No. This post is not about Ayurveda or some magical herb or some patanajali fairness cream! 😀
This is about scientific social fabric setup by our Smritis. Here, it is about Manu Smriti and his prescription about healthy aging.
Aging is inevitable part of any organism. You may become immortal but your body cannot. At the most, you can slow down aging. You slow it down upto 100 years so that you can perform all your duties well for all 4 ashrams.
गृहृस्थस्तु यदा पश्येत् वाली पलितमात्मनः|
अपत्यस्यैव चापत्यं तदारण्यं समाश्रयेत्।| -मनु 912
जब गृहस्थ को यह दिखाई पड़े कि चमड़ी पर झुर्रियां पड़ने लगी-बाल सफेद होने लगे और पुत्र भी गृहस्थ वन गया तो उसे घर छोड़ कर वानप्रस्थ में प्रवेश करना चाहिए।
When you start seeing wrinkles on skin, hair graying and infants at your son/daughter’s home, it is time to live for forest dwelling.
So, what does that mean? Retirement?
Yes, retirement from household duties. But does that mean relaxation?
No! Your job as a social agent starts now! You need to approach forest for living.
Two forests! 1) Real forest 2) Social forest
Live in forest and work for social forest (Society) by contributing into areas like healthcare (by studying and collecting rare forest herbs for society), education (by running forest school) and social/environmental experiments (Homa/Gau raksha).
For us, retirement means relaxation! निवृति!
निवृति invites super accelerated aging! This is the real time to strengthen body for next ashram! And activities I mentioned helps a lot!
When you start living in forest on bare minimum requirements, away from your comfort zone, life becomes tough! You need to struggle for survival! You need arrange food for self, grow food for self! It requires industrious life!! You probably stretch more of your physical and mental muscles! That is the magical key of forever young!
Besides, it is time to give back to society. All your expertise. Education ! Apprentice!
Be industrious and recite Veda!
Embrace spike stressors of difficult forest terrain (To slow down aging) by avoiding chronic stressors of grihastha life (by leaving home at right age and all attachments – root cause of chronic stress).
Exposing yourself to brutal summer heat, wet clothes of monsoon and extreme cold of winter! Environmental stress is better than mental stress of grihasthi.
What you call निवृत्ति is actually most productive time of life time to me! 🙂
Think about it! Help your parents understand this and embrace healthy living.
Mind you : Living in forest does not mean retiring at old age home resort with all domestic help! 😀 It should be clear that the forests of ancient India were not designated resorts for entertainment and spend savings but places of physical rigor to promote mental and spiritual concentration.
Reciting Veda ? To help your memory to remain intake! High level of mental processing by contemplation on Vedic hymns and unveiling truths of life!
With old age, body’s ability to imbibe Prana reduces. Forest is a only setup which can easily replenish depleting old age prana without much efforts! As you grow older, your microbial diversity reduces. Forest is the best setup to maintain this diversity!
Follow आश्रम धर्म without slightest doubt and use this life as a platform for change. To uphold the dharma, our micro contribution.
There are ample studies done showing positive effects of living in wood. I won’t share them here! First, start understanding what Manu says! Break your educational secular brainwashing and study Manu objectively!
