The Āśrama System : The History and Hermeneutics of a Religious Institution

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 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 āśrama 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. The lesser known and explored of the two pillars of Hinduism--=aśrama and var.na--=aśrama 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 =aśrama 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 =aśrama 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. The lesser known and explored of the two pillars of Hinduism—=aśrama and var.na—=aśrama 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 =aśrama 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 =aśrama 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. Frontmatter Abbreviations (page xi) Prologue (page 3) I. INTRODUCTION 1. Meaning and Method (page 7) 2. Background and Context (page 35) II. THE EARLY PERIOD 3. The Origins (page 73) 4. Ingredients of Change (page 112) III. THE CLASSICAL PERIOD 5. The Classical Āśrama System (page 131) 6. Development of the Classical System (page 161) 7. The Āśramas and Other Brāhmaṇical Institutions (page 183) 8. The Āśrama System in Medieval Theology (page 220) Epilogue (page 244) Bibliography (page 247) Index (page 263) A study of the Asrama system, a Hindu construct consisting of four legitimate ways of leading a religious life. The author traces its early history and explains how Asrama gradually established connections with other Hindu religious institutions to emerge as a central tenet of the Hindu dharma. Patrick Olivelle. Includes Bibliographical References (p. 247-262) And Index.