What is Sannyasa? Vedanta's Path of Renunciation Explained

Sannyasa (sannyāsa), or “renunciation,” is often portrayed as a holy life free of duties and responsibilities in order to focus on the ultimate objective—moksha (liberation). Traditionally, sannyasa is the monk’s lifestyle, one in which worldly objects and relationships are given up, and poverty and chastity are the accepted rule. However, there’s more to it. Just putting on orange robes doesn't make one a sannyasi.

There are two kinds of sannyasa. The first one, vidvat-sannyasa, is about becoming a renunciate after knowing and assimilating the truth. As a result of Self-inquiry, the wise (jnanis) have given up wrong ideas about their identity. They have cognitively resolved erroneous concepts they had about the world and who/what they are. In the case of vidvat-sannyasa, there is no sannyasa to take. Vidvat-sannyasa requires no outward modifications to one’s mode of living, because it’s simply a byproduct of realizing and actualizing the Self. It’s said that vidvat-sannyasa is the culmination of someone having lived through all of life’s stages, including gaining and actualizing the right knowledge, and fulfilling their human purpose (gaining moksha).

Vividisha-sannyasa, on the other hand, is what’s more commonly known as “putting on the robes” or “taking sannyasa.” It includes a formal lifestyle commitment to the pursuit and obtainment of Self-knowledge, and in doing so, a foregoing of relationships and outside interests. Vividisha means “desire to know.” This is the austere lifestyle of monks and nuns who become a renunciate before knowing and assimilating the truth. Vividisha sannyasis are free of duties and social obligations, and dependent on other individuals for their basic needs who value their dedication to gaining and disseminating the truth. In this way, it is very much a community-supported sannyasa. Nevertheless, both vidvat- and vividisha-sannyasa are marked by fearlessness, detachment, and a seeking of the truth. Both may also include service, usually in the form of teaching.

In the Bhagavad Gita, Arjuna is confused about the difference between being a sannyasa (the seeking of moksha, absent of worldly activities) and karma yoga (the seeking of moksha, while still involved in the world). After hearing Krishna espouse the renunciation of action through knowledge of the Self, Arjuna has doubts about which path he should take. Krishna tries to convince him that he has worldly responsibilities to tend to — namely, an army to lead and a war to win — and that it’s no time for him to be shirking his duties to live a life of solitude.

Furthermore, Krishna makes it known that both renunciation of action (sannyasa) and performance of action (karma yoga) lead to the same goal. Thus, it’s not a question of one path being better than the other, but which lifestyle best fits the temperament of the seeker.

Few individuals have what’s required to become a renunciate. Becoming a renunciate and suddenly renouncing one's likes and dislikes isn’t as easy as it looks. In the Gita, Arjuna’s life up until the great battle has mostly been about one conflict after another. He’s ready to throw in the towel and put it all behind him. However, sannyasa as a means of escaping life doesn’t work due to two important hindrances—fear and desire.

Out of fear, one might wish to escape worldly action, and out of desire one might wish to leave all their troubles behind. The problem is that fear and desire are the antithesis to a life of renunciation, which strives to be free from fear and desire. In short, no one successfully maintains sannyasa under the spell of fear and desire.

Also, it would be naive to say that sannyasa equates to living without any difficulty. For a select few, vividisha-sannyasa comes natural to them because it matches their disposition in life. They already have a profound dispassion for the world and aren’t easily swayed by bright, shiny objects. They still have vasanas (conditioned habits), but they are manageable. For the majority of us, however, a life without action would only lead to complete and utter frustration.

On the other hand, involvement in the day-to-day grind of worldly life can have an important role in one’s spiritual development by providing an arena where one can express themselves and learn from their actions. In the Field of Experience, we are able to exhaust our likes and dislikes, and realize that all objects, experiences and relationships are empty of intrinsic and lasting value. So, being a karma yogi (versus being a sannyasi) has its benefits too. Like a river stone tossed and turned in the current, many of us start rough but are eventually made smooth by the challenges of work, family and fulfilling our duties.

Arjuna, perhaps, mistakingly believes that by evading his duties and avoiding all worldly action, he will become an authentic seeker of the truth. But just because one abstains from a certain action doesn’t mean they have gained dispassion for it. Vedanta teacher, Swami Dayananda draws this distinction by giving an anecdote about a boy who likes to play marbles. One day, a father tells his son he’s too old to be playing marbles and should instead, play cricket with the older boys. The son agrees, gives his marbles to his younger brother, and in fear of being tempted and drawn back in, avoids the places where the boys play.

Dayananda explains that in this case, the boy’s giving up marbles isn’t actual sannyasa because he only gives up playing marbles out of pride. However, in reality, he could probably be talked back into playing marbles again! On the other hand, if we ask the same individual ten years later if he still has any interest in playing marbles, the answer will most likely be an unequivocal, “No.” The man, who once liked playing marbles as a boy, has no sense of loss.

The equivalent in Western culture might be a grown woman who no longer plays with Barbies. At some point in her life, playing with Barbies no longer has the same appeal. Dayananda tells us, “Having outgrown the fascination for childhood games, you are a marble-sannyasi. If the entire world holds for you no more attraction than those marbles—if your heart has found that fullness and maturity—you are truly a sannyasi.”

The conclusion is that real sannyasa cannot be chosen or taken, only discovered — usually through a long process of removing doubts and “outgrowing our fascination” for the world. Only by discovering and sustaining the thought "I am whole, complete, and totally free from dependence on objects, experiences and relationships for happiness," can one be a true sannyasi.

This doesn’t mean we no longer take pleasure in the world, just that we are no longer under its spell. Objects (including this body and mind), events and relationships are viewed as dream-like, passing entities. Any pleasure derived from them is known to be momentary and not something one can depend on for real happiness.

That said, one cannot will themselves to be a sannyasi—it must happen in its own sweet time — but it can be cultivated. How? By composing our thoughts with the right attitude (karma yoga), purifying them using right meditation (ashtanga yoga), and then gaining knowledge of the Self using Vedanta. A little grace also helps!

Swami Dayananda has the last word on the topic when he says:

You have to wait for it to happen, while performing actions with the right attitude. This world has everything you need to bloom into a flower of maturity. A composed mind, the results of a life of karma yoga, will find sannyasa naturally. [“The Teaching of the Bhagavad Gita,” pp.72-75, Orient Paperbacks]

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Root & Meaning

Sannyāsa — from the Sanskrit prefix sam- (“completely”) + root nyas (“to lay down, renounce”), meaning “complete renunciation” or “putting down entirely.” In spiritual contexts, it denotes the formal or inner renunciation of worldly attachments and duties in pursuit of liberation (mokṣa).

Scriptural References

Nature and Types of Renunciation

• Bhagavad Gita 18.2 – “The sages understand sannyasa as the renunciation of action motivated by desire; the wise declare tyaga as the renunciation of the fruits of all action.”

• Bhagavad Gita 18.11 – “It is not possible for an embodied being to renounce all action entirely; but one who renounces the fruits of action is truly a renunciate.”

Vidvat- and Vividisha-sannyasa

• Jabala Upanishad 4 – Describes the two forms of sannyasa: after Self-knowledge (vidvat-sannyasa) and before Self-knowledge with intent to know (vividisha-sannyasa).

• Brihadaranyaka Upanishad 3.5.1 – Speaks of the renunciate who, having known the Self, is untouched by karma.

Renunciation vs. Karma Yoga

• Bhagavad Gita 5.2 – “Both sannyasa and karma yoga lead to liberation; but of the two, karma yoga is superior for one who has not attained dispassion.”

• Bhagavad Gita 3.4 – “Not by merely renouncing actions does one attain freedom from action; nor by renunciation alone does one reach perfection.”

Dangers of Premature Renunciation

• Bhagavad Gita 3.6 – “One who restrains the organs of action but dwells on sense objects in the mind is deluded and called a hypocrite.”

• Bhagavad Gita 6.1 – “He who performs his bounden duty without dependence on its fruit — he is a sannyasin and a yogi, not he who has merely renounced the sacred fire and works.”

True Mark of the Renunciate

• Katha Upanishad 2.3.14 – “When all desires dwelling in the heart are renounced, then the mortal becomes immortal and attains Brahman here.”

• Mundaka Upanishad 3.2.9 – “He who knows Brahman becomes Brahman… freed from desires, he attains peace.”

Traditional View

In orthodox Hindu life-stages (ashrama-dharma), sannyasa is the fourth and final stage, undertaken after completing duties as a householder and forest-dweller. The renunciate gives up possessions, social obligations, and personal ties to focus exclusively on the pursuit of Self-knowledge. Traditionally, sannyasa also involves distinctive dress (ochre robes), celibacy, and mendicancy.

Two main types are recognized:

• Vidvat-sannyasa — renunciation that occurs naturally after Self-knowledge; no outward change is necessary.

• Vividisha-sannyasa — formal renunciation undertaken with the desire to know the Self, usually involving an ascetic lifestyle.

Vedantic Analysis

In Advaita Vedanta, sannyasa is primarily a mental state of dispassion (vairagya) and non-dependence, not merely an external lifestyle choice. One may be a householder outwardly but a renunciate inwardly, if free from binding likes and dislikes. Conversely, wearing the robes without inner renunciation is only symbolic. The highest sannyasa is the firm abidance in the knowledge, “I am whole, complete, and free, independent of all objects.”

Common Misunderstandings

• “Sannyasa means doing nothing.” (Vedanta: It means freedom from binding action, not inactivity.)

• “One must take sannyasa to gain liberation.” (Vedanta: Liberation comes from Self-knowledge; sannyasa can be helpful, but is not compulsory.)

• “Renunciation is only physical.” (Vedanta: True renunciation is mental—giving up attachment to results and identification with the doer.)

Vedantic Resolution

Vedanta distinguishes between renunciation as escapism (motivated by fear or frustration) and renunciation as maturity (born of clarity and dispassion). The former collapses under pressure; the latter is unshakable because it rests in Self-knowledge. As Krishna teaches, both karma yoga and sannyasa lead to the same goal; the choice depends on temperament and stage of spiritual growth.