[Advaita-l] Sanyasins

[V Subrahmanian]

On Mon, Apr 1, 2013 at 12:08 PM, vijay kartik <vijaykartik_2004 at yahoo.com>wrote:

> Thanks for the responses.
> My question is less with reference to the Vedic era and more with
> reference to the centuries before Adi Sankara. Was the phenomenon of
> "direct" sanyaasa very rare during these centuries? The names quoted are
> more in the Vedic era. In other words, is it to be understood that it was
> only after Sankara's period and preachings that "direct" Sanyaasa gained
> prominence (for want of a better phrase). Was it somehow influenced by the
> Buddhist monkhood practices?
>
> Vijay
>

The JAbAlopaniShat says 'yadahareva virajet tadahareva pravrajet, gRhAdvA
vanAdvA, yadi vA brahmacharyAdeva pravrajet.'  Upon acquiring teevra
vairAgyam one should renounce, either from householder's stage or from the
vAnaprastha stage or even from brahmacharya aashrama.  Shankara has, in the
Br.Up. bhashyam commented for the mantras that teach: those brAhmaNa-s
endowed with vairAgyam, even before entering the householder's stage, take
to renunciation, reasoning: We have known the Self and That is everything
for us. What need is there for us by endeavoring to beget children?

In the BGB 2.72 He says:

स्थित्वा अस्यां स्थितौ ब्राह्म्यां यथोक्तायां अन्तकालेऽपि अन्त्ये वयस्यपि
ब्रह्मनिर्वाणं ब्रह्मनिर्वृतिं मोक्षम् ऋच्छति गच्छति। किमु वक्तव्यं
ब्रह्मचर्यादेव संन्यस्य यावज्जीवं यो ब्रह्मण्येव अवतिष्ठते स
ब्रह्मनिर्वाणमृच्छति इति।
//2.72 O Partha, esa, this, the aforesaid; is brahmisthitih, the state of
being established in Brahman, i.e. continuing (in life) in identification
with Brahman, after renouncing all actions.Na vimuhyati, one does not
become deluded; prapya, after attaining ; enam, this Rcchati, one attains;
brahma-nirvanam, identification with Brahman, Liberation; sthitva, by being
established; asyam, in this, in the state of Brahman-hood as described;
api, even; anta-kale, in the closing years of one's life. What need it be
said that, one who remains established only in Brahman during the whole
life, after having espoused monasticism even from the stage of celibacy,
attains identification with Brahman! //

I do not think Shankara was saying something that was not in practice
during His times.

regards
subrahmanian.v



>
>
>
>
> ________________________________
>  From: Venkata sriram P <venkatasriramp at yahoo.in>
> To: advaita-l at lists.advaita-vedanta.org
> Sent: Monday, April 1, 2013 1:54 AM
> Subject: [Advaita-l] Sanyasins
>
> In rg veda, the word *vAtarashana kEsha* (10.136.2) word denoted
> malIna-vastra-dhara tapasvins.  So, the sanyAsa dharma was anAdi which was
> mentioned in our shruti,smriti & purANAs.   Study of all the sanyAsa
> upanishads would also reinforce this fact that yati parampara existed even
> prior to acharya sankara.
> However, in what form and whether there was yOga paTTa or not we don't
> know becauseSankara Bhagavatpada was the trendsetter in muttamnAya
> anushAsana and dasanamisampradAya.
> As per nArada parivrAjaka & bhikshu upanishad, shvEtakEtu, rubhu, nidAgha,
> jaDabharata,durvAsa, saMvartaka, sanatsujAta, vaidEha, vaTasiddha, shuka,
> vAmadEva, dattAtrEya, raivataka, gOrakSa, harItaka were paramahamsAs;
> and gautama, bhAradwAja, yAjnavalkya, vashishta were kutichakAs.
> However, the most prominent yati sampradAya which is anAdi and and vibrant
> even today is the dattAtrEya sampradAya which is known for it's *avadhUta
> parampara*.
> Jagatguru dattAtrEya was born to Atri and Anasuya.  He remained as a
> brahmachAri and is a trilOka sanchAri. In Kali Yuga, He took 16 avatArAs to
> bless His devotees. The speciality of the datta avatara unlike other
> avataras is that there is noavatAra parisamApti for Him.
> He roams like a mad man, naked (sometimes with a loin cloth to save His
> lajjatva), with dust and mud all over His body and sometimes seen with
> sandal paste and bhasma smeared all over His body.  He is sometimes seen
> among the group of drunkards and sometimes among the group of mad men; He
> is sometimes seenalone performing the haTa yOga with utmost ease; He is
> sometimes seenimmersed in nAda yOga; He is sometimes seen as a young lad
> and sometimes asas an old man; He is sometimes seen as an outcast with 4
> dogs behind and quiteoften seen as an hardcore vaidika brAhmaNa doing the
> swAdhyAya of the shAstrAs.
>
> regs,sriram
>
>
>
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