Meaning and relevance of Sannyasa

The concept of sannyasa (monk-hood) is prevalent in almost all religions, but there is some uniformity in its practice in other religions. But as with most concepts in Hinduism, there are so many different definitions of sannyasa that it becomes hopelessly confusing! In some Hindu schools of asceticism, a male sannyasi is not allowed to even look at the picture of a woman (and vice-versa) and in some other schools, even ritual sex is considered to be part of the liberation process. There is of course a whole spectrum of beliefs in between these two extremes. In common parlance, the word sannyasi is used to refer to a person who has left his/her family, abandoned all worldly duties and is living alone in search of the ultimate truth. This would have been simple to understand if not for the new breed of sannyasis at modern day spiritual organisations who are involved in so many managerial duties that would put a CEO to shame. There are also so many scriptures and philosophies in Hinduism that its almost impossible to form a coherent understanding if we start referring to all that has been written and said in this context. But thankfully, Krishna did a wonderful job of giving us one reference which every single Hindu considers to be the highest authority in all matters of life, death and beyond.  So, lets try to understand that the Krishna says about sannyasa in the Gita.

Honesty and Diplomacy

Usually, the word 'honest' is associated for people who always speak the truth no matter what consequences it leads to. And the word 'diplomatic' is usually used for people who always try to be saccharine. But both these ideas are an oversimplification. Honesty is a very complicated concept and diplomacy is not about being sweet as sugar. One of the definitions of 'diplomacy' is that it is the art of dealing with people in a sensitive and tactful way. Now whats wrong with that? Absolutely nothing. In fact, in order to have meaningful lives, we must learn to talk to people without hurting them and at the same time, without being dishonest. So, what is required is a seamless combination of honesty (i.e. truth) and diplomacy (i.e. sensitivity+tact). 

Comment on "Vivekananda's Contribution"

I recently wrote a blog-post titled "Vivekananda's Contribution" to which I received a very detailed comment over email from Mr. Asish Raha. This comment is so rich in content that it deserves to be a separate post in itself. Here it is:

Dear Kushal,

My hearty compliments to you for analyzing outstanding contributions of Swami Vivekananda, emphasizing in particular that he made us aware that real God was not without but within us.

Vivekananda's Contribution

Its quite incredible how a few humans are able to rise so high above the average that it becomes hard to believe that they share the same genes as us. Vivekananda is one such person to have lived in the 19th century India. He was an untameable rebel all through his life. During the last year of his guru's life it did seem that Vivekananda has finally been conquered, but soon after the guru's demise, the rebellion re-surfaced in all its glory. What happened at Chicago in 1893 is only a glimpse of the infinite energy that this man possessed. But even after 150 years of his passing away, this question still remains unanswered : what was Vivekananda's main contribution? Several answers are provided and we shall carefully examine the major ones.