ashrama
- noun
- /ˈɑːʃrəmə/
- Specialized
:
ashrama
- Hindus divide the life cycle into childhood and four later overlapping stages, the ashramas (literally: halting or resting places, milestones).
- ashrama stages
Examples
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For men, the sacred thread investiture ushers in the first ashrama, that of the Brahmacharya.
Academic text (1991) -
In ancient times, men and women are said actually to have departed from their families and vanished into the forest during the third ashrama.
Academic text (1991) -
The four ashramas form a carefully thought-out philosophy of the life cycle.
Academic text (1991) -
That not all men and women achieve the ideals associated with each ashrama and that stages overlap are important considerations to keep in mind.
Academic text (1991) -
The proper idea of service comes via the ashrama system, specifically the grihasta (householder) period.
Blog text (1) -
When Brahmins in Nathdwara speak of the ashramas, it is with a sense of idealism.
Academic text (1991) -
In Hindu tradition, sixty marks the transition between two ashrama, or life stages—that of the "householder," the stage of power and responsibility to the family, and the stage of the "forest dweller," in which your principal task is to start to detach yourself from life and prepare for death.
Academic text (2004) -
In Hindu philosophy, life is divided into four stages, known as ashramas, each representing a different phase of existence.
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The transition to the ashrama of a renunciate is marked by deep introspection and detachment from material life.
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During the ashrama of the householder, individuals are expected to fulfill their familial and social responsibilities.
Surface Forms
Etymology
Ashrama also means a life 'stage' in old Hindu teaching, and this sense comes from the same root śram meaning 'effort' or 'work'. That helps you remember that each ashrama is a phase for different duties and practice, a time to learn, work on your life, or move toward spiritual goals.
