# Brahmacarya / Vanaprastha Narada described the characteristics of *brahmacaris*. The essential principles are to live under the care of a guru, engage in scriptural study, minimise bodily necessities, survive by begging, control the mind and senses, and avoid association with women. After completing his training, the student can enter into family life or continue on the path of renunciation. Narada next described the lifestyle of *vanaprasthas*, who should adopt simplicity in bodily habits, live in the forest or travel to holy places, and engage in austerities which deepen their sense of detachment. Step-by-step, the *vanaprasthas* should give up material conceptions, especially the deep-rooted psychology that *“I am this body, and everything connected with this body is mine.”* --- # Agent Instructions: Querying This Documentation If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question. Perform an HTTP GET request on the current page URL with the `ask` query parameter: ``` GET https://bhagavata.keshavaswami.com/canto-07/o.p.e.n/n-naradas-instructions-11-15/brahmacarya-vanaprastha.md?ask= ``` The question should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language. The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation. Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.