After everything external has been renounced, desires and ambitions have to be given up. Even if internal renunciation does not come, the external renunciation helps. For internal renunciation the best remedy is the company (sat-sang) of a sage. Those who remain in the world and practice complete renunciation do well too, but the case of those who renounce and keep company with a sage is quite different.

This 'sat-sang' or company of a holy one, is of three kinds:

1. one who gives, takes not, and stays.

2. one who gives not, takes not, but stays,

3. one who gives not, takes, but stays.

This give and take business is in all material things. The first two, who take not, are better; the last, who takes, is ordinary. But all three derive great benefits, for they stay in the sat-sang after they have renounced all. The giving and not giving all depend on their past sanskaras. All three are far superior to the so-called sanyasis of the world; not only the first two, but even the last one, who 'takes' but 'stays' in sat-sang. But the ordinary sanyasis who have renounced everything, are better off than those still in the world and in the entanglements of Maya.

To be in sat-sang means to obey the guru's orders.

Q: Why did Buddha, Ramakrishna, and Tukaram renounce everything?

A: In order to attain what is Real (Buddha); in order to see and become one with God (Ramakrishna). In the case of Tukaram, through continued losses in business, and disgust with the world, he renounced all; then came love for God, followed by untold sufferings.

Staying aloof from the world because of disappointments, committing suicide or going mad are quite different, naturally, from true renunciation. Yet renunciation is 'death.' If one gets a guru, well and good; otherwise untold difficulties occur.

All this is a question of the unfolding of sanskaras. That is the essence. If the sanskaras of our actions, attached to the Paramatma within, are wiped out, it's all right. Otherwise, if they accumulate, there is just that much more stress and burden.

Saint Tukaram took renunciation on being disappointed and disgusted with the world; then the love of God was born in him, followed by the darshan of a guru. All this was due to his previous sanskaras and tremendous preparation of self, such as cannot be imagined! Unthinkable difficulties, acute stress and strain which created such powerful sanskaras that he got the opportunity for renunciation, then for finding his guru, then for the guru's grace, etc., all within a few years of one lifetime. (As to the connection with a guru's Circle, it is quite a different matter.)

Almost the whole company of Ramakrishna's followers were sanyasis. He always said: "Do not do any actions, not even reading and writing—nothing else but food and drink, the essentials for preserving one's body, which is the 'means' (sadhana) for Realization."

'Doing' and 'being' are what drown you all. ‘To do' nothing and 'to be' nothing is the truth.

Q: But how can we disbelieve all these hard facts. How can we feel and know that all these things we see and feel are 'nothing'?

A: When does one know and understand that all this is as nothing? Only when we attain to that state wherein 'everything becomes nothing.' For example, would you ever, in your waking state, get an idea of what sleep is like? Not at all! Only by personal