Host:
Greetings, Gurudev.
Guru:
Greetings, child.
Host:
Friends, welcome to the "Gupta Sadhak Shyama Kha-Pa" YouTube channel. Today, we have a very important question for Gurudev. In today's world, we are constantly busy with our domestic and professional lives. Consequently, practices like performing puja at home, offering prayers to the deity, or engaging in spiritual thoughts are gradually declining. This has led to various problems for individuals, and we can see the ill effects on society as well.
Host:
Therefore, Gurudev, the question we have for you today concerns a term we often hear: "Grihi Sanyasi" (a householder ascetic). Can a householder actually perform the duties of a Sanyasi?
Guru:
Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa repeatedly said that he is great, he is a Yogi, who can practice spiritual discipline while remaining within a household. Ramakrishna emphasized this many times—practicing while being a householder is a great feat. If householders take up the path of Sanyas (asceticism), it is not a sin. Practice from within the home, because there is a certain pressure in a household.
Guru:
When one enters the worldly life, the pressure is even more intense. Those who stay in the household have their own set of pressures. But when they move from the home to nature, the pressure becomes even more formidable. This is why Ramakrishna said, "First, stay in the household. Do whatever you need to do from there. Do not abandon the home."
Guru:
This is a very significant point. We say that a person is a true Sanyasi if they follow the path of Sanyas while living in a household. You don't need to do much to practice Sanyas from home; you can find happiness there. All forms of happiness exist within the household.
Guru:
Look at those of us who leave everything to become Sanyasis—ultimately, we are cheating society. I wasn't born a Sanyasi. Society raised me—my parents, brothers, sisters, and other relatives. Society made me who I am. Yet, I abandoned everything like an ingrate and went away to practice spiritual discipline.
Guru:
In reality, such practice has no true value because I only did it for myself. I did nothing for society or my parents. I would say this is a dereliction of duty. I didn't look after my parents or siblings; I just went to the mountains to become a Sanyasi. I didn't think about society at all because I was focused on my own liberation—my "Moksha."
Guru:
But society is what made me grow. I have a huge responsibility toward society and a great duty toward my parents. If I ignore those and suddenly go to a cave in the mountains to meditate, I am just serving myself. I might attain self-realization or Moksha, but nothing was achieved for others. Such people will eventually have to return to this world.
Guru:
Ramakrishna indicated this many times, and he did so with deep understanding. A great seeker like him surely thought this through: "Become a Sanyasi while staying in the household." Everything is within the home, including Sanyas.
Guru:
Now, consider the difference between a "Muni" and a "Rishi." Munis, like Kapila Muni or Medha Muni, don't actually have responsibilities toward society. But Rishis do. For example, Rishi Aurobindo or Bankim Chandra—they are called Rishis. There is a huge difference between a Muni and a Rishi. Munis do not maintain a household, but Rishis can. They can stay in society, stay in a household, and still be a Rishi. To be a Muni, you don't need a family; you just set up an ashram somewhere and sit there. You have no accountability.
Host:
So, Rishis have a sense of accountability toward society and their families?
Guru:
Exactly. They feel they have a debt. They realize, "I have a responsibility. I lived in this society, and it made me grow. I wasn't born a saint or a seeker." To become a seeker, one has to acquire knowledge, and that happened within society. Some people just put on a saffron robe and leave, thinking, "As long as I achieve my goals, it's enough. Once I attain Moksha, I won't have to return to this world." But that is not how it works. These are the people who keep coming back because they cannot truly attain Moksha.
Guru:
As I said, there is a big difference between a Muni and a Rishi. Munis just set up an ashram and sit; they have no social responsibility. But Rishis write books; they explain the intricacies of society. They provide people with knowledge and education. These are Rishis. They maintain households and attain the status of a Rishi from within the family.
Host:
Gurudev, you mentioned that Rishis stay in the household and cultivate knowledge to share with others. Surely, there are other qualities or self-controls they must maintain to act as a Sanyasi while being a householder?
Guru:
Absolutely. Think of Lahiri Mahasaya. He was a householder, yet he was such a great Yogi. He practiced from within his home, never outside of it. One night, while he was sleeping next to his wife, she woke up and saw him levitating high above. That was the day she realized he was a great Yogi. He then explained to her, "I practice Kriya Yoga every night, but you didn't know. I never told you. Since you've seen it today, I must tell you that I am a Kriya Yogi."
Guru:
Most great figures, other than Munis, were Rishis who lived in households. No one is truly outside the household. That's why we say: don't just think about yourself. Think about the society that nurtured you. You didn't become a Rishi or a Sanyasi in a single day. Society made you that way.
Guru:
When you grow up and gain knowledge, you shouldn't think, "I don't need society or my parents," and just leave. That is a total abandonment of duty. You have no duty toward anyone? You just go to the Himalayas to meditate? You must do good for others. There is a saying among monks: "Kare bhala toh ho bhala" (If you do good, good will happen to you). If you can't even do that... God says, "I sent you to do good for people. I didn't send you to sit alone in a forest and meditate."
Guru:
God is within people. I am in every living being. If you exclude me and go to the forest, what will you find? Will you find me? No.
Guru:
There are some high-level seekers, for instance in places like "Gyan Ganj," who stay in a specific place and maintain contact with the universe. They don't necessarily believe in a personal "God" in the traditional sense; they believe in Yoga and Science. Science itself is a powerful form of Yoga. They don't have a conventional idea of God. They are like scientists searching for truth; they search through Yoga. They don't worry about whether God exists. They know, "I am God. Everything that exists in the world exists within me. All the elements of the earth are within me." Through Kriya Yoga, they work for the welfare of the world in various ways. These are "Mahapurushas" (Great Souls)—not ordinary people like us.
Host:
You mentioned world peace and human welfare. If I may add, having no greed for money, always thinking and acting honestly, wishing for the well-being of others, and treating everyone well—these are the moral aspects.
Guru:
You are talking about the Eightfold Path (Astomarga). Nothing happens without a path. In God's Eightfold Path, every step starts with "Sat" (Truth/Goodness). Tathsaditi—you must be honest. Even the Gita says Tathsaditi. Good deeds, good vision, good intentions, good labor, good thoughts—these are the eight paths. These are the qualities of God.
Guru:
When these eight qualities manifest in a human being, people call that person "God." You are God—but only when these qualities, which are God's qualities, shine through you. God doesn't whisper in your ear, "You are now enlightened" or "You are this or that." People and society are the ones who recognize it.
Guru:
That's why a person's accountability toward society is so important. Don't just eat, sleep, and leave. If you have no accountability, you are detached from society. That is why we say: first, look at society. If you meditate, do it for society. If you do good work, do it for society. If you pray, do it for society.
Guru:
Do not exclude the society that raised you. Nature has made you great; it gave you air so you could breathe; it gave you food so you could eat. These are the gifts of Nature. And Nature is the Veda. The Vedas don't ask you to believe in a personified God; they ask you to believe in Nature. In the Vedas, there is no mention of God except for the "Vishwakarma" (The Creator/Universe). It doesn't mention various gods and goddesses. It speaks of the one who is in the heavens. The Upanishads and the Gita say the same thing. They are the children of the Vedas.
Guru:
The difference between a Muni and a Rishi is that Munis do nothing for society; they just do their own thing and leave. But Rishis think about society. They might take Sanyas, but they stay within the household. This is likely why Ramakrishna, perhaps the greatest philosopher India has ever seen, said that he who takes Sanyas while remaining a householder is the true Sanyasi.
Host:
You have heard from Gurudev about following the path of a Sanyasi while living in a household. Gurudev has given us significant directions on the various methods and ways to achieve this. Friends, please subscribe to our "Gupta Sadhak Shyama Kha-Pa" YouTube channel, and like and share the videos.
Host:
Pranam, Gurudev.
Guru:
Blessings, child.
Spiritual Insight
This profound discourse challenges the common misconception that spiritual advancement requires abandoning worldly life. Drawing from Ramakrishna Paramahamsa and the example of Lahiri Mahasaya, Gurudev reveals that the Grihi Sanyasi (householder ascetic) who maintains spiritual practice while fulfilling social duties is greater than the renunciate who abandons society. The distinction between Muni (self-focused) and Rishi (society-serving) reminds us that true spirituality must flow back to the community that nurtured us. The eightfold path of goodness—honesty, good deeds, good vision, good intentions, good labor, good thoughts—transforms an ordinary person into a vessel of divine qualities. As Gurudev emphasizes: "God is within people. If you exclude me and go to the forest, what will you find?"