Color of Apparel of Mystic Saints

Dear Arunji, Jai Guru Dev

Yesterday , my son Siddhartha posed  a question - as to why some mystic saints of India wear ochre  colored robes and some white.

White signifies purity. Saffron or ochre has something to do with Hinduism  and some wear even yellow . Can you kindly elaborate on the subject?

Regards,
Ravi Valluri

Dear Ravi:

The purest element in this creation is fire. A sanyasi is required to be pure and hence adopts the colour of such purest element.Saffron in fact carries shades of Sun, Mars and Jupiter. Just as flame of Agni burns away darkness and brings in light, the wisdom of these saints removes  ignorance.Hindu saints wear saffron robes as a mark of renunciation of material life.

Centuries ago, when sages moved from one ashram to another, it was customary to carry fire along. Carrying  burning substances long distances was indeed onerous and eventually gave way to the symbolic saffron flag. 

When Buddha gave up his mortal body, he was covered with a special robe dyed in saffron. Ever since, Buddhist monks have embraced saffron as the colour that can help achieve their goal of 'moksha'.

Regards,

Arunji 

Arun Madhavan -  Advanced Meditation Course Teacher of Art of Living