Vanaprastha is the third phase among the four as prescribed by
Manu Smriti. In this phase a person lives as a hermit in a jungle. It represents the conversion phase from material life to spiritual life. It lasts from 50 to 75 years of one's life and during this time he lives mainly in the forest practising detachment from the material life and preparing himself to accept
sanyasa.
'Vana' means 'forest' and 'prus' means 'dwelling' in Sanskrit. These two words combine to form 'Vanaprastha.'
