The Path of Sannyasa

Uddhava: "O Vasudeva, You have spoken of sannyasa as the final stage of life. What exactly is the life of a true renunciate? What does such a person do, and how do they sustain themselves?"

Krishna: "The sannyasi has renounced all that ordinary people hold dear—home, family, possessions, reputation, even their own name. They wander without fixed abode, dependent on whatever comes, attached to nothing."

Uddhava: "How do they survive? What do they eat? Where do they sleep?"

Krishna: "They beg for food, accepting whatever is given without preference. They eat only enough to sustain the body—not for pleasure but for maintenance. They sleep wherever night finds them—under a tree, in a cave, by a river, in an abandoned building. The earth is their bed, the sky their roof."

Uddhava: "Is this not extremely difficult? Most people could not endure such hardship."

Krishna: "That is why sannyasa is not for everyone. It requires great inner strength. But here is the secret, Uddhava: for one who has truly renounced, it is not hardship at all. The burden is not in having little—it is in having much and fearing its loss. The sannyasi has nothing to lose; therefore they have nothing to fear."

Uddhava: "What is their daily practice?"

Krishna: "They spend their time in meditation, contemplation, and remembrance of Me. They may study scripture, but more often they simply abide in silence. They have transcended the need for external practices—their very existence has become worship."

Uddhava: "Do they interact with others?"

Krishna: "Minimally. They do not seek company, but if someone approaches with questions, they share wisdom according to that person's capacity. They do not preach uninvited or gather followers. Their teaching is primarily through presence rather than words."

Uddhava: "What about their duties? Do they have any obligations?"

Krishna: "Their only obligation is to realize the Self. All other duties have been fulfilled or abandoned. The sannyasi has paid their debt to the ancestors through their earlier life; now they focus entirely on liberation. They perform no rituals, observe no social customs, follow no schedules."

Uddhava: "Some sannyasis seem to enjoy fame and honor. Are they genuine?"

Krishna: "True sannyasa is internal. One who has externally renounced but internally craves recognition is no renunciate—they have merely changed costumes. Conversely, one who lives in society with full internal detachment may be a greater sannyasi than those in ochre robes. The robe does not make the renunciate; the mind does."

Uddhava: "What is the state of mind of a true sannyasi?"

Krishna: "Perfect equanimity. They see no difference between gold and garbage, praise and blame, pleasure and pain. When honored, they feel nothing. When insulted, they feel nothing. This is not suppression—it is the natural state of one who knows they are the unchanging Self."

Uddhava: "Do they feel anything at all?"

Krishna: "They feel, but they are not disturbed by feelings. Sensations arise in the body; thoughts arise in the mind. But the sannyasi knows: "I am not this body, not this mind. I am the witness of all this." Therefore sensations and thoughts pass through them like wind through an open window."

Uddhava: "What if the body becomes sick? What if they face death?"

Krishna: "They accept whatever comes. If medicine is offered, they may take it or refuse it—it does not matter. If death approaches, they welcome it as a friend. Having lived without attachment, they die without attachment. The body is discarded like worn-out clothing."

Uddhava: "This seems like a lonely path."

Krishna: "Only to those who have not walked it. The sannyasi has found the companion who never leaves—the Self within, which is identical with Me. How can one who has found the Infinite feel lonely? Loneliness comes from incompleteness. The sannyasi is complete."

Uddhava: "Can sannyasa be combined with devotion? Some say the path of knowledge is dry, without love."

Krishna: "The highest sannyasa is inseparable from devotion. The true renunciate has renounced everything except love for Me. In fact, their love burns brighter precisely because nothing else remains to compete with it. They have cast away all other relationships to embrace the one relationship that fulfills all others."

Uddhava: "What happens to such a sannyasi after death?"

Krishna: "They do not return. Having exhausted all karma, having realized the Self, they merge into My eternal being. Or, if they prefer, they continue in a spiritual form, serving Me in My eternal abode. The choice is theirs, for they have earned complete freedom."

Uddhava: "Krishna, I am drawn to this path, yet I also feel called to serve You in the world."

Krishna: "Both are valid, Uddhava. You can practice internal sannyasa while performing external service. Renounce attachment, not action. Renounce ego, not engagement. Do everything as an offering to Me, claiming nothing as your own. This is the sannyasa that suits your nature, and it will bring you to the same goal."