Flexibility in approaching the vānaprastha āśrama

The Vānaprastha Adventure, Installment 16

As we’ve read, Śrīla Prabhupāda taught that when we’re mature in years, accepting the vānaprastha āśrama is imperative. It’s a must. Yet how one accepts it may vary. Different devotees may be at different levels of advancement. They may come from different cultural backgrounds. And their circumstances may differ. Some men may retire with their wives, some without. Older women, too, will also have their own individual circumstances. Also, some devotees may join as vānaprasthas directly from the world, others from a long life in ISKCON or another devotional society. So while understanding the ideals of varṇāśrama and the personal importance of retirement from family life, we can take into account that each person’s journey will differ. The path we want is that of detachment, spiritual knowledge, and devotional service in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Yet as we see in the historical examples from the Bhāgavatam, different devotees come to that path and traverse it each in their own way.

This is part of a draft

This is an excerpt from a new book I have in the works—The Vānaprastha Adventure, a guide to retirement in spiritual life. While I’m working on it, I’ll be posting my draft here, in installments. I invite your comments, questions, and suggestions.