कृत्स्नभावात्तु गृहिणोपसंहारः ॥ ४८ ॥
kṛtsnabhāvāttu gṛhiṇopasaṃhāraḥ || 48 ||
kṛtsnabhāvāt—On account of the householder’s life including all; tu—verily; upasaṃhāraḥ—(the chapter) ends; gṛhiṇā—with the householder.
48. Verily, on account of the householder’s life including (duties from) all (the other stages of life), the chapter ends with the (enumeration of the duties of the) householder.
In the Chhandogya Upanishad we find that after enumerating the duties of the Brahmacharin it enumerates those of the householder, and there it ends without any mention of Sannyasa. If this also is one of the Asramas, why is nothing said about it in that place ? The Sutra says that in order to lay stress on the householder’s life, to show its importance, the Sruti ends there without referring to Sannyasa, and not because it is not one of the prescribed Asramas. The householder’s life is important because for him are prescribed, besides his own duties, those of other Asramas like study, control of the senses, etc. It includes more or less duties of all Asramas.