Preparation

Dawn was approaching and the countryside began to whiten. Raj looked around. The old man had fallen asleep. Throughout the train car arms could be seen stretching, groans could be heard groaning, and yawns seemed to be escaping from one passenger to the next. He scratched his head and looked at his ticket. Only a few more hours remained until the final destination. The elder awoke and took in his surroundings.

"Good morning," said Raj with a smile.
"Ah yes, good morning to you," replied the man.
"I'm just going to get something to drink," Raj paused and asked, "would you like anything?"
"Hmm...yes perhaps some orange juice if you don't mind," he said to Raj.

Once Raj returned, the two made small talk about trying to rest the night before. They spoke of the upcoming destination and of how short the trip seemed to be. Raj pulled out his ticket. He was wondering where his bags had been placed.

"You know," said the young man, "the least you could let me do to repay you for such enlightening stories would be to let me help you with your baggage."
"Well, I'd be delighted, but I don't believe that I have any with me."
"No baggage? Ah, so you must live where we are going?"
"Not quite, but I will live there for some time."
"But you are far too old to be traveling alone with nothing and no one."
The old man gave a brief laugh. "I am far too old indeed, not to have a lack of those things, but rather a desire for them."
"What do you mean?" asked Raj.
"To be honest," replied the old man, "I am beginning to see things like this: when I reflect on myself in the mirror, my hair has turned grey and my skin has wrinkled. I have established my family. My children have been brought up, and now when they come to visit, their children come as well. It is no longer time for me to lead and provide for my family. No, the children and the elderly are to be taken care of; I myself fall into the latter. Just as a child is to nurture their relationship with their parents, the elderly should nurture their relationship with their spirit. I have left my life and all that I have known behind me. I will begin anew now. If I am to reconnect with the nature of my true self, then I must be devoid of the things of this world. There is a word, Vanaprastha, which means to dwell in the forest. In a sense, that is what I must do. Thus I have entered the Vanaprastha stage of my life, that time when one prepares to renounce the ways of the world."
"But sir, is that not selfish on your part? What of your family and your wife?" inquired Raj.
"Ah, but you must think before you draw such implications young man," he said sharply. "Would it not be more selfish if I were to stay in my former role and attempt to tell my children how to raise their children? Would it not be more selfish if I were to try to hold on to the things that are so quickly passing such as my health, my home, and my influence? Would it not be more selfish if I were to tell my wife that as she approaches the final years of her life, that she herself is still bound by the duties of marriage? Was it not true that the great king Yudhistira, that most noble and wise child of Pandu, ruled honorably and then abdicated his throne and went into exile in order to resign from the world? Finally, was it not true that Yudhistira alone, though he had such great and magnificent brothers, was the only one of them who was able to ascend to the heights of heaven upon death, while his brothers were reborn? You see, I am not being selfish. Rather, I am following my duty to the world and to my fellow man. Just as Rama allowed himself to be exiled in order to be dutiful to his father, I am exiling myself so that my children may take their place in the world. By doing so, I am fulfilling Dharma. Throughout our lives, each of us has different roles to fill. It is by completing those roles and obligations that we allow the Dharma wheel to turn."

Author's Note:

Through this story, I wanted to focus more on the general than on the specifics. Thus, I only briefly highlighted examples from the Ramayana and the Mahabharata. I felt that the theme of renouncing the world and worldly things is one that runs throughout both books and generally through most of Hinduism and its related religions. By preparing to renounce his former life, the old man is letting go and starting anew. More importantly, he feels as though he is following a duty to Dharma. He also does not allow the bonds of family to hinder this process. By doing so, the old man becomes an exemplar of detachment and proper duty, two of the main principles of the Bhagavad-Gita. Raj appears shocked when he first hears of the old man's plans, just as most of us do (or at least I did at first) when Krishna advises Arjuna that it is his duty to bring the destruction of his family, friends, and teachers. I felt that Yudhistira and his final renouncing of the world that is described in the epilogue of Narayan's Mahabharata mirrored what the old man is describing, while the story of Rama and his self-imposed exile to the forest provided a great example duty.

Back to...
The Cover Page
Introduction
The First Story: The Brahmacharya
The Second Story: The Gihastha
The Fourth Story: Sannyasa

Image Source:
The Renunciation of St. Francis
This image from the artist Gioto depicts the christian St. Francis renouncing the world and his connections with it, effectively showing that great themes, such as renunciation, often exist beyond specific individuals and cultures.

Bibliography:

Buck, William. Ramayana. Berkeley: University of California Press, 2000.
Narayan, R. K.. The Ramayana: A Shortened Modern Prose Version of the Indian Epic (Penguin Classics). London: Penguin Classics, 2006.

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