Ishan Shivanand explains the Shiv Yog teaching that enlightened people return to serve others rather than withdraw. He outlines four life stages from ancient scripture: learning, building a family, teaching others, and renunciation. Each stage prevents you from getting trapped in illusion.
That how to see a saint is from the Shiv Yog lineage. It is very simple. Many divine men get their enlightenment when they are on top of Himalayas. But a Shiva yogi saint, after getting enlightenment, will always come back and plant himself next to you in civilization, because a Shiva yogi saint believes in service. Shiva says that once you achieve the state of the highest consciousness, then sharir vritir vratam, meaning that now my body exists for service. My life exists for service. Now my love is unconditional, meaning that I have no expectation from the child, from the family, from the people around me, but I see myself as somebody who can help. And through my sadhana, through my path, through my process, I continue to help. This is a very important sutra because it teaches us evolution. If we look at the ancient scriptures, the ancient way of the immortals, Even the people who were not saints used to practice 4 stages in life. The first stage was known as the learning stage, the brahmacharya, the stage in life where I will make my body strong, I will get a nice 6-pack ab, I will learn everything there is to learn, I will balance, meditate, center myself. The second stage in life was that now I have learned, now I go outside and I make an empire, I make a kingdom, I find a partner, I have a relation, I experience the joy of relation. I pop a few kids, I make a legacy, and I enjoy the life in the best way I can. Then comes the third stage. The third stage is that, okay, now the evolution that I did create, I did have kids, I did start a journey. Now I must transition. Now the wisdom that I have created, I must pass on to others. The empire that I have, I must teach the people who I love how to take care of the empire. Now the transition should happen. Now I become a teacher. Because when I was young and foolish, I learned many things, and now I pass the torch, I give the wisdom, I transfer the knowledge. I become a teacher, I become a helper. And then the last stage was that when even this is done, I have passed whatever I could I have taught whatever I can. Now sannyas. Now I go to my own. Now I go deep within. Now instead of outwards, I start my journey inwards. And this way of living, this way of transitioning was a very important way, a very divine way. It helped people. Even if not getting enlightenment, but at least not getting stuck in the illusions of the world that we live.
