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set of moral commands applies
equally to all. It is a moral system
that recognizes flexibility and
difference in people’s circumstances.
It also aims to prevent pride in those
of the higher classes, who must
undergo a disciplined education
in order to develop self-detachment
and prepare them, mentally, to
relinquish their worldly gains and
responsibilities in later life. It
confers value on the labors of
the householder, recognizing that,
both economically and practically,
those in the second stage of life
support everybody else. And it gives
dignity to the elderly, with the final
letting go of practical and domestic
responsibilities seen as a positive
opportunity for spiritual growth.
In the modern world
Until very recent times, the extended
family has been the dominant model
throughout Hindu society, forming
the background against which men
lived out the four stages, with their
moral and spiritual principles. In this
traditional scenario, women do not
feature in the first or last stages
of a man’s life, and marriage is
considered to be a contract between
families, rather than a matter of
romantic attachment. If a new wife
is to be introduced to an extended
family home, it is clearly problematic
if she is not well suited to the man
in terms of dharma, varna, or his
ashrama. This explains the origins
of certain Hindu social attitudes
and traditions—for example, the
arranged marriage—but many of
these now clash with the outlook of
some Hindus brought up in a more
individualized and secular society.
Hinduism is to a large degree
more about practice than belief,
and it is closely bound up with
ideas about age and class.
Western concepts of individual
rights and equality do not sit
easily alongside some of the early
Hindu teachings, and with the
Westernization of attitudes, greater
social mobility in modern India,
and the practice of Hinduism in
communities globally, it remains
to be seen whether the the four
stages will remain a viable
model for Hindu life. ■HINDUISM
Moral principles
Hinduism has five broad
moral principles: ahimsa (not
killing), satya (speaking the
truth), asteya (not stealing),
brahmacharya (sexual
continence), and aparigraha
(not being avaricious). The
way each of these is practiced
depends on the stage of life. For
instance, celibacy will not be
practiced by householders,
whose duty it is to have
children. These principles
define external morality, but
there is also a tradition of inner
cultivation to practice during all
stages of life, which involves
the pursuit of five qualities:
cleanliness, contentment,
pure concentration, group
study, and devotion to God.
The five qualities reflect the
progression from the early
Vedic tradition, based on
ritual, to a religion of personal
spiritual development and
devotion, which developed
many centuries later.The various spiritual obligations of Hinduism
could seem difficult to fulfill in one lifetime. However,
by delineating four separate life phases, each with
a different focus and with specific duties to perform
for a limited period, the task seems more achievable.