Muni
Muni (Sanskrit मुनि , "silent", the "Mauna" - pause) – a term for types of ancient Indian sages and hermits or ancient Indian ascetics. Sages of this type are said know the truth of existence not on the basis of scientific texts but through self-realization.
In Rigveda the name mūni refers to a known Vedic Rishi who was prosperous beyond ritualistic orthodoxy, i.e., Brahmanism. In a much later work, the Laghu-yoga-vasistha, mūnis are divided into two types:
- kaṣtha tapasvin - ascetics permanently residing in stillness
- Jivanmukta - those liberated for life in a physical body