Main Page | See live article | Alphabetical index The "stages of life for a twice-born man" are discussed in the Hindu Manusmriti. In essence, this concept argues that a member of the so-called Dhwija (twice-born) castes (Brahmin, Kshatriya, and Vaishya) are to undergo four periods of life: first, as a student Brahmacharya; then, as a householder Grihastha; then, he shall live in retirement Vanaprastha; and finally, as an ascetic Sanyasi. The Manusmriti goes into some detail, regarding what is expected of an invididual during each stage. This article is from Wikipedia. All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License.