『ジャーバーラ・ウパニシャッド』において見出されるアーシュラマ観

抄録

With reference to the āśramas, there are 3 different views, namely, samuccaya, vikalpa and bādha. First, in the samuccaya, life is divided into 4 āśramic stages and fulfilled by passing through all the stages one after another in sequence. Among them the stage of householder (gṛhastha) is generally regarded as the nucleus in the Vedic tradition. Second, in the vikalpa, the āśramas are considered as 4 distinct ways of life. After the completion of the brahamacarya stage, one may have an option to become a householder or to renounce. Lastly, in the bādha, gṛhastha is considered as the only āśrama.

The Jābāla-Upaniṣad discusses a few important questions with regard to saṃnyāsa. Through a conversation between King Janaka of Videha and Yājñavalkya, the 4th chapter, where its own original view on āśramas is found, speaks of the time to resort to saṃnyāsa and the qualification for saṃnyāsins. In this paper, I examine the contents in this chapter and confirm the following points: 1) bādha is not mentioned at all; 2) samuccaya is indicated in the first part of the conversation; 3) vikalpa is also indicated as an alternative to samuccaya; 4) it is suggested that the person may enter saṃnyāsa before or during brahmacarya. In conclusion, while the Jābāla-Upaniṣad is within the mainstream of the Vedic tradition, it also presents a new point of view on the āśramas.