Category:Becoming a Sannyasi
Theme Analysis
This analysis defines the true meaning of becoming a sannyāsī (a distinct member of the renounced order). Śrīla Prabhupāda clarifies that sannyāsa is not merely a change of dress from white to saffron, nor is it a means of livelihood through begging. True sannyāsa is the complete dedication of one's body, mind, and words (represented by the tridaṇḍa) to the service of Lord Kṛṣṇa. The analysis refutes the Māyāvādī conception—that by taking sannyāsa one becomes Nārāyaṇa (God)—labelling it as a foolish and dangerous philosophy (vivarta-vāda). Instead, the purpose of becoming a sannyāsī is to strictly control the senses and travel widely to distribute spiritual knowledge to every home, saving society from the chaos of godlessness.
- Not Just Dress: Changing clothes does not make one a sannyāsī. External renunciation with internal attachment is called markaṭa-vairāgya (monkey renunciation).
- The Purpose: The only valid reason to accept the renounced order is to preach Kṛṣṇa consciousness and purify others.
- Māyāvādī vs. Vaiṣṇava: Māyāvādīs think they become God upon taking sannyāsa. Vaiṣṇavas understand they become dedicated servants of God.
- Tridaṇḍī: A Vaiṣṇava sannyāsī accepts the tridaṇḍa (three rods), symbolizing the engagement of body, mind, and words in the Lord's service.
- Explore the synthesized essence of this category in this Vanipedia article: More Than Saffron Cloth – The Real Meaning of Becoming a Sannyāsī.
Pages in category "Becoming a Sannyasi"
The following 76 pages are in this category, out of 76 total.
A
- A renounced life, sannyasa, if he is following the regulative principles, that is sannyasa asrama. Not that imitating somebody, I put on a saffron dress and I become a sannyasi and by begging I live. This has killed the sanatana-dharma society
- According to Mayavada philosophy, whoever becomes a sannyasi declares himself Narayana. Foolish people accept such ordinary human beings as the Supreme Personality of Godhead. This is called vivarta-vada
- According to the Mayavada philosophy, when one becomes a sannyasi he is to be considered a moving Narayana. Mayavada philosophy holds that the real Narayana does not move because, being impersonal, He has no legs
- According to Vedic system, big, big king, they give up their kingdom and becomes a sannyasi, mendicant, voluntary acceptance of adversity. This is good. To live very comfortably and forget God is not good business
- After preparing himself fully, he should become a sannyasi to distribute the knowledge of spiritual life to each and every home
- Among many such persons, who are in the vanaprastha stage, one may understand the value of becoming a sannyasi, completely accepting the renounced order of life
- As a sudra, he can get the perfection. Why he should artificially become a brahmana and sannyasi and fall down? This has to be checked
- As there are schools & colleges to train students to become chemical engineers, lawyers or specialists in many other departments of knowledge, there must be schools and colleges to train students to become brahmacaris, grhasthas, vanaprasthas & sannyasis
B
- Because there is no institution to teach people how to become brahmanas, ksatriyas, vaisyas and sudras or brahmacaris, grhasthas, vanaprasthas and sannyasis, these demons want a classless society. This is resulting in chaotic conditions
- Becomes a renounced order, sannyasi, and highest order, and then, after some time, he becomes engaged in opening hospitals and philanthropic work and in politics. We have seen it. Oh, why?
- By following the Vedic culture, by performing great sacrifices and by becoming a strict follower of the Vedic instructions, one may become a brahmana, a sannyasi or an Aryan
C
F
- First of all he must be trained up to become a brahmana, then sannyasi. This is a fact. Without becoming a brahmana, there is no question of sannyasa
- For brahmana, the four asramas are compulsory. He must become a brahmacari. Then from brahmacari he becomes grhastha. Then from grhastha he must become vanaprastha. Then he must become a sannyasi
- For that purpose (to become expert in understanding the devotional service of the Lord and thus become a perfect sannyasi) one must cultivate knowledge and renunciation regularly
H
- He (Caitanya Mahaprabhu) decided that, - Now I shall become a sannyasi." So He happened to see Kesava Bharati, a sannyasi on the Sankara sampradaya, and He requested him that "You give Me sannyasa
- He give up and become a sannyasi, and then again become this grhastha. This is not good
- He has become a sannyasi, vairagi, and, but, so much thing, but privately he has got so many connections. Yes. That is called markata-vairagya, monkey's renunciation
- Human society means to understand it, that what is the basic principle of material life. If we understand it is sex, therefore we have to cut down the sex desire gradually by becoming brahmacari, grhastha, vanaprastha, sannyasa. This is the process
I
- I am training these European and American boys, most of them coming from Christian and Jewish families, and they are accepting to become a pure brahmana and then a pure sannyasi
- I do not know if you are again acting upon your old principles on the guise of becoming a Sannyasi from our disciplic succession. This cannot be allowed
- I have got my personal experience. I never tried, never accepted that I shall become a sannyasi. And I tried my best to keep myself in this material world
- I have no ambition to become the proprietor of any temple or house in America because what shall I do with them after becoming a Sannyasi but for the facility of work our own house is absolutely required
- I never tried, never accepted that I shall become a sannyasi
- I see so many discrepancies from our line of action in devotional service. I do not know if you are again acting upon your old principles on the guise of becoming a Sannyasi from our disciplic succession
- In brahma-sukha one is no longer attracted by lusty desires. Indeed, when one is no longer disturbed, especially by lusty desires for sexual indulgence, he is fit to become a sannyasi. Otherwise, one should not accept the sannyasa order
- In the varnasrama system, one first becomes a brahmacari, then a grhastha, a vanaprastha and finally a sannyasi. Going to the forest means accepting vanaprastha life, which is between grhastha life and sannyasa
- In this way (dedicating all activities to Krsna) one becomes the highest yogi and the highest sannyasi. That is the secret
- In Vedic civilization a man is taught from the beginning of his life to become a brahmacari, then an ideal grhastha, then vanaprastha, then sannyasi, and the wife is taught just to follow the husband strictly in all conditions of life
L
- Lord Caitanya decided to accept sannyasa on the grounds that when He became a sannyasi everyone would show Him respect and in that way be favored
- Lord Caitanya wanted to please the gopis instead of Krsna. But His contemporaries misunderstood Him, and for this reason Lord Caitanya renounced the order of householder life and became a sannyasi
M
- Madhava Bharati’s disciple Balabhadra, who also later became a sannyasi of the Bharati-sampradaya, had two sons in his family life, named Madana and Gopala
- Mother Sacidevi was similarly punished, as mentioned in the Caitanya-bhagavata, Madhya-khanda, Chapter Twenty-two. Mother Sacidevi, apparently showing her feminine nature, accused Advaita Prabhu of encouraging her son to become a sannyasi
N
- Not being able to conquer these nearby enemies, they (the big political leaders) simply try to conquer other enemies, and ultimately they die in the struggle for existence. They do not take to the path of spiritual realization or become sannyasis
- Now Yamuna has taken a very nice path. She has also become sannyasini. Although there is no sannyasini for women, but she has voluntarily taken
O
- On the next day (of Caitanya's accepting sannyasa) He became a regular sannyasi, with one rod (ekadanda). From that day on, His name was Sri Krsna Caitanya. Before that, He was known as Nimai Pandita
- One begins as a brahmacari then becomes a grhastha, a vanaprastha and finally a sannyasi to take advantage of the duration of one's life by engaging oneself fully in self-realization
- One has to practice sense control as well as mind control and subdue the six forces of speech, mind, anger, tongue, belly and genitals. Then one can become expert in understanding the devotional service of the Lord and thus become a perfect sannyasi
- One may beget children up to the age of fifty, but after fifty, one must stop begetting children and should accept the vanaprastha order. In this way he must leave home and then become a sannyasi
- One should attempt to know the distinction between body and soul without any attachment for male and female. As long as such distinction is there, one should not try to become a sannyasi like Sukadeva Gosvami
- Our students' parents, they are also thinking, "What is this nonsense, no meat-eating, no illicit sex? The enjoyment of life, everything is spoiled. They are becoming sannyasi." So they are cursing me
- Our Vaisnava philosophy instructs to become "Vidvati sannyasis'', this means a man who knows things as they are
S
- Sannyasa means that, that "I shall live with the minimum necessities of life and simply devote..." That is sannyasa. "I shall become a sannyasi and enjoy all material facilities" - that is not sannyasa
- Sannyasa means you can become a sannyasi even with your, this coat-pant. It doesn't matter, provided you have dedicated your life for the service of God. That is called sannyasa
- Sannyasis in the line of Sankaracarya always think that they have performed all the duties of brahmanas and that, furthermore, having understood the essence of the Vedanta-sutra and become sannyasis, they are the natural spiritual masters of all society
- She must become dependent on her son because her husband would ideally become a sannyasi. Is that...?
- Simply by changing the dress from white to saffron color, one becomes sannyasi. No. There are duties of sannyasis or the brahmana or the grhastha, vanaprastha. There are duties
- Simply by dressing in white cloth one becomes grhastha? And simply by dressing one, in this saffron cloth, he becomes sannyasi? By changing dress he becomes everything? He must know that what is the aim of life
- So long you identify with this material body, either you become a sannyasi with some beard or a grhastha without some beard, the same thing, identifying with the body. So ceto-darpana-marjanam means to become free from the bodily designation
- So our Krsna consciousness movement is based on this principle. We do not request anyone to become a sannyasi or give up home and go to Himalaya and practice hatha-yoga. No. Our principle is that in whatever condition you are, you remain there
- So when one is fully equipped in knowledge, then he asks his wife to go to home to be taken care of by the elderly children, and he becomes a sannyasi. This is called varnasrama-dharma
- Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu very tactfully gave Prakasananda Sarasvati an opportunity to advance in ajnata-sukrti so that in the future he might actually become a Vaisnava sannyasi
- Such people (who want to merge into spiritual existence) may become sannyasis, but unless they take shelter of Krsna's lotus feet, they will return to the material platform to perform philanthropic activities. In this way, one’s spiritual life is lost
- Suppose I say I have become a sannyasi mendicant - this is not a qualification, that I can now understand Krsna. Then what is the qualification? This: One who has developed the service spirit, with love and devotion, can understand Me." No other
T
- The Krsna consciousness movement is not that we are asking everyone to become a sannyasi like me, and give up everything. No. That is not our program
- There are many supposed renouncers even at the present moment who officially become sannyasis or renouncers and outwardly claim that spiritual existence is truth and material existence untruth
- They have got different dresses. So Kali-yuga, simply by dress, he becomes a brahmacari, he become a grhastha, he becomes a sannyasi, simply by dress. What he is acting, nobody cares, that's all
- This (schools and colleges to train students to become brahmanas, ksatriyas, vaisyas, sudras, brahmacaris, grhasthas, vanaprasthas and sannyasis) will provide the preliminary condition for good citizenship - varnasrama-gunan-vitah
- To become fixed, become sannyasi, the other three processes are there: to become brahmacari, to become grhastha, to become vanaprastha, stage by stage. But if one is able, he can take sannyasa
- To become sannyasi is not very great credit, according to our Vaisnava philosophy. To become perfect house-holder, that is credit
- To become sannyasi means
- To become sannyasi means that, that he'll be pure devotee, and wherever he will go, he will purify. That is sannyasa
W
- We do not recommend that "You give up your occupation, you become a sannyasi, give up your wife and children." No. That is not our movement
- When I was householder, several times there was indication given by my Guru Maharaja that I should give up family life and become a sannyasi and preach this Krsna consciousness movement
- When Lord Caitanya left home accepting the renounced order of life, sannyasa, at that time Visnupriya was on the summit of youth, 16 years old, but when her husband became sannyasi she also became greater than sannyasa
- When one is young, he can remain with family, wife, children, twenty-five to fifty years. That's all. No more. Give up. Then take vanaprastha. Train up yourself for becoming sannyasi. Then take sannyasa simply for understanding God. That is sannyasa
- When the practice is complete (as a vanaprastha, to live alone without the association of woman), the same retired householder becomes a sannyasi, strictly separate from woman, even from his married wife
- When we are absorbed in the thought of serving Krsna and when we act in that consciousness, we can become real sannyasis and real yogis
- Why not surrender immediately? What is the point in waiting for so many births? When one comes to that point of surrender, he becomes a real sannyasi
Y
- You may be sannyasi or may be grhastha or may be brahmacari or a brahmana, a ksatriya, or vaisya, sudra. Never mind. Try to satisfy Krsna. Try to please Krsna. Then your life is successful. Otherwise, you are pramatta, mad
- You remain as a grhastha, remain as sannyasi, remain as brahmacari as it becomes suitable for you, but preach. That is the main business. If you lacking in preaching and become a sannyasi, what is the use of sannyasa? Better... A grhastha is better