The Four Ashrams of a Doctor’s Life

What constitutes a Good Life ?
Our scriptures divide our life into 4 stages:
The four Ashrams.
They are the Brahmacharya, Garhasthya, Vanaprasth and Sanyas. Ancient Indians will complete their life cycle religiously in these four life stages.

I have been fortunate enough to be born in Cuttack, the educational hub of this part of India in my childhood. Most of my school friends have attained great heights in their job and career and have retired since then. I am going to be 62 in few months.

Like everyone of us, I do have a WhatsApp group consisting of these school mates. As a passive listener, I had the opportunity to go through their social posts, analyse their contents from a close quarter. Over the last few years, the contents of their thought process had undergone a metamorphosis in the last few years. Leaving the brazen celebration of success and wealth aside, now they concentrate only one thing: Being happy.

Earlier our group would roar in congratulatory messages when some one of us had reached the pinnacle of his career, had gone on a foreign tour or had invited us for the destination marriage of his kid. But for the last two years the group has changed. It had attained a yogic attitude towards life. Most of the posts these days centre around Being Happy.

Some of them lament the way they have wasted their youthful years in pursuit of success. Others preach about the meaninglessness of wealth and status.

What a change ? That too only in a matter of couple of years. The group is now on a monastic mode.

This prompted me to revise my idea of the 4 stages of life.

4 stages of the modern life:

The four Ashrams of Veda are still valid for us except that their focus has changed these days.

Now our first life stage is spent in acquiring Degrees in colleges, Next we move on to create wealth. Health comes at the third stage and happiness is the last.

These are the new four life stages of a medical student these days.

Stage 1. Acquisition of Degree

A typical doctor these days spends the first 35 years of his life in Acquiring Degrees. Brahmacharya is not mandatory for him though it helps.

Stage 2 Creation of Wealth

From education, we suddenly jump into the Race of Wealth Creation. The more the merrier. Between 35-50, the respect we will command is proportional to our potential of creating Wealth. Earlier people were ashamed of showing off their wealth. Days have changed and successful members feel happy to flaunt their wealth and post pictures of their foreign trips, Vacations and Dinner commitments in star hotels in their social groups.

Stage 3 Health

In their eagerness to create wealth rapidly, these keepers of health lose their own health on the way. By 50s, most have ambushed one or more systems of their body may be the CVS, GI or locomotor system. Around 55, they suddenly realise that health not money is the real wealth. Money can purchase drugs not health. But it has become too late by then.

Stage 4 Being Happy

In my age, suddenly they realise that they have no other option but to live with their health handicap for the rest of life. They do not want to sacrifice any more body parts to the rat race. It’s time to Go Slow and Gather Happiness. Now the social media resonates with benefits of Yogic postures, Pranayam, Healthy foods and Spiritual messages of great sages. The goodness of Simple Living and futility of Extra Wealth these days silence the rowdy posts of celebrating success and wealth of yesterday years.

…

Epilogue

A child is born simple. He is always happy despite all his limitations. These days my friends would like to emulate the child inside them. Being happy in the little achievements like a good night of sleep, a pleasant weather and a morning free of the stiffness in the joints despite all the failures of their life. I believe this is a change for the betterment.

The Circle has now moved full 360 degrees.

So it is,