Samnyasa Upanishads: Hindu Scriptures on Asceticism and Renunciation c6.s2: Laghu-Saṃnyāsa Upaniṣad

Saṃnyāsa Upaniṣads: Hindu Scriptures on Asceticism and Renunciation c6.s2

Language: English

Laghu-Saṃnyāsa Upaniṣad

[*15*] When a man who had maintained the three sacred fires¹ dies, his funerary rite is performed with mantras. If he happens to recover,² however, he should resolve: "I wish to go beyond the order."³ Then, he should duly gather the requisites⁴ and retire to the wilderness with the intention of offering an oblation to his ancestors. Early in the morning of the new moon, after kindling the fires, he should offer the libation connected with an oblation to ancestors, and perform the Brahma-sacrifice.⁵

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¹ I follow the division of this Upaniṣad into sections A–G given by Sprockhoff 1976, 37–38. The three sacred fires are the east fire (*āhavanīya*), the west or householder's fire (*gārhapatya*), and the south fire (*dakṣiṇāgni*). They are used for Vedic sacrifices. A person who maintains all these fires constantly in his house is called *āhitāgni*. He is distinguished from those who maintain just one fire (*ekāgni*), i.e. the domestic fire established at marriage, and from those who do not maintain any sacred fire (*anagni*). The *āhitāgni* is the model Brahmin, and the standard rite of renunciation is addressed to him. Medieval handbooks prescribe modified versions of the rites for the others. Cf. Ypra 7.30f; 10.5; 11.6; 12.6–7.

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² The opening sentence makes it clear that the rites explained in this Upaniṣad are addressed to a Brahmin who was on the point of death but who has recovered his health.

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³ The meaning of the compound word *āśramapāraṃ* is not altogether clear. It can mean beyond the four orders or the farthest limit of the orders. It is more likely, as Sprockhoff (1976, 54) has suggested, that the term means beyond the order in which he is now, namely the householder's order. This resolution is more than a mere wish or desire as assumed by Sprockhoff 1976, 52; it is rather the formal and public declaration of intent (*saṃkalpa*) that precedes any ritual action, including renunciation.

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⁴ I have followed here the conjectural reading offered by Schrader (345), which makes much better sense than the possibly corrupt reading adopted in the critical edition on the basis of the manuscript evidence (Sprockhoff 1976, 55).

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⁵ We have very little information regarding this sacrifice (Sprockhoff 1976, 57–59). An offering called *brahmānvādhāna* is described in BDh 2.17.18–19.

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He is omniscient and all-knowing;
knowledge is his austerity.
[*16*] This, his offering divine,
leads to immortality.

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Having thus (declared his intention),⁶ he should then recite:

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⁶ The formal declaration of intent (*saṃkalpa*) precedes every ritual act. See above LSU 15, n. 3.

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Rising victorious above
heaven and earth, all yonder worlds;
May Brahman, creator of all,
kindly grant all prosperity.⁷

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⁷ This verse constitutes the *puro'nuvākyā*, that is, the invitatory formula recited by the Hotṛ priest prior to the principal offering. Here and in the two following verses beginning with "O Sacrifice . . ." and in the verse beginning "Into me . . ." the manuscripts give only the first words (*pratīka*). This is a common practice among classical Indian authors when they cite mantras well known to their readers. I have provided the whole text for the benefit of modern readers.

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In the east at first Brahman was born;
Vena revealed him from the radiant summit,
Disclosed his forms, the deepest, the most exalted,
womb of the existent and the non-existent.⁸ [AV 4.1.1]

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⁸ This verse constitutes the *yājyā*, that is, the formula of consecration recited by the Hotṛ priest immediately before the Adhvaryu priest throws the oblation into the fire.

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Let him then offer an oblation with the words: "To Brahman, to Atharvan, to Prajāpati, to Anumati, to Agni Sviṣṭakṛt!" Next, he should offer the two fire drills⁹ in the fire with the words:

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⁹ The fire drills consist of a cylindrical shaft and a flat slab of wood. The drill is turned on the slab with the aid of a string. The friction creates a fire that is used for starting sacred fires. The drills are part of the sacrificial paraphernalia that a renouncer discards at his renunciatory rite.

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O Sacrifice!
Go to the sacrifice!
Go to the Lord of the sacrifice!
Go to your own place of birth! *Svāhā*! [AV 7.97.5]

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O Lord of the sacrifice!
This is your sacrifice,
Full of great power and strength,
accompanied by songs of praise! *Svāhā!* [AV 7.97.6]

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[*17*] Thereupon, he should offer the oblations of ghee, reciting the four lessons beginning with: "To a friend would I turn with friendship. . . ."¹⁰ His consecration takes place through these very lessons.¹¹ He should then deposit the two fires¹² in himself, saying:

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¹⁰ These four lessons form the eighteenth book of the *Atharva Veda*. They are funeral hymns addressed to Yama, the god of the dead.

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¹¹ It is clear that this statement refers back to the very first sentence of the Upaniṣad. The recitation of these verses constitutes the funerary rite or the last sacrament, (*saṃskāra*, translated here as "consecration") of the person who is about to renounce. Cf. Sprockhoff 1976, 60–63.

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¹² The two fires are probably the east fire and the west fire. Two fires are also deposited at the *sarvamedha* sacrifice: *ŚB* 13.6.2.20.

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Into me first I take the fire,
with power, with splendor, with might.
In me children, in me long life,
in me the fire I place. *Svāhā!* [AV 7.82.2]

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Let him steadfastly keep his vow. On this there are the following verses:

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[B]

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[Beginning of the Kuṇḍikā Upaniṣad]

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When a man who took delight in serving his teacher becomes tired of the student life, [*18*] and, after finishing the study of Vedas, is permitted to leave by his teacher, he is called an *āśramin*.¹³

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¹³ This term commonly means a person who lives in an order (*āśrama*). People outside such orders, e.g., widowers, are called *anāśramin*. Here a rather technical meaning is given to the term: an *āśramin* is viewed as a young man who has completed his period of Vedic study and has returned home ready to undertake household duties. Such a person is generally known as a *snātaka*: one who has taken the bath that concludes the period of studentship.

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Having married a wife of equal birth, and kindled the fire as well as he can, let him offer a Brahma-sacrifice [LSU 15, n. 5]. Let him offer it (after fasting for) a day and a night.¹⁴

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¹⁴ The text is obscure and possibly corrupt. Schrader’s conjectural emendation of *tāsām* (“of them”) to *tasyā* poses a problem of *sandhi*; the form can be either the genetive singular *tasyāḥ* or the dative singular *tasyai*. Schrader does not offer any explanation. I think that it is the genetive, and that Schrader has assumed that the object of the verb *nirvapet* in this context should be in the genetive. With regard to the interpretation of *ahorātreṇa* as “after fasting for a day and a night,” I have followed Nārāyaṇa’s commentary given in the *Ṭippaṇī*.

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Dividing his estate among his sons, and getting rid of vulgar sensual lusts, let him pursue the path of the forest and wander around in a pure region.¹⁵

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¹⁵ This and the following verse imply that a man should spend some time as a forest hermit before renouncing. Although an *āśrama* theory is not explicitly formulated, these verses reflect the classical view that a man should live successively as a student, a householder, and a hermit before becoming a renouncer. Cf. JU 64.

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He may subsist on air or on water, or he may eat the prescribed food and live on fallen fruit. [*19*] When he deposits the sacred fires in himself, let them not shed any tears on earth.¹⁶

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¹⁶ During renunciation neither the new renouncer nor his relatives are expected to cry. Cf. KśU 37.

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When indeed a person possesses it, how can one say that he has renounced? But how can it have the same name, because of which one is called a renouncer?¹⁷

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¹⁷ The meaning of this verse is extremely unclear. I have followed Deussen (1905, 689, n. 2). The first half-verse appears to be a genuine question, while the second half-verse seems to be the answer in the form of a rhetorical question. After depositing the fire in himself, the renouncer carries it internally and thus possesses a fire. This internal fire, as the next verse points out, is pure and does not hinder renunciation.

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Fire that is cleansed of reward, therefore, hinders¹⁸ not renunciation. That fire departs to the forest and takes refuge with a hermit.

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¹⁸ In interpreting *sahate* as “hinders not,” I follow Nārāyaṇa’s commentary given in the *Ṭippaṇī*: *saṃnyāsavirodhī na bhavati*, “it is not an obstacle to renunciation,” which is also followed by Deussen.

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“Self-controlled, he once departed from the world to the forest along with his wife. Now forsaking desires he renounces. What fear has overtaken him? [*20*] Or, pray, on account of what grief does he abandon great pleasures?”

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“Afraid of dwelling in a womb, afraid likewise of heat and cold,
I seek to enter the Cave, the state supreme that is free from pain.”¹⁹

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¹⁹ According to one source, the last two verses are recited during the eight oblations to the deceased ancestors that precede the rite of renunciation (Sprockhoff 1976, 51, n. 56). The question-and-answer format of the verses fits this context well. The Brahmins invited to the feast ask the question, and the man who intends to renounce gives the answer. “Cave” here has a double meaning. It is one of the ideal places of residence for a renouncer. It also means the cavity of the heart, which a renouncer enters mentally during meditation.

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[C]

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Having renounced fire, let him not bring it back.²⁰ “When Manyu brought his wife home . . .”: silently reciting these mantras concerning the self,²¹ let him then undergo initiation.²² He should wear an ochre garment, and keep the hair of his armpits and the pubic region.²³ Going forth with his arms raised [cf. NpU 168], let him not restrict himself to specific roads,²⁴ [*21*] but wander about homeless. He eats what he begs;

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²⁰ Or: “After having renounced, let him not bring back the fire.” See Sprockhoff 1989, 154, n. 69. The term *return* here probably has a technical meaning. The depositing of the sacred fires is not peculiar to the rite of renunciation. The fires are deposited in the fire drills or in the self when a Brahmin wants to carry them along on a journey. When the fires are needed for a rite, they are rekindled or brought back by a special rite. Cf. *Baudhāyana Gṛhyaśeṣa Sūtra*, 4.13. Our text wants to point out that after renunciation one is not allowed to bring back the fires and to return to ritual activity. Cf. Introduction, 4.2.

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²¹ These mantras are the thirty-four verses of AV 11.8. They deal with the origin of certain gods and with the creation of human beings.

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²² This is one of the few places where the technical term *dīkṣā* (“consecration” or “initiation”) is used with reference to the procedure for becoming a renouncer. The term, however, is used here not with reference to the preceding renunciatory ritual at which the sacred fire is abandoned but with regard to the assumption of the various insignia of renunciation. Cf. Introduction, 4.5.

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²³ Renouncers are required to shave the hair of the head and face. They are, however, explicitly forbidden to shave the armpits and the pubic hair.

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²⁴ The Sanskrit term *vimuktamārga* is unclear. I have followed Schrader’s explanation. The *Mahābhārata* [12.9.18] has a similar verse: “Not inquiring from anyone about the road and wandering along any road, let him not desire to go to any special region.”

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he should not give alms.²⁵ Let him carry a water strainer to protect living things.²⁶

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²⁵ Even though it is not explicitly stated, the reason for not giving alms appears to be the fact that a renouncer eats begged food. A beggar does not own anything that he may legitimately give away. Giving is one of the basic virtues of all Indian religions. It is significant that the renouncers are the only group of people who do not practice that virtue.

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²⁶ The use of the water strainer before drinking saves the lives of insects and other little creatures that live in water.

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[D]

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On this there are the following verses:

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A pot, a drinking cup, a sling,²⁷ a tripod,²⁸ a pair of shoes, a patched garment against the cold, a loincloth, a water strainer, a bathing cloth, and an outer garment: an ascetic should avoid anything else other than these.

*[22]* Let him sleep on a river bank or in a temple. Let him not afflict his body with extremes of pleasure or of pain.

Let him bathe, drink, and cleanse himself with water that is purified. When he is praised let him not rejoice, nor curse others when he is reviled.

A split-gourd bowl for begging and such, and bathing materials are allowed. He shall always come out victorious, who lives this life with his senses controlled.

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²⁷ A sling is made with strings and is similar in shape to a pot hanger. It is tied to the staff and is used to carry the water pot. Cf. Olivelle 1986, 44–49.

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²⁸ In an earlier period a tripod (*triviṣṭabdha*) was used by wandering ascetics to carry a pot of water. In later times it was replaced by a walking stick made by tying three bamboo reeds (*tridaṇḍa*) together. The two are frequently confused in later literature. For a discussion of the tripod and the triple staff, see Olivelle 1986, 35–54.

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[E]

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The union of knowledge occurs in the mind. From the mind arises space, from space wind, from wind light, from light water, from water earth, from earth [*23*] [plants, from plants food, from food semen, and from semen man. He who knows thus the origin]²⁹ of these beings attains Brahman. He attains the Ageless, the Deathless, the Imperishable, the Unchanging, when he controls his out-breath and his in-breath while repeatedly reciting it.³⁰

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²⁹ The section within brackets is wanting in the manuscripts. It is given within brackets by Schrader in the critical edition following the parallel passage in TU 2.1.

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³⁰ The SR inserts here the first four verses of section G. It is probably these verses that the renouncer is expected to recite repeatedly (Sprockhoff 1976, 42).

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[F]

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On this there are the following verses:

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Placing both his hands on the spot between his anus and genitals, and gently biting³¹ his tongue extended out to the size of a barley corn, let him engage in the control of breathing.³²

Eyes open the size of a bean and fixed on ears and brows, [*24*] let him keep his nose and his ears from contact with odors and sounds.

Through this exercise whose habit comes from former lives, he then attains the blessed state, where abides Brahman, the final end.

Then, fixing the heart on penance by these means, breath breaks the crown, rises up from the body, and reaches the Imperishable.³³

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³¹ I have followed the reading *saṃdaśya* found in the SR, which is also found in many northern manuscripts. The critical edition reads *saṃdṛśya* (“behold”), which does not suit the context at all.

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³² I have followed Nārāyaṇa’s commentary given in the *Ṭippaṇī* in interpreting the term *saṃśrayet* (here probably meaning “resort to”) as practicing the control of breathing.

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³³ This verse deals with the death of a man who has attained the liberating knowledge. “By these means” refers to the yogic practices, such as breath control, alluded to above. “Heart” means the mind. “Penance” refers to the supramental state called *unmanī* (NU s. 48; Schrader, 385). Some commentators explain “breaking the crown” to mean that the breath goes up through the opening at the top of the head. It may also be an allusion, however, to the ritual breaking of the skull of a dead renouncer. Cf. Ydhs, 135; Ypra 71.32.

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[*25*] People who know the High and the Low,³⁴ and who, having broken their body's crown, have attained the highest state, do not return to earth again.

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³⁴ The reference is probably to the highest Brahman who is without attributes and to the lower Brahman to whom are ascribed such activities as the creation of the world.

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[*End of the Laghu-Saṃnyāsa Upaniṣad*]

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[G]

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Stirred by the wind of illusion,
the waves of the whole universe
Repeatedly rise and fall³⁵
within me, the ocean of total bliss.³⁶
As the sky is not tied to a cloud,
so to the body I am not tied.
Awake, dreaming, or deep in sleep,
how could I its qualities have?
Like the sky am I,
far beyond the reach of time.³⁷
Like the sun am I,
other than the illumined.
Like a hill am I,
forever unchangeable.
Like the sea am I,
without a farther shore.
[*26*] I am Nārāyaṇa! Naraka I killed!
I am Puruṣa! Citadels I laid waste!
I am the Lord!

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³⁵ The author plays on the double meaning of the Sanskrit terms *vīci* and *vibhrama*. The former means both waves and deceit, while the latter means both stirring and error. This and the following verses appear in a different order in the *Vivekacūḍāmaṇi* (495–529) ascribed to Śaṃkara.

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³⁶ This series of verses that close the Upaniṣad are uttered by a man who has obtained the liberating knowledge of his identity with Brahman, the ultimate reality.

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³⁷ In translating *kalpavidūragaḥ* I have followed the interpretation given by Schrader in the *Ṭippaṇī*: *kālātītaḥ*. *Kalpa* generally refers to the time between the birth and death of the universe. In all likelihood, in the present context it refers to time in general, which characterizes all worldly existence.

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I am pure consciousness, the witness of all!
I am free from the thought of “I” and “mine”!
I have no lord!
The witness is different; he is untouched
by the qualities of things witnessed.
Like a lamp, the unchanging and impartial man
is not touched by the duties of home.³⁸
Let this insentient body
wallow in water or on land.
By its qualities I am not touched,
as space by the qualities of a pot.³⁹
I do not act, I do not change.
I have no parts, I have no form.
I am eternal, I have no thought.
I am unique, I have no support.
All are myself and I am all!
I am unique and I transcend all!
I am my own eternal bliss,
pure undivided consciousness!
Seeing me alone everywhere,
knowing myself to be unique,
[*27*] Enjoying the bliss of myself,
I become free from every thought.
Walking, standing, or sitting down,
sleeping, or doing anything else,
Let a wise sage live as he likes,
ever delighting in himself.

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³⁸ The meaning is that an “unchanging and impartial” renouncer is not subject to the duties of householders. The example of the lamp seems to mean that a lamp is not affected by the objects it illuminates. So the witness is not touched by the qualities of the objects he witnesses. The parallel is more striking in Sanskrit, where the same term *dharma* indicates both qualities and duties.

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³⁹ The relationship between the conscious self and the unconscious body is compared to that between space and a pot. Space is by its very nature unlimited, and even when it becomes limited by the dimensions of a pot, it remains unaffected by the pot’s qualities of fragility and finitude. Similarly, although in the state of ignorance the self is limited by the body, constituting thereby the individual human being (*jīva*), yet it does not assume the qualities of the body.

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That is the secret teaching.

Linked texts (7)

Atharvavedasaṃhitā — Atharvan & Aṅgiras, Sanskrit
Taittirīyopaniṣad — Sanskrit
Mahābhārata — Vyāsa, Sanskrit
Śatapathabrāhmaṇa — Yājñavalkya & Śāṇḍilya (Vedic teacher), Sanskrit
Baudhāyanadharmasūtra — Baudhāyana, Sanskrit
Nāradaparivrājakopaniṣad — Sanskrit
Jābālopaniṣad — Sanskrit