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APPENDIX I
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period when a Man can become Vanaprastha. The time ripe for it is after wrinkles which is of course quite an advanced age. The Sannyasi must be still more advanced in age. To exhibit such people who have enjoyed all the pleasures of life as instances of self-sacrifice because they choose to give up their pleasures at a stage of life when they are incapable of enjoying them must be nothing short of folly. Admittedly this abandonment of home and family is not for the purpose of rendering social service to suffering humanity. The purpose is to enable them to perform austerities and to wait peaceful death. It seems to be a height of folly to cut of old and aged men from him and family and die in jungles uncared and unwept for so insignificant and trivial a purpose.
The Ashram system is an ancient attempt of planned economy produced by the Brahmins. It is so stupid that it is a riddle to understand the causes and the motives which have led the Brahmins to devise it.
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