Asrama System

The lesser known and explored of the two pillars of Hinduism--āśrama and varṇa--āśrama is the name given to a system of four distinct and legitimate ways of leading a religious life: as a celibate student, a married householder, a forest hermit, and a world renouncer. In this, the first full-length study of the āśrama system, Olivelle uncovers its origin and traces its subsequent history. He exami...