Here are the duties of a young Indian man through the ideal life cycle:
1. the young man becomes a student and studies the sacred texts
2. he then becomes a householder, married, has children, and acquires material wealth
3. when his grandchildren are born, he gives up home and family and becomes a forest dweller, meditating on the nature and meaning of existence
4. he abandons his personal identity altogether and becomes a wandering ascetic awaiting death.
I guess that the first two parts are similar to any other person in the world - we are born, go to school and study, perhaps get married and start our own families, and then grow old. What differs is the second half of the list - personally, I don't think I'd like to be a wandering ascetic in my old age, but rather be home surrounded by my own family and enjoying my retirement.
