Religion

VARNASHRAM DHARMA:  

These are the FOUR STAGES OF LIFE, which every Hindu in ancientimes was   expected  to  follow. They are namely:

  • Brahmacharya or period of celebate’s  life or student life.

  • Grihastasram or period of householder’s life or married life.

        temple

  • Vanaprastha, period of meditation and community service ( by remaining  at home but  not engaged in wealth making efforts,)  

  • Sanyasa or period of renunciation when one is supposed to live in   a center of  pilgrimage and  on alms and on charity away from kith and kin.

NOTE:
Thus there was no separate institution as monks or sanyasins. Every   body was  expected  to gothrough all the stages. It is only with the rise  of  Buddhism the order of Monks and   Nunsoriginated. Later the Christian Church imitated it.