D.V. Gundappa's Contribution to Virakta Kavya or Renunciate Poetry
First episode of a series surveying the contributions of D.V. Gundappa to the poetic genre that can be called Virakta Kāvya or Renunciate Poetry
Note
THIS IS THE FIRST episode of a series surveying the contributions of D.V. Gundappa to the poetic genre that can be called Virakta Kāvya or Renunciate Poetry.
My heartfelt gratitude goes out to Shatavadhani Dr. Ganesh without whose gentle prodding, I’d have never written this.
— Sandeep Balakrishna
Chapter 1: The Yoga of Sanyasa
vedāntavijñānaviniścitārthāḥ saṃnyāsayogādyatayaḥ śuddhasattvāḥ|
te brahmaloke tu parāntakāle parāmṛtāḥ parimucyanti sarve ||
Having attained the Immortality consisting of identity with the Supreme, all those aspirants who strive for self-control, who have rigorously arrived at the conclusion taught by Vedanta through direct experience, and who have attained purity of mind through the practice of the discipline of Yoga and steadfastness in the knowledge of Brahman preceded by renunciation, get themselves released into the region of Brahman at the dissolution of their mortal body.
THIS GRAND DECLARATION of an eternal Vedantic Truth is a fine representative of the ideal of Sanyasa (Renunciation) as any. It occurs in the Mahanarayana Upanishad, which is a lovely blend of the Karma, Upasana and the Jnana portions of the Vedic corpus. The verse occurs in a section fittingly titled Tatvopadeśa (Philosophical Discourse). Indeed, the Mahanarayana Upanishad contains elaborate expositions of Sanyasa in the chapters titled paratattva-nirūpaṇa (Exposition upon Parabrahman) and jñānasādhana-nirūpaṇa (Exposition upon the Method to acquire Philosophical Knowledge). The grand finale of this Upanishad is the climactic section titled jñānayajña (The Yajna of Knowledge) or ātmayajña (The Yajna of the Atman), which employs abundant Yagnic metaphors to describe the Self-inquiry of a Sanyasi.
Taken as a whole, these sections or chapter constitute some of the finest experiential meditations upon the Yoga of Renunciation.
The Vedic lore contains a profusion of independent or dedicated Sanyasa-Upanishads. Our tradition, scholarship, as well as commentaries commonly identify nineteen major Sanyasa-Upanishads. Some of the titles are rather self-explanatory: nirvāṇa, bṛhat-sanyāsa, kuṃḍikā, avadhūtaka, kathāśruti, paramahaṃsa, bhikṣuka, nārada-parivrājaka, paramahaṃsa-parivrājaka, etc.
Likewise, the Ramayana, Mahabharata and the Puranas, our literary annals (in both Sanskrit and Bhāratīya Bhāṣā) extol the glory of Sanyasa with a mix of discursive prowess, passionate appeal, lyrical beauty and depth of feeling. Why for example, did Shudraka find it necessary to create a scene showing an incorrigible gambler who suddenly becomes a renunciate? His immortal Mṛcchakaṭika strictly falls in the category of a social play.
Among all the profound ideals and values that Sanatana Dharma has bequeathed us, perhaps only Sanyasa has remained the most enduring till date. This, despite centuries of Mleccha invasions, tyranny, deracination and despite the unending assaults of secularism against our spiritual edifice.
To Hindus, Sanyasa is not merely an abstract or religious concept. It is not simply an āśrama even in the traditional sense. Sanyasa is the very instinct of Hindus. It is also the fifth natural impulse after the āhāra (food) nidrā (sleep) bhaya (fear) and maithuna (reproduction) quartet. This is the only reason that any number of phoney Sanyasis, crooked Gurus and shady miracle-workers continue to thrive. Self-minted seven-star Yoga entrepreneurs have built opulent empires of materialism and rank indulgence because our people instinctively regard them primarily as Sanyasis.
THE POPULAR IMAGE of a Sanyasi harkens back to the Vedic Rishis who lived in forests, wore minimal clothing and subsisted on whatever nature provided at the moment. Swami Vivekananda says it best:
“….the leaders of our societies have never been either generals or kings, but Rishis. And who are the Rishis? The Rishi…is not an ordinary man, but a Mantra-drashtâ. He is a man who sees religion, to whom religion is not merely book-learning, not argumentation, nor speculation, nor much talking, but actual realisation, coming face to face with truths which transcend the senses. This is Rishihood, and that Rishihood does not belong to any age, or time, or even to sects or caste.”
Even a superficial glance at the societal history of Hindus shows that while our people obeyed the King’s commands, they worshipped Sanyasis. This balance has tragically been inverted today. There’s a reason Narendranath Dutta chose to become a Sanyasi and not a demagogue or a political freedom fighter. Gandhi attempted to become all three at the same time and miserably failed at them all.
The other popular perception of a Sanyasi — in fact, it is quite the universal perception — is that of a tyāgi or a renunciate or someone who has forsaken the material world of wealth and the flesh.
While this is largely true and is even recommended by our Sastras, it is not fully true.
Sanyasa primarily relates to its spirit than its outward trappings of dress, diet or devotion. Bhagavan Shiva for example, is the primordial and the perfect Sanyasi. He is also the perfect gṛhastha (householder). He is also the perfect bhikṣuka who begs so that he can feed his wife who occupies half of his body. Even in all these senses, Shiva is the perfect embodiment of the aforementioned tenet of the Mahanarayana Upanishad: vedāntavijñānasuniścitārthāḥ (The Master of the Vedanta Philosophy) and a śuddhasattva (Pure Bliss).
In the realm of humanity, we can cite the term Rājarṣi as a person who is a perfect Sanyasi in the sense of being a Brahmajñāni, who also fights wars when the need arises. Janaka Maharaja is the most renowned example.
In all these senses, a Sanyasi is one who is untainted and is also one to whom no taint attaches. We can quote a tangential allusion from Emerson: “The good man has absolute good, which like fire turns every thing to its own nature, so that you cannot do him any harm.”
Acharya M. Hiriyanna shines perhaps the brightest light on the philosophy and practice of Sanyasa:
“1. Nivṛtti [Renunciation] stands for the spirit of Sanyasa though it may not wear its form.
“2. ...samnyasa which, like the other asramas has its own duties, so that the practical part of the discipline does not come to an end with its assumption… Fruition does not mean rest.
“3. … [Samnyasa] goes hand in hand with altruistic activity and is never divorced from it. That is, the aim of life is not mere detachment, but detachment and service… it does not mean running away from society and seeking passive isolation… what is commended here is self-renunciation and not world-renunciation…” [Emphasis added]
Sanyasa is also an inseparable component of the Puruṣārtha Quartet and the Triad of Yajña, Dāna, and Tapas. It is explicit in the former while in the latter, it operates on the subliminal plane. However, it is beyond the scope of this essay to delve into those details.
To be continued
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