Sanyāsī

Sanyāsī (Devanagari: सन्यासी, female: sanyāsinī) is a Sanskrit term to denote the person that chooses to renounce worldly and materialistic goals to dedicate their life towards spiritual pursuits.

Within the Hindu scheme of āśramas, or life stages, sannyāsa is considered the topmost and final stage, traditionally taken by men or women at or beyond the age of fifty years old, or by young monks who wish to renounce all worldly thoughts and desires and spend the rest of their life in spiritual contemplation.

Further reading

• Sannyasin at Theosopedia