Meet man, who cracked UPSC exam, then quit IAS officer's post to become monk due to...

Becoming an IAS officer is a dream for hundreds of civil servant aspirants taking the UPSC exam every year and once a person achieves this feat, they leave no stone unturned to make their career a success. In this article, we will talk about an IAS-turned-monk Sunil Patnaik, who is now known as Swami Nirliptananda Saraswati serves as the vice-president of the Divine Life Society headquartered at the Sivananda Ashram in Rishikesh.

Sunil Patnaik belongs to Ganjam district in Odisha, the second son of a Zilla Parishad head clerk who later served as the District Inspector of Schools. Raised in a humble household, Sunil's early exposure to religion came from his mother, a homemaker with limited formal education. 

As Sunil prepared for the IAS exam and subsequent training at the National Academy of Administration, Mussoorie, the wisdom of Sivananda continued to echo in his thoughts. Amidst lectures on governance and law, his mind grappled with existential questions about life's purpose. A pivotal moment came when Sunil, along with two friends, visited the Sivananda Ashram in Rishikesh during a weekend excursion. This visit proved transformative, although it would take another 22 years for Sunil to commit fully to life at the ashram.

In 1990, Sunil embraced sanyas at the ashram, bidding farewell to his government service and assuming the name Nirliptananda.