Training Shishyas

 

I received this email from one of my shishyas:

Shishya’s Email:

I have been thinking about you training some of your shishyas in this path of sannyasin. So, when you wrote about your experiences as a single person, I thought I should email you. In the Swaminarayan sect, they train their acharyas. It’s a systematic approach but it’s also based on the shishya’s willingness and to an extent his aptitude. Even though they don’t call it a “calling” as people do in Christianity, the principle is the same.

My Response:

In the early days, I had the same desire and I tried my best to encourage a few youths to think about this. But soon I realized that unless a bachelor is already interested in becoming a sannyasi, no persuasion from my side will work. One cannot become a sannyasi just to escape from responsibilities.

In the early 1990s, I wanted to do my seva among the sannyasis by starting a small ashram somewhere in the Himalayas. Therefore, in 1991, I went to all the four dhams (Yamunotri, Gangotri, Gomukh, Kedarnath, and Badrinath). Several times, I went to other parts of the Himalayas, searching for a place to meet my own needs too.

But God had a different purpose and pushed me more and more among family people. They all received me with much reverence, and I realized that the best way to serve the Kingdom of God is to allow the gospel to incarnate in Hindu communities. Soon this focus led me to concentrate on one thing: Muktinath-centered families within Hindu communities. While it is good for others to come forward to serve the Lord as sannyasis, I have never insisted anyone follow in my footsteps.

I once encountered one or two young bhaktas trying to follow the path of sannyasis, but they were not interested in keeping in touch with me. I was ready to serve them, but they preferred to choose their own sadhanas, which I have to respect.

I personally never encourage anyone to remain single. However, if anyone feels he has the call to become a sannyasi, I am willing to serve him to the best of my ability. The problem with such people is that they don’t want to accept others’ guidance much on this path and prefer to walk alone, gathering their own shishyas. Maybe their temperament doesn’t allow them to learn from other seniors and they want to learn from their own experiences.

The general joke among the sannyasis is: “Yek me niranjan; do me sukhi; theen me jatpat; char me dukhi” (alone is joyful; with two, get some comforts; with three, always quarrel; and with four, always in sorrow). I also read somewhere that if two sannyasis stay together, it becomes a home, three a family, and more than that, a village. So the ideal for a sannyasi is to live alone. He can gather all kinds of shishyas (including some sannyasis), but the ideal is that he should live in solitude.

A long time ago, my friend said that following the pattern set by Sevanand, I too should appoint some elders to the mandalis in the North. But I pointed out to him that Muktiveda gives us principles to adapt to our situation. We need not imitate the pattern in it. Similarly, several other sects have their own way of carrying out their views through various means. Though many methods adopted by them look attractive, we have to think and work locally in a way that best suits our purpose. This does not mean we shouldn’t learn from good examples from others. But if we try and it is not successful, then we have to rethink and change our approach as per the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

In my life, too, I was interested in establishing my own ashram community with a few sannyasis. But as that effort didn’t materialize the way I wanted, I accepted God’s plan for my life.

Above all, the community life of sannyasis will work when other shishyas completely surrender to their guru. This is possible in the Hindu world. But in our bhakti, that kind of total surrender without asking questions or challenging authority is not possible. That is why in Catholic Orders they take a vow of obedience to their authority, and I heard that the Jesuits take three important vows: chastity, simplicity, and obedience to the order. Forming such a community in our movement is impossible for known reasons. Hindu bhaktas have epitomized the post-modern individuals promoted by the Western world, wrongly interpreting Muktiveda. And Protestants are the worst in it. One can easily manage one hundred sheep and goats, but cannot keep two or three cats together. So we follow our own ‘Cat School,’ not that of Sri Vaishnava, but with our own theology of: My way is the highway.

Conclusion:

The challenge of training shishyas to follow the path of a sannyasi is intricate and deeply personal. It requires a calling and a willingness that cannot be forced. While the community life of sannyasis offers a unique path of spiritual discipline and solitude, it also demands a level of obedience and surrender that is often challenging to instill. Therefore, each individual’s path must be respected and guided by their own experiences and the Holy Spirit’s leading.

Revised on 25-7-2024

[24-10-2024]