Chapter 5 Shloka 3

ज्ञेय: स नित्यसंन्यासी यो न द्वेष्टि न काङ्क्षति।

निर्द्वन्द्वो हि महाबाहो सुखं बन्धात्प्रमुच्यते।।३।।

O Arjuna! One who neither harbours

hatred nor desire, know him to be a Sanyasi;

for one who has transcended duality

is easily liberated from worldly bondage.

Chapter 5 Shloka 3

ज्ञेय: स नित्यसंन्यासी यो न द्वेष्टि न काङ्क्षति।

निर्द्वन्द्वो हि महाबाहो सुखं बन्धात्प्रमुच्यते।।३।।

Now Bhagwan speaks of the state of a sanyasi:

O Arjuna! One who neither harbours hatred nor desire, know him to be a Sanyasi; for one who has transcended duality is easily liberated from worldly bondage.

Look little one! The Lord says that one who has transcended strong attachment and hatred may be considered to be a sanyasi.

Dvesh (द्वेष)

First understand ‘dvesh’:

Opposing another, jealousy, hatred, turning away from another because he is bad, or harbouring enmity, all form part of dvesh.

Na Dveshti (न द्वेष्टि) – He does not harbour dvesh. Such a one is devoid of dvesh or hatred:

1. He does not reject anyone.

2. He does not look at another with contempt.

3. He has no enmity in his heart for anyone.

4. He does not consider anyone as his rival.

5. He does not shun anyone.

6. He does not seek to escape from anyone.

7. Nor does he seek to give up anyone.

He loves even his enemies. He does not fear adversity and performs even distasteful actions with an impartial attitude. He does not attempt to run away even from the evil and tyrannical. He hates no one, not even the one who injures his reputation or does him physical harm.

Na Kankshati (न काङ्क्षति) – He has no desires. Now understand the one who is desireless:

1. Such a one has no hopes or expectations.

­­–  He is devoid of desire and cravings.

­­–  He thus has no reason to eagerly await someone who will fulfil his desires.

­­–  He never casts an eye on the desires or possessions of another.

­­–  He never stretches out his palm seeking to gain some material possession.

­­–  He has no desire whatsoever for wealth.

2. He does not endeavour to obtain any object which may be to his liking.

3. In fact, such a one is completely devoid of any desire for recognition from the world.

4. He has no wish or intention of doing anything for his personal self.

In short, he has no desires of his own.

The Sanyasi’s state

Little one, the sanyasi is silent towards himself and oblivious of his body and mind.

1. How can dualities affect one who is thus fast asleep towards himself?

2. How can he be troubled by joy and sorrow, who is fast asleep towards himself?

3. How can victory and defeat trouble the one who does not consider himself the body?

4. How can even birth and death trouble him if he does not consider himself to be the body?

5. How can he be affected by craving or repulsion?

6. How can he be affected by honour or dishonour?

7. How can he be affected by knowledge or ignorance?

8. How can he be affected by enmity or friendship?

One who is thus devoid of raag and dvesh is neither attached to engagement in action nor escape from it; he is not attached to the saint nor does he repel the sinner; he has no attachment either with honour or with dishonour; he is not swayed by his likes or dislikes. In fact, he is impartial towards both action and knowledge.

A sanyasi thus devoid of the effect of dualities is ever joyous. Tyaag, Vairaagya, Sanyas, Yoga – all these are infinitely joyous paths, but only when the bonds of raag and dvesh are broken, is true liberation achieved.

Now understand the state of the aspirant of sanyas:

a) Sanyas is an internal state.

b) It is the result of countermanding the mind’s tendencies and the absence of mental traits.

c) It is directed towards non-identification with one’s own body.

d) It has no relationship with relinquishing physical actions.

e) A sanyasi differs from the ordinary man in his perspective. His point of view towards his body and his own self is changed.

Little one, when the ‘I’ identifies itself with the Atma, having disassociated itself from the body, then that seeker attains Yoga or union with the Atma. That body then becomes the body of a sanyasi. Just as divine qualities are yagyashesh, similarly sanyas is the divine remnant or the shesh of yoga with the Atma. The body holds no importance for such one, nor do the actions or events of his life have any purpose for him.

Sanyas, or renunciation, is not a voluntary action – it just happens. The true sanyasi never ‘takes’ sanyas. When he attains union with the Atma, people call him a sanyasi, having witnessed his inherent detachment over a period of time.