Life of Sadhus

This is an asked often question. Some verbalize and some still feel it difficult to ask. This is one such, send by somebody.

How do the Sadhus maintain themselves @Rishikesh, especially those who are not aligned with any ashram ? And specifically those with health problems and dependent on medicine etc ? Does someone take care of them or do they go in search of food etc ? Sometime back I visited an Ashram. There the sanyasis who are resident are always on time to the dining hall. But that is not possible if you are not in an ashram. Are there sadhus who totally live by chance and still get their requirements met ? 

There are two type of sannyasins (lol) dependent and independent. The swamis who are dependent are taken care of, till they are of some use, in some ashrams. But they have their own insecurity problems, but still will talk about brahman and Self, as though it is their grandfather.

But the independent types are of two types, again. Those who take care of themselves and those who leave everything to their providence. In the first variety they definetly go out to take biksha etc. and there are many a hospitals working on charity, which provide the medications, treatment etc for free. And when one is so old even for doing anything, the sadhus are not totally without heart :).

It is provided and so is providence probably. And beleive me, it takes care. If i need, i get it. if i don’t get it, I don’t need it. It is very simple.

Though this is so, the habit of charity is in scarce mode for many. Probably they too think like some of the sadhus, that it is their fate J.

Mother of all Reasons

Long ago, after I had come to rishikesh, when I had gone to Chennai, and was in my home. I make it a point to go to meet my parents, whenever I am in south. That time around, my mom had put a long face and was looking very serious, when I inquired about the reason for being so, see dodged the question. After some time, she asked me the reason for me to leave the house. I asked her the reason for asking this after this long period and that too in this fashion. She said, she had visited an astrologer long ago, and he had said that she was the reason for me to leave the house. And asked me, did the fight or some reason to become angry with her made me go. I said, it is nothing like that. And she didn’t leave at that, she asked me is it because of love failure J. These are some of the staple reasons that these astrologers give, when the boy leaves the house at a young age. I said that it is also not a proper reason.

After giving up, she asked than what is the real reason. I after a minute or two, said, it is you. The astrologer is partially right. You should see her face, when she heard it. She was on the verge of crying, I continued, the real reason, if you want to hear, it is you, I repeat again. But, it is not for the mother-son-ly fight or anything. But it is because of your good up-bringing. You gave a good platform, for me to be righteous, virtuous and god believing etc. and that is the reason for me to go for the right way of living, instead of being a loafer or a looser. After hearing this reply, her happiness had no bounds.

Really, one can become a sadhu, for any number of reasons. But, if those reasons are not the right reasons, one will not be able to reach the goal of self-realization. Leave alone that, one will be a disgrace to himself and the society at large because of his lack of goal / character.

Should it be Mother of all reasons or Mother, of all reasons or mother of all, reasons ….

Pashubhisca aviseshat - Mahavakya

This is a very good interesting statement in the Adhyasa bhashya of Brahma sutra. This statement is called as Sutravakya or Sutrabutavakya. I personally call this Mahavakya (we will see why). And to prove the point bhagavan bhashyakara himself writes a commentary on this. Though he explains the whole with reference to a pashu, cattle and vyutpanna chitta, a knowledgeable person. That is,  in the vyaharika, transactional plane both a cattle and realized soul behave in the same way. Like, when one shows green grass the cow runs towards and runs away from one wielding a stick. In the same way, the knowledgeable one also transacts with a man of love and a man of hate.

But , if we see this from the vedantic angle, it is not a mistake for me to see it like this, as bhagavan bhashyakara himself teaches us this. Pashubhi, from the jiva ca, also aviseshat, there is no difference. I.e., there is no difference with respect to the jiva also. Normally, the other system of philosophies deal the jiva as a separate entity, they refer to it as jiva atma. In the shaiva siddhanta this jivatma is called as Pashu, the ishvara (Brahman for us) is called as pati, and the bondage / samsara is called as pasha. For us the jiva and ishwara are not different. “jiva brahmaiva na apara” is the statement of bhagavan bhasahyakara where he says, jiva is verily the Brahman not different. This very same idea is what is reflected by him in this statement.

Since the definition of a mahavakya is jiva brahma abheda bodhaka vakya, the statement that shows the non-difference / unity of jiva and brahma. And this current statement fits to the Tee. We can understand it to be one.