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HandWiki. Sannyasa. Encyclopedia. Available online: https://encyclopedia.pub/entry/28407 (accessed on 25 September 2026).
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HandWiki. "Sannyasa" Encyclopedia, https://encyclopedia.pub/entry/28407 (accessed September 25, 2026).
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HandWiki. "Sannyasa." Encyclopedia. Web. 08 October, 2022.
Sannyasa
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Sannyasa (saṃnyāsa) is the life stage of renunciation within the Hindu philosophy of four age-based life stages known as ashramas, with the first three being Brahmacharya (bachelor student), Grihastha (householder) and Vanaprastha (forest dweller, retired). Sannyasa is traditionally conceptualized for men or women in late years of their life, but young brahmacharis have had the choice to skip the householder and retirement stages, renounce worldly and materialistic pursuits and dedicate their lives to spiritual pursuits. Sannyasa is a form of asceticism, is marked by renunciation of material desires and prejudices, represented by a state of disinterest and detachment from material life, and has the purpose of spending one's life in peaceful, love-inspired, simple spiritual life. An individual in Sanyasa is known as a Sannyasi (male) or Sannyasini (female) in Hinduism, which in many ways parallel to the Sadhu and Sadhvi traditions of Jain monasticism, the bhikkhus and bhikkhunis of Buddhism and the monk and nun traditions of Christianity, respectively. Sannyasa has historically been a stage of renunciation, ahimsa (non-violence) peaceful and simple life and spiritual pursuit in Indian traditions. However, this has not always been the case. After the invasions and establishment of Muslim rule in India, from the 12th century through the British Raj, parts of the Shaiva and Vaishnava ascetics metamorphosed into a military order, to rebel against persecution, where they developed martial arts, created military strategies, and engaged in guerrilla warfare. These warrior sanyasis (ascetics) played an important role in helping European colonial powers establish themselves in India.

monasticism christianity renunciation

References

  1. saMnyAsa Monier-Williams' Sanskrit-English Dictionary, Cologne Digital Sanskrit Lexicon, Germany http://www.sanskrit-lexicon.uni-koeln.de/scans/MWScan/tamil/index.html
  2. Angus Stevenson and Maurice Wait (2011), Concise Oxford English Dictionary, ISBN:978-019-9601080, page 1275
  3. Patrick Olivelle (1981), Contributions to the Semantic History of Saṃnyāsa, Journal of the American Oriental Society, Vol. 101, No. 3, pages 265-274
  4. pravrajitA Sanskrit-English Dictionary, Koeln University, Germany http://spokensanskrit.de/index.php?tinput=pravrajitA&direction=SE&script=HK&link=yes&beginning=0
  5. yatin Sanskrit-English Dictionary, Koeln University, Germany http://spokensanskrit.de/index.php?tinput=yatin&direction=SE&script=HK&link=yes&beginning=0
  6. Jamison and Witzel (1992), Vedic Hinduism, Harvard University Archives, page 47 http://www.people.fas.harvard.edu/~witzel/vedica.pdf
  7. JF Sprockhoff (1981), Aranyaka und Vanaprastha in der vedischen Literatur, Neue Erwägungen zu einer alten Legende und ihren Problemen. Wiener Zeitschrift für die Kunde Südasiens und Archiv für Indische Philosophie Wien, 25, pages 19-90
  8. JF Sprockhoff (1976), Sanyāsa, Quellenstudien zur Askese im Hinduismus I: Untersuchungen über die Sannyåsa-Upaninshads, Wiesbaden, OCLC 644380709 https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/644380709
  9. Patrick Olivelle (1976), Vasudevåśrama Yatidharmaprakåśa: a treatise on world renunciation, Brill Netherlands, OCLC 4113269 https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/4113269
  10. GS Ghurye (1952), Ascetic Origins, Sociological Bulletin, Vol. 1, No. 2, pages 162-184;For Sanskrit original: Rigveda Wikisource;For English translation: Kesins Rig Veda, Hymn CXXXVI, Ralph Griffith (Translator) https://sa.wikisource.org/wiki/ऋग्वेद:_सूक्तं_१०.१३६
  11. Arthur Llewellyn Basham, The Origins and Development of Classical Hinduism, OCLC 19066012, ISBN:978-0807073001 https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/19066012
  12. M Khandelwal (2003), Women in Ochre Robes: Gendering Hindu Renunciation, State University of New York Press, ISBN:978-0791459225, pages 24-29
  13. In practice, women for example, entered Sannyasa in enough numbers that Chanakya's Arthashastra in 3rd century BC, mentions women ascetics (प्रव्रजिता, pravrajitā) in several chapters; see for example, R. Shamasastry (Translator) Chapter 23 page 160; also page 551 https://archive.org/stream/Arthasastra_English_Translation/Arthashastra_of_Chanakya_-_English#page/n159/mode/2up
  14. A. A. Ramanathan, Sannyasa Upanishad The Theosophical Publishing House, Chennai, verses 2.23 - 2.29 http://merki.lv/vedas/Upanishadas/Sannyasa%20Upanishad%20_eng_.pdf
  15. Mariasusai Dhavamony (2002), Hindu-Christian Dialogue: Theological Soundings and Perspectives, ISBN:978-9042015104, page 97
  16. SS Subramuniyaswami, The Two Paths of Dharma, p. 102, at Google Books, in What Is Hinduism? (Editors of Hinduism Today), Jan-Mar 2006, ISBN:978-1934145005, page 102 https://books.google.com/books?id=9XC9bwMMPcwC&pg=PA102
  17. Gavin Flood (2005), The Ascetic Self: Subjectivity, Memory and Tradition, Cambridge University Press, ISBN:978-0521604017, Chapter 4 with pages 105-107 in particular
  18. A Bhattacharya (2009), Applied Ethics, Center for Applied Ethics and Philosophy, Hokkaido University, ISBN:978-4990404611, pages 63-64
  19. Andrew Fort and Patricia Mumme (1996), Living Liberation in Hindu Thought, ISBN:978-0-7914-2706-4
  20. NE Thomas (1988), Liberation for Life: A Hindu Liberation Philosophy, Missiology: An International Review, 16(2): 149-162
  21. Knut Jacobsen (2011), in Jessica Frazier (Editor), The Bloomsbury companion to Hindu studies, Bloomsbury Academic, ISBN:978-1472511515, pages 74-83
  22. Klaus Klostermaier (1985), Mokṣa and Critical Theory, Philosophy East and West, 35(1): 61-71
  23. Andrew Fort (1998), Jivanmukti in Transformation, State University of New York Press, ISBN:0-7914-3904-6
  24. Lynn Denton (2004), Female Ascetics in Hinduism, State University of New York Press, ISBN:978-0791461808, page 100
  25. M Khandelwal (2003), Women in Ochre Robes: Gendering Hindu Renunciation, State University of New York Press, ISBN:978-0791459225, pages 34-40, 173
  26. P Van der Veer (1987), Taming the ascetic: Devotionalism in a Hindu monastic order, Man, 22(4): 680-695
  27. English Translation 1: Jeaneane D. Fowler (2012), The Bhagavad Gita: A Text and Commentary for Students, Sussex Academic Press, ISBN:978-1845193461, page 93;English Translation 2: Edwin Arnold, Bhagavad Gita Chapter 5, Wikisource
  28. Mariasusai Dhavamony (2002), Hindu-Christian Dialogue: Theological Soundings and Perspectives, ISBN:978-9042015104, page 96-97, 111-114
  29. Barbara Powell (2010), Windows Into the Infinite: A Guide to the Hindu Scriptures, Asian Humanities Press, ISBN:978-0875730714, pages 292-297
  30. KN Tiwari (2009), Comparative Religion, Motilal Banarsidass, ISBN:978-8120802933, pages 33-35
  31. Max Muller (Translator), Baudhayana Dharmasūtra Prasna II, Adhyaya 10, Kandika 18, The Sacred Books of the East, Vol. XIV, Oxford University Press, pages 279-281 https://archive.org/stream/pt2sacredlawsof14bhuoft#page/278/mode/2up
  32. The Samnyasa Upanisads: Hindu Scriptures on Asceticism and Renunciation. pp. 98–99. https://books.google.ie/books?id=fB8uneM7q1cC&pg=PA98&sig=P6KLLIhkzqHKk0fR9HeLtT5xXdE. Retrieved 18 September 2014. 
  33. The Samnyasa Upanisads: Hindu Scriptures on Asceticism and Renunciation. p. 99. https://books.google.ie/books?id=fB8uneM7q1cC&pg=PA99&sig=P6KLLIhkzqHKk0fR9HeLtT5xXdE. Retrieved 18 September 2014. 
  34. MM Singh (1967), Life in North-Eastern India in Pre-Mauryan Times at Google Books, Motilal Banarsidass, pages 131-139 https://books.google.com/books?id=O-00Ip4W1BUC
  35. Barbara Holdrege (2004), Dharma, in The Hindu World (Editors: Sushil Mittal and Gene Thursby), Routledge, ISBN:0 41521527-7, page 231
  36. (Olivelle 1993) translates them as classes, e.g. see footnote 70; while other authors translate them as castes
  37. Patrick Olivelle (1993), The Ashrama System: The History and Hermeneutics of a Religious Institution, Oxford University Press, ISBN:978-0195344783
  38. Patrick Olivelle (1993), The Ashrama System: The History and Hermeneutics of a Religious Institution, Oxford University Press, ISBN:978-0195344783, page 94
  39. RK Sharma (1999), Indian Society, Institutions and Change, ISBN:978-8171566655, page 28
  40. Alban Widgery (1930), The Principles of Hindu Ethics, International Journal of Ethics, 40(2): 232-245 https://www.jstor.org/stable/2377977
  41. What is Hinduism? (Editors of Hinduism Today), Two noble paths of Dharma, p. 101, at Google Books, Family Life and Monastic Life, Chapter 10 with page 101 in particular https://books.google.com/books?id=9XC9bwMMPcwC&pg=PA101
  42. Max Muller (Translator), Baudhayana Dharmasūtra Prasna II, Adhyaya 10, Kandika 17, The Sacred Books of the East, Vol. XIV, Oxford University Press https://archive.org/stream/pt2sacredlawsof14bhuoft#page/272/mode/2up
  43. Dharm Bhawuk (2011), Spirituality and Indian Psychology: Lessons from the Bhagavad-Gita, Springer Science, ISBN:978-1441981097, page 66
  44. See (Olivelle 1993) discussion of the development of the āśrama system in "Renouncer and Renunciation in the Dharmaśāstras."
  45. See (Olivelle 1993), "Renouncer and Renunciation in the Dharmaśāstras." p. 111
  46. For more references to renunciation by Śūdras and women, see (Olivelle 1993), "Renouncer and Renunciation in the Dharmaśāstras."
  47. See (Olivelle 1993), Saṃnyāsa Upaniṣads
  48. Law of Debt Vishnu Smriti, Julius Jolly (Translator), page 45 https://archive.org/stream/institutesvishn00jollgoog#page/n88/mode/2up
  49. Arthashastra - CHAPTER XVI: RESUMPTION OF GIFTS, SALE WITHOUT OWNERSHIP AND OWNERSHIP Book III, Wikisource
  50. See for example, Arthasastra - CHAPTER X: Fines in Lieu of Mutilation of Limbs Book IV, Wikisource; see also Book IV, Chapter XI which declared murder of an ascetic as a capital crime.
  51. Andrew O. Fort and Patricia Y. Mumme (1996), Living Liberation in Hindu Thought, State University of New York Press, ISBN:978-0791427057, pages 8-12
  52. Gavin Flood (2005), The Ascetic Self: Subjectivity, Memory and Tradition, Cambridge University Press, ISBN:978-0521604017, pages 60-74
  53. Thor Johansen (2009), Religion and Spirituality in Psychotherapy: An Individual Psychology Perspective, Springer, ISBN:978-0826103857, pages 148-154
  54. A Sharma (2000), Classical Hindu Thought: An Introduction, Oxford University Press, ISBN:978-0195644418, pages 24-28
  55. David N. Lorenzen (1978), Warrior Ascetics in Indian History, Journal of the American Oriental Society, 98(1): 61-75 https://www.jstor.org/stable/600151
  56. William Pinch (2012), Warrior Ascetics and Indian Empires, Cambridge University Press, ISBN:978-1107406377
  57. Alf Hiltebeitel, Their name is Legion, in Rethinking India's Oral and Classical Epics, University of Chicago Press, ISBN:978-0226340500, page 332-334 and footnote 104 on page 333
  58. P van der Veer (2007), Book Review, The American Historical Review, 112(1): 177-178,doi:10.1086/ahr.112.1.177 https://doi.org/10.1086%2Fahr.112.1.177
  59. Christian Novetzke (2011), Religion and Public Memory: A Cultural History of Saint Namdev in India, Columbia University Press, ISBN:978-0231141857, pages 173-175
  60. Patrick Olivelle (1998), Upaniṣhads. Oxford University Press, ISBN:978-0199540259
  61. Note: This exists in two manuscripts, Brihat and Laghu. Olivelle, Patrick (1992). The Samnyasa Upanisads. Oxford University Press. pp. x-xi. ISBN 978-0195070453. 
  62. Paul Deussen (Translator), Sixty Upanisads of the Veda, Vol 2, Motilal Banarsidass, ISBN:978-8120814684, pages 568, 763-767
  63. Olivelle, Patrick (1992). The Samnyasa Upanisads. Oxford University Press. pp. x-xi, 4–9. ISBN 978-0195070453. 
  64. Hume, Robert Ernest (1921), The Thirteen Principal Upanishads, Oxford University Press  https://archive.org/details/thirteenprincipa028442mbp
  65. Paul Deussen (Translator), Sixty Upanisads of the Veda, Vol 1, Motilal Banarsidass, ISBN:978-8120814684, pages 327-386
  66. Paul Deussen (Translator), Sixty Upanisads of the Veda, Vol 1, Motilal Banarsidass, ISBN:978-8120814684, pages 332-333
  67. Paul Deussen (Translator), Sixty Upanisads of the Veda, Vol 1, Motilal Banarsidass, ISBN:978-8120814684, pages 367, 373
  68. Olivelle, Patrick (1992). The Samnyasa Upanisads. Oxford University Press. pp. x-xi, 8–18. ISBN 978-0195070453. 
  69. Sprockhoff, Joachim F (1976) (in German). Samnyasa: Quellenstudien zur Askese im Hinduismus. Wiesbaden: Kommissionsverlag Franz Steiner. pp. 277–294, 319–377. ISBN 978-3515019057. 
  70. Stephen H Phillips (1995), Classical Indian Metaphysics, Columbia University Press, ISBN:978-0812692983, page 332 with note 68
  71. Antonio Rigopoulos (1998), Dattatreya: The Immortal Guru, Yogin, and Avatara, State University of New York Press, ISBN:978-0791436967, pages 62-63
  72. Olivelle, Patrick (1992). The Samnyasa Upanisads. Oxford University Press. pp. 17–18. ISBN 978-0195070453. 
  73. Antonio Rigopoulos (1998), Dattatreya: The Immortal Guru, Yogin, and Avatara, State University of New York Press, ISBN:978-0791436967, page 81 note 27
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