Chapter 1:

To prepare oneself for the better next life, one must get out of one's so-called home. The system of varṇāśrama-dharma or sanātana-dharma prescribes retirement from family encumbrances as early as possible after one has passed fifty years of age. Modern civilization is based on family comforts, the highest standard of amenities, and therefore, everyone expects to live a very comfortable life after retirement in a well furnished home decorated with fine ladies and children, without any desire to get out of such a comfortable home. High government officers and ministers stick to their prize posts until death, and they neither dream nor desire to get out of homely comforts. Bound by such hallucinations, materialistic men prepare various plans for a still more comfortable life, but suddenly cruel death comes without mercy and takes away the great planmaker against his desire, forcing him to give up the present body for another body. Such a planmaker is thus forced to accept another body in one of the 8,400,000 species of life according to the fruits of the work which he might have performed. In the next life, generally, persons who are too much attached to family comforts are awarded lower species of life on account of sinful acts performed during a long duration of sinful life, and thus all the energy of the human life is spoiled. In order to be saved from the danger of spoiling the human form of life and being attached to unreal things, one must take warning of death at the age of fifty, if not earlier. The principle is that one should take it for granted that the death warning is already there, even prior to the attainment of fifty years of age, and thus at any stage of life one should prepare himself for a better next life. The system of the sanātana-dharma institution is so made that the follower is trained for the better next life without any chance of the human life being spoiled. The holy places all over the world are meant for the residential purposes of retired persons getting ready for the better next life. Intelligent persons must go there at the end of life, and for that matter, after fifty years of age, to live a life of spiritual regeneration for the sake of being freed from family attachment, which is considered to be the shackle of material life. One is recommended to quit home just to get rid of material attachment, because one who sticks to family life until death cannot get rid of material attachment, and as long as one is materially attached, one cannot understand spiritual freedom. One should not, however, become self-complacent simply by leaving home or by creating another home at the holy place either lawfully or unlawfully. Many persons leave home and go to such holy places, but due to bad association, again become family men by illicit connection with the opposite sex. The illusory energy of matter is so strong that one is apt to be under such illusion at every stage of life, even after quitting one's happy home. Therefore, it is essential that one should practice self-control by celibacy without the least desire for sex indulgence. Sex indulgence, for a man desiring to improve the condition of his existence, is considered to be suicidal, or even worse. Therefore, to live apart from family life means to become self-controlled from all sense desires, especially sex desires. The method is that one should have a sitting place duly sanctified, made of straw, skin of the deer and carpet, and thus sitting on it one should chant the holy name of the Lord without offense, as prescribed above. The whole process is to drag the mind from material engagements and fix it on the lotus feet of the Lord. This simple process alone will help one advance to the highest stage of spiritual success.