Vanaprastha (vānaprastha)

Vanaprastha is the third stage of life, in which a householder hands over the household and withdraws to the forest to live simply and turn toward release. The Ashramavasika Parva is named for it, describing how Dhritarashtra, Gandhari, Kunti and Vidura leave Hastinapura for a hermitage after fifteen years of living under the rule of the nephews who killed their sons. Vyasa grants them a single night in which the dead rise from the Ganga to be seen once more before the survivors let go.