vanaprastha means the third of four ashrama (stages) in a human life, characterised by a gradual transition of one's social and economic responsibilities to the next generation, and a move away from worldly and sexual pursuits to more spiritual concerns. It carries an Arena rating of 1553, earned across 43 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, vanaprastha ranks #897 of 17,105 for Most Storied Words, #1,060 of 17,124 for Most Sublime Words, #1,618 of 17,149 for Most Exacting Words, #1,864 of 17,130 for Most Beautiful Words.
Why “vanaprastha” is a great word
VANAPRASTHA — [Noun] The third of the four classical Hindu stages of life, a transitional period of gradual withdrawal from worldly duties into a life of increased austerity and spiritual study, often literally undertaken in a forest retreat. From Sanskrit वनप्रस्थ (vanaprastha), a compound of वन (vana, "forest, wilderness") and प्रस्थ (prastha, "going, departing, setting out"), literally meaning "one who departs to the forest." Unlike grahasthashrama, anchored in the hearth and the generative noise of family, or sannyasa, the final, stark severance of all bonds, vanaprastha is the deliberate, creaking hinge between the two. It is the deliberate exchange of fine cloth for simple bark, the shift from building a home to contemplating the horizon from its edge, and the slow turning of attention from the ledger's columns to the forest's endless, patient text—a life learning the difficult art of becoming a ghost to the world before one is a ghost to oneself.
Etymology
From Sanskrit वनप्रस्थ (vanaprastha).
noun
- The third of four ashrama (stages) in a human life, characterised by a gradual transition of one's social and economic responsibilities to the next generation, and a move away from worldly and sexual pursuits to more spiritual concerns.e.g.“‘We should adopt Vanaprastha even while remaining householders. The responsibilities of being a householder should now be passed on to the children,’ she said.” — 2015, Tridip Suhrud, translating Govardhanram Madhavram Tripathi, Sarasvatichandra I, Orient BlackSwan 2015, p. 263
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
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