ABSTRACT
The importance of asceticism in ancient Indian society was reflected in the teachings of the Upanishads and also in the ideal of the four stages (ashramas) of life. According to this ideal, set out in detail in the Laws of Manu, 1 one who belonged to the ‘twice-born’ class, having studied the Vedas and fulfilled his role as a householder and family man, was expected gradually to turn his mind from earthly cares to concentrate increasingly on his quest for moksha or liberation. In the third stage of his life he was to leave his home and live as a hermit, or with his wife, practising austerities and meditation. In the last stage, as a very old man, he would become a homeless wandering sannyasi with all worldly ties broken.
