Divisions of Āśrama (d): Nyāsin or Sannyāsin

Sannyāsin or Nyāsin is the fourth stage of life. It is a stage in which one has to be free from the attachment of worldly objects. This stage is characterised by equal feelling in pleasure and pain, gain and less, friend and foe etc. He should be kind enough to all and free from desires and passions. His thought, word and deed should be non-injurious.^[1] The sanyasin leads a life of peace, quietness and self-restraint, surviving on leaves. He does not care for life and death.^[2] A sanyasin may travel from one place to another receiving the hospitality of the good man but he should not stay at a place more than a day. During his time of travelling he disseminates spiritual wisdom.^[3] These further must be a following consummation of the other three orders of life. Before entering this stage one has to give up all spirit of rivalry and renounce the love of travel, wealth and wife. In this period, he has to maintain some particular duties, viz. renunciation of every association, perform sacred study, abstinence from anger, control over the senses, no long dwelling in one habitation, abstaining from undertakings, eating food obtained by begging once a day and desiring for the awakening of knowledge of the soul and gazing at the soul.^[4]

These are some specific responsibilities for different varṇas in different āśramas. The Mārkaṇḍeyapurāṇa mentions some general responsibilities for men belonged to different varṇas and āśramas like the practice of the eight virtues like truthfulness, purity, harmlessness, freedom from envy, patience, mercy, generosity and contentment.^[5]

Generally Varṇāśramadharma signifies the duties that are performed according to the castes and the āśramas. In Hinduism, Varṇāśramadharma was considered as the realities of man’s life. Thus the Varṇāśramadharma is considered as the key of life and conduct for the good of the individual and society which provides us a better life for living.