The word Sannyasa comes from two Sanskrit roots: Sam “complete” and Nyasa “renunciation” or “abandonment” and the person who follows the way of life of a sannyasa is called sannyasin. This ancient yogic tradition of sannyasa in India rises to VIII th century by the great Yogi Shankaracharya, it leads to self-realization and spiritual awakening (sadhana) and this tradition is also quite suited to the Western world today.
In the Shivananda lineage, there are two types of Sannyasin, “Purna Sannyasa” and “Karma Sannyasa.” The Purna Sannyasa (Purna = complete submission) is a Sannyasin who remains unmarried and dedicates all of his life to a spiritual quest and the “Karma Sannyasa” is someone who can marry, work, be active in business and follow the spiritual development while fulfilling their role, and a normal life in society.
When Sannyasin are initiated, their heads are shaved as part of their initiation and as a symbol of renunciation to their attachments. Also, saffron robed (ocher, orange, red) are given to them. The robed means that they are dedicated to the practice of yoga and that they are on a spiritual path. Purna Sannyasin use saffron clothes all the time, while the Karma Sannyasin uses them for their daily practice of yoga or when they visits their spiritual master. The saffron color also has other special qualities, it is the color of the sun rise, it evokes the vital energy of the sacred fire. The connection to the sun points to the ancient roots of the practice of sanyassa (renunciation) which has existed since the dawn of time, however Shankaracharaya has given this path the present form. He established four centres where knowledge was cultivated . When taking the vows of ‘swami-hood’ one declares “a-bhyam” to all living beings: ‘I am a threat to none, a danger to none; may no living being henceforth fear me.’
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