Sanyasa — A Way of Living

Renunciation of life is not the answer. Instead, it is embracing all of it.

The growth of individual is in many directions Branching more and more as life goes by extending its roots inside to ground oneself

The outside accomplishments material wealth is necessary too but if it does not give you peace what is the use of it?

Money is essential for comfortable living Peace of mind is paramount to be contented Nowadays, spirituality can never be alone Both material and spiritual go hand in hand

Gone are the days when people handed out alms where the entire village fed a roaming ‘Sanyasi’(monk) Now you have to earn and take responsibility for the life that is breathing inside

You may even get married and have kids Still, you can be Sanyasi If you are detached and accepts whatever life brings

‘Sanyasa’ is a state of living dwelling in between all the luxuries, Yet unaffected by it

The mind is the biggest thief Sneaking its head in every nook Creating ways to keep itself alive resurrecting identity and ego whenever it can

The importance of self is mind created Illusion backed by society Trained from child we try to uphold it

In reality, everything is happening on its own It is not “I” that is making anything occur If we are removed from any scenario it will not affect any plots Be it professional or personal People adapt themselves in your absence

The reality is — you are alone Alone with your thoughts and feelings even if surrounded by thousands of people

You will remain alone till you realize you were never there Life playing through you and the actual ‘You’ was everywhere

While writing this poem, it reminds me of an interesting story of King Janak and his master.

King Janak, a great ruler, was the enlightened disciple of Sage Ashtavakra. When King Janak used to visit his ashram, Sage Ashtavakra always became available for him. They exchanged deep spiritual conversations.

The resident disciples were jealous of the closeness of this materialistic ruler with their guru. But could not dare to ask their revered guru.

Once a disciple asked Sage, Please guide me on my next lesson, my beloved guru.’

Sage Ashtavakra asked him to visit King Janak for further lessons. This made him more bitter.

He thought, ‘What can a king who is living in his luxuries teach a Sanyasi (monk) who has disavowed everything and living in an ashram? But I asked my guru about my next step. I can’t disobey him too. I’ll soon return after meeting King Janak. I don’t want to trap myself in the material world.’

The next day, he collected his traditional water vessel and a stick before embarking on his journey to meet King Janak. When King Janak came to know about his brother-disciple arriving, it elated him.

He washed his feet with milk, offered him a special seat as the beautiful royal courtesan presented a dance. A vast, sumptuous spread for dinner was served in his honor. Servants adorned his royal bed with flowers for his sleeping arrangement.

Before sleeping, Sanyasi was satisfied in his heart that ‘This king can not teach me anything. Engrossed in his material wealth, he has nothing better than to show off. Tomorrow I’ll return to my guru and tell everything.’

The next morning, King Janak invited him to take a dip in the river with him. Sanyasi obliged.

While they both were in the river, one of King Janak’s servants came running and gaspingly said, ‘My lord, the palace is on fire. The huge fire is consuming everything. Your wives are also inside the palace.’

Listening to this, Sanayasi rushed towards the palace screaming, ‘Please also save my water vessel and stick. That is all I have.’

When he looked back, King Janak was still inside the river taking a bath. Ashamed of himself, he forced himself towards the river.

Sanayasi beseeched King Janak for his reaction.

King Janak humbly replied, ‘My dear brother, nobody can burn what I have. And what fire can burn was never mine.’

Sanyasi understood why his guru loves King Janak. Living in between the world’s opulence, he was still untouched by all the relations and possessions.

That is ‘True Sanyasa.’

The world’s luxury surrounds us all. But attachment is the source of all the misery. Sanyasa does not mean leaving all the material possessions and going to the forest for solitude.

It means to be in solitude while you live and act in this world. You may be married, have kids, be in influential positions but still be detached from everything.

You are always centered within. Nothing touches you. Nothing disturbs your peace because you accept the way life is.

Reality will remain as it is. It is the mind that creates illusions and stories.

The root cause of suffering is not the situation, but the mind that binds itself with the situation and creates expectation weaves security and builds plans.

True wealth is not outside but within each of us. The spiritual journey is all about dropping the mind.

Enjoy this soothing song sung by Shivpreet Singh on Sanyasa (with English meaning) — Guru Gobind Singh (Sikh Guru) wrote this beautiful Shabad Kirtan.