SANNYASIN

In Vedanta, a sannyasin or sannyasi is one who has renounced his life as an ordinary citizen, as a householder most often.  This break with everyday ties brings a freedom impossible to experience otherwise.  The sannyasin is "the liberated man" in this way, the Renouncer par excellence.  He is the holy wanderer with no goal or obligation other than seeking eternal salvation. 

In Indian life, the Renouncer is not an outcast or oddity, but an exemplar of society, a person more often admired and envied than wondered at.  Though he may be of a lower caste originally, the sannyasin is now above the Brahmin, or priestly caste, in his new role.

Some sannyasins function individually, while others join various orders.  A rite of passage, simplified in modern times, is sometimes entered upon, in which, with appropriate ceremonies, the future sannyasin retreats into a cave or hut, undergoes purification rituals, and is reborn into his new status.  The ritual may involve an imitation of the fetal position, with a ceremonial expulsion from the womb at the finish.

The sannyasin is freed from the necessity of earning a living or of any kind of self-support, and is dependent now upon society for food, shelter, and other sustenance.  In return, society depends upon the spiritual benefits gained by its sannyasins. 

Some sannyasins wander from village to village, or through forests and jungles and along rivers, stopping at sacred sites they may come to along the way.  Others may withdraw completely, either alone or in the company of others, into jungle or mountain hermitages.