In the West, when someone reaches the age of retirement, the hope is for prosperity and comfort, perhaps a bungalow by the sea, carefully-tended roses and a grandchild or two dangling on the knee. A life in which the fruits of past labour can be savoured. But for a devout Hindu in India, the 'fourth stage' is very different. The highest ideal is not to savour the pleasures of life, but to renounce them: leaving behind family, friends and all worldly possessions to become a wandering monk.
