Sadhu

Sadhu(Sanskrit:साधु,IAST:sādhu(male),sādhvīorsādhvīne(female)), also spelledsaddhu,is a religiousascetic,mendicantor any holy person inHinduismandJainismwho has renounced the worldly life.^[1]^[2]^[3]They are sometimes alternatively referred to asyogi,sannyasiorvairagi.^[1]

Sādhu means one who practises a 'sadhana' or keenly follows a path of spiritual discipline.^[4]Although the vast majority of sādhus areyogīs,not all yogīs are sādhus. A sādhu's life is solely dedicated to achievingmokṣa(liberation from the cycle of death and rebirth), the fourth and finalaśrama(stage of life), through meditation and contemplation ofBrahman.Sādhus often wear simple clothing, such assaffron-coloured clothing in Hinduism and white or nothing in Jainism, symbolising theirsannyāsa(renunciation of worldly possessions). A female mendicant in Hinduism and Jainism is often called asadhvi,or in some texts asaryika.^[2]^[3]

InSikhism,a person who has becomeBrahmgianiis considered asadhu.However, asceticism, celibacy and begging are prohibited in Sikhism. A Sikh has to be married and do an honest job for a living.^[5]

Etymology[edit]

The termsadhu(Sanskrit: साधु) appears inRigvedaandAtharvavedawhere it means "straight, right, leading straight to goal", according toMonier Monier-Williams.^[6]^{[note 1]}In theBrahmanaslayer of Vedic literature, the term connotes someone who is "well disposed, kind, willing, effective or efficient, peaceful, secure, good, virtuous, honourable, righteous, noble" depending on the context.^[6]In the Hindu Epics, the term implies someone who is a "saint, sage, seer, holy man, virtuous, chaste, honest or right".^[6]

The Sanskrit termssādhu( "good man" ) andsādhvī( "good woman" ) refer to renouncers who have chosen to live lives apart from or on the edges of society to focus on their own spiritual practices.^[7]

The words come from the rootsādh,which means "reach one's goal", "make straight", or "gain power over".^[8]The same root is used in the wordsādhanā,which means "spiritual practice". It literally means one who practises a ″sadhana″ or a path of spiritual discipline.^[4]

Demographics and lifestyle[edit]

Unlike skilled workers and professionals, there is no certification for sadhus. So, it is very difficult to determine the exact number of sadhus. According to various assumptions, there are 4 to 5 million sadhus in India today.^{[citation needed]}Sadhus are widely respected for their holiness.^[9]It is also thought that the austere practices of the sadhus help to burn off theirkarmaand that of the community at large. Thus seen as benefiting society, sadhus are supported by donations from many people. However, reverence of sadhus is by no means universal in India. For example,Nath yogi sadhushave been viewed with a certain degree of suspicion particularly amongst the urban populations of India, but they have been revered and are popular in rural India.^[10]^[11]

There are naked (digambara,or "sky-clad" ) sadhus who wear their hair in thickdreadlockscalledjata.Sadhus engage in a wide variety of religious practices. Some practice asceticism and solitary meditation, while others prefer group praying, chanting or meditating. They typically live a simple lifestyle, and have very few or no possessions. Many sadhus have rules for alms collection, and do not visit the same place twice on different days to avoid bothering the residents. They generally walk or travel over distant places, homeless, visiting temples and pilgrimage centers as a part of their spiritual practice.^[12]^[13]Celibacyis common, but some sects experiment with consensualtantric sexas a part of their practice. Sex is viewed by them as a transcendence from a personal, intimate act to something impersonal and ascetic.^[14]

Sadhu sects[edit]

Hinduism[edit]

Shaivasadhus are renunciants devoted toShiva,andVaishnavasadhus are renouncers devoted toVishnu(or his avatars, such as Rama or Krishna). The Vaishnava sadhus are sometimes referred to asvairagis.^[1]Less numerous areShaktasadhus, who are devoted toShakti.Within these general divisions are numerous sects and sub-sects, reflecting different lineages and philosophical schools and traditions often referred to as "sampradayas".Each sampradaya has several" orders "calledparamparabased on the lineage of the founder of the order. Each sampradaya and parampara may have several monastic and martialakharas.

Within the Shaiva sadhus are many subgroups. Most Shaiva sadhus wear aTripundramark on their forehead, dress in saffron, red or orange-coloured clothes, and live a monastic life. Some sadhus such as theAghorishare the practices of ancientKapalikas,in which they beg with a skull, smear their body with ashes from the cremation ground, and experiment with substances or practices that are generally abhorred by society.^[15]^[16]

Among the Shaiva sadhus, theDashanami Sampradayabelong to theSmarta Tradition.They are said to have been formed by the philosopher and renunciantAdi Shankara,believed to have lived in the 8th century CE, though the full history of the sect's formation is not clear. Among them are theNagasubgroups, naked sadhu known for carrying weapons like tridents, swords, canes, and spears. Said to have once functioned as an armed order to protect Hindus from theMughalrulers, they were involved in a number of military defence campaigns.^[17]^[18]Generally in the ambit of non-violence at present, some sections are known to practicewrestlingandmartial arts.Their retreats are still calledchhaavnior armed camps (akhara), and mock duels are still sometimes held between them.

Female sadhus (sadhvis) exist in many sects. In many cases, the women that take to the life of renunciation are widows, and these types of sadhvis often live secluded lives in ascetic compounds. Sadhvis are sometimes regarded by some as manifestations or forms of the Goddess, or Devi, and are honoured as such. There have been a number of charismatic sadhvis that have risen to fame as religious teachers in contemporary India, e.g.Anandamayi Ma,Sarada Devi,Mata Amritanandamayi,and Karunamayi.^[19]

Jainism[edit]

The Jain community is traditionally discussed in its texts with four terms:sadhu(monks),sadhvi or aryika(nuns),sravaka(laymen householders) andsravika(laywomen householders). As in Hinduism, the Jain householders support the monastic community.^[2]Thesadhusandsadhvisare intertwined with the Jain lay society, performmurtipuja(Jina idol worship) and lead festive rituals, and they are organized in a strongly hierarchical monastic structure.^[20]

There are differences between theDigambaraandŚvetāmbarasadhus and sadhvi traditions.^[20]The Digambara sadhus own no clothes as a part of their interpretation ofFive vows,and they live their ascetic austere lives in nakedness. The Digambara sadhvis wear white clothes. The Śvetāmbara sadhus and sadhvis both wear white clothes. According to a 2009 publication by Harvey J. Sindima, Jain monastic community had 6,000 sadhvis of which less than 100 belong to the Digambara tradition and rest to Śvetāmbara.^[21]

Becoming a sadhu[edit]

The processes and rituals of becoming a sadhu vary with sect; in almost all sects, a sadhu is initiated by aguru,who bestows upon the initiate a new name, as well as a mantra (or sacred sound or phrase), which is generally known only to the sadhu and the guru and may be repeated by the initiate as part of meditative practice.

Becoming a sadhu is a path followed by millions. It is supposed to be the fourth phase in a Hindu's life, after studies, being a father and a pilgrim, but for most it is not a practical option. For a person to become sadhu needsvairagya.Vairagya means desire to achieve something by leaving the world (cutting familial, societal and earthly attachments).^{[citation needed]}

A person who wants to become sadhu must first seek a guru. There, he or she must performgurusevawhich means service. The guru decides whether the person is eligible to takesannyasaby observing the sisya (the person who wants to become a sadhu or sanyasi). If the person is eligible,guru upadesa(which means teachings) is done. Only then, the person transforms into sanyasi or sadhu. There are different types of sanyasis in India who follow different sampradya. But, all sadhus have a common goal: attainingmoksha(liberation).^{[citation needed]}

Festive gatherings[edit]

Kumbh Mela,a mass-gathering of sadhus from all parts of India, takes place every three years at one of four points along sacred rivers in India, including theholy river Ganges.In 2007 it was held in Nasik, Maharashtra. Peter Owen-Jones filmed one episode of "Extreme Pilgrim" there during this event. It took place again in Haridwar in 2010.^[22]Sadhus of all sects join in this reunion. Millions of non-sadhu pilgrims also attend the festivals, and theKumbh Melais the largest gathering of human beings for a single religious purpose on the planet. The Kumbh Mela of 2013 started on 14 January of that year atAllahabad.^{[citation needed]}At the festival, sadhus appear in large numbers, including those "completely naked with ash-smeared bodies, [who] sprint into the chilly waters for a dip at the crack of dawn".^[23]

Gallery[edit]

Sadhu
Sadhu inOrchha
A sadhu in Kathmandu, Nepal
Sadhu in Orchha, Madhya Pradesh
Sadhus walking onDurbar Square,Kathmandu
Sadhu fromVârânasî
Sadhu by the Ghats on the Ganges
Sadhus at Kathmandu Durbar Square
A sadhu playing flute
Sadhu inVaranasi,India.
Sadhu at Kaathe Swyambhu, Kathmandu
Sadhu in India.
Sadhvi or female Sadhu at the Gangasagar Fair transit camp, Kolkata.
Sadhu at a river bank
Sadhu in Nepal
Shiva sadhu inPushkar,India.
Sadhu in Pashupatinath Temple, Kathmandu, Nepal.
A femalesādhvīinChanpatia,India, 1906.
Asadhuat a market inDebe,Trinidad and Tobago.
A sadhu atBhadrachalamon the eve ofRam Navami

Notes[edit]

^See for example:
अग्ने विश्वेभिः स्वनीक देवैरूर्णावन्तं प्रथमः सीद योनिम् । कुलायिनं घृतवन्तं सवित्रे यज्ञं नय यजमानायसाधु॥१६॥ – Rigveda 6.15.16 (Rigveda Hymn सूक्तं ६.१५,Wikisource)
प्र यज्ञ एतु हेत्वो न सप्तिरुद्यच्छध्वं समनसो घृताचीः । स्तृणीत बर्हिरध्वरायसाधूर्ध्वा शोचींषि देवयून्यस्थुः ॥२॥ – Rigveda 7.43.2 (Rigveda Hymn सूक्तं ७.४३,Wikisource)
यथाहान्यनुपूर्वं भवन्ति यथ ऋतव ऋतुभिर्यन्तिसाधु। यथा न पूर्वमपरो जहात्येवा धातरायूंषि कल्पयैषाम् ॥५॥ – Rigveda 10.18.5 (Rigveda Hymn सूक्तं १०.१८,Wikisource), etc.

References[edit]

^^a ^b ^c"sadhu and swami | Hindu ascetic | Britannica".www.britannica.com.
^^a ^b ^cJaini 1991,p. xxviii, 180.
^^a ^bKlaus K. Klostermaier (2007).A Survey of Hinduism: Third Edition.State University of New York Press. p. 299.ISBN 978-0-7914-7082-4.
^^a ^b″Autobiography of an Yogi″, Yogananda, Paramhamsa, Jaico Publishing House, 127, Mahatma Gandhi Road, Bombay Fort Road, Bombay (Mumbai) - 400 0023 (ed.1997) p.16
^Winternitz, M., History of Indian Literature. Tr. S. Ketkar. Calcutta, 1927
^^a ^b ^cSadhu,Monier Williams Sanskrit English Dictionary with Etymology, Oxford University Press, page 1201
^Flood, Gavin.An introduction to Hinduism.(Cambridge University Press: Cambridge, 1996) p. 92.ISBN 0-521-43878-0
^Arthur Anthony Macdonell.A Practical Sanskrit Dictionary.p. 346.
^Dolf Hartsuiker.Sadhus and Yogis of India Archived15 October 2007 at theWayback Machine.
^White, David Gordon (2012),The Alchemical Body: Siddha Traditions in Medieval India,University of Chicago Press, pp. 7–8
^David N. Lorenzen and Adrián Muñoz (2012), Yogi Heroes and Poets: Histories and Legends of the Naths, State University of New York Press,ISBN 978-1438438900,pages x-xi
^M Khandelwal (2003), Women in Ochre Robes: Gendering Hindu Renunciation, State University of New York Press,ISBN 978-0791459225,pages 24-29
^Mariasusai Dhavamony (2002), Hindu-Christian Dialogue: Theological Soundings and Perspectives,ISBN 978-9042015104,pages 97-98
^Gavin Flood (2005), The Ascetic Self: Subjectivity, Memory and Tradition, Cambridge University Press,ISBN 978-0521604017,Chapter 4 with pages 105-107 in particular
^Gavin Flood (2008). The Blackwell Companion to Hinduism. John Wiley & Sons, pp. 212–213,ISBN 978-0-470-99868-7
^David N. Lorenzen (1972). The Kāpālikas and Kālāmukhas: Two Lost Śaivite Sects. University of California Press, pp. 4-16,ISBN 978-0-520-01842-6
^1953: 116; cf. also Farquhar 1925; J. Ghose 1930; Lorenzen 1978
^"The Wrestler's Body".Publishing.cdlib.org.Retrieved29 March2012.
^"Home - Amma Sri Karunamayi".Retrieved20 April2015.
^^a ^bCort, John E. (1991). "The Svetambar Murtipujak Jain Mendicant".Man.26(4). Royal Anthropological Institute of Great Britain and Ireland: 651–671.doi:10.2307/2803774.JSTOR 2803774.
^Harvey J. Sindima (2009).Introduction to Religious Studies.University Press of America. pp. 100–101.ISBN 978-0-7618-4762-5.
^Yardley, Jim; Kumar, Hari (14 April 2010)."Taking a Sacred Plunge, One Wave of Humanity at a Time".New York Times.Retrieved24 November2010.
^Pandey, Geeta (14 January 2013)."Kumbh Mela: 'Eight million' bathers on first day of festival".BBC News.

External links[edit]

Sadhus and Yogis of India
"Sadhus from India"—Extract fromThe Last Free Menby José Manuel Novoa
"Interview of a Sadhu Living Inside a Cave in the Himalayas"—Episode fromGanga Ma: A Pilgrimage to the Sourceby Pepe Ozan and Melitta Tchaicovsky

[7] See for example:
अग्ने विश्वेभिः स्वनीक देवैरूर्णावन्तं प्रथमः सीद योनिम् । कुलायिनं घृतवन्तं सवित्रे यज्ञं नय यजमानायसाधु॥१६॥ – Rigveda 6.15.16 (Rigveda Hymn सूक्तं ६.१५,Wikisource)
प्र यज्ञ एतु हेत्वो न सप्तिरुद्यच्छध्वं समनसो घृताचीः । स्तृणीत बर्हिरध्वरायसाधूर्ध्वा शोचींषि देवयून्यस्थुः ॥२॥ – Rigveda 7.43.2 (Rigveda Hymn सूक्तं ७.४३,Wikisource)
यथाहान्यनुपूर्वं भवन्ति यथ ऋतव ऋतुभिर्यन्तिसाधु। यथा न पूर्वमपरो जहात्येवा धातरायूंषि कल्पयैषाम् ॥५॥ – Rigveda 10.18.5 (Rigveda Hymn सूक्तं १०.१८,Wikisource), etc.

[britsadhu-1] "sadhu and swami | Hindu ascetic | Britannica".www.britannica.com.

[FOOTNOTEJaini1991xxviii,_180-2] Jaini 1991,p. xxviii, 180.

[klaus299-3] Klaus K. Klostermaier (2007).A Survey of Hinduism: Third Edition.State University of New York Press. p. 299.ISBN 978-0-7914-7082-4.

[Yogananda,_Paramhamsa_1997_p.16-4] ″Autobiography of an Yogi″, Yogananda, Paramhamsa, Jaico Publishing House, 127, Mahatma Gandhi Road, Bombay Fort Road, Bombay (Mumbai) - 400 0023 (ed.1997) p.16

[5] Winternitz, M., History of Indian Literature. Tr. S. Ketkar. Calcutta, 1927

[mmwsadhu-6] Sadhu,Monier Williams Sanskrit English Dictionary with Etymology, Oxford University Press, page 1201

[8] Flood, Gavin.An introduction to Hinduism.(Cambridge University Press: Cambridge, 1996) p. 92.ISBN 0-521-43878-0

[9] Arthur Anthony Macdonell.A Practical Sanskrit Dictionary.p. 346.

[10] Dolf Hartsuiker.Sadhus and Yogis of India Archived15 October 2007 at theWayback Machine.

[11] White, David Gordon (2012),The Alchemical Body: Siddha Traditions in Medieval India,University of Chicago Press, pp. 7–8

[12] David N. Lorenzen and Adrián Muñoz (2012), Yogi Heroes and Poets: Histories and Legends of the Naths, State University of New York Press,ISBN 978-1438438900,pages x-xi

[13] M Khandelwal (2003), Women in Ochre Robes: Gendering Hindu Renunciation, State University of New York Press,ISBN 978-0791459225,pages 24-29

[14] Mariasusai Dhavamony (2002), Hindu-Christian Dialogue: Theological Soundings and Perspectives,ISBN 978-9042015104,pages 97-98

[15] Gavin Flood (2005), The Ascetic Self: Subjectivity, Memory and Tradition, Cambridge University Press,ISBN 978-0521604017,Chapter 4 with pages 105-107 in particular

[16] Gavin Flood (2008). The Blackwell Companion to Hinduism. John Wiley & Sons, pp. 212–213,ISBN 978-0-470-99868-7

[17] David N. Lorenzen (1972). The Kāpālikas and Kālāmukhas: Two Lost Śaivite Sects. University of California Press, pp. 4-16,ISBN 978-0-520-01842-6

[18] 1953: 116; cf. also Farquhar 1925; J. Ghose 1930; Lorenzen 1978

[19] "The Wrestler's Body".Publishing.cdlib.org.Retrieved29 March2012.

[20] "Home - Amma Sri Karunamayi".Retrieved20 April2015.

[cort651-21] Cort, John E. (1991). "The Svetambar Murtipujak Jain Mendicant".Man.26(4). Royal Anthropological Institute of Great Britain and Ireland: 651–671.doi:10.2307/2803774.JSTOR 2803774.

[22] Harvey J. Sindima (2009).Introduction to Religious Studies.University Press of America. pp. 100–101.ISBN 978-0-7618-4762-5.

[23] Yardley, Jim; Kumar, Hari (14 April 2010)."Taking a Sacred Plunge, One Wave of Humanity at a Time".New York Times.Retrieved24 November2010.

[geeta-24] Pandey, Geeta (14 January 2013)."Kumbh Mela: 'Eight million' bathers on first day of festival".BBC News.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[note 1]

[7]

[8]

[9]

[10]

[11]

[12]

[13]

[14]

[15]

[16]

[17]

[18]

[19]

[20]

[21]

[22]

[23]