In the first place, 'Renunciation' is 'vairagya that may lead to 'sanyas'. Thus, this topic excludes the people who are not ripe enough for sanyas. Sanyasa is not advisable for all. It is only those who are reluctant to continue in the worldly way of life and seek some Guru' to lead to spiritual path of life. This reluctance comes as a result of repeated births and deaths of jiva and its experience compels it to change the path of sensuous life. It is also the last few stages of human existence, as it were. It is the divine proddence, divine intervention asking the jiva to change its way of life from sensuous to spiritual that prompted Sri Raghavendra Swamy to take to sanyasa. Some who take hasty decision and enter sanyasa may not succeed and return to family life! Normally, every aged person above seventy years should take to a life of meditation, live as much as possible in a solitary place (at least for a larger part of the day) and think of spiritual pursuits. The guidance of an attained Guru is absolutely essential. Practice of yoga from early stages in life helps a lot. Those who do not take to yoga, at least, before the age of fifty will miss the bus! It is not possible at a later stage to take to asana, pranayama and other pre-requisites for renunciation. Breath control is one of the important means of mind control.
Now, who says, renunciation is absolutely essential? Bhagavan Sri Krishna has clearly stated that the adept should strive to control mind and through mind, all thoughts, desires and organs that run after the desires. The Lord is Yogacharya and the Gita is yoga-shastra.. He says, "one should desist from temptations. Withdraw senses, mind, intellect from worldly pursuits." Atma samshtha manah krutvaana kinchidapi chintayet | (Gita Ch. VI. V. 25). One should remain in a thoughtless state! Manolaya or mano nasha is also yoga that stills the mind.
The Gita emphatically lays down the means to salvation, mukti, moksha. The adept has to take to satsanga, svadhyaya, nidhidhyasana and dhyana. The knowledge should pave way for viveka (wisdom) and finally, to vairagya. These steps are the means to salvation. Those who are not interested in all these need not bother and go ahead with their normal life of worldly pursuits. These are fools, 'mudah', says the Lord. Further, this vairagya is not the end by itself. There are three more steps to kailvalya or kailasa, param padam. These are explicitly stated in the Gita sa- yajnya (sacrice), dana (should donate or gift all that one possesses) and go to solitary place for tapas. It is ultimately the 'tapas' that brings immense joy and supreme bliss. This is definitely not for all! These are left tp the Lord's will and it is He who directs the jiva, and even the jiva cannot do anything in this regard!
Then only, the person will enjoy total bliss, param ananada. Nothing will bother such a yogin!
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