PAGE
144
THE
ORDER OF RENUNCIATION
Back to contents
"Having completed his Brahmacharya , let a man enter
Grihastha (married life), and thereafter, Vaanprasth*,
and last of all become a Sanyaasi."** This is the consecutive
order of the different stages of life. SHATPATHA BRAAHAMAN,
14
"Having
thus remained in the Order of householders, let a twice-born
man, who had before completed his Brahmacharya, live
in a forest with his faith firm and his senses well
under control."MANU 6: 1
"When
a householder perceives that his muscles have become
flaccid and his hair gray and even his son has become
a father, let him then repair to a forest." MANU 6:
2
"Let
him renounce all the good things of town such as tasty
dishes, fine clothes, commit his wife to the care of
his sons, or take her with him and dwell in a forest."
MANU 6: 3.
*The third stage of life, in which
a man leaves off home and his relations, etc., lives in
a forest or some other such secluded place, engaged in
contemplation of God and in devotional exercises and the
study of higher subjects. -Tr.
** The fourth stage of life when tht man begins to preach
the gospel of truth from place to place. - Tr.
PAGE
145
"Let
him take with him all the materials, utensils, etc.
of Homa, depart from the town, and live in a lonely
wood with his senses perfectly subjugated." MANU 6:4
Lt
him discharge his Five Great Daily Duties* with
various kinds of food (such as Soma, etc.) maroon herbs,
roots, flowers, fruits and tubers, and offer the same
to atithis** and himself subsist on the same." MANU
6: 5
"Let
him constantly devote himself to studying and teaching,
retain a calm mind, be a friend to all, conquer his
passion, bestow upon others such gifts as knowledge,
and be kind to all living beings. Let him not receive
gifts from others. Thus should he conduct himself."
MANU6: 8
"Let
him not be very solicitous for bodily comfort, let him
be a Brahmachari, that is, abstain from sexual indulgence
even if his won wife be with him, sleep on the ground,
have no inordinate love for his dependents and for his
belongings, and dwell under a tree." MANU 6: 26
"Learned
men of calm minds, living righteous lives in retirement,
imbued with keen desire of knowing and embracing the
truth, free from all impurities, subsisting on alms,
realize the Unchangeable, Immortal, Omnipresent spirit
by the practice of Yoga and thereby enjoy true happiness."
MUNDAKOPANISHAD 1-2: 11.
*As described in the last Chapter.
-Tr.
**Missionary guests - the altruistic teachers of humanity.
-Tr.
PAGE
146
Thus
should a Vaanaprasthi pray "May I, O Lord of Truth!
Having been initiated (into this Order) with the performance
of Homa, be able to keep my vows, i.e., be truthful
in word, deed and thought, and have firm faith in Thee."
YAJUR VEDA 20: 24
It
behoves a Vaanaprasthi, therefore, to be truthful in
speech and to cultivate other virtues, associate with
devout, learned men, and thereby acquire knowledge,
particularly divine - and attain purity of mind by the
practice of Yoga and meditation.
Thereafter,
when he feels desirous of entering the fourth Order,
i.e., of Renunciation (Sanyaas Ashram), let him send
his wife* back to his sons and become a Sanyasi.
This
subject of Vaanaprasth has thus been briefly described,
we shall now discourse on Sanyaas or the Order of Renunciation.
THE
ORDER OF RENUNCIATION
Back to contents
SANYAAS
ASHRAM
or
THE
ORDER OF RENUNCIATION
"Having
thus passed the third stage of life - i.e., from the
fiftieth to the seventy-fifth year - as a Vaanaprasthi
in a forest, let a man in the fourth stage renounce
all connections and become a Sanyaasi." MANU 6: 33
Q.
~ Is it a sin to become a Sanyaasi without going through
the intermediate stages of Grihasth and Vaanaprastha?
A.
~ It is and it is not.
Q.
~ How can it be both?
A.
~ Because he who enters into Sanyaas in early life,
i.e., direct from Brahmacharya, and then falls into
sensuality. Is the greatest sinner; but he that falls
not is the greatest saint.
*If she does not want to enter
the Order of Renunciation. -Tr.
PAGE
147
"Let
a man become a Sanyaasi on the day he feels free form
all worldly desires and affections, not matter whether
he is a Vaanaaprasthi, Grihasthi or even a Brahmachari."
BRAAHMAN GRANTH
Thus
there are there ways of becoming a Sanyaasi. The first
is the consecutive order that has been described before,
(i.e., by passing through the first three stages successively).
The second is that of becoming a Sanyaasi from Grihasthi.
The third alternative is that of entering Sanyaas directly
from Brahmacharya, and should be resorted to only if
the man be one of perfect knowledge with his senses
and mind under through control, free from all sensual
desires and imbued with extreme desire for dong public
good.
In
the Vedas also, the practice of Sanyaas, is allowed
in the following words:- "Let a Brahman become a Sanyasi,
etc."
"But he whose character is low, who is not free from
passions, is not a yogi and whose mind is not contented,
can never know God and commune with Him, a Sanyaasi
though he be." KATH UPANISHAD 2:23.
Therefore,
"Let a wise Sanyaasi restrain his mind and speech from
all that is sinful, and apply them to the acquisition
of knowledge and the realization of his inner Self.
Let him use his knowledge, and then devote his enlightened
soul to the realization of the All-Calm Supreme Being,
and find rest in Him." KATH UPANISHAD 3: 13.
"let
a Braahman, who is a Sanyaasi, seeing that all the enjoyments
of this world depend upon deeds, and that the Supreme
Spirit being unattainable by deeds, mere deeds can never
lead to His realization, abandon love of the world and
repair with some kind of present in his mind
PAGE
148
to
a preceptor well-versed in the Vedas and wholly devoted
to God for the acquisition of Divine knowledge and the
removal of all doubts." MUNDAK UPANISHAD 2:12
but
let him shun the company of "those ignorance-ridden
people who arrogantly consider themselves to be wise
and learned, and being puffed up with vain knowledge
go about the world as the blind to the great misery
of others and themselves," MUNDAK UPANISHAD, and of
other again who being ignorant believe themselves to
have attained the object of their lives by mere deeds.
But since, mere acts or deeds do not lead to the realization
of God, such people immersed in the worldliness are
afflicted with pain and sorrow, and suffer from misery
consequent on continual births and deaths." MUNDAK UPANISHAD
2: 9
Therefore,
"those Sanyaasis who are fully convinced of the existence
of God by the knowledge of the Vedic Mantraas relation
to Him and live godly lives, whose intellects are pure
by virtue of the renunciation of all worldly enjoyments
who are perfect yogis with thorough control over their
senses and minds, enjou immortality and resume the concatenation
of births and deaths after a paraant cycle* (i.e., when
the period of salvation expires)." MUNDAK UPANISHAD
2:6
"The
embodied soul can never be free from pleasure or pain,
but when the disembodied soul, being purged of all its
impurities, lives in the All-pervading God in the state
of Emancipation, pleasures or pains of this world can
effect it no longer." CHHANDOGYA UPNISHAD 8: 12
*Paraant cycle = 311,040,000,000,000,
years.
PAGE
149
"Let
a Sanyaasi renounce all love of fame, love of wealth
and power and the enjoyments thereof, and love of his
kith and kin, live on alms, and devote himself, day
and night, to all those things that lead to Eternal
Bliss." SHATAPATH BRAHMANA 14: 2, 1
"Let
a Braahman, who has mastered the Veda, perform Prajaapati
Yajna - the object of which is the realization of God
- let him abandon all signs of his Class.* Let his vital
forces be in place of the five fires, and let him renounce
all his wealth, and possessions, and thereafter, leave
his home and become a Sanyaasi." SHATAPATH BRAHMANA
6:38
"He,
who grants exemption from fear to all living beings,
leaves his home and become a Sanyaasi, and thereafter
devotes himself to the dissemination and preaching of
the divine religion of the Vedas and of other Shastraas
attains to the state of Eternal Bliss called Mukti."
MANU 4: 39
Q.
~ What is the Dharma - duties - of Sanyasis?
A.
~ Dharma, i.e., the practice righteousness, devotion
to justice, the acceptance of truth, and the rejection
of untruth, obedience to the Will of God as revealed
in the Veda, and promotion of public good, is the same
for all Classes and Orders, that is, for all mankind;
but the following are the special duties of Sanyasis:-
*Such as a tuft of hair on the
top of his head, and Yajnopavita - the sacred thread worn
across one shoulder and under the opposite arm-pit. These
are the two external distinctive signs of a twice-born
man to show that he has been born second time through
knowledge and spirituality, the first birth being the
physical birth. Shoodras - the people belonging to the
fourth Class are destitute of these two signs particularly
the second. -Tr.
PAGE
150
"Let
a Sanyaasi keep his eyes to the ground and never look
hither and thither while he walks; let him filter* his
water before he drinks it; let him always speak the
truth, and let him think well before he acts, and thus
embrace truth and reject falsehood." MANU 6: 46.
"If
in the course of a discourse or a discussion a man be
angry with him, let him not in his turn be angry. Even
though abused, let him say kindly what is good for him;
let never falsify his speech - which pervades the seven
openings in the human system, i.e.. of the mouth, the
nostrils, the eyes and ears."** MANU 6: 48
"With
his soul composed and centered on the supreme Spirit,
let him be indifferent to pain and pleasure, abstain
from meat and intoxicants, seek only spiritual happiness,
and go about preaching the gospel of truth and enlightening
the world with the light of knowledge." MANU : 49.
"With
his hair, nails, beard and moustache clipped, carrying
a suitable water-jar and a staff, wearing ochre-colored
garments, let him go about with a tranquil mind, harming
no living being." MANU 6: 52
"Let
him restrain his senses from wicked pursuits, renounce
affection and hatred, bear no malice to any living creature,
and wok for Immortality (extreme bliss)." MANU6: 60.
*Literally strain it through a
piece of cloth. - Tr.
** all sensuous impressions reach the sensorium through
these seven gateways of knowledge, and whenever it is
intended to express to to others anything about these
impressions, it is done through the organ of speech. For
this reason the speech is said to pervade these seven
openings. _Tr.
PAGE
151
"Whether
maligned or praised, let a Sanyaasi be impartial towards
all, practice virtue himself and strive to make others
virtuous. He must bear in mind that the staff, the water-jar
and the ochre-colored garments -signs of his Order -
do not by any means constitute and effective discharge
of his duty. To elevate the human race by the preaching
of truth and the imparting of knowledge and wisdom is
the paramount duty of a Sanyaasi." MANU 6: 66.
"Though
the seeds of a clearing-nut clear muddy water when well-powdered
and mixed with it, the mere pronouncing or hearing the
name fo that nut can never do so." MANU 6: 67. This
shows that professions without practice are useless.
"Let
a Sanyaasi, therefore, practice systematically , as
many praanaayaamas* as he can meditating on AUM - the
highest name of God - and the vihararitis,** and the
while, but let him never practice less than there praanaayaamas.
This alone is his highest devotion." MANU 6: 70.
"Just
as a goldsmith, blowing strongly against a piece of
impure gold, removes its impurities by oxidation, so
does praanaayaama the blowing of the lungs - remove
all the impurities of the body and bodily organs by
oxidation." MANU 6: 71
"Let
a Sanyaasni, therefore, burn away impurities of his
senses, mind and soul by the practice of pranaayaama,
destroy sin by Dhayaana, sensual attachments by pratyaakaara,
and qualities contrary to the nature of God, as joy
and sorrow, and ignorance by Dhyaana.
*Prayaahaara, Dha naa Dhayaana
are stages in yoga - a system of concentration of mind
and of meditation. -Tr
**Vihaaritis have been explained in the first Chapter.
-Tr.
PAGE
152
"By
the practice of yoga let him then observe the workings
of the Omnipresent Omniscient Spirit in all things (low
and high), and also of his own soul - which are hared
to be discerned by the ignorant and by those who are
not yogis." MANU 6: 73.
"It
is Sanyaasis alone who can attain final beatitude in
this world, by abstinence from malice towards all sentient
creatures, and renunciation of all sensual enjoyments,
by doing righteous deeds ordained by the Vedaas, and
by devotion, and none others." MANU 6: 75.
"Only
when a Sanyaasi gives up all desire for earthly things,
and is pure in thoughts and feelings towards all things,
subjective and objective, he obtains true happiness
that endures after death." MANU 6: 80
"It
therefore, behoves, all - Brahmachaaris, Grihasthis,
Vaanaprasthis and Sanyaasis - to follow assiduously
the right conduct of life which has ten chief characteristics:-
- The
cultivation of firmness of mind and contentment.
- The
cultivation of the spirit of forgiveness under all
circumstances - whether one be censured or praised,
honored or dishonored, etc.
- Devotion
of mind to virtue and abstinence from sin and vice,
that is, refraining from the entertainment of sinful
thoughts even for one moment.
PAGE
153
- Honesty
- The acquisition of a thing without he permission
of its owner, or through fraud, hypocrisy, or breach
of faith, or by teaching falsely, or in any other
way that is condemned by the Vedaas, is called dishonesty
or theft; the reverse of it is called honesty.
- Purity
or cleanliness - bodily and mental. Mental purity
consists in freedom from inordinate love or hatred,
from prejudice or injustice, etc. Bodily cleanliness
consists in keeping the body clean with water, earth,
etc.
- Direction
of the senses in the path of rectitude and freedom
from sin.
- Development
of one's intellect by abstaining from intoxicants
and other articles that are prejudicial to its growth,
from the company of the wicked and from sloth, negligence,
etc., and by using things possessing healthful properties,
associating with men of noble character, and by the
practice of yoga.
- The
acquisition of correct knowledge of all things -from
earth** to God - and its proper application. In other
words, to know a thing as it is, to speak of it as
it is in the mind, and to act upon what is spoken,
constitutes correct knowledge; and reverse of it is
ignorance. <.li> Truthfulness is the harmony
of thought, word and deed.
- Freedom
from wrath and other evil habits, and the cultivation
of calmness of mind and other good qualities.
Let
all follow this ten-fold right conduct of life justly
and impartially. It is the duty of Sanyaasis in particular,
to follow this right conduct of life as enjoined by
the Vedaas, and help others to do the same through teaching
and preaching." MANU 6: 92.
"Thus
having freed himself, by degrees form all evil associations,
the from joy and sorrow and the like, a Sanyaasi rests
in the all-pervading God." MANU 6: 81
*Dry clay is a very popular disinfectant
with the Indians of all classes. -Tr.
**The earth the grossest form of matter, while God is
the subtlest of all; therefore, the expression from earth
to God is used to include all entities material and spiritual.
- Tr.
PAGE
154
Let
all Sanyaasis, therefore, enlighten minds of Grihasthis
and others on all questions, remove their doubts, free
them from (the fetters of) all kinds of unrighteous
conduct, and help them to follow the path of rectitude.
This alone is the bounden duty of Sanyasis.
What
class have the right to Sanyas?
Back to contents
Q. ~ have Braahmans the exclusive right to entering
into Sanyaasa, or can other Classes Kshatriyas and others
also do the same?
A.
~ Braahmans alone have this privilege. He alone among
all the four classes is called a Braahman whose knowledge
is perfect, who is most virtuous, and who is bent on
doing public good. To enter into Sanyaasa, without the
acquisition of perfect knowledge and firm faith in Truth
and God, and without the renunciation of all earthly
things, cannot be productive of any good to the world.
Hence
it is that it is common saying that a Braahman alone
enjoys the privilege of entering into Sanyaasa and not
others, here is the testimony of the sage Manu on this
point. Says he, "O Rishis (sages)! This fourfold duty*
of a Braahman has been made known to you. It leads to
true happiness in this life and to eternal bliss in
the next. Next hear from me the duties of Kshatriyaas
- the governing class," MANU 6: 97. It is clear then
that to enter in Sanyaasa is the chief privilege of
Braahmanas, whilst entering into Brahmacharya and other
Orders that of Kshatriya and other Classes as well.
Where
is the necessity of Sanyaasa?
Back to contents
A.
~ As the head is necessary for the body, so is Sanyasa
for other Orders, since without it there can be no advancement
in knowledge and righteousness. Persons belonging to
other Orders, being engaged in house-hold work and in
devotional practices cannot have much leisure.
Besides
it is very difficult for people belonging to other Orders
to be altogether impartial in their dealing, nor can
they equal a Sanyaasi, he being free from all worldly
ties, in doing public good. Men of other Orders cannot
get so much time as a Sanyaasi who possesses a true
knowledge of all things to elevate the people by enlightening
them on all subjects. But the amount of good that those
who enter into Sanyaasa directly
*That is of Bramhacharya, Grihasth,
Vanaprasht and Sanyasa.
PAGE
155
from
Brahmachary can do by the teaching and preaching of
truth can never be done by those who enter into it from
Grihasth or Vaanaprasth.
Is
not Sanyaas against he design of God
Back to contents
Q. ~ Is not Sanyaas against he design of God, because
He intended men to multiply? Sanyaasa being the Chief
Order were all men to enter into it, the whole human
race would become extinct.
A.
~ Well, do you not see many people childless even though
married? Are not children lost through death? This would
also be against the intention of God. But if you say
'A man is not to blame if he does not achieve his end
even after trying his best,' we answer that many young
men in Grihasth fight with each other and get killed.
What a heavy loss is this to the community? The perversion
of intellect is the cause of many a quarrel.
When
a Sanyaasni, by the preaching of the right conduct of
life as enjoined by the Vedas, will create harmony and
love among people and nations bostile to one another,
he will be the savior of hundreds and thousands of lives,
and thus will, like thousands, of Grihasthis, be the
cause of the increase of population. Besides, al men
can never enter into Sanyaassa, because al can never
be free from sensual desires. The people, converted
by a Sanyaasi from wickedness into living righteous
lives, may justly be considered his children.
Sanyasis
say that they have no duties to perform
Back to contents
Q. ~ Sanyasis say that they have no duties to perform.
They accept necessaries of life as food, clothes, etc.,
from house-holders and enjoy the pleasures of the world.
Why should they 'bother their heads' with this world
of ignorance? They believe themselves to be Brahma (God)
and are contented. If another person ask a question
on the subject, the tell him the same thing, i.e., that
he also is God, that sin and virtue cannot influence
the soul, because, the perception of heat and cold is
the function of the body, hunger and thirst that of
the nervauric forces, and pleasure or pain that of the
mind. The world is but an illusion and so are the affairs
of the world. Therefore it i not wise to be entangled
in them. Virtue and vice are the functions of the senses
and mind, not of the soul. They teach these and similar
other things, whilst you have taught differently on
the duties of Sanyaasis. Which of these shall we believe
to be true and which is false?
PAGE
156
A.
~ Is it not their duty to do even good deeds: Mare!
What Manu says. "By doing virtuous deeds, ordained by
the Veda, Sanyasis enjoy Eternal (extreme) Bliss." It
is clear then that according to Manu, the Vedic deeds
- the practice of righteous conduct - are indispensable
even by Sanyasis. Can they do without and clothing (
and such other necessaries of life?) If they cannot,
why is it not a degrading and sinful act on their part
to leave off the practice of virtuous deeds?
They
accept food and dress and other necessaries of life
from house-holders, while they do them no good in return.
Are they not the greatest sinners them? Just as it is
useless to have eyes and ears, if you cannot see or
hear with them, likewise those Sanyaasis who do not
preach the truth, nor study nor teach the Vedaas and
other Shaastras are a mere burden to the community.
Those who say and write, that they cannot be troubled
with this world of ignorance, are themselves mendacious
and ignorant.
They
are the cause of the increase of sin and are, therefore,
the greatest sinners. Whatever act is done by the body
and the bodily organs, is prompted by the soul which
alone, therefore, suffers or enjoys the fruits thereof.
Those, who declare that the human soul is one with God,
are sleeping the heavy sleep of ignorance, because the
human soul is finite, and possesses limited knowledge,
whilst God is Infinite, Omnipresent and Omniscient.
Again God is Eternal, Holy, All-intelligent and Free
by Nature, whilst the human soul is sometimes free,
at other times not. God, being the Omnipresent and Omniscient,
cannot be subject to doubt or ignorance, whilst the
human souls is sometimes ignorant, at other times wise.
God, again, does not suffer from birth and death, whilst
the human soul does. Their teachings are, therefore,
false.
Should
they accept expensive gifts?
Back to contents
Q. ~ Sanyaasis are those who have renounced all deeds,
they are never to touch fire and precious metals. Is
this true or not?
A.
~ No. He, who is in communion with God and possesses
that holy nature by which all wicked deeds are renounced
is called aSanyaasi, in other words, he who practices
good deeds and eradicates sin and vice is a Sanyaasi.
Q.
~ Teaching and preaching are done by house-holders,
where then is the necessity for Sanyaasi.
A.
~ let all men and women in all Orders or stages of life
teach and preach as much as they can, but house-holders
cannot
PAGE
157
get
as much time nor be as impartial as Sanyaasis. It is
true that it is the duty of Braahmans to teach and preach
- men to teach men, and women to teach women. It is
simply impossible for a Grihasthi to get the time a
Sanyaasi can, to ravel about. Besides it is Sanyaasi
who restrain Braahmans from deviating from the path
of rectitude as declared by the Vedas. Sanyaasis, therefore,
are a necessity.
Q.
~ A Sanyaasi should not stay more than one night at
one place. Is this true?
A.
~ It is true in one sense; because by staying altogether
in one place. A Sanyaasi cannot do much public good.
He is liable to get attached to a place and begin to
love and hate (things and persons therein). But if a
Sanyaasi can do more good by staying at one place, let
him do so, as in the past, such Sanyaasi as Panchshikha
stopped with the king Janak for even four months, and
others for years. As about this rule of not staying
long in one place, it has also been framed by hypocritical
sectarians, for (they are afraid that). If a Sanyaasi
would stay long at one place, he would expose their
fraud, and thus put a stop to its further increase.
Q.
~ "Whosoever gives gold to a Sanyaasi shall go to hell."
Now what do you say to this?
A.
~ This again is the invention of extremely selfish,
orthodox, sectarians - the enemies of Classes and Orders.
They know that were a Sanyaasi to get money, it would
greatly help him to expose their fraud. They would thus
suffer and consequently no longer be able to keep him
under their jurisdiction. Should charity remain under
their control, Sanyaasi would naturally fear them. When
it is considered good to give gifts to the ignorant
and selfish people, how can there be any harm in giving
them to the learned altruistic Sanyasis? Says Manu,
"let a man give Sanyaasis present of precious stones
and gold." MANU 2: 6. Besides, the verse quoted above
by you is absurd, because, if by giving gifts of gold
to a Sanyaasi the donor goes to hell, by giving silver,
diamonds and precious stones, he may go to heaven.
PAGE
158
Q.
~ The aforesaid verse was wrongly quoted by mistake,
it runs like this that ' by putting gifts in the hands
of a Sanyaasi, the donor goes to hell.
A.
~ This is again the invention of an ignorant mind. "If
a man goes to hell by placing gifts in the hands of
a Sanyasi, should he put them on his feet or offer in
a bag; he may go to heaven. Let no man, therefore, believe
in such fabrications. It is true though that if a Sanyasi
keeps more money that he needs he will be troubled by
the fear of thieves and be liable to get greedy and
so on.
But
whosoever is learned and wise would do nothing objectionable,
nor would he get engrossed in worldly possessions, because,
whilst in married life or in student life, he has enjoyed
all these pleasures or has observed them, and found
them of no substantial good. If he has become a Sanyaasi
directly from student life and is free from all worldly
desires, he would never allow himself to be infatuated
by these things.
Q.
~ It is said that if a Sanyaasi be invited to a shraadha,*
the spirits of the forefathers of the host run away
from the place and fall into hell. Is this true?
A.
~ In the first place, the coming of the spirits of the
dead to a Shraaadha or receiving the foods and drinks
that are offered to the priests, is an impossibility,
being opposed to the teachings of the Vedaas, as well
as to reason. Who will run away then when they do not
come to the Shraadha? How can the coming back of the
manes be possible when all souls after death are reborn
according to the nature of their deeds and the laws
of God? This false doctrine again is the invention of
selfish orthodox priests and Vairaagees.** It is true
though that wherever Sanyaasi will go, this fraud of
the Shraadha of the dead, which is opposed to the Veda,
will immediately disappear.
Can
a Brahmacharya enter into Sanyas?
Back to contents
Q.~ He who enters Sanyaas directly from Brahmacharya
will never be able to control himself as it is a very
difficult thing to keep the sensual desires under restraint.
Therefore, it is best to enter the Order of Sanyaasa
in old age when a man has passed through the Order of
householders and of Vaanaprastha.
*It is a feast given annually
to the priests who claim that the spirits of the forefathers
fo the host partake of what is offered to them through
their media -Tr.
**A sect of religious mendicants. -Tr.
PAGE
159
A.
~ Let him not, who cannot control his passions, enter
into Sanyaas from Brahmacharya. But why should not he
who can restrain them? He, who has thoroughly realized
the evils of sensual gratification and the advantage
of the preservation of the reproductive element, can
never be lascivious. His reproductive element serves
as fuel to the fire of thought.
In
other words, it is used up in carrying on intellectual
processes. As the healthy can dispense with doctors
and drugs, so should a man or woman, who9se one object
in life is to disseminate knowledge, advance true religion
and do good to the world at large, dispense with married
life like Panchshikha and Gaargi of yore.
Therefore,
those alone are entitled to become Sanyaasis who are
fit for this high office, and no others. If an unfit
person were to enter Sanyaasa, he would sink himself
and drag others down with him.
As
a Saamraat Raja is a universal sovereign, so is a Sanyaasi
Pariviraat, i.e, a universal teacher or the teacher
of humanity. But a sovereign is only respected in his
own country and amongst his won kinsmen, while a Sanyaasi
is honored everywhere. Says Bridh Chanik, "There can
be no comparison between a king and a man of learning,
since the one is respected in his own country, whilst
the other is respected everywhere."
THE
FOUR ORDERS
Back to contents
To recapitulate briefly the duties of the four Orders:-
Brahmacharya
(or the 1st stage of life) is meant for perfecting
one's body and acquiring knowledge and culture.
Grihastha
(or the 2nd stage of life) is for the pursuit of useful
occupation and professions, marriage, etc.
Vaanaprasth
(or the 3rd stage of life) for meditation, concentration
of mind on abstruse subjects, perfection of character
and acquisition of divine knowledge.
Sanyaasa
(for the 4th stage of life) is meant of disseminating
knowledge of the Veda and the Shaastras practicing
virtue and renouncing vice, preaching the gospel of
truth and dispelling doubts and ignorance of the people.
but all those who do not discharge the most important
duties of
PAGE
160
Sanyaasa,
such as the preaching of truth and righteousness,
are the most degraded wretches, and will go to hell.
Therefore, it behoves Sanyaasis to devote themselves
assiduously to the preaching of truth and enlightening
the minds of the people who are in doubt, to the
studies of the Vedas and the Shastras and the propagation
of the Vedic religion, thereby promote the good
(physical, social, mental and spiritual) of the
whole world.
Q.
~ Should mendicants other than Sanyaasi such as
Vairagees, Khakees, etc. be ranked as Sanyaasi or
not?
A.
~ No, they do not possess even one characteristic
of a Sanyaasi. They follow anti-Vedic creeds, respect
the words of the exponents of their sects more than
the Vedas, sing the praises of their own creed,
are involved in false practices, further their selfish
ends, and ensnare others in to their perspective
creeds and cults. Let alone doing any good to the
world, they, instead, mislead people and bring about
their fall and accomplish their own selfish ends.
They have, therefore, no right to ranked in the
Order of Sanyaasa but on the other hand, their Order
can justly be entitled the Order of selfish creatures.
This admits of no doubt.
Those
a deserve to be called Sanyasis and great souls
who walk in the path of rectitude and help others
to do the same, promote their own happiness as well
as that of the whole world here and hereafter.
Thus
we have briefly discoursed on the Order of Sanyas.
In the next chapter we shall treat of the Science
of Government.
|
