It’s commonly believed that after fulfilling one’s social and family responsibilities; achieving one’s life goals and satisfying one’s material and emotional needs; a person must forsake all worldly pleasures. This view is a key tenet of Hindu philosophy; although it exists in a more subdued form in the Abrahamic family of religions. The age-old idea of renunciation is premised on the belief that it will help an individual experience greater happiness, enlightenment or salvation.

In all religions, renunciation is framed as an act to be completed in order to achieve spiritual growth. In Hindu philosophy, sanyas is a stage of life that one must go through. A stage where a person must renounce all material attachments; distance himself from his family and friends and head off to a secluded place. But is sanyas necessary for achieving conscious growth?

To expand one’s consciousness, a person must be connected to the One. This can happen only if the individual is fully in the moment—enjoying every instant. To undergo such an experience, we have to passionately witness our surroundings— observing, enjoying; but not being directly involved.

An example of this hyper-conscious, neutral state is spectatorship of a match. The spectator claps, cheers; eat dozens of hot dogs; passes comments and hugs her neighbours. But, she never participates in the actual game. She relishes her outing. Yet, she’s able to move on emotionally; even if the outcome is not to her liking. Thus, a passionate witness is one who’s attached to the game while remaining detached. She can enjoy every moment to its fullest and emit positivity continually.

On the other hand, the abjurer of the sport experiences a swollen ego on account of her act. This is because she’s so attached to the righteousness of her actions that she becomes judgmental of contrarian views. Consequently, she harbours negativity and loses her inner balance; paradoxically; the very quality that she strove to strengthen. Thus, there’s no need to renounce the sport because it’s possible to emit happiness by enjoying its aspects; while remaining unattached to its outcome. In other words, sanyas is a state of being; not an act or phase.

If we extend this allegory to other spheres of life, we realize that we can be in the following state at all times:

One foot in the ocean; the other on the beach

One on the mountain; the other in the valley

One on the forest green; the other up high

In the state of Oneness—illustrated above—we become the universe’s candlesticks for kindling its energy. Renunciation is therefore unnecessary because it would only deprive us of the wax for moulding our consciousness.