Human life on earth has to pass through four stages, namely, brahmacharya, grihastha, vanaprastha and sanyasa. The most striking of all the four is sanyasa, the last stage of life. Hindus believe that there are four broad aims of human existence. Observing one's dharma or duty is the first. Acquiring artha or wealth is the second. The third objective is fulfilling kaama or desires. Attaining moksha or salvation is the last of all. Sanyasa is the stage in which one seeks to achieve moksha. It is not easy for a person to give up all the pleasures he/she pursued and the desires he/she nurtured till his/her middle age and assume sanyasa. Therefore, our forefathers have devised the stage of vanaprastha prior to sanyasa. Vanaprastha requires that a person after the age of fifty and whose children are grown up pass on responsibilities of the household to the children and retire to a quiet and peaceful life in the forest. This stage helps one attain gradual detachment from a householder's life and prepares one for a wider sphere of service and spiritual growth.
This will eventually help one prepare for sanyasa that calls for total renunciation of all worldly pleasures and amenities. Manusmriti permits one to seek emancipation only after repaying debts to one's forefathers, saints, sages and God. Otherwise he goes to Hell. In Manusmriti, it is said: "Adhyatmaratiraaseno nirapeksho niramisha: Atmanaiva sahaayena sukharthee vicharediha". One who has assumed sanyasa should reflect upon the soul. One must be detached from the materialistic world and eat vegetarian food only to sustain the body, which is the medium of attaining emancipation when one leaves this world.
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