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The Path of Sannyasi and Grihastha Yogi

What is sannyasa?
Sannyasa in translation means "abandonment" with the prescription of specific vows of the ashram, and sannyasa implies, first of all, a certain level of consciousness. Sannyasa ashram is also a part of society, it complements other parts of it: brahmachari, grihastha, and vanaprastha ashrams. In India, initially, the transition to sannyasa took place gradually: fr om the grihastha one moved to the vanaprastha, i.e. a person may still be family, but leaves for a while, either alone or with his wife, to a quiet place in order to make a retreat. In a simple way, this can be called a vacation, when a person temporarily leaves all the fuss and plunges into practice, in order to rethink himself and the world. This training at the vanaprastha ashram exists in order to gain the experience of renunciation. Due to the fact that renunciation is above external attributes, there were tantric sannyasins in India and those who did not come into contact with the world at all.
The tantric way is such that sadhaka doesn't need to leave anything outwardly, but he should nevertheless adhere to certain practices that he needs to prepare for properly. However, you should be careful, because there are currently many false tantrics who can easily call you a "tantric avadhuta". In fact, you also need to prepare for this level and go through a lot of school – including brahmacharya and everything else. Full sannyasa with the abandonment of the world also requires preparation.
No matter what kind of sannyasa is going to be transmitted, Guru first examines the applicant, whether he has enough strength, whether he has the necessary siddhis to resist Maya. Sannyasa is given only to the proven. In the Nath Sampradaya, there is a division similar to the vanaprastha and sannyasa ashrams, according to which yogins are called aughars and darshanis.
Nath's categories
Naths can be grihasthas, such are called "jogi" and there are nath-monks, such are called "yogi"; in other words, "yogi" is avadhu, and "jogi" is avadhuta. Naths jogis are mainly found in Nepal (although they are in India). In Nepal they are also called "kapalika", they are considered a separate caste of the ordinary Nepali (Indian) society. This caste is called the "Jogi caste". They practice tantrism. Natha-yogis focus on something else – they isolate themselves fr om everything gross (sthula) and focus on the subtle (sukshma). Natha-yogis, like non-worldly sadhus, are aimed at shunya (emptiness), it is their goal, emptiness not like sushupti, but like turyatita.
Is there an opportunity for a family man to grow spiritually? Of course there is, if the family has a true spiritual Teacher. The emphasis is on TRUE One, not tied to the mundane. If the couple follows his instructions and perceives his words as authoritative, if the Guru comes first. This path is gradual, without sudden leaps and, in principle, if the family as a whole is oriented towards the spiritual, despite all its social activities, then realization is possible. At least, the authorities of our lineage say so, such as Guru Digvijainath, Guru Gambhirnath and others, there are many life examples when grihasthas realized siddhis and mystical experiences of a high level.
A family man often can be only formally such as but in reality does not live a family life at all. Or you can, for example, live in a civil marriage, but be listed as a monk of the Sadhu order. Sannyasa for avadhus or avadhutas is given to those who have become stronger on the path of nitya-sadhana, and it is clear fr om them that everyday life and family life will not pull a person into a psychological vice i.e. if a person sees life as part of yoga, and not vice versa, then he is a sadhu, even if formally he lives a family life. And if he practices yoga for fun, then he is still "bhogi" (enjoying), not yogi, and he is not ready for the initiations of "chira" or even "choti" yet.
Further, if a person lives a family life, then he should focus on renunciation, not in the sense of abruptly giving up everything, but in order to know the basic guidelines, for example, how much to practice sadhana per day, then his family life is preparation. Gradually, he should increase sadhana and the level of detachment that comes with life experience.
Becoming a sannyasin, he must reach the maximum peak in his asceticism, and gradually, with a new vision, explore the world. He does not need to run away from the world, on the contrary, the world makes renunciation better, the main thing is to understand at what level you are now and decide for yourself wh ere you need to start, so that everything goes smoothly. There have been many cases when people received sannyasa without being ready for it, and then returned to wh ere they started life, plunging into it in such a state that it blew them to smithereens. Therefore, it is better to move gradually, but reliably.
The Reality of Sannyasa
A follower of any religion can be initiated into the Nath Tradition. A one can come to the Guru of Natha sampradaya, and the Guru will teach him according to what the person has. Grihastha-disciples are still attached to a conditioned social environment. Then the sadhaka-disciple practices sadhana more intensively and becomes a nath-aughar, then decides to devote his whole life to this path, becoming a sadhu and receives purna-sannyasa. Sannyasa means abandoning everything that is connected with the traditional way of life of ordinary people. If you are not strong in renunciation of the world, then you certainly need to follow one main Tradition and one Guru.
When you leave society, you will fall into the tradition of detached sadhus, wh ere the laws are completely different, and therefore a lot of things overlap in this world. This can be explained by the following example: you went to some site, and you were interested in something there, at that moment you forgot about everything else, because you got carried away and lost self-control. But if you contact without connecting, then you see not one sphere, but many at once, because you do not lose control, you have certain siddhis, and you have passed a good school in all aspects.
When you are not attached to anything, you have many alternatives, when you are attached, you do not have them, you are at a dead end. This is similar to how a person learns to drive a car – if he drinks even a little, then trouble can happen, and if a person is an experienced driver, then it may not occur. The same thing happens with practitioners at different levels in the Tradition – if the student has not yet established himself in discipleship, then he needs to focus on stability and bhakti, if he has become stronger in them, then he needs to develop a flexible vision of the world. Preferably in this order.
There is another reality in the sadhu’s world, sadhus can travel the world, gathering knowledge from all masters. They do not run away from one, getting stuck in another, sadhus never get stuck, while they deeply see what one or another Guru can teach them.
The vows that Sannyasis adhere to
Brahmacharya is important, especially if one wants to live as a sadhu. Sex is inextricably linked with social activities, but if a person lives as a sannyasi and leaves society, then also the desire for sex should be left. It is possible to do this only if the person has received a great alternative to material life, so there are not many who have completely abandoned all worldly activities. And besides, it will be difficult to have a relationship with women so that they do not involve him in the mundane, if only he manipulates and deceives the women, but this also takes a lot of energy, and as a result the whole sadhana suffers, as well as the moral qualities of such a practitioner.
The true sannyasa means abandoning all social activities, except those related to the preaching of the dharma. A sadhu cannot live as a family man with a wife, children, etc. He must devote most of his time to meditation. If you are not ready for this yet, you can be a grihastha, or you can temporarily live as a sadhu in a temple, adhering to what all monks adhere to.
If you live as a grihastha practitioner, then you should live with a woman who is faithful to you, because if she doesn't, it may negatively affect your sadhana. A woman who cheats will bring blows to your affections, and if you are a grihastha, then there is no point in deceiving yourself that you do not have them. And if there is, then negative emotional states will reduce your entire yoga practice to physical education. Such yoga will become a "spiritual garbage dump", it cannot and will never be a yoga-sadhana. Learn yoga from those who lead a pure lifestyle themselves and, together with techniques, can give you the right ideas about what yoga is.
There are rules for sadhus and for grihasthas, this is important for yoga as a spiritual practice, but if, of course, yoga interests you simply as gymnastics, which will temporarily facilitate the existence of your body in this world, then general physical "yoga" is enough for you. For sadhana, discipline is important. In India, in temples, there are women who can cook, do their work and practice, but sex is definitely excluded there. So don't be surprised if you come to India and see strict discipline there, it's really important.
Questions to Guru Yogi Matsyendranath Maharaj:
Is the Nath tradition purely monastic, or are there still grihastha yogin disciples?
There are three categories of naths: avalyambi-grihastha – a follower of the Nath Tradition, aughar – a sadhu monk, one who practices a lot and devotes most of his time to sadhana, darshani – one who devotes all his time to sadhana. This is the traditional graduation of those who belong to the Natha sampradaya.
Whether an aughar or a darshani can be a family one, I define it as follows. First, sadhaka must live a non-family life for some time (usually at least six months), to see what kind of condition it is. Not so that you can do anything else for days, but practice two hours a day.
It is to try to live completely as an ascetic, because without knowing the taste of normal serious asceticism, he simply will have nothing to compare with, and there is no point in discussing with him what renunciation is. He will just speculate and theorize on the topics of renunciation. After asceticism, he must try to live a family life again, and decide how he really lives. Perhaps this will be some kind of middle way.
It is possible to be a monk in the world, but the main thing is that these are not just beautiful theories. Naths don't care about theories at all, they are very straightforward people. In our Tradition, everything is built on sincere trust, and you choose the Guru you trust, for this purpose parikram is performed, etc. And if the Guru talks about something, how to do the right thing, then it should be taken seriously.
Family relationships are important, if you want to practice and live with your wife, then it is important that she helps you in her own way, doing what is prescribed for a woman, and you, in turn, do what is proper for a man. The goal of both is to achieve maximum spiritual realization in this life, and the spouse is your second self, the problems of one are the problems of the other. Therefore, for family life, of course, a high-quality understanding of another person plays an important role. You are trying together to come to more than one can come, and your relationship should be harmonized with objective reality with the help of the Guru. Who is Guru? This is not just a material body, Guru is a means to cognize the Supreme or even an aim. Guru is everything, the whole universe is Guru. Every person always has a Guru and some kind of power that develops him, it's just that some people are able to perceive it very well, while others are not very good. Those who strive for a better perception of the whole world are students and they are developing.
I would also add that in Nath Sampradaya, even augharas and darshanis can be married, but not everywhere in India. In Nepal, this is acceptable, but it does not affect the level of initiations. Everything is carried out there as follows: for eleven months a sadhu performs tapas, or becomes a mahant, and then you can choose whether you want to live a family life, or vice versa. In the Tradition, different panths are located in different places, they are adapted to the laws of the area. Some are accepted in certain places, and some are not. Nathas are a Tantric line, so there are no problems with any lifestyle. Of course, vairagya and retreats play a significant role.
If a person becomes a sannyasi, but at the same time he has a mess in his social life, for example, because of his laziness, he did not achieve his professional goals, would this be a common giving up?
No, sannyasa is not a giving up. People have a misconception about sannyasa, seeing how some "sannyasins" receive it not for sadhana, but for worldly titles and goals, or in order to arrange a rest for themselves, and sometimes, oddly enough, even from the sadhana itself with the appearance of a quiet life. This kind of sannyasa is really “giving up”.
The real acceptance of sannyasa is necessary for the order of sannyasis to support the sadhakas’ practice, since worldly people do not understand why it is necessary, and therefore they will not treat well the fact that you do not share 100% of their lifestyle and value system. Since most people see happiness in what unnoticed limits them in fact, and vice versa, they see sannyasa as a limitation.
In this world, in fact, there is not a single person who would not depend completely on external factors, so even if one understands theoretically that it is possible to develop in family life, without the support of those who left the worldly life, it is almost impossible. Just becoming spiritual by reading books, no matter how valuable their contents are, is not enough. Life is much more complicated than any book, so school and parampara are important.
There are many different illusions that an ordinary person can fall into, and no yoga or tantra courses are able to resolve them. To some extent, it is true that there is a way to "gain experience" and the opinion that only after a person has become strong, his renunciation will have value. But someone can convince himself that he is developing in this way. And at the same time, his material attachments will grow even stronger. Therefore, the idea that a person should become strong has two sides of the coin.
In a social school, the teacher gives a diploma stating that we have passed such and such subjects, and then a person may not study, because he will start another life. In it, all these developments may be unnecessary. He comes back to this teacher and says, "Something doesn't match reality with what you taught me before." Then the teacher will say that this is a new training. In this case, the question is: why did you need so much officiousness in training, with the guarantee that a person will become a great specialist if the training never ends? Someone studied for several years and gained siddhis (perfections) in one area, but remained a "layman" in another area because there is no practice in it. This is called aparavidya (limited knowledge).
And sannyasa is meant for acquiring paravidya (supreme knowledge). When we have a pure vision, we are able to understand the deep essence of any system: bhakti, vama marga, jnana, whatever. But if we think that there is truth in conditioned objects, imitating, for example, those who profess the path of development in society (and at the same time recommending that no one guide a person), then there is no guarantee that this is not a delusion. After all, there are many different subtle temptations, and a sannyasi chooses a path that leaves them all.
In one $100 bill there are $50 and $20 and $10 and $5 and $1. It is single, but it is whole, so why then a trifle? Accepting sannyasa is equivalent to leaving a low-paying job and getting a high-paying one. Of course, a person could have acquaintances on a low-paid job, but all these people are unhappy themselves, and for all their little kindness, even if they consider it pure and sincere, they cannot significantly help. But the one who understands this acts "in a big way", leaving the "little things". A major businessman solves major problems, a small one solves small ones, but the challenges always exist, so transitioning to bigger ones does not mean running away, but rather the opposite. Although a material example is given for comparison, the actual essence of accepting sannyasa is similar.
How much can non-social life help in sadhana?
Of course, this is ideal if the sadhaka has decided to devote all his time to spiritual practice. The main thing is that this decision should come by itself, without any self-torture. Otherwise, such sadhana will be of little use and unjustified great loss of power. A sadhaka can accept avadhood already after receiving the aughar initiation. But he should not strive for this just for the sake of one name and title. Becoming an "Aughara" does not mean that he is an enlightened Guru or Mahasiddha.
If a sadhaka has become an avadhuta, then he must be extremely honest in his sadhana and sincerely devote all his time to it alone. It is desirable that he avoid, if possible, those situations that take away a lot of his strength. He should not waste the energy he receives on everything in vain. Avadhuta must be well prepared to live independently of everything social. If he has students, they can help him with voluntary donations, if not, then he should be able to live on alms, collecting dakshina as much as he needs for a modest living. If he is with the Guru, he must give everything he has collected to him, if he is alone, he must collect only the minimum for the most necessary. A sadhu should live very simply, he should be empty and open, ready to leave everything at any moment. In communicating with people, preach to them, avoiding empty conversations about worldly things.
How do sadhus differ from sannyasins, apart from their appearance? What are the differences between sadhus who walk practically naked and sannyasis who wear saffron (orange) robes?
A sadhu is someone who constantly performs sadhana, a sadhu is a sannyasin (who has abandoned everything that is not related to spiritual practice). There are two main categories of sadhus in the Nath Tradition, the first is aughara (partial sannyasa) and the second is darshani (full sannyasa).
Both of these categories are sannyasins, just one of them is digambara (clothed in space, i.e. without clothes at all). Clothing is a kind of social attribute, if they wear anything, then a loincloth, and sometimes they do not have it. As for saffron, wearing it is equivalent to not wearing clothes.
Usually worldly people like to wear colorful clothes, dress up, and are judged by such clothes. Saffron clothing is called "bhagava" by the Naths, the fabric for it was previously dyed with natural dyes, clay, for example. The point is that there is nothing artificial about these clothes, and it has a certain meaning. Factories make clothes from artificial, non-natural materials, and paint them in unnatural colors, and the color ocher symbolizes a mixture of all colors through nature itself. The mixture of everything does not specify anything (in this case, the attitude towards society). Although the semantic load of this symbolism is much greater, the main thing is to understand it, because it is directly related to yoga as a spiritual practice. There are also special mantras for clothes, they affect the state of prana.
Is there a gradation between sadhus? For example, are digambaras above orange-robed sannyasins in status in the order, or vice versa?
Depending on whom to consider, digambaras are found in many lines of sadhus: Jains, Nagas, Naths. Naths have only three main categories, the first is the general circle of disciples who communicate with the Guru, practice seva, and receive instructions on how and what to do in this difficult life. The second sadhus are the aughars, who are fully accepted into the Tradition. These are usually those who are truly devoted to Tradition. Still others who have established themselves in it and decided that this is their path forever, this is sadhu-darshanis.
Further, those who have become aughar or darshani are given another diksha – bhabhu, this is the practice of applying ashes to the naked body, one sequence is performed in the morning, another at night, since there is a connection with the currents of prana-apana. In general, it's the same as digambaras, but you don't have to be naked. All these dikshas are related to a very specific lifestyle and rituals. And the ritual attributes, such as the whistle and the janeu thread, actually have a huge meaning. They relate to the human energy structure, the three doshas, the seven dhatus, the five elements that make up the body. Guru tells all the details to the disciple at diksha.
Tags: sampradaya nathas forum
Author: Yogi Matsyendranath Maharaj