ज्ञेयः स नित्यसन्न्यासी यो न द्वेष्टि न काङ्क्षति ।
निर्द्वन्द्वो हि महाबाहो सुखं बन्धात्प्रमुच्यते ।। ५.३ ।।

jñeyaḥ sa nitya-sannyāsī yo na dveṣṭi na kāṅkṣati |
nirdvandvo hi mahā-bāho sukhaṁ bandhāt pramucyate || 5.3 ||

Know him to be a ‘renunciate, every moment’, who does not desire or hate. O mighty armed, the one given to nirdvandvatva (rising beyond dual notions) is comfortably freed from all kinds of bondage.

Sannyasa literally means renunciation. One who has taken to renunciation is called a renunciate, a sannyasin. But is sannyasa a mere order of life, as it is understood generally, like the other orders – brahmacarya (celibate life), garhasthya (householder-life) and vanaprastha (anchorite life)? Can anyone, who has taken up the sannyasa order of life, be, by that very fact, considered a sannyasin? Is not a consideration, an evaluation, of this nature called for, as it should be in any other field or pursuit?

Krishna discusses the subject, responding to the question of Arjuna. Bhagavad Gita thus becomes a very significant and fundamental scriptural composition, in which concepts, disciplines, values, ideals and goals of life are very critically analyzed and presented. See the manner in which Krishna throws insight into sannyasa and sannyasin.

Sannyasa is an attainment, inner and wholesome, relating to the mind and intelligence of man, he clarifies. It is an outcome brought about by the seeker’s perception and assessment about life, his understanding of the world around and the interactions with it. Rather than accepting things as such, the seeker must look at everything with a fundamental and integral point of view. The hold of conventional notions has to fall as a result. And a bold, clear vision is evolved. In fact, the Bhagavad Gita strives to make the seeker grow and develop such a deep, wholesome, elevated view of life. Herein lies the distinction and superiority of the dialogue.

The essence of sannyasa, Krishna says, lies in the mind getting freed of its subjugation. Desire and hatred grip the mind, right from one’s birth. Krishna had earlier called these duals as raga-dvesha, iccha-dvesha or kama-krodha. Now he describes them as kanksha and dvesha.

Whoever frees himself from the dual of desire (kanksha) and hatred (dvesha), points out Krishna, is a constant-sannyasin. Desire and hatred dwell in the mind. To be a sannyasin, the seeker has to get into the mind and free it from the stranglehold of desire and hatred. It is the same message that Krishna made earlier too, right from the 2nd chapter.

The first note is when he described life as “an interaction between senses and objects of the world (matra-sparsa) producing dual effects on the mind” – (2.14). He then enlarged the scope of samatva to cover all kinds of dvandvas of the mind (2.38) and gave a call for nirdvandvatva, to rise above all pairs of opposites. The seeker has to transcend the dual creations of the three gunas of nature and be transparent. He confirms and enriches this transcendence by calling yoga the “key to excellence in action” (yogah karmasu kausalam – 2.50).

Krishna has clearly alluded to the sublimity of renunciation when he emphasized that by dint of yoga-buddhi (integrated intelligence) one truly abandons both virtue and vice (sukrta and dushkrta – 2.50). The excellence and elevation of the mind, when it is freed from the ‘duals’ of raga and dvesha, are again the subject of his sthitaprajnasthitadhi descriptions (2.55, 56, 64). To transcend raga-bhaya-krodha is verily to be like Krishna himself. It is to attain the lofty state of the Knower, of Godliness (4.10).

It is the same sublimity and enrichment the mind begets, when it is rid of the usual ‘duals’ of desire and hatred; this is what Krishna emphasizes here too. The samatva of the mind, or the purity and sublimity it achieves, is in fact, the only secret and fruition of spirituality and religion.

Sannyasa normally means abandoning the usual worldly life. Worldly life means life and interactions with the world objects and environments, with their usual impacts. Krishna has already explained that every sensory object carries with it the tint of raga (attraction or desire) and dvesha (dislike or hatred). To be interacting with the sensory objects will thus imply falling a prey to raga and dvesha. That is why he warned that one should not become a victim to these, calling them as stark enemies on the path of the seeker (3.34).

Sannyasa, in the way of renouncing worldly life, has this simple, basic purpose – of not being subdued by raga-dvesha. If this is the real purpose of renunciation, then, says Krishna, one should discreetly strive to eliminate the raga-dvesha duo wherever and whenever it assails the mind. That is why in describing the sthita-prajna and sthita-dhi, he clearly laid down the principle of “employing the senses to interact with the objects, being mentally free of attraction and repulsion”. The words he used are: “raga-dvesha-viyuktaistu vishayan-indriyaiscaran” (2.64). One who adopts and pursues this principle, will get enriched inwardly by interactions themselves. And he will attain abundant tranquility (prasadam adhigacchati).

Does it mean that those who take up the sannyasa order of life and move about as sannyasins are really not so? Does true sannyasa consist in something deeper and subtler, which the general lot of sannyasins even fail to grasp? Is it that sannyasa, as an order of life, or discipline, is primarily aimed at helping and facilitating the true inner spiritual attainment?

Krishna states very clearly that the essence of yoga is the essence of sannyasa too. In other words, sannyasa is an inner attainment, consisting of enlightenment on the one hand and sublimation and enrichment on the other, both of which relate to the intelligence and the mind. He explains beautifully what this inner attainment of enrichment and sublimation is.

‘To be a sannyasin is in reality to be free of desire and hatred’, is the preface Krishna makes. The mind of anyone is normally given to love and hatred. You will find this trait even in the new born child. If you put a little sugar on his tongue, the child will start licking quite happily. On the other hand, if you give him something bitter, his reaction will be quite visibly different. He dislikes the taste outright. This ‘dual’ note which finds expression in every sensory interaction, continues to grow and dominate the human, even when he grows up.

Unless a wholesome effort is made, this stranglehold on the mind cannot be removed. The mind given to love and hate is clearly under the spell of dvandvas (opposites). A nirdvandva is one who is not caught up by this dvandva-fostering-attitude. The nirdvandva orientation, Krishna points out, will enable the seeker to be freed of all inner bondages.

‘Sukham bandhat pramucyate’ are the words he uses (5.3). The word ‘sukham’ (easily) is to be noted. Sannyasa may carry a measure of hard ascetic discipline and exclusiveness. But in yoga-pursuit this fate is avoided skillfully by taking to the pursuit of nirdvandvatva.

We should not fail to understand that the whole dialogue is between rulers. Kings are given to the comforts as well as the burdens of the throne. For them any spiritual discipline and austerity must be in keeping with their royal life and responsibilities. The usual ascetic renunciation naturally will not be harmonious with them. At the same time, they should not be denied the great benefits the ascetic life and sublimation bestow. How then to fill the gap, and club the two distinct ways? Krishna’s whole effort has been to accomplish this great task of integration – integrating spiritual wisdom and karma-yoga.

Krishna defined sannyasa and sannyasin in his own novel and sovereign manner, rendering clarity and purpose to the subject matter. The dialogue, thus, lives as an immortal exposition and interpretation of the ageless Upanishads, which have but one theme and mission – imparting Brahmavidya, the knowledge and realization of the Soul!

To discuss spirituality is to deal with the eternal problems of human mind and intelligence. Analyzed closely, tormenting thoughts trouble the mind and various kinds of doubts eclipse the intelligence. Both subtly conspire to create all the troubles and travails for humans. The plight, in its full depth and intensity, is called bondage (bandhana). Arjuna’s plight is, in fact, a bondage of this kind. Krishna is bent upon redressing it in all thoroughness.

The Upanishads declare:

The knot of the heart gets broken, all the doubts are dispelled, all the actions and their results get attenuated – when the supreme Truth is perceived in the high as well as in the low.

The granthih, the knot or tuft of the heart, is the complex ego every human inherits when the body is born. The ego is no doubt vital for the existence and functioning of the body, mind and intelligence. But it causes undue pressure and oscillation to the mind and intelligence of everyone. The disturbing notes have to be removed if the mind and intelligence have to function effectively and harmoniously. The role of spiritual wisdom is to accomplish this. Unless this inner process of relief and sublimation is activated, no extent of knowledge will render the desired benefit.

Krishna does not want Arjuna to miss this point. For, despite his decade long resolve and preparation to fight the inevitable war, Arjuna’s trouble and torment arose from his constricted ego and the host of doubts it irresistibly engendered. Unless this grave inner tragedy is treated and cured, how can there be any meaning and purpose of life and the activities it calls for?

Arjuna was yet to overcome the fear of sin. The only rescue for him lay in sannyasa, the ultimate refuge and culmination for all! The plunge into renunciation alone, he thought, could relieve his mind and intelligence of the cloud and confusion. But Krishna is relentless in disallowing such irregular thoughts of doubt and escape. For that, he must fill the gap in Arjuna’s mind, the gap caused by the denial of the ascetic redress Arjuna so frantically craves for. This is where Bhagavad Gita and its author excel.