sannyasa means the fourth (wandering ascetic) ashrama in Hindu spiritual life. It carries an Arena rating of 1379, earned across 5 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, sannyasa ranks #722 of 17,124 for Most Sublime Words, #1,031 of 17,128 for Most Ponderous Words, #1,219 of 17,149 for Most Exacting Words, #2,026 of 17,130 for Most Beautiful Words.
Why “sannyasa” is a great word
SANNYASA — [Noun] The fourth and final stage of life in the Hindu ashrama system, characterized by the formal renunciation of worldly possessions and pursuits for spiritual liberation. From the Sanskrit saṃnyāsa (“laying down, abandonment, renunciation”), from sam- (“together, completely”) and nyāsa (“putting down, placing”). Unlike vanaprastha, which denotes a third-stage, gradual withdrawal to the forest, or tyaga, a general term for any act of abandonment, sannyasa is a total, institutional vow of severance. It is the ochre robe that sheds identity, the single-bowl meal received without seeking, and the final pilgrimage with no earthly destination—a conscious uncoupling performed so the universe may flow through an empty vessel.
Etymology
From Sanskrit संन्यास (saṃnyāsa).
noun
- The fourth (wandering ascetic) ashrama in Hindu spiritual life.e.g.““Fourth stage only is sannyasa, complete and total renunciation.”” — 2008, Preeta Samarasan, Evening is the Whole Day, Fourth Estate, page 46:
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
Words closest in meaning
By meaning, not spelling — each word's AI semantic fingerprint, nearest first.
- sannyasi 77% match — A man in the stage of sannyasa; a wandering ascetic, a religious mendicant. vs sannyasa →
- vanaprastha 73% match — The third of four ashrama (stages) in a human life, characterised by a gradual transition of one's social and economic responsibilities to the next generation, and a move away from worldly and sexual pursuits to more spiritual concerns. vs sannyasa →
- ashrama 64% match — Any of the four stages of Hindu spiritual life. vs sannyasa →
- grihastha 62% match — The second (householder) ashrama in Hindu spiritual life. vs sannyasa →
- samana 58% match — An ascetic, (especially) an ascetic monk who ignores the Vedas in Buddhist and Indian contexts. vs sannyasa →
- brahmacharya 57% match — The first (student) ashrama in Hindu culture in which a person is dedicated to the quest for self-realization. vs sannyasa →
- ashram 53% match — A secluded religious hermitage inhabited by gurus, or the population of such a hermitage. vs sannyasa →
- sramana 53% match — Synonym of samana (“Indian ascetic, particularly in Hindu and Jain contexts”). vs sannyasa →