Sannyasa - The Renunciation

Though, we have done a series of lecture on sannyasa, still though it better to put it in a blog (in writing).

I was in Sringeri, when a boy commented upon the sannyasis those who were there as “they are no sannyasis, but have donned ochre robe”, this comment was uncalled for, but they are not far away from the bull’s eye.

People who now aspire to become a sannyasi after reading some books or hearing some off-shoot lectures do not understand –

1.       Who is eligible for Sannyasa and who is not.

2.       What is sannyasa and what is not.

3.       What should one do before and what after.

4.       How should you take it and how you should not.

5.       From whom should you take it and from whom not.

6.       When..........

We will answer some of here in a lucid and short way.

According to Bhagavan Bhashyakara (Sri Shankaracharya) in his Brihadaranyaka Bhashya, only Brahmins are eligible to give and take Sannyasa. Though Bhagavan Vartikakara (Sri Sureshwaracharya) differs in who should take citing the eligibility for the karmas for all the three varnas (order of life), still accepts that only Brahmin is eligible in initiating. And by this it is made very clear, only men are eligible (take it or leave it, it is shastra, no compromise)

Sannyasa is not an easy lifestyle to earn an easy living, but a difficult one for the difficult pursuit of the human birth.

Before taking sannysa one should perform all the karmas properly, so as to have no residue of desire in performing these karmas later. This residual desire is the cause for the people to takeup the different form of practices like medicine, astrology and even performing puja etc, which are a complete no for them. Puja of any type or mantra of other deities (except Omkara / Pranava) is negated, strictly. Since these fellows without any eligibility criteria enter sannyasa life, they get attracted to these different things, and especially Sri Vidya (there is nothing personal here, this is the teaching of the shastra). Then what should one do, it is said “sannyasya shravanam kuryat” (after sannysa one should study scriptures), therefore we should spend the time in studying the scriptures, and once it is done, should spend the rest of the life in contemplating on its meaning. This practice of Puja is allowed for the pontiffs of Mathas (only shankara Math) as they are guiding the people in dharma (definitely only these paraphernalia attracts the people).

 It is sometimes more than a week for the elaborate karmas to be performed; at the least it will take 3 days to perform the karmas, including the tarpana, viraja homa etc. And definitely not a day, as performed by people, which is less of a sannyasa and more of a shaving / tonsuring act (as the tuft is removed by the Guru, this makes these “Guru’s” look like a barber).

Once should take sannyasa from a learned person, who has invested his life in the study and meditation of the Truth. And not definitely from these “tom....” types, who have nothing to give other than their own ignorance. And, definitely cannot proclaim to be a sannyasa, if one just takes the ochre cloth in front of the photo, image, sacred river or other places, though it can be called at the best “athura sannyasa”, should definitely be followed by a proper initiation.

Doing service to the society, opening schools, old age homes, orphanage etc is very good, and for this you DO NOT NEED to be a sannyasi.

Smart Mauni says “This practice was there even before the Acharya, which prompted him to say “udara nimittam bahu krta vesham” (for the sake of stomach, all these different make-ups, or dramas)”.

Pitru Karma

As we know, I give much importance to these karmas, Sandhya, Kula devata (family deity) worship and Pitru karmas. (We will devote a separate blog for the others, too).

The need for writing about pitru karmas now is, just two days ago a boy from Tamilnadu, who had lost his father had come to meet me. His father had taken sannyasa, just two years ago and now recently left his mortal coil. He was a very earnest disciple, even in his old age, stayed alone outside of the village, and had for his company my lectures (his own words). According to his very early wish of leaving his body in Ganges, his son brought the body to Rishikesh.

If I was asked, my answer would have been a NO. Once we leave the body, and that too after sannyasa, there is no need for all these DRAMA. (Whatever convenient arrangement possible locally, is good enough).  Since he had already decided and had made arrangements with people for immersing it in Ganga, called Jala Samadhi, I conceded.

After the karmas, in the evening he came to meet me, I told about the importance of the Karmas, which needs to be performed, even for the sannyasi father.

Now, if one of the parents is no-more, it is the duty of the son to perform not only the last rites but also the pitru karmas, as done in one’s family. Normally, in the Brahmins household it is performed for thirteen days, and only after performing the thirteenth day karma, is that family eligible to visit the temple, until then it is accepted as impure period.

But, here the father has taken sannyasa, where he has given up all the attachments to the karmas, therefore there is no need for performing any karmas, is the perception of many a people, which is wrong. Because, it is correct that the person’s father had taken sannyasa, but not the son. Therefore, it should be performed. And not just that, the pitru karma that one starts is not only for the father, it also is for the three forefathers in the lineage, namely, father, grandfather-grandmother, great-grandfather-grandmother. They should not be deprived of the food and water, that one provides in the pitru karma, and in-turn receive their blessings.

There are some Ashrams which does these karmas, receiving money as corpus. But the best I have seen in this is the Madhya Kailash Temple in Chennai, they receive money for some years, don’t know how long, and perform it very properly.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Madhya_Kailash

Smart Mauni speaks “according to IPC (Indian Personal Conduct and not Indian Penal Code) Ancestors Action 2 (Pitru Karma, where Action 1 is for Devata and 3 for this Loka and where the other IPC has its jurisdiction) everyone should perform this Karmas in accordance with their tradition”.