The lesser known and explored of the two pillars of Hinduism—=a'srama and var.na—=a'srama 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 =a'srama system, Olivelle uncovers its origin and traces its subsequent history. He examines in depth its relationship to other institutional and doctrinal aspects of the Brahmanical world and its position within Brahmanical theology, and assesses its significance within the history of Indian religion. Throughout, he argues that the =a'srama system is primarily a theological construct and that the system and its history should be carefully distinguished from the socio-religious institutions comprehended by the system and from their respective histories.
| Abbreviations | ||
| Prologue | 3 | |
| 1 | Meaning and Method | 7 |
| 1.1 | The Meaning of Asrama | 8 |
| 1.2 | The Meaning of the Asrama System | 24 |
| 1.3 | Issues of Method | 28 |
| 2 | Background and Context | 35 |
| 2.1 | The Vedic Ideal of Religious Life | 35 |
| 2.2 | The Socio-Economic Context | 55 |
| 2.3 | Rival Views of Religious Life | 58 |
| 3 | The Origins | 73 |
| 3.1 | The Original Formulation | 73 |
| 3.2 | Controversy and Debate | 83 |
| 3.3 | Authorship | 94 |
| 3.4 | Date | 101 |
| 3.5 | The Pre-History of the Asrama System and the Question of the Three Asramas | 106 |
| 4 | Ingredients of Change | 112 |
| 4.1 | The Third Asrama and the Problem of the Hermit | 112 |
| 4.2 | The Fourth Asrama and the Time of Renunciation | 117 |
| 4.3 | Ritual Appropriations of Renunciation | 122 |
| 4.4 | The Asramas and the Rites of Passage | 126 |
| 5 | The Classical Asrama System | 131 |
| 5.1 | Description of the Classical System | 131 |
| 5.2 | The Hermeneutics of the Classical System | 134 |
| 5.3 | The Classical System in the Smrtis | 136 |
| 5.4 | The Original System in the Classical Period | 151 |
| 6 | Development of the Classical System | 161 |
| 6.1 | Classification of the Asramas | 161 |
| 6.2 | Modifications of the Classical System | 173 |
| 7 | The Asramas and Other Brahmanical Institutions | 183 |
| 7.1 | Gender and Asrama | 183 |
| 7.2 | Varna and Asrama | 190 |
| 7.3 | The Asramas and Civil Authority | 201 |
| 7.4 | Parisad and Asrama | 210 |
| 7.5 | Asrama and Other Aspects of Dharma | 214 |
| 7.6 | Sets of Four: The Purusarthas and the Asramas | 216 |
| 8 | The Asrama System in Medieval Theology | 220 |
| 8.1 | Anasramin: Obligation to Live in an Asrama | 220 |
| 8.2 | Atyasramin: Transcendence of the Asramas | 222 |
| 8.3 | The Question of a Fifth Asrama | 232 |
| 8.4 | Asrama and the Doctrine of Yuga | 234 |
| 8.5 | The Legitimacy of the Asrama System: The Continuing Debate | 237 |
| Epilogue | 244 | |
| Bibliography | 247 | |
| Index | 263 |
Overview
The lesser known and explored of the two pillars of Hinduism—=a'srama and var.na—=a'srama 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 =a'srama system, Olivelle uncovers its origin and traces its subsequent history. He examines in depth its relationship to other institutional and doctrinal aspects of the Brahmanical world and its ...