Excerpts from
NECESSITY FOR SANYASA
By Swami Sivananda Saraswati

1. INTRODUCTION

Sanyasa and Vedanta always go hand in hand. One does not become complete without the other.... When in one, Sanyasa and Vedanta melt into one, there crops up a sage of Supreme Wisdom. Sanyasa empties the individual of the ego and the negative phenomena, and Vedanta fills it with positive Truth, the Supreme Reality.

"Renounce the ego, there is no need of abandoning family and society; Upanishads declare like that; Gita says like that" -- this is the perverted interpretation of the man of vanity and attachment, lust and greed! Man is ashamed to admit his folly in not abstaining from the loathsome sensual enjoyments; he wants to lead a cowardly life of sense-indulgence, and tries to protect himself within the fort of crooked commentaries on the philosophical scriptures. He uses philosophical argument to justify worldly enjoyment. Examples of Janakas and Vasishthas are cited as indisputable and authoritative justification for adherence to family life.

One has to be completely dead to the narrowness and the delusion of the world if he is to live in the grandeur and the beauty of life in the spirit.

Realization of the Absolute is not a talk, it is not a play. It is the most difficult and the hardest of all tasks. It demands the price of one's very self! Will you pay it? It demands your individual life. It demands your ego; it demands your very being as the cost for Self-Realization.

Never think you are unfit for Self-Realization, that you are unfit for Sanyasa or Vedanta...."Better aim at a lion and miss it, than hunt a jackal and catch it." Better aim at Sanyasa and Vedanta and fail in its practice than live a worldly life and succeed in it. Remember, you are born for this Supreme End, not for anything else!

2.2. NECESSITY FOR SANYASA

Sanyasa is an absolute necessity. The mere desire to remain aloof and alone shows that there is an Advaitic inclination in you.... Even if you are a Jnani, you will have terrible downfall when you come in contact with worldly persons and things! ...The Bhagavata says that actual fire is not so dangerous, as the company of worldly persons, worldly things! Worldly people always talk against Sanyasa, against Renunciation and Tapas! Even cobra is not so very dangerous as these deluded people!

Sanyasa destroys all worldliness, all evil Samskaras and establishes you in Advaitic meditation.... You must meditate without break.... Never say, "I have no attachment, I am a mental Sanyasin." You will weep afterwards.... If Sanyasa is not necessary, why should there be the four Ashramas? Were the makers of such rules mere fools? How can you understand the glory of Sanyasa while remaining in the house and the office, clubs and hotels, amidst temptations and attractions, lust and attachment? ...You want to eat, drink and enjoy. You are immersed in sensual pleasures! There is no dispassion, no Vairagya, no renunciation! That is why you are afraid to take Sanyasa, and you try to justify your worldliness through foolish arguments! ...The attachment to men and women, friends and relatives, money and gold, has to be ruthlessly burnt down to ashes! All the so-called duties of the world have to be kicked away for the sake of that glorious state of Self-Realization! The Mahabharata proclaims that for the sake of Self-Realization, even the whole world should be renounced without hesitation.

Why do you roll on in this miserable Samsara? Are you not ashamed? If you have real manliness, you must break the chains of earthly bondage, the bondage of birth and death, old age and disease, hunger and thirst! That is courage! ...Fight for the sake of that Absolute Freedom!

If one son has the glorious fortune to open his inward eye, to realize the futility of earthly life, to renounce all his attachments and to take to the wise path of Self-Realization, that son has done his greatest duty to his parents, that son has opened the doors of salvation to his parents and family-people! He has become a center of worship and adoration to all people in his country! What is the use of physical service to parents and relatives? What is the use of fighting for social and political freedom, when everybody is locked up in the jail of ego and delusion? ...The pay you receive in the office is only a bait in this world of Maya! How much you have eaten, how much you have drunk, how much you have enjoyed, how much you have slept? Is there an end for this?

Remember that, all that you see in this world and get attached to, is the object of your own imagination! Open your eyes! ...Where is father, where is mother, where is wife, where are children? Where is the world? Where is society, where are nations? ...Wake up now! There is no way in this world to get eternal happiness and supreme satisfaction! You do not know where lies the real cause of misery and suffering. You do not know where lies the source of real knowledge and bliss.... Assert now, your real birthright, the freedom of Self-Realization!

It is better for you to throw off everything now itself. Then alone you become the richest man! ...You cannot have real happiness in this world!

2.3. [ADVANTAGES OF SANYASA]

O man! Wake up! Walk in the footsteps of your forefathers, the great seers! This world is full of miseries and tribulations. The more you think there is joy in it, the more you are deluded! The more you forget your self, the more are your miseries.

Sanyasa is necessary for attaining Self-Realization. Even in the preliminary stage one should join the ascetic order, as this voluntary renunciation while yet a neophyte will qualify the aspirant for Vedantic study.

The Shruti says, "yadahareva virajet tadahareva pravrajet." One should leave the house the very day dispassion dawns on him.

The Sanyasin is free from all sorts of worldly distractions, ties and attachments. The garb puts a check on the aspirant from going astray or doing evil actions. When there is internal change, when one is ready for entering the fourth Ashrama of life, why should he be afraid of putting on the orange colored robe? Why should he say, "I have given coloring to my heart?" It is a sort of timidity and hypocrisy. Vasanas still lurk in his heart.

Sanyasa has got its own glory and advantages! The freedom of a Sanyasin can hardly be described. Only a Sanyasin can entirely cut off all connections and ties. Though you have colored your heart, still all members of your family will cling to you like leaches till the end of your life. You cannot entirely eradicate Moha or infatuated love and attachment for your family. When you fall sick, you will be tempted to go in for their help and vice versa. The old Samskaras will get a new life and Moha will bind you with stronger chains once again. It is only when you take Sanyasa, they will leave you free. They will leave all hopes which they had on you. Only then you become dead for them.

If you like seclusion, if you are free from Raga or passion, worldly ambition, Karmic tendencies and attractions of this world, if you are reticent and serene, if you have disciplined yourself while remaining in the world, if you can live on simple food, if you can lead a hard life, if you have a strong constitution, if you are not talkative, if you can remain alone without company and talk, if you have a meditative temperament or reflective nature, if you can bear all the difficulties in the spiritual path, if you can lead the difficult life of an ascetic till the end of your life, if you can bear any amount of insult and injury done to you, then you can take to the path of renunciation. Only then you will be benefited by embracing Sanyasa. You should actually lead the life of a Sanyasin for one or two years in the world itself. Otherwise you will find it extremely difficult to tread the path. For a man of dispassion, discrimination and strong will, this path is all joy and bliss.

2.5. SUPREME GLORY OF SANYASA

Renunciation of earthly connections is an absolute necessity.

Every religion has a band of anchorites who lead the life of seclusion and meditation.... The glory of a religion will be absolutely lost if you remove the hermits or Sanyasins or those who lead a life of renunciation and divine contemplation. It is these people who maintain and preserve the religions of the world. It is these people who give solace to the householders when they are in trouble and distress. They are the harbingers of divine wisdom and peace.... They bring hope to the hopeless, joy to the depressed, strength to the weak, and courage to the timid by imparting the knowledge of Vedanta.

Sanyasins live on a few pieces of bread, and in exchange move from door to door and spread the sublime teachings of Vedanta, throughout the length and breadth of the country. The world is under a great debt of gratitude to them.

A real Sanyasin is the only mighty potentate on earth. It was Sanyasins only who did glorious sublime work in the past. It is Sanyasins only who can work wonders in the present and in the future also.... A Sanyasin alone can do real Lokasangraha, because he has divine knowledge, he is a whole-timed man! One real Sanyasin can change the destiny of the whole world!

It is the duty of householders, Zamindars, Rajahs and Maharajas to look after the wants of Sanyasins. In turn these Sanyasins will take care of their souls. Thus the wheel of the world will revolve smoothly.

They are only moustache ladies who are simply arguing and who have not recognized the meaning of life. The desire for Sanyasa is ingrained in everybody. When some trouble comes, you want to run away! What does this indicate?

2.6. WHAT DO SCRIPTURES SAY ABOUT SANYASA?

The Narayanopanishad says, "na karmanaa na prajayaa dhanena tyâgenaike amritattwam aanashuh."

"There is no hope of immortality through wealth," said Yajnavalkya to Maitreyi.

Manu says in his Smriti: "Of all Dharmas, ethics and morals, the knowledge of the self is the highest duty of man. After ten births one gets the knowledge of the Veda, after hundred births one gets good character and conduct, after thousand births one gets the knowledge of Yoga, but only after a crore of births one gets the love for Sanyasa.... That knower of Brahman who gives fearlessness to all creatures and takes Sanyasa, attains the world of light and splendor."

Yajnavalkyasmriti says: "A Brahmana should not marry, he should observe Brahmacharya, and keeping his power of purity, should directly take Sanyasa after Brahmacharya. Seeing that Samsara is essenceless, he should seek to get the nectar of immortality."

The Brihadaranyaka Upanishad says: "Desiring for the state of the Self, one should renounce."

Yajnavalkya said to Kahola: "Brahmanas who wish to attain that Self, overcome the desire for sons, desire for wealth, desire for the world, and live the life of mendicants."

The Jabalasruti says: "The wanderer with renunciation, with colored cloth, clean-shaven, desiring nothing, the pure, the faultless, the holy, the beggar, becomes one with Brahman."

Vishnu Smriti says: "The householder cannot attain even by a hundred sacrifices what state the Sanyasin will attain by living properly even for one night. Purified are hundred families ahead, and purified are three hundred families of the past, in whose line even a single Brahmana takes to the path of Sanyasa. The Sun trembles when he sees a Sanyasin, for he feels that that Sanyasin will break the Surya-Mandala with his force of the Soul and attain immortality."

Rishi Jabali says in his Smriti: "The difference between a householder-Brahmana who is learned in the four Vedas, who is a performer of Soma-Yaga, who has performed a hundred sacrifices, and a Sanyasin who has renounced, is like that between a mustard seed and a mountain or between a glow-worm and the Sun."

The Angiras Smriti says: "Sixty families of the past and sixty families of the future are raised up to Immortality by one Brahmana who takes to the path of Sanyasa. Sins acquired through family, or Karma, are all burnt up by the fire of Sanyasa."

It is said in the Mahabharata: "kaashaayamaatra dhaaropi yatih poojyo yudhishthira!" Such is the glory of Sanyasa.

Rishi Atri says in his Smriti: "One Sanyasin is far superior to even a hundred Vanaprasthas, a thousand Brahmacharins and even a crore of Grihasthis. The Lord has two forms: moving and unmoving. The moving form is the Sanyasin and the unmoving is the idol worshipped in the temples."

2.7. THE VIEWS OF SANKARA (REGARDING SANYASA)

Sanyasa is absolutely necessary whether it be Vividisha Sanyasa or Vidvat Sanyasa. Without perfect renunciation it is impossible to pursue the path of Brahmavidya. The qualifications necessary for taking Sanyasa are:

(1) Discrimination between the One Eternal Substance and the appearance of ephemeral phenomena.

(2) Dispassion for the enjoyment of things existing either in this or the other world.

(3) Possessing the six-fold wealth, viz.: (i) tranquillity of mind; (ii) control of the senses; (iii) cessation from all activity; (iv) endurance of the pairs of opposites like heat and cold, pleasure and pain, love and hatred, etc.; (v) faith in the Vedantic Truth as inculcated by the Spiritual Preceptor; and (vi) powerful concentration.

(4) An ardent yearning for liberation.

Shankara is of the opinion that it is foolish to cite instances of Janaka and others who did not take Sanyasa but possessed Brahma-Jnana. Such instances are quoted by householders who are unwilling to leave their attachments, for there is no reason why they should stick to household life after attaining knowledge. For, knowledge, by its very nature, is against all senses of duty and activity.

The Sanyasin can find adequate leisure and freedom from the distractions of life. Only the Sanyasin can devote the whole time for meditation.

Without abandonment of the concerns of worldly life, knowledge cannot be pursued with unabated vigor and devotion. It does not mean that the Sanyasin undervalues human society and discards all men without helping them.... The life of a Sanyasin is meant only to reach the Highest Reality, as he has already passed through the lower stages of spiritual evolution.... While he appears to be not working for the rest of the humanity at large, it is to be borne in mind that he exercises a silent and unnoticed but a powerful influence for the good of the public. That itself is the service he is rendering to the society and that is the highest and the most beneficent service that one could ever do to man. One who is intent upon realizing the One without a second, is the most powerful and the useful friend of the world!

2.8. [KNOWER CANNOT BE A HOUSEHOLDER]

Sanyasa is cessation from all desires and not merely a change of the order.... It is impossible for a knower to lead a householder's life.

"It is not necessary for a knower even to serve his preceptor or to perform Tapas." ...Even begging for bread is not a binding rule on a Sanyasin. That is not a desire and the Sanyasin is a mendicant without rules binding him. He is not liable to any kind of command.... Even one who does not know Brahman but who is desirous of emancipation should enter into the order of Sanyasa.

"Let one leave his home for the forest and become a Sanyasin, even if he is a Brahmacharin. Let him immediately turn a Sanyasin, either from home or from the forest."

If you say that it is immaterial whether one lives in his house or in the forest, we say, it is fallacious. Self-denial alone being the matter of course with him, he cannot stay in the house as that is prompted by desire, and self-denial is the mere absence of it.

2.10. [SERVICE TO THE WORLD]

It is only Sanyasins bold who have cut off all ties and connections, who are fearless, who are freed from delusion, passion and selfishness, who can do real service to the world. Sanyasa alone can free one entirely from delusion and all worldly connections.

2.11. [SANYASA SAMSKARAS]

When one is born with Sanyasa Samskaras, no force on earth can prevent him or her from taking Sanyasa. Even if you keep hundred guards to prevent them from leaving the house, they cannot check them.... It is only the effeminate, impotent, timid men with no Samskaras, and no spiritual asset, who are spiritual bankrupts, will cling to things mundane and die like worms. They will speak against Sanyasa.... He who has understood the glory and freedom of Sanyasa, cannot remain even for a day in the Pravritti Marga.

2.13. SANYASA ASHRAMA

Real Sanyasins do not defend themselves even when their lives are in danger. Because, they know that existence is changeless and nothing happens in reality. A Sanyasin is one who has nobody and who identifies himself with Brahman.

The Sanyasin is dead to the world and his family. The very color, the very orange-robe gives strength and purity. I do not believe those people who say, "we have given coloring to our hearts." This is timidity and hypocrisy. If there is real internal change, the external change is bound to come. You cannot be a sage inside and a rogue outside. The inner nature will not allow you to keep an opposite nature outside.... The Ashrama-Bheda is absolutely necessary.

Without taking Sanyasa you cannot live the life of detachment and renunciation.

Tired with the mundane life of the world, and striving for the realization and correct knowledge of the Self, pondering over the wisdom of the Upanishads, a really wise man should abandon his home and take to the life of Sanyasa. Those Brahmanas who, declaring protection to all creatures, leave their homes and take to asceticism, attain to effulgent regions.

Alone and unfriended, the Sanyasin should roam about for working out the emancipation of his Self. Houseless, bereft of the sacred fire, desireless, indifferent and speechless, he should maintain perfect equanimity. Life and death, he must not court; like a servant waiting for the receipt of his salary, he must patiently wait for the time of emancipation.

Always contemplating upon Brahman, non-attached to anything of the world, and desiring nothing both here and hereafter, he should, in the company of his Self alone, roam about in the world, for the Bliss of Emancipation. He should court peace and live in peace, for peace is Bliss and Peace is his ideal.

Vessels made of gourds, wood, earth or bamboo alone should be used by the ascetics.

The Sanyasin has only three duties to perform: Shaucha, Bhiksha and Dhyana. There is no fourth duty for a Sanyasin. Meditation is his duty, meditation is his food, meditation is his life. He lives meditation, breathes meditation. He is ever intent upon the realization of the Supreme Brahman.

By restraining the senses, by annihilating desire and aversion, by extending compassion to all creatures, by seeing the Eternal Being alone existing everywhere, a Sanyasin attains Immortality.

By means of Yoga, a Sanyasin should comprehend the disembodied Self which runs through all creatures, good or bad, high or low. The all-pervasiveness of this Inner Self which spreads itself among all living and dead beings alike, is unintelligible to the untrained and uncultured intellects; let the Sanyasin witness the majesty of this Existence-Knowledge-Bliss by means of profound meditation.

Him, who has fully witnessed this Supreme State of Existence, the actions do not bind; without this knowledge a man shall revert to this mortal world.

The Sanyasin should take refuge in the wisdom of Brahman and the sentences of the Vedanta which treat of the Eternal Truth.

Bereft of all work, indifferent to pleasures, on account of the privilege of witnessing the Self, and by constantly brooding over the Supreme Brahman, the wise Sanyasin attains the Highest Bliss!

2.14. GIST OF THE NARADA-PARIVRAJAKA UPANISHAD

One should qualify himself with Sadhana-Chatushtaya before entering into Sanyasa. He must be above the tricks and bondages of Samsara. He should develop dispassion towards objects which he sees or hears. He must be encircled by the fence of dispassion from all sides. As soon as disgust arises in the mind for all objects of the world, one should take to Sanyasa without any further hesitation.... Whose tongue, genital, stomach and hands are properly disciplined, that man is fit to take Sanyasa. A Brahmana should take to Sanyasa even while he is yet a Brahmachari. For, Samsara is essenceless, he should try to seek that Essence through renunciation. A man who possesses deep dispassion cannot marry. Works and duties are only for the worldly man; not for the man of renunciation.

As soon as the Supreme Truth is ascertained, one should abandon his house, family, and take up a staff and leave off his sacred thread and the hairs on the head.

WHO IS A REAL BHIKSHU?

(i) He who is attached to the Supreme Soul, who is detached from the non-Self, who has no desire whatever.

(ii) Who is happy whether he is worshipped or censured, whether he is praised or beaten.

(iii) Who possesses the Bhava that he is the Supreme Brahman, that he is the One without a second.

(iv) Who is an abode of tranquillity, self-control, purity, truth, contentment, straightforwardness, renunciation and egolessness.

(v) Who knows the true import of the Vedanta; who has given fearlessness to all creatures.

(vi) Who never thinks of his past, who never dreams of his future and who is indifferent to the present.

(vii) Who is able to withdraw all the senses within and throw off all sense-objects outside.

(viii) Who lives with his Prana, as if he has no Prana, as if he is dead.

GENERAL RULES FOR A SANYASIN

Never is desire extinguished by its fulfillment, on the other hand it increases like fire when ghee is poured upon it.

Hearing, touching, tasting, seeing, smelling anything, a man of self-control is neither exhilarated nor depressed.

A Sanyasin should shun praise like poison. He should accept censure as if it is nectar. He who is censured sleeps soundly, wakes up soundly, wanders soundly, and the person who censures perishes quickly.

A Sanyasin should not argue, he should not denounce anybody. For the sake of the body, he should not create any enmity.

He should not be angry with one who is angry with him; he should be friendly with him who censures him.

Desiring for nothing else than the Final Liberation of the Soul, he should wander with his own Self as his sole guide.

To feel that body is the Self, is the real hell, is the real punishment, is the real bondage, is the real sin. This is to be avoided with care.

One Sanyasin is quite good; two Sanyasins make a company. Three Sanyasins make a village, and four Sanyasins constitute a city. A city should never be built.... Company with other Sanyasins will lead to talks on politics, talks on Bhiksha, talks about friendship, enmity, jealousy, etc. Therefore company should not be made.

He should not crave either life or death. He should be indifferent to them. He should patiently await the time when he will be liberated.

A real Sanyasin is one:

(i) Who does not feel that this is good and that is not good, and takes whatever food he gets, and who speaks the minimum, but truthfully, sweetly and appropriately.

(ii) Who, by casting a look on either a baby born just now, or a girl of sixteen, or even a woman of hundred years, is unperturbed.

(iii) Who walks only for the sake of Bhiksha and for the sake of answering the calls of nature, who does not walk farther than a distance of eight or nine miles.

(iv) Whose eyes do not look at anything whether he is standing or walking, who does not look farther than four feet from his body.

(v) Who is indifferent even after hearing good or bad, sweet or harsh words, which cause sorrow or joy.

(vi) Who, even when objects of senses are rolling under his feet, remains like a man in deep sleep.

A Sanyasin should not look at dancing, dramatic acts, gambling, girls, friends, delicious dishes, eatables, or a woman in her courses.

Never should a Sanyasin even think in his mind to love, hate, supercede, delude, censure, or injure other beings.

A Sanyasin should not undertake long journeys. He should always spend his time in studying the Upanishads for his Salvation.

The Sanyasin has no Yajnopavita, for he wears the sacred thread of Brahma-Jnana. He possesses the internal Brahma-Sutra and leaves off the external physical sutra. He is the real Yajnopavitin, others are not real Yajnopavitins.

The Sannyasin has no tuft of hair in the head, for he has the tuft of Jnana. He is the real possessor of tuft, others are not real possessors of tuft.

The real Brahmana is one who wears the Jnana-Yajnopavita and not one who merely wears an external thread.

The Sanyasin shines like gold, like the sun, with his orange-robe. He renounces the whole universe at a stretch and has nothing to do with anything except his own Self.

The Sanyasin has no heat, no cold, no joy, no sorrow, no day, no night, no sleep, no respect, no disgrace, no delusion, no hunger, no thirst, no birth, no death. He has no body. He considers his body as a corpse.

The Sanyasin is contented with whatever that comes. He has no rituals, no Swahakara, no Swadhakara, no Namaskara, no prostrations! He has no Mantra, no non-Mantra, no concentration, no worship, no object to be attained, no 'this,' no 'that,' no home, no possession! He is the most blessed. He has fulfilled his mission of life.

The Sanyasin renounces both the world and the Veda, and centers himself in the Supreme Soul.

He should not pay heed to words like, "Please come, please stand, please go," etc. He should not accept gifts from anybody.

If he hears any bad news about his previous relations, etc., he should not be moved in his mind. He should not even dream of them at any time.

A Sanyasin is Lord Narayana Himself without doubt. He should stay for only one day in villages, five days in towns, and four months during the rainy season at some other place. If he stays for a long time at any place, he may be attacked by love, hatred, etc.

The Sanyasin should move on like a fly without any purpose. He should have one cloth or no cloth at all. He should observe silence all the time.

The body is a reservoir of phlegm and countless diseases. Where is beauty of body, where are glamour, grandeur and sweetness? What is the difference between the man who is reveling in the hell of urine and pus, and the worms that revel in filth?

Goodbye to those who take pleasure in women, who are deluded by a piece of skin, who are cheated by flesh!

The Sanyasin is a real Brahmana, for he does not know what is meant by the difference between good, bad, sacred, secular, virtuous, vicious, etc., among things of the world.

The Sanyasin should lead the life of Ajnata-Vasa unidentified by anybody either by his behavior, conduct, lineage, or practices.

He is devoid of Varnashrama-Dharma, and he should move in the world like a blind, idle, or dumb person.

Seeing that peaceful sage, the celestial beings are attracted towards him. Because he does not have any corporeal sign, he is fit to attain Kaivalya-Mukti.

SANYASA-DIKSHA

There should be perfect renunciation born of Viveka. The Vairagya should not be mild and half-hearted. It should be a burning flame of disgust for everything that is seen and that is not seen. Nothing but the state of Kaivalya is to be the ideal of attainment. There should be no desire for wife, children and worldly activity. The self-arrogating faculty is to be finally reduced to nothing. Love and hatred should be effaced out completely.

Before taking Sanyasa, he should take a pledge that he has risen above the desire for son, wife, wealth and property, above all the ambitions of the world! He should repeat three times, "I have renounced this world, I have renounced that world, I have renounced the three worlds!" He should utter, "I have given fearlessness to all creatures." He should remove his Yajnopavita, tuft of hair, etc. and get initiated into the Supreme Truth. He should wander like a fool, being established in the Eternal Consciousness.

He must lie down wherever he is, like a python, without self-effort for getting anything. He should feel that he has fulfilled all his duties and that he is not in need of anything further.

KINDS OF SANYASINS

There are four kinds of Sanyasins:

(i) Vairagya Sanyasin: He who takes Sanyasa being prompted by his previous Samskaras, and getting disgust automatically.

(ii) Jnana Sanyasin: He who takes Sanyasa after study of scriptures, and through them being convinced: that the world is worthless; that Brahman alone is the Reality; that activity is meaningless; that egoism, etc. are the great barriers for progress; that son, wife, wealth, property are mere delusion, having got rid of the attachment for body, scriptures, the world, etc. and having established himself in Sadhana Chatushtaya.

(iii) Jnana Vairagya Sanyasin: He who, knowing everything after study, and after enjoying everything, takes Sanyasa with the help of knowledge and dispassion.

(iv) Karma Sanyasin: He who takes Sanyasa after passing through the stages of Brahmacharya, Garhasthya and Vanaprastha, inspite of his having Vairagya.

There are five categories of Sanyasins:

(i) Vairagya Sanyasin: He who takes Sanyasa directly from Brahmacharya.

(ii) Vividisha Sanyasin: He who takes Sanyasa in order to acquire knowledge.

(iii) Vidvat Sanyasin: He who takes Sanyasa after acquiring knowledge.

(iv) Atura Sanyasin: He who takes Sanyasa being compelled by the inviting death. For Atura Sanyasa, there is no rule or ritual.

(v) Animitta Sanyasin: He who takes Sanyasa feeling that everything except Brahman is useless.

There are six types of Sanyasins:

(i) Kutichaka: has tuft of hair, Yajnopavita, Danda, Kamandalu, Kowpeena, cloth, and respect for parents and elders.

(ii) Bahudaka: lives on Madhukara-Vritti eating only eight morsels of food. He has only a Kowpeena, Danda, Kamandalu and tuft of hair.

(iii) Hamsa: has only a Kowpeena and lives on Bhiksha but does not restrict himself to rules regarding the number of morsels.

(iv) Paramahamsa: has no tuft of hair, no Yajnopavita, no Danda, no Kamandalu, no cloth, no cold, no heat, no joy, no grief. He wears a Kowpeena. He has renounced everything. He lives on Bhiksha from five houses.

(v) Turiyatita: lives like a cow, eats fruits. He lives naked and tries to keep up only his life breath.

(vi) Avadhuta: has no rule or regulation. He takes food from anybody's hands at any time and any amount like a python without self-effort. He is ever merged in Supreme meditation.

These Sanyasins do not study any scripture, do not hear any Sruti, do not argue, do not comment, do not do anything.

SADHANA FOR SANYASINS

Not by wearing a Danda, not by shaving the head, not by dress, not by egoistic action is Liberation to be attained. He who possesses wisdom is a real Sanyasin. Wisdom is the sign of a Sanyasin. Wooden staff does not make a Sanyasin.

To the Sanyasin, fame and name is equal to the faecal matter of a pig. Renouncing name and fame, the Sanyasin wanders like a fly.

He is the real Sanyasin who is conscious of his Absolute Nature even in the dream, just as he is during the waking period. He is the greatest of Brahma-Jnanis.

The Sanyasin should avoid the food given with respect and honor. Respect, worship and honor bind even a careful sage.

The Sanyasin should take his Bhiksha, walking, sitting, talking, lying down, or standing. He should not observe formalities and rules.

Actions pertaining to the world should not be done. Study of books should be stopped. Meditation on the Eternal Brahman alone is to be done. No Vratas should be observed. No observances and no regulations are there for a Sanyasin.

The Sanyasin lives in the height of wisdom, like a fool, like a child. Blossoming with knowledge, he behaves like an idiot. Absorbed into the Soul, he talks not a single word!

Even if he is beaten, kicked, bathed in urine and blood, offal poured on his face, he should remain ever absorbed in the Universal Brahman. He should always feel, "I am Brahman, all this is Brahman." The Sanyasin's Sadhana is that of the Bhramara-Keeta Nyaya.

One who has realized the Truth is an Ati-Varnashrami. Varnashramas are attributed to the body created by Maya.

The Sanyasin should be ever intent on Advaitic meditation. He has no friend, no relative, no family. He alone exists everywhere; then what concern has he with what?

Only a Jnani crosses over Samsara. None else can cross it. The Sanyasin should practice Jnana Yoga for the liberation of his soul.

A Sanyasin who performs Karma shall remain bound and shall not attain Salvation.

The Sanyasin has no bath, no Japa, no Puja, no Homa, no particular austere Sadhana, no Agnihotra, no duty, no pilgrimage, no obligation, no Dharma, no Adharma, no social custom. All rules of the world perish for him.

The Sanyasin should not attend festivals, ceremonies and celebrations. He should always remember that he has renounced the three worlds together with their contents.

He should not worship an external god, there is nothing other than his own self.

The Sanyasin should avoid the use of ghee, milk and such foods as may increase his sense power. He should consider daily oil bath as daily intercourse with a woman.

He should avoid conversation with non-spiritual persons as if it is urine; he should look upon woman as a venomous cobra.

He should consider the city as the Kumbhipaka hell and the royal headquarters as a burial ground.

He who thinks he is one and others are another is only a sacrificial animal. For, there is only one being, the Brahman. One who knows this grieves not, sorrows not.

That is the abode of the supreme, reaching which one returns not again. There the sun does not shine, nor the moon. The Jnani does not return again, does not return again. Thus ends the Upanishad.

3. INSTRUCTIONS TO SANYASINS

A true, spiritually hungry and thirsty aspirant with true, lasting, sustained and burning dispassion and yearning for liberation, who is already treading the path of renunciation, can really understand the true import and spirit of these instructions. These are the quintessence of the Narada-Parivrajaka Upanishad, and scriptures which treat of Vairagya, Tyaga, divine life, right conduct and rules for Yatis or Sanyasins.

The use of these instructions is not for Sanyasins alone. It is meant for all aspirants and seekers.... These valuable instructions serve to give a clear picture of what the true inner spirit of Sanyasa is and ought to be. Herein lies their value for one and all.

Besides this, they have a practical end in view, namely, to enable the reader to become fully aware of what it means to adopt Sanyasa, so that he might develop the strong and high character to prove worthy of this exalted Ashrama.... Also, by acquainting themselves with these rules, seekers may begin to observe some of them at least, in their pre-Sanyasa days and gradually get accustomed to such a life. This will make the assuming of Sanyasa more natural and easy instead of proving a sudden extreme revolution in life. Both body and mind may thus be prepared to some extent.

Krishna says: "The excited senses of even a wise man, though he be striving, impetuously carry away his mind." Hence all instructions should be rigidly observed to the very letter. Any leniency will lead to disastrous consequences and downfall of the aspirants! Beware! Be vigilant! Be on the alert!

Do not try to imitate the Siddhas.

Some may perhaps argue that many of the instructions are too rigorous and impossible for following nowadays. "Times have changed a great deal and the rules too ought to be altered." But this is a thoughtless comment, for, however difficult of realization an ideal may be, it should not be lowered to suit our conveniences.... Sanyasa is a sublime matter offering an avenue for the gradual growing of the human into the divine, the finite into the absolute.... The indomitable spirit of man has a strange fascination to strive for the attainment of seemingly unattainable ideals. It is the Everest peak that the adventurous mountaineer struggles to climb and not some foothill.

NIVRITTI-NIYAMAS

1. Do not keep money. Do not even touch it. This will bring bondage. This will give rise to pride and lead to downfall. You will lose sight of the ideal.

2. Live on mere Bhiksha. This will make you quite independent.

3. Do not enter the house of a householder. Do not take meal in his house.

4. Take only one meal at noon. Take the minimum quantity necessary.

5. Do not visit your native village, town or district at least for a period of full twelve years after taking Sanyasa.

6. Do not write letters to anybody. Do not keep connections with any man of the world.

7. Always keep only one blanket and two clothes for your use, and not more than that.

8. Live always singly and independently in Uttarakhanda.

9. Do not raise your hand for defense even if you are assaulted. Bear insult, bear injury. A Sanyasin has no right to defend himself.

10. Do not talk of people connected to this body in the previous Ashrama.

11. Do not expect reverence, respect and exceptional treatment as a privilege of the order. Your only privilege is to serve and to meditate on the supreme ideal.

12. If you note that a person is unwilling to give Bhiksha or is himself not in good circumstances, do not visit that house once again.

13. Be contented with whatever that comes for food, clothing or shelter.

14. Do not open your mouth except during taking Bhiksha or giving Upadesha on spiritual realization.

15. Lead the life of a Parivrajaka for sometime in the beginning. Then stick to one place for Sadhana.

16. Always walk on foot. Do not use any vehicle.

17. You have no other duty to perform in this world except meditation on the supreme self.

18. Do not talk unless somebody questions you. If anybody speaks without proper decorum, be silent and indifferent. Knowing fully the nature of the world, be always like a child and like an ignorant man.

19. Study without fail the Upanishads and the Brahmasutras, especially during the period of Chaturmasya.

20. Regard your body and the mind of the previous Ashrama as completely dead and that you have started a new life both in body and mind after taking Sanyasa.

21. Do not write anything. Dispense with that habit. Do not read books unless they are directly concerned with self-realization, viz., the Upanishads, Yogavasishtha and such other Advaitic texts.

22. Do not wait near a house for long if you do not get Bhiksha quickly. Move on to another place.

23. Do not have ill feeling against one who does not give you Bhiksha.

24. Do not have lock and key if at any time you happen to live in a Kutir.

25. Do not live in the company of many Sanyasins. Live singly.

26. As far as possible, when you are well established in the path, try to avoid going for Bhiksha from house to house, or even to Kshettar. Sit at a place and take whatever that comes there. The eternal source of knowledge and bliss is pervading everywhere.

27. Do not use seats or Asanas or Japamalas which may cause attachment. You may become sorry if you lose them.

28. Do not take Bhiksha from more than seven houses. The total collected should not exceed the minimum quantity necessary.

29. Avoid taking Bhiksha from the same house very often at a time.

30. Never wander at night. Stick to a place after sunset.

31. If anybody takes away your articles, like Kamandalu, cloth, etc., allow him to take it away. Do not quarrel with him.

32. Do not cook your food. Do not touch fire. Be satisfied with whatever kind of food you get, whether raw or cooked.

33. If any poor man of however low a caste requests you to honor him by accepting alms at his house, do not hesitate to please him. A Sanyasin should be orthodox about his Sanyasa, but not about matters of caste.

34. In his wanderings, let not the Sanyasin pass through big cities and towns. Let his route be through the villages and countryside. If ever he is compelled to pass through a city, he should avoid the fashionable thoroughfares and busy commercial quarters. Make a detour and keep to the outskirts of the city.

35. Whenever the Sanyasin halts at any place, he must repair either to the shade of a tree or remain in some temple or Mandir. He should not spend the night in the midst of residential quarters even in a village.

36. When sincere devotees earnestly come for Satsang, a Sanyasin should not repulse from them.... But...let him talk only of god and realization. Let there be no other topic such as enquiry about the season's rainfall, the state of the harvest, market conditions, etc.

37. A Sanyasin should have nothing to do with astrology, palmistry, fortune telling, etc. But if he really knows some useful medicine and a sufferer needs his aid, then let him treat the patient. On no account should he indulge in the distributing of charms, amulets, etc., for curing diseases, warding off evil spirits, etc. This is most unworthy of his robe. If people desire his grace or blessing, let him humbly breathe a sincere prayer to the almighty on their behalf and ask the people to do likewise. But this act should be entirely selfless and should not be done at the cost of supreme meditation on Brahman.

38. Do not exhibit any special talents you may have, like knowledge of English, etc., for selfish ends. Be like an ordinary Bhikshu.

VOWS OR PRINCIPLES

1. Stick to your holy garb even if your throat is about to be cut. Do not change the cloth under any condition throughout the life.

2. Do not accept any position or job even if it is honorary.

3. Do not earn money by doing business for maintaining yourself. Do not practice astrology, palmistry, for the purpose of money and food.

4. Do not write to householders to send you money order even when you are sick. Rely on the supreme lord.

5. Do not make any lady disciple even if she is a great devotee.

6. Do not keep such pots or vessels like those made of silver, brass, copper, etc., as may bring about attachment.

7. As far as possible try to take Bhiksha only with hands. Do not use utensils.

8. Never hoard anything for tomorrow. Forget the past. Live always in the immediate eternal present.

MORAL CHARACTER

1. Maintain a spotless character. Do not give any cause for even the slightest suspicion.

2. Do not sleep in others' bed. Do not sleep during daytime. Reduce the sleep to the barest minimum.

3. Do not make friends and do not keep company with anybody, even with aspirants. Do not be intimate with any person, particularly with ladies.

4. Do not do any action such as meat eating, drinking or smoking, which would bring disgrace on yourself or the holy order.

5. Do not talk vulgar words. Let your speech be majestic and blooming with spiritual force.

6. Do not sit on the same carpet, mat or bench on which a woman is sitting. Do not sit alone with a woman in a room.

7. Be an embodiment of humility at all times. Have the Bhava that you are a servant of humanity. Be ready to help and serve others.

8. Offer salutation to others first. Do not wait for others to salute you in the beginning.

9. Do not allow anybody to shampoo your legs and feet. Do not keep any servant.

10. Whenever you take Bhiksha, mentally bless that person to have spiritual enlightenment and liberation.

11. Do not cut jokes with anybody. Do not laugh vehemently like a worldly man. Be always calm, serene and deep.

12. Do not play any kind of games. Do not give way for the thought of pleasurable recreation.

13. Be simple like a child. Cut off all dealings with others.

14. Do not have any curiosity to know things of the world. Nip all curiosity in the bud.

15. Do not be attached to your new name or garb. It may increase your pride.

16. Do not keep your titles or degrees after taking Sanyasa.

17. Do not use light at night. Live in the dark and meditate.

18. Do not love, fondle or play with children.

19. The Sanyasin should conduct himself with decorum, gravity, patience and Gambhirya or dignity. For, a Sanyasin is to be the model of perfection in every respect.... He need not put on airs. The orange robe is not to be a license for deliberate assuming queer or unconventional behavior.... The Sanyasin is a ripe fruit, the product of the culmination of progressive discipline, refinement and culture of the preceding stages of life. Hence, let a Sanyasin be worthy of this mature and crowning state.

PHYSICAL AND PERSONAL

1. Do not use oil, scent, sandal-paste, flowers for the body.

2. Have a clean shaving of the head. Do not have scissor-cuttings or stylish machine-cuttings.

3. Do not use clothes of colors other than orange (Gerua). Do not use multi-colored clothing.

4. Do not keep yourself wantonly dirty. Be neat and clean in thought, word and deed.

5. Do not allow yourself to be photographed, pictured or filmed.

6. Do not run like a busy man. Do not shout at the top of your voice.

7. Do not tie turban or wear a cap on the head.

8. As far as possible, try to dispense with the use of shoes and umbrellas.

9. Do not sleep on cushions and do not use soft pillows.

10. Cast off any waist-chain, earring, or any other ornament from the body.

11. Do not practice gymnastics or any bodybuilding exercise.

12. Do not have self-shaving. Depend upon the barber, if available. Otherwise grow hair until a barber comes.

13. Do not ride on animals. Do not wish to be carried by persons.

14. Do not apply Vibhuti, Kumkum or Chandan to the body.

15. Do not swim, jump, skip, clap or whistle.

16. When taking Bhiksha, do not touch the hand of the person who gives Bhiksha.

17. Do not wear spectacles even if you have no sight. Do not possess torchlight, wristwatch, fountain pen, etc.

18. Do not visit drama, musical performance or any other show. Do not allow yourself to be persuaded by Bhagats, devotees or friends to attend Rasa-Lila, Rama-Lila, etc.

19. Let the Sanyasin root out the secret desire to appear presentable to the onlooker.... Let him not take a sly look at himself in the reflection of the tank-water while walking or in his vessel or Kamandal-water. Nor should he allow himself to take a glance in the mirror of a Pan-Supariwala's shop, while passing enroute to Bhiksha.

20. Do not undergo medical treatment except in unavoidable and extreme conditions. Ordinary ailments should be borne with fortitude.

SANYASIN AND SOCIETY

1. Do not mix with social, political or any secular organizations.

2. Do not care for public opinion, and do not try to become a center of attraction and reverence for all. Do not try to attract the attention of others by any means such as dying the cloth with a deep, bright ochre color, by coughing deliberately, clearing the throat noisily, or by uttering "Siva, Siva," "Shivoham," "Soham," etc., audibly. First analyze your motive and then do any action you like.

3. Do not be influenced by the false changing fashions of the world.

4. Do not sing or dance. Do not practice any of the fine arts.

5. Do not injure any being either in thought, word or deed. Do not trample over insects. Walk looking at the ground.

6. Do not be a permanent dependent upon certain devotees or admirers.

7. Do not read newspapers. You have nothing to do with this world or its business of life.

8. Shun honor, praise, worship and respect. Be indifferent to censure and criticism.

9. Treat every object of the world as a worthless piece of dry straw.

10. Do not build an Ashrama and do not make disciples.

11. Do not try to become famous. Do not advertise yourself as a mahatma. Cut at the very root of all ambitions. Your only ambition should be self-realization.

12. Cleverness of action and power of oratory do not make a real Sanyasin. Fame and respect, erudite learning and marvelous feats do not make a real Sanyasin. Dispassion and wisdom of the self make one a real Sanyasin. Remember this at all times.

13. Do not sail or fly to foreign countries.

14. Do not praise or try to please a person for the sake of getting Bhiksha from him.

15. Do not preach or give Upadesha unless you are approached or importuned to do so.

16. Destroy the feeling of difference between one thing and another. Try to see oneness everywhere.

ATMIC AND ADVAITIC

1. Do not be tempted by Siddhis. Do not try to get them. Do not exhibit your spiritual powers.

2. When you are firmly established in the path, initiate at least one fit person into Sanyasa.

3. Along with the steadiness of the mind in the constant contemplation upon the self, try to keep the body also as steady and actionless as possible.

4. Be always saturated in the continuous thought of peace, knowledge and bliss without decay.

5. You are not the body. Do not love it. Do not caress it.

6. Be always true and loyal to the doctrines of Advaita-Vedanta.

7. The eternal Brahman alone exists everywhere. There is nothing else but that. Therefore be silent and wise.

8. Do not forget that whatever you see, hear, smell, taste or touch, or feel, is nothing but Brahman in reality.

9. Be always meditating on OM and its meaning, and on the significance of the Mahavakyas.

10. Remember that you are the immortal Atman, and that the whole world is but Brahman only.

11. You are living in eternity and infinity. Do not observe the calendar of the year. Do not wish to know the date, the day, the Tithi, the Nakshatra, Ekadashi, Amavasya, Purnima, Jayanti, new year day, etc. Your concern is not with space and time.

12. Never feel sorry or depressed or grieved if you witness a pitiable sight, like a suffering man or a dead man. Discriminate and try to see the Atman alone in all sights, situations and experiences.

13. Do not love cows, dogs, cats, etc. Do not keep pet animals. Look upon a snake, a scorpion, a cow, a tiger, a deer, a worm and even the creator with equal vision. For, there is only one essence everywhere, destitute of name and form.

14. Do not file suits against anybody. Do not go to courts. For, you have no business to forget that you are one with the supreme absolute.

15. If you are forcibly chained or taken to the jail or prison, do not protest and grudge. Go with an undisturbed state of mind. For, the eternal Brahman alone is putting on various names, forms and actions.

16. Never think of death. Remember you have no death. You are the eternal Satchidananda!

The happiest life is the life of a Sanyasin. All others are miserable in this world. Shankara says in his "Dhanya Ashtaka":
"Tyaktva grihe ratim adhogatihetubhutam
Atmecchayopanishad artharasam pibantaha;
Veetasprihaa vishayabhogapade viraktaa
Dhanyascharanti vijaneshu viraktasangah."

"Leaving off all love for one's own house which is the basic cause of all our miserable downfall, induced by the thirst for self-knowledge, drinking the elixir of the truth of the Upanishadic declarations, devoid of all desires at heart, with extreme dispassion for the host of the objects of enjoyment, fortunate souls wander in solitude giving up all company and attachment."

Last Revised: 9 August 2002

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