This satsang was given in 2001
at Satyananda Ashram, Greece.
Sannyasa, dedication to the life
of spiritual pursuit, has changed
from the days of early ascetic ashram life
where the sannyasi was fairly much isolated
from the doings of the ‘outside world’….
Swamiji talks of both the external form of Sannyasa and the internal form. Externally, the Sannyasi may wear certain clothes such as the orange or geru of the Swami, robes, malas, and also carry names and titles. He tells us that on his return to the UK when he established Mandala Yoga Ashram, he was trying so hard to avoid any ego trip that can make the Sannyasi feel superior to others, that he dropped the title ‘Swami’ for a while. But it became hard to maintain that because people kept calling him Swamiji anyway!
What of the internal form? We live in a selfish world. But isn’t the pursuit of spirituality, self-knowledge, a selfish ego-driven goal? Then again, how else can one start out on such a path? Don’t we have to use the ego to map our goals and aims in life be they mundane or ‘spiritual’?
Egocentric life can get mellowed, balanced. If we are open to the present moment, allowing things to happen which are not defined by our ego, then this opens us up to things which we cannot expect through the ego.
Swami Nishchalananda
The recording below was given to sannyasis at the Satyananda Ashram in Greece, established in 1977 by Swami Sivamurti, pictured here with Swami Nishchalananda
‘Sannyasa gives certain guidelines and principles so that we don’t get too scattered. It helps us not to waste energy on things that take us nowhere.’
Swami Nishchalananda 