The Philosophy of the Upanishads c12.s3.t3.6

Language: English

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(2) Departure from life. The Sannyâsa demands a surrender of all possessions, a resigning the seven upper and seven lower worlds, which on this occasion are enumerated,³ an abandonment of sons, brothers, relatives,⁴ of father, son and wife,⁵ of teachers and relatives,⁶ of children, friends, wife and relatives,⁷ a leaving behind of family.⁸ In one passage only⁹ is permission given for him who renounces the world to be accompanied by his wife. The Sannyâsa is accordingly a complete separation from life; and therefore in this instance also, as at death, a purification (saṃskâra) by sacred text and ceremonies has to be observed.¹⁰ In particular the candidate for renunciation has still to offer a sacrifice for the last time, in the description of which the texts greatly differ. In Sanny. 1 an offering is prescribed to the deceased and a sacrifice to Brahman (brâhmeshti); henceforth the man who has renounced the world lives without offerings to the deceased and sacrifices.¹¹ Kaṇṭh. 4 requires that in the first place for twelve successive days an agnihotram with milk shall be proffered, during which time the sacrificer himself shall live only on milk; then after selecting once again as before all the hitherto recognised sacrificial priests,¹² he is to offer a vais’vânara sacrifice (i.e. to Agni Vais’vâ- nara, probably to be understood as in Chând. 5.

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19–24),¹ accompanied by a mouse to Prajâpati (perhaps as ransom from the duty of begetting), and a cake of three layers to Vishnu.² In Jâb. 4, on the contrary, the sacrifice to Prajâpati is disapproved of, and only that to Agni as Prâna is demanded (probably therefore the vais'vânara, sacrifice), but subsequently direction is given for a Traidhâtavîya offering to the three elements, sattvam, rajas and tamas. Thus too in Jâb. 4, in harmony with the separation of all four stages here carried out, he who enters upon the Sannyâsa is thought of as a vânaprastha; and this is the ground of the immediately following prescription, that the priests shall cause the fire to be brought from the village; if no fire is to be had, the offering shall be made in water, “for water is all the deities.”³ This offering is made with the words, “Om! I offer to all the deities, svâhâ,” where the word om implies all three Vedas;⁴ and thereupon the sacrificer shall taste the fat and savoury meats of the sacrifice. According to Kanth. 1 he is to stretch his limbs symbolically over the sacrificial utensils, thereby signifying his renunciation of them. Kanth. 4 commands him to throw his wooden vessels into the fire, the earthen into water, and to give the metal ones to his teacher;

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elsewhere he is to throw the broken wood into the fire.⁵ Thereby he symbolically takes the fire, which henceforth he will no longer maintain, into himself,⁶ or into his body.⁷ The sacrificial fire he takes up into the fire of his belly,⁸ the Gâyatrî⁹ into the fire of his speech.¹⁰ It is probably this taking up of the sacrificial fire into his own body which is symbolically intended when he who has renounced the world, addressing the fire, has to consume a handful of ashes from the embers,¹ or to smell the fire.² Besides this ceremony, mention is made of a special initiation (dīkshā),³ which must be completed by means of the hymn Atharvav. 11. 8:—“When Manyu chose himself a wife from out of the saṅkalpa,” etc. Since this hymn expresses itself in depreciatory style of the origin of the body,⁴ this application of it perhaps meant that a man thereby declared himself free from his own body. After thus separating himself from sacrificial duties, a highly significant act followed, upon which accordingly stress is laid by all the texts, namely the laying aside of the sacred thread, the token that he belongs to the Brâhmanical class,⁵ and the lock of hair which indicates his family descent.⁶ Henceforth meditation alone is to serve as the sacrificial cord,⁷ and knowledge as the lock of hair,⁸ the timeless âtman is to be both sacred thread and lock of hair for him who has renounced the world.⁹ According to Kaṇṭh. 4 the sacred thread, according to Jâb.

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6 this and the lock of hair, are offered in water with the words “svâhâ to the earth”; according to Âr. 2 the sacred thread and lock of hair are to be buried in the earth or sunk in water. The later systematising of Âs’r. 4, which distinguishes four grades of Sannyâsins, insists on the retention of the lock of hair and the sacred thread by the Bahûdaka, the lock of hair without thread by the Haṃsa, and allows only the Paramahaṃsa as the highest grade to dispense with lock of hair and sacred thread, or even to shave the head. On this point also difference of opinion exists. Kaṇṭh. 2, 3, 4 demands removal of the hair of the head, Jâb. 5 complete baldness, Kaṇṭh. 5 only a lesser tonsure, Sanny. 3 and Kaṇṭh. 5 removal of the hair on the privy parts and armpits. Last of all, the separation from the son takes place, who accompanies his father for a certain distance, after which with festive greetings both turn right round and go their way without looking back; and the son is not permitted to shed tears.¹