the prescribed rituals and carrying out the responsibilities within the caste system (Karma). When a man grows old it is thought that he should leave his home and dwell in the forests or a secluded area, where he will gradually renew his spiritual progressions taught from when he was a boy and devote his life to moksha (liberation from samsara). He was also to continue or practice the right actions (Karma) called upon him, like all within the Varna. The idea of Karma states that those who act well in this life may be born in better circumstances or a higher caste next time, and those who did not fulfill their duties may be born in worst circumstances or a lower caste. Once he is ready to completely devote all time to attain liberation, he is ready to enter the final stage, renounce the world, and to attain final liberation is the goal of the sannyasi (the final stage). Asceticism (self-deprivation) and meditation is a means for the sannyasi (holy man) to reach peace of mind and harmony with the world. They then come to Moksha (liberation), completely detached from "the transitory world of the self." When Moksha is achieved, there is a final release from the cycle of Samsara, the confinement of Karma, and from the communities caste system, after which pursue of the ultimate reality is sought by the sannyasi. This ultimate reality is the sacred knowledge known as Brahman. This is the Hindus perspective for the answer to the universal question of what is the meaning of life. During the time of the construction of the caste system came some new scriptures, called the Upanishads. The philosophy of reaching liberation (Brahman) through meditation and through the seeking of an all-encompassing knowledge was the main concept of these texts and from this period. Also this was known as Jnana-Marga, the Path of Knowledge. It was cultivated from the assistance of reflecting on the stages of life; this was a sense of progression of the sp...
