________________
SOCIETY AND REFORM
141
systern differed from the modern is this that while the former insisted upon profundity of thought the latter directly fosters shallow speech. The most brilliant products of our Universities are men whose intellectualism may be said to possess length and breadth but little or no depth. This is partly due to the exaggerated emphasis on elegant diction, which delights in the employment of metaphor and choice phraseology, and partly to other cause which need not be gone into here.
To revert to the asramas of life, the period of studentship in ancient times was spent in the acquisition of knowledge, both of things spiritual as well as worldly. This period generally extended beyond the 20th year of the pupil's age and was termed brahmacharya, during the whole of which he was enjoined to observe absolute celibacy.
The next asrama, that of married life, commenced with the termination of studentship, and usually extended to a point of time when the signs of the approach of old age became clearly discernible. This period was devoted to the world and to worldly things. Our student is now married and settled down in life. The wife is a desirable companion to the average householder from more points of views than one. The householder, therefore, does not observe celibacy, but marries a suitable spouse, and, thus, shields himself from the seducements and temptations of the world. He now devotes his time to the acquisition of wealth, which he enjoys in proper ways with his better-half, performing all other duties pertaining to civic life as a member of society. As the first rapturous thrills of married life subside into homely domesticity, the householder begins to train himself gradually for the next higher üsrama, observing what are known as pratimas, to develop the spirit of renunciation. I have no time to describe these pratimas here, but they qualify a man for, and in the end merge into, the third stage, the vānaprastha asrama (literally, forest-life), hence the life of aloofness from the world. This is achieved when the tenth pratima is reached. The student who entered married life as a householder and whom we found engaged in the discharge of his numerous duties as a father, a member of society, a patriot and the like,
Jain Education International
For Private & Personal Use Only
www.jainelibrary.org
