Core Insight:
According to Osho, sannyas became equated with death because blind followers mistook the outer austerities of awakened ones for the path itself. Seeing Mahavira’s fasting, they copied deprivation, ignoring the inner ecstasy that forgets the body. This psychological inversion—imitating effects instead of causes—turned a celebration of life and nearness to the divine (upavasa) into body-denial, gloom, and lifeless renunciation.