I missed seeing the famous Naga Sadhus at the Mahakumbh, which was disappointing as I had so many questions I would have liked to ask. But I caught up with them indirectly and unexpectedly late last week and would like to share what I learnt since there’s so much more to them than the seemingly bizarre aspects portrayed on social media.
It happened at a stunning photo exhibition on Naga Sadhus at the Travancore Palace in Delhi. The photographer is well-known photojournalist Bandeep Singh, whose deep interest in this enigmatic aspect of Indian culture led him to the Kumbh. He kept going to the Kumbh for over 20 years and spent 25 days closely with the Naga Sadhus of the Juna Akhada (juna means ‘ancient’). This happened through a chance introduction by a Delhi spiritual activist who had grown close to them. “A window opened, and I was suddenly in,” said Bandeep, of this rare opportunity.
Naga Sadhus are followers of one of the 10 akhadas or monastic orders founded by no less than Adi Shankara himself in the 8th century. They are celibate by choice, sleep on the ground and are proficient in yoga and martial exercises. They either shave their heads completely or grow long matted locks called ‘jata’, which are supposed to enhance their energies. Many of them wear only a loincloth or, after reaching a particular stage of spiritual detachment, discard even that as the last relic of earthly rules.
They smear themselves with ash as it keeps the body warm in cold weather and is a proven antiseptic for scratches, wounds and insect bites. Deeper, vibhuti, as Lord Shiva’s attribute, is believed to promote both physical and mental purity. The sanyasis say, “Chade khaak, mann hove paak, alakh niranjan aape aap”, meaning that when vibhuti is applied, your mind is purified, and you transcend the limits of human measurement. Niranjan, meaning spotless and blemish-free, is one of Shiva’s many epithets. They carry trishuls and wear rudraksha malas to proclaim their adherence to Shiva. Bandeep’s show is called Bhasmang, meaning ‘ash-smeared’, which holds these layers of meaning.
They eat sparingly, and there are even those who have subsisted for years on drinking nothing but tea and smoking chillums (opium pipes). But why do they smoke weed? They told Bandeep it’s because it helps them concentrate and cuts off worldly distractions. They take good care to appear in public only at the Kumbhs, where they have a historical right of way, to show society that they are there for them. After that, they mysteriously disappear to isolated ashrams and forest hide-outs, travelling by night to avoid townsfolk.
The purpose of the Naga Sadhus is two-fold. One is their spiritual growth. The other is to be in a state of constant readiness to defend temples and holy places of India from attackers. Historical incidents are chronicled about their battles in the mould of the Bhrigus, ancient warrior-priests. The orders have various surnames, such as Sarasvati, Bharati, and Giri. Bandeep tracked sanyasis of the Giri order.
The sanyasis he met were mostly men and boys from poor, rural families. Apparently, they renounce the world for one of three reasons. One, of course, is a sense of personal calling, not limited to the rural poor. It can strike urbanites too, except that city people seem more tightly bound in the coils of the ‘maya jaal’ or net of illusion. This personal calling could be a growing feeling or a sudden epiphany. So, they follow the strong pull of their hearts into sanyas.
The second and sad reason is a traumatic personal life. Tragedy, cruelty, the forlorn feeling of being abandoned, and the human heartbreak of ‘Na main kisi ka, na koi mera’, meaning ‘I belong to nobody, and nobody belongs to me’, leads some to take sanyas. In contrast to being orphaned and ill-treated, there is order, method, a regulated life and, above all, a strong sense of community and emotional security in the akhadas, once you are accepted. That sets your feet on the path of inner growth.
There is no looking back after that, for you leave your past behind and get trained to become a new person, anchored in God-awareness. It is especially healing when anchored in a compassionate and powerful concept like Shiva, whose allure has kept believers spellbound for millennia.
The third reason is something that Bandeep discovered and shared with me. In the rural North, men join the army or the police as respectable and secure professions. But there is a third category that gets even more respect––the genuine sanyasi. And so, some are drawn to sanyas, though the initial attraction transforms rapidly into an arduous personal journey of hardship, renunciation and soul growth.
Candidates are first put through hard labour and given the most tiring and unpleasant community tasks to test their commitment. If they pass and are accepted as initiates, they undergo 12 years of rigorous training and practice. Each initiate is given five gurus to oversee different aspects of his training. The fifth guru is the powerful ‘mantra guru’. If one guru leaves the akhada or dies, the leader instantly appoints another. So, the initiate is never left unattended and may safely progress in his new life. Quite a system, is it not? Centuries-old, and still ticking.
(Views are personal)
(shebaba09@gmail.com)
Renuka Narayanan