as we need but not more. In … [Read more...] about Thinking about health
The Vānaprastha Adventure: Contents
The Vānaprastha Adventure, Installment 11 It occurs to me (late) that I ought to provide a Table of Contents here to let you know what’s in The Vanaprastha Adventure. Here you go: Introduction: What are your plans for your retirement? What is the vānaprastha āśrama? The importance of the vānaprastha āśrama Do it at fifty Historical examples Pretentious or premature vānaprastha life Planning early The gṛhastha āśrama, for spiritual culture Financial planning with retirement in mind Thinking about health Making the best use of family unhappiness Why … [Read more...] about The Vānaprastha Adventure: Contents
Financial planning with retirement in mind
The Vānaprastha Adventure, Installment 10 After Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu married, he started a school to make some money.1 Brahmacārīs don’t have to bother about such things. But for a householder, money is required.2 And if we have that part of our life in place, we can focus on the spiritual. Too often, though, devotees spend their whole time working and never have enough money to do much more than stay afloat. They are caught in a cycle of “work, make money, spend money, and work.” So when the time comes for retirement they are still paying off debts or have expenses looming and … [Read more...] about Financial planning with retirement in mind
The gṛhastha āśrama, for spiritual culture
The Vānaprastha Adventure, Installment 9 As Śrīla Prabhupāda often instructed, one should mold one’s life in such a way that one will be always conscious of Kṛṣṇa. Gṛhasthas (like the members of all the other āśramas) should do this. A gṛhastha’s home should be a place of spiritual culture.1 Though gṛhasthas have some license for sense gratification, enjoying sense gratification should be a less important part of their life.2 In the home of an ideal gṛhastha, Kṛṣṇa is in the center, and everything done is for the service of Kṛṣṇa. Such a home, filled with chanting and hearing of the … [Read more...] about The gṛhastha āśrama, for spiritual culture
Planning early
The Vānaprastha Adventure, Installment 8 One of my students asked me, “If vānaprastha life is meant to start sometime around the age of fifty, shouldn’t we be planning for it from the time we enter the gṛhastha āśrama in order to have an easier change?” Actually the planning for the vānaprastha life should begin even earlier. For progress on the road of varṇāśrama, the first stage is brahmacārī life. A brahmacārī may stay brahmacārī or go directly to sannyāsa. But often the brahmacārī marries. And for married life, training as a brahmacārī provides the best foundation.1 Too often, … [Read more...] about Planning early
Pretentious or premature vanaprastha life
The Vānaprastha Adventure, Installment 7 While being keen to accept life in the vānaprastha order, we should avoid becoming pseudo vānaprasthas. One should not adopt the identity of a vānaprastha merely for false prestige. If one identifies oneself to others as a vānaprastha, one should adopt the consciousness of a vānaprastha and follow the duties of a vānaprastha. One should not merely call oneself a vānaprastha yet continue to immerse oneself in family affairs, social occasions, mundane entertainment, and mundane interests. In particular, one should not call oneself a vānaprastha … [Read more...] about Pretentious or premature vanaprastha life
Historical examples
The Vānaprastha Adventure, Installment 6 The Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam presents historical examples of great souls who accepted the vānaprastha āśrama. Though we may not live the same way as them, their path can serve to instruct us. Here I will only mention some of them. But we can go to the Bhāgavatam to read further. We have already mentioned King Dhṛtarāṣṭra, who at the end of his life gave up his illusions and left for the forest for spiritual realization.1 He was able to do this by the grace of Vidura, who himself had turned his back on political life and set out on pilgrimage.2 While … [Read more...] about Historical examples
Do it at fifty
The Vānaprastha Adventure, Installment 5 Śrīla Prabhupāda, throughout his books, says that by the age of fifty (or shortly thereafter) one should accept the vānaprastha āśrama. As Śrīla Prabhupāda writes: “The system of varṇāśrama-dharma, or sanātana-dharma, prescribes retirement from family encumbrances as early as possible after one has passed fifty years of age.”[1] Śrīla Prabhupāda often quotes the statement pañcāśordhvaṁ vanaṁ vrajet: “After the age of fifty years, one must go to the forest.” This means accepting the vānaprastha āśrama. One need not go out to the middle of … [Read more...] about Do it at fifty
The importance of the vānaprastha āśrama
The Vānaprastha Adventure, Installment 4 Śrīla Prabhupāda mentions throughout his books the importance of the vānaprastha āśrama. Once we reach a mature age, the vānaprastha life becomes important —and in fact, Śrīla Prabhupāda said, essential. Without a life of spiritual retirement, how is our social setup different from a materialistic one? Of course, we can have a family life that’s Kṛṣṇa conscious. But our social system is meant to be radically different from a system that tells us to just stay in the family circle till the end of our days. And of course we’re concerned not just … [Read more...] about The importance of the vānaprastha āśrama
What is the vanaprastha āśrama?
The Vānaprastha Adventure, Installment 3 Śrīla Prabhupāda usually spoke of the vānaprastha āśrama as “retired life.” It is that stage of life in which we progressively detach ourselves from home and family, from “me” and “mine,” from the attachments and illusions that go with family life. As Śrīla Prabhupāda explains, the word vana means “forest,” and prastha means “having gone.”1 In former days, people would literally retire to the forest, there to free themselves from worldly life and get ready for the final journey back to Godhead. Today we no longer expect to go dwell in the … [Read more...] about What is the vanaprastha āśrama?
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