aapat sannyasa

[Ravisankar S. Mayavaram]

Vivek,

I think you ask this question from the reference to shrI naaraya
tiirtha (based on Dr. Sadagopan's post in bhakti list).

http://www.escribe.com/religion/bhakti/index.html?mID=263

This type of sannyasam is based on this:

Assuming it is destined that such and such thing should happen in
this life, like one will drown to death or one will be bitten by
snake to death, or something will never happen. One way to
circumvent this is by ending this birth without really dying.
How? shAstras consider that taking sannyAsa is like death. The
moment one takes sannyAsa, the things that are predestined to
happen in this life will cease to happen. Since this normally
occurs like grave danger (death) or utmost difficulty it is
called aapat sannyAsa.

A brahamana can do this by plucking of his shika and casting away
his upaviidam. This is what shrii naarayaNa tiirtha did when he
was about to die, of course, here it is bhagavAn krishna's leela.

Refer also to bhagavan shrI shankara's story, AchArya's mother
refuses give consent to her small child taking sannyAsa, to
convince her, the parabrahman bhagavAn shrI shankara creates play
as if a crocodile is about to swallow him in the pond while his
mother is watching on the shore. He then tells her that if she
gives consent (one should not take sannyAsa without his parent's
consent) and he takes sannyAsa, what is destined to happen in
this life (swallowed by a crocodile) will cease to be. So the
dilemma for the mother is, either dead son, or a son leaving her
away as sannyAsi. She chooses latter so that at least he will be
living somewhere. Thus our AchArya took sannyAsa at a very young
age.

jaya jaya shankara hara hara shankara

Ravi


BTW nArAyaNa's tIrtha's life was captured in a beautiful
television serial by K.J. Yesudas (in Tamil), I was fortunate to
watch this particular episode. It was so beautiful, when he
appears normal to his mother-in-law, but to his wife he appears
as a sannyAsi, she being a pativrata, cannot recognize her
husband in that body and sees him only as a sannyAsi. This was
very well presented.

--
bhava shankara deshikame sharaNam

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