What is the Real purpose of Sannyasa

[venkatesh]

i want to know what is Sannyasa? whehter to stay away from the maya ?

[viji_53]

Sanyasa means tyaga, sacrifice. Sacrifice all your desires & attachments. You need not renounce the world to become a sanyasi. You can be a real sanyasi if you could control all your senses. You need not go to forest to become a sanyasi. Do all your duties with out any expectation & with detachment. In the 18th chapter of Gita Krishna says sacrifice even the desire of attaining salvation . So we should not have any desire (even to attain God )to become a real sanyasi.

HariBhol!

[Jahnava Nitai Das]

Someone asked a similar question a while back through email. Since I am a little busy, I will post that answer now, and later follow up when I get time. But just as a quick note, the word sannyasa comes from the words sat-nyasa, which literally means "to touch the absolute truth". Sannyasa is the state in which one is in complete contact with the Lord. It refers neither to renouncing nor to enjoying, but to following the order of Lord Krishna. Arjuna, for example, was a true sannyasi because he carried out the order of Lord Krishna.

 

After Lord Krishna spoke the Gita to Arjuna, Arjuna replied to Lord Krishna, karishye vacanam tava, "I will act according to your words." He did not reply that "I will renounce my duty", neither he said "I will perform my duty." For in actuality the Gita has nothing to do with duty. Duryodhana also performed his duty as a Kshatriya and fought on the battlefield - and for this he went to heaven. Ravana would also perfectly carry out his duty as a king. He personally made sure no one was without food in his kingdom. Duty is neither good nor bad,it is just a product of one's identitification. According to who we think we are, we conceive of various duties.

 

Arjuna did not give the importance to doing his duty. His answer to Lord Krishna was, "I will act according to your instructions." This is the ultimate conclusion of the Gita, to act according to the instructions of the Lord. If in the process of following the Lord's order we transgress our duties it is not a flaw. This is evident from the Lord's words, "sarva dharman parityajya", "Abandon all varieties of religion." Lord Krishna, who comes to re-establish religion (dharma) is telling to Arjuna, "Abandon all varieties of religion."

 

Then why does He say dharma-samsthapanarthaya sambhavami yuge yuge, "I descend in every age to reestablish religion (dharma)."

 

This question we will discuss later when there is time. But in the meantime, we should understand as to what is sannyasa, for it has nothing to do with duties. Sannyasa refers to the state of being in constant touch with the supreme Lord, sat-nyasa.

 

The simplest way to attain this state is by chanting the Lord's holy names, such as "Hare Krishna", "Sri Rama Jayam", "Om Namo Narayanaya", etc. When we chant the names of Lord Hari we are in personal contact with the Lord. There is no difference between the Lord and His name. This is the great gift of the Lord.

 

Sri Chaitanya says:

 

namnam akari bahudha nija-sarva-shaktih

 

"O Lord, in Your holy names exist all of Your unlimited potencies."

 

Thus when we chant the names of the Lord, we are able to touch him and attain the state of sannyasa.

 

Below is the question I had referred to in the beginning along with my answer:

 

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"Is it necessary to become a monk and leave job/family to realize god?"

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Dear Sri ...,

 

Thank you for writing with your question. According to the great saint Sri Chaitanya, it is not necessary for one to leave one's home to attain God realization. He has said:

 

grihe thako, vane thako, sada 'hari' bole' dako

sukhe duhkhe bhulo na'ko, vadane hari-nam koro re

 

"Whether you are a householder or a sannyasi living in the forest, it does not matter. Constantly chant the holy name of Sri Hari. Do not forget this chanting, whether you are in a happy condition or a distressful one. Just fill your lips with nama-kirtana."

 

Those who follow the path of devotion, the bhakti-marga, achieve God realization by the strength of their devotion. They act in such a way that the Lord becomes eager to reveal Himself to them. Others who follow mechanical processes of study and meditation must leave their homes and renounce the world to advance. In the Kali yuga it is advised that one should not leave one's home, but rather one should be situated in one's place and cultivate the path of bhakti. The Srimad Bhagavatam instructs us as follows:

 

sthane sthitah shruti gatam tanu-van-manobhih

 

"Be situated in your place and hear about the destination of life from the scriptures."

 

Sri Arjuna wanted to leave the battlefield of Kurukshetra, but Lord Krishna told him to remain strong and stand up to fight. Our problems are with us in our unstable minds. If we run away from our circumstances, our mind still follows us where ever we go. If we go to a peaceful forest, we will only be bringing a disturbance to that place. Therefore the scriptures advise us to be in our place and learn the process of making our minds peaceful. In such a state of pure consciousness even a busy city is a place of peace.

 

This is the great power of the path of Krishna bhakti. By cultivating pure devotion, anyone in any situation can attain God realization. In this age of Kali there is no other way. Take shelter in the names of Sri Hari. Take up the sadhana of nama-japam. This is the great gift of this age of Kali. Though it is the most sinful of all the yugas, it is also provides us with the simplest process of God realization - Hari nama-kirtana.

 

Yours in service,