Are you confused in life? Don’t know which path to choose? Maybe you don’t like your current job? Are you not content?
What you need is clarity and structure in your life.
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That’s what I tell all those who come to me with similar questions. That’s right! You aren’t alone. From Software engineers to Vice Presidents and even Directors of big organizations, people of all backgrounds have these confusions.
Do you too want answers about what to do next in your life and how?
Well, I bring you the ultimate system you can follow in life. It’s the Hindu system of living that some call the spiritual phases of life.
We’ll discuss how to find answers to your questions and see how we can apply the principles mentioned in ancient scriptures to our modern-day living.
By the end of this article, you will know if you are on the right track in life or not. And if not, how to do it.
Here Are The 4 Spiritual Stages Of The Hindu System Of Living.
When we learn about Hindu traditions, Sanatan Dharm, or let’s call it philosophy of the past era, we find our ancestors divided human life into 4 stages. These stages form the system that was structured to guide people on how to lead life the perfect way.
The 4 stages were:
- Brahmacharya Stage
The first stage of life, according to Sanatan Dharm, is student life. This is when people prepare for the later stages of life – they prepare for future success.
People in this stage would understand their religious principles, develop spiritual foundations, read scriptures, and train to succeed in the life that comes next.
- Grihastha Stage
This is the householder’s stage. During this, an individual grows in his career and focuses on the family. He puts all his energy into maintaining the home, enjoying life with kids, and enhancing the financial resources to be used in the later stages.
- Vanaprastha Stage
In this stage of life, individuals get detached from their family, kids, and career.
By now they have enjoyed their golden period of life, but it’s time for them to move to the forests (Vana), pilgrims, or ashrams – in the peace and quiet of nature in search of MOKSHA
They voluntarily devote their time reading scriptures or doing something or other to help them cut off from their family and career-centric life and move towards the next stage called Sanyasa.
- Sanyasa Stage
Once an individual detaches themselves from their last stage, they now follow just one goal. The goal is life’s true purpose of making your soul meet the divine. Sanyasa is all about working towards this meeting away from the materialistic world.
You see, this was quite an evolved system. It was believed that if one follows this system, he will certainly get to depart (die) with contentment from this Earth plane.
Coming to the modern age, we can’t deny that times have changed…a lot. After all, this Hindu system of living was scripted thousands of years ago.
But even though the overall system has changed, the core still exists the same way it was.
Let’s understand!
Here Are The 4 Stages Of The Modern Age.
- Education
Like the Sanatan Dharm, the modern-day system also begins with student life. During this stage, a person goes to school to learn fundamental skills.
And also, to prepare for his career when he moves on to the next stage.
- Career and Family
After 18 to 20 years of student life, an individual works towards a better career and a great future for his family. So he starts with a new job or probably a higher education course, and then moves up the corporate and financial ladder.
- Contentment & Giving Back
The third stage begins (or should begin) around the age of 40. This is when you have reached a good level in your career, you have learned enough, grown, and gathered an experience of 15 to 20 years.
The Shift …
But now you start thinking about doing something meaningful with life – something more than taking care of your family and earning money.
It’s now time to be content with what you have done and move on to follow your passion.
It’s now time to shift your life and become a contributor to society.
This is the time when you do something in which you don’t feel stressed, you have fun, and you feel energized with every action. You can also give back to society, thanks to all that experience you gathered.
and the Last Stage is
- Surrender or Moksha
This stage is more or less the same as before. You disconnect with the world and spend time in ashrams or pilgrims, if not the forests, to help your body depart in peace.
You are Stuck in a Trap : The Reality
Do you know that most people often get stuck in the first two stages – education and career and family.
Their life only revolves around these stages, which they soon start to resent a bit.
These people are only able to live 25% of the life they deserve and the last stage of their life possibility is that you will have a feeling of anger and resentment.
The Solution : Success Formula
So, if you don’t want to be one of these people, if you wish to cherish all of the 100% and live your life fully, you must go through all 4 stages.
You will feel that by the last stage of life, you would have done and accomplished really big and meaningful things. You would have structured your life the way it should be – the way our highly spiritual ancestors – the rishi’s and muni’s did.
Start Planning for Your Next Stage right at the time when you are in the middle of the present stage so that by the time you think of the transition to the next stage of life you are ready with all the skills and resources which are required.
Like when you are studying – you are preparing for your Career or one can say that Career is in Mind at that time.
I, too, am living my life the same way.
You see, it’s important to understand that if you have thoughts encouraging you to make a change, then the only thing you should do is prepare for that!
If you don’t shift your life according to your thoughts – your awareness, then you should be ready for an unfulfilled, unhappy life ahead.
You might earn a lot of money and achieve a lot in the eyes of society, but even after living 60 years of life on earth, you will feel lost.
The Question Then Arises – Where Is Happiness?
You know there’s this famous dialogue from a Bollywood movie – “Mere paas maa hai!”. It loosely translates to “I have a mother at my side”.
Mother here is synonymous with happiness. But where is this happiness in your life?
If you want to experience real, fulfilling happiness – divide your life into these 4 stages.
In every stage, prepare for the next.
Don’t get lost in any particular stage. Prepare for the next, as you enjoy the goodness, the happiness, the contentment of each.
Remember… once you lose the right time for a particular stage, it won’t come again.
Summing Up :
Be aware of how you want your life to be. Beware of the changes you desire. And prepare accordingly.
Life begins with education, career, and family. But then you should continue it by following your passion. And when you achieve all that you want, surrender to the divine. Go on to cherish your inner journey and move towards Moksha.
If you do all this, you’re bound to find the happiness many of us just spend all our lives searching for.
If you want to know more about this topic, follow me on social media. I will elaborate more on this concept for your better understanding and implementation, in the coming days.
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