While the self-proclaimed crusaders of Hindu Rashtra are busy globe-trotting, beating drums, basking in political glory, and celebrating life well into their 70s, one can’t help but ask — did they forget to read the very scriptures they claim to defend?
Because Hindu Dharma, unlike modern political posturing, had a clear road map for life. According to Dharmashastra texts like the Manusmriti, Dharmasutras, and various Smritis, a man’s life was divided into four distinct āśramas or stages: Brahmacharya (studenthood), Gṛhastha (householder), Vānaprastha (forest-dweller/retired life), and finally, Sannyāsa (renunciation). And here’s what the Manusmriti (6.2) says:
“pañcāśordhvaṁ vanaṁ vrajet”
“After the age of fifty, one should go to the forest.”
Let that sink in.
At fifty, the ideal Dharmic man was supposed to start withdrawing from the world — not doubling down on rallies, not expanding empires, and certainly not clinging to power. The forest wasn’t just a physical space, it was a symbol of inner renunciation. One was expected to hand over responsibilities, detach from material pursuits, and prepare for a more introspective, spiritual life.
But today, it’s almost fashionable for seventy-year-old flag bearers of Sanatana Dharma to behave like they’re still in the Gṛhastha phase — marrying their ambitions to institutions, feeding the fire of fame, and occasionally forgetting that Dharma isn’t about slogans. It’s about discipline. It’s about timing. It’s about self-realization, not selfies.
What’s most ironic? Those shouting the loudest about returning to “ancient values” are often the ones who skip the parts that apply to them. Vānaprastha isn’t just for the hermits in the Himalayas — it was designed for every man, regardless of his wealth, status, or number of Twitter followers.
To walk the talk of Dharma, one must know when to walk away.
Until then, the real Sanatana Dharma continues — not in loud speeches or saffron filters, but quietly, in the forests they forgot.