how long can you stay in grhashta asrama ?

[Paramananda das]

how long can you stay in grhastha life ?

Srila Prabhupada writes :
SB 5.18 ,13
harir hi sākṣād bhagavān śarīriṇām
ātmā jhaṣāṇām iva toyam īpsitam
hitvā mahāṁs taṁ yadi sajjate gṛhe
tadā mahattvaṁ vayasā dampatīnām
SYNONYMS
hariḥ—the Lord; hi—certainly; sākṣāt—directly; bhagavān—the Supreme Personality of Godhead; śarīriṇām—of all living entities who have accepted material bodies; ātmā—the life and soul; jhaṣāṇām—of the aquatics; iva—like; toyam—the vast water; īpsitam—is desired; hitvā—giving up; mahān—a great personality; tam—Him; yadi—if; sajjate—becomes attached; gṛhe—to household life; tadā—at that time; mahattvam—greatness; vayasā—by age; dam-patīnām—of the husband and wife.
TRANSLATION
Just as aquatics always desire to remain in the vast mass of water, all conditioned living entities naturally desire to remain in the vast existence of the Supreme Lord. Therefore if someone very great by material calculations fails to take shelter of the Supreme Soul but instead becomes attached to material household life, his greatness is like that of a young, low-class couple. One who is too attached to material life loses all good spiritual qualities.
PURPORT
Although crocodiles are very fierce animals, they are powerless when they venture out of the water onto land. When they are out of the water, they cannot exhibit their original power. Similarly, the all-pervading Supersoul, Paramātmā, is the source of all living entities, and all living entities are part and parcel of Him. When the living entity remains in contact with the all-pervading Vāsudeva, the Personality of Godhead, he manifests his spiritual power, exactly as the crocodile exhibits its strength in the water. In other words, the greatness of the living entity can be perceived when he is in the spiritual world, engaged in spiritual activities. Many householders, although well-educated in the knowledge of the Vedas, become attached to family life. They are compared herein to crocodiles out of water, for they are devoid of all spiritual strength. Their greatness is like that of a young husband and wife who, though uneducated, praise one another and become attracted to their own temporary beauty. This kind of greatness is appreciated only by low-class men with no qualifications.
Everyone should therefore seek the shelter of the Supreme Soul, the source of all living entities. No one should waste his time in the so-called happiness of materialistic household life. In the Vedic civilization, this type of crippled life is allowed only until one’s fiftieth year, when one must give up family life and enter either the order of vānaprastha (independent retired life for cultivation of spiritual knowledge) or sannyāsa (the renounced order, in which one completely takes shelter of the Supreme Personality of Godhead).
Link to this page: https://prabhupadabooks.com/sb/5/18/13

My Guru Maharaja wanted to give me sannyasa in 2001 ,I was 41 years old and my son was 3 year back then ,there was no way my wife would have been able to handle her Goverment job and take care of my son ,plus had I taking sannyasa that time what would have become of him and who would protect him.Srila Narayana maharaja said stay in grhastha asrama but chant 64 rounds daily and be detached and be like Sukadeva Goswami that left grhastha life at birth so at least internally be fully detached ,I can not forsee taking sannyasa externally in this life time ,I am protected more in grhastha asrama than I was in Brahmacari asrama .Srila Prabhupada writes in the pastime of Gajendra what ever asrama gives one protection stay in that asrama and cultivate bhakti.Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura stayed in grhastha asrama and chanted first 64 rounds daily and later 3 lahks daily .Plus he wrote so many books.There is a stament that Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Prabhupada should have once urged his father to take sannyasa, but I doubt it is the truth ,Srila Bhaktivinota Thakura is Kamala Manjari and asrama is not an issue.Srila Ramananda raya is the incarnation of Visakha devi and was externally in grhastha asrama so was Sri Advaita Acarya the incarnation of Mahavisnu and Sada Siva, Sri Srivasa Thakura the incarnation of Narada Muni never took sannyasa.So sometimes asrama is not everything .It is a question of internal realization and detachement.Lord Brahma is married to Godess Sarasvati he has not renounced the Godess of learning after 50 years of his life, because there is nothing to renounce