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by Jayaram V
According to the Bhagavad-Gita, sanyas or renunciation is not renunciation of
life or activities but renunciation of desires and attachment to actions (4.20). It is by renouncing the desire for the fruit of ones action a karmayogi becomes a true
sanyasi. A karmayogi, who neither hates nor desires, should be considered true
Sanyasi, because it is by overcoming desires a person transcends the pair of opposites hidden in the passions and emotions (5.3).
Truly speaking, there is little difference between a karmayogi and a sanyasi. A true karmayogi in essence is a sanyasi. Both perform desireless actions, without any expectations and remain content with whatever they have obtained unsought. They are free from jealousy, balanced in mind and detached inwardly from the humdrum of worldly life. In this manner a karmayogi is a sanyasi in thought and a sanyasi is a karmayogi in deed.
While performing actions a true sanyasi thinks that he is doing nothing at all, whether in seeing, hearing, touching, smelling, tasting, walking, sleeping or breathing. (5.8). And when he is performing his bodily functions, he knows that only his senses are dealing with the sense objects.(5.9). Thus a true Sanyasi is but karmayogi in daily life.
A true sanyasi is divine oriented. His thoughts and actions revolve around God. Despite of this proclivity he does not abandon his duty as a human being towards himself and towards others. He is driven by compassion and unconditional love and shows no desire for the fruit of his actions. He makes his life an offering to God and surrenders himself completely before him. He remains untouched by the impurities of life, because of his detachment, self discipline and absence of egoism, pride or sense of doership, and thus remains untouched by sin. Renunciation is the highest form of spiritual discipline, for peace immediately follows renunciation (12.12)
Suggested Further Reading
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