Sankarshanāya namah

Seventh Canto Chapter Thirteen

In this chapter, the dharmic duties of a renunciate (sanyasi) and the dialogue between Prahlāda and Lord Dattātreya are covered.

Maharishi Nārada continued, “The person who is competent in conducting self-enquiry should, while meditating upon the non-dual Self, renounce this world completely. He should possess only his body. The sanyāsi should travel from one village to another spending only one night in any village. Without any desire he should wander across earth.

In case the sanyāsi needs to cover his body, he should wear only the loincloth (koupina). He should hold or retain with him only his staff (danḍa), rosary (japamala) and other objects associated with his stage of life. In other words, he should not retain with him any other objects that are connected to the world and which he had renounced when accepting sanyāsa stage of life.

He should live only on alms (bhiksha). Immersed completely in Self’s bliss, he should never depend upon any other living entity for his sustenance. While ensuring the well-being of all living entities he should wander from place to place all alone.

The sanyāsi whose desires have been completely reduced to ashes should be focussed only upon the ultimate goal i.e. obtaining the Supreme Lord Nārāyaṇa. The Self is situated beyond time, which is the essential pre-requisite for all cause and effect (kārya-kāraṇa) and which is beyond them. The sanyāsi should be able to perceive the entire world within the Self.

He should visualise the entire creation within his inner Self. He should believe that such Self belongs to the Supreme Lord and that it pervades through all living entities in this entire creation. He should visualise this entire world, which exists in the form of a cause-effect relationship, within the non-dual Supreme Lord. In other words, he should understand that the world is superimposed upon the Self.

At the junction between waking and sleep states, i.e. at the time of waking and at the time of going to sleep, the sanyāsi who is established in the Self, should conduct Self-enquiry. During these junctions, he can realize that both bondage and liberation are illusory and that they do not inherently belong to the Self”.

‘I am unconnected with everything in this universe. These joys and sorrows are not connected to me. They belong solely to these sense organs’- with this realization he should meditate upon the Supreme Lord. He should understand that since the Self inherently is not bound, the question of liberation does not arise.”

How can the Self be a bonded object? It remains stationary and does not wander. How can it obtain liberation? The ignorant person who has associated completely with the sense organs and believes himself to be the sense organs seeks liberation. The Self which is beyond these senses cannot get liberated as it cannot get bound.

Where exactly is the Supreme Lord? He is located within you. Nevertheless, he maintains an identity separate from you. Isn’t it wonderful? No wonder it is said that without His presence even the sense organs cannot move. From this can you declare that it is the Lord who is moving? No. The senses move but He maintains an existence separate from them. Therefore, the senses are partial incarnations of that Lord. These senses are subject to destruction. He however is non-dual. Therefore the Self, which is non-dual, cannot get liberated. How can anything which is all-pervading move from one place to another? How can it reach heaven? How can it reach hell? It is untouched by anything.

These are the imaginary creations of the intellect which has associated with the sense-organs. Such intellect never obtains liberation. The organs should be offered to their respective presiding deities. When the hands, legs, ears, eyes and even life-force have been offered back to their presiding deities, what is left to be liberated? Nothing. Therefore Vedanta declares that the Self can neither be bound nor liberated.

“As this gross body has to inevitably perish one day and the lifespan too is indefinite, a sanyāsi can applaud neither longevity nor death. He cannot be thrilled that death is at his doorstep nor can he be pleased that he is living. He should eagerly observe only the time (kāla) which is responsible for the births and deaths of all living entities.

He cannot have any interest towards music, dance and such other fine arts which are unconnected to the Self. He should not even desire to attend such programs. Earning livelihood by making future predictions, working for money or engaging in businesses are strictly prohibited. He should totally distance from arguments, counter-arguments and debates. He should not tilt towards Shaivism, Vaishnavism or any other practices. He should not have a band of followers. He should not read wasteful books. Here it is to be understood that apart from books pertaining to Vedanta he should keep away from books related to astrology and other sciences that are non-Self. He should not teach such wasteful subjects. He should not focus upon establishment of mutts and related institutions.

These rigid disciplines of sanyāsa ashrama are not mandatory for that supreme saint (Yati) who with feelings of oneness sees the Supreme Lord as pervading everywhere. Unconcerned with all external symbols, a sanyāsi remains firmly established in the Self. Such Mahatmas is free to take up external symbols or reject them.

A Yati is clear that his ultimate purpose is merger into the Lord. Even then he does not wear the external symbolic appearance which makes known his firm mental state. Even though he possesses absolute mind control he should behave like a mad man or an innocent ignorant child in front of people. Even though he is the greatest scholar he should behave like a dumb person.

In this context Mahatmas narrate a very ancient story. Previously many eons back there was a discussion on this subject between Emperor Prahlāda and Lord Dattātreya. Dattatreya Maharishi was observing the austerity known as ‘ajagara vṛtti’ wherein akin to a python he would consume only that food which came to him. He was lying on the bare ground on the banks of River Kaveri near the Sahya Mountain.

Adhokṣajāya namah