Learning from the Sādhus: India's Mystic Ascetics

It is not surprising that one of the oldest holy traditions sprang from a land where rivers, mountains and trees are often considered sacred. In a place where the verdant earth is still recognized as pure, where stupas pop up on the landscape every few kilometers, where mountain tops are marked with shrines or alters, and even the animals are imbued with a special reverence, we can find the Sadhus of India.

Sadhus are considered India's holy men and women. They have a singular purpose. These wanderers have renounced all things in order to reach one goal: Moksha or liberation. Sadhus have very little need for clothing and even food. They have given up kama (enjoyment), artha (practical objectives), and dharma (duty). Often also called sanyasis, they have an otherworldly presence as they have redefined the purpose for human existence. They have lived through the invasion of other cultural dogmas, standing firm in their belief that this life was meant to be used for the great awakening of the Spirit. They roam India in their colorful garb, with an attitude of piousness, and often glee. Sādhus and Sādhvīs (the female version meaning good woman; women often enter the sadhu life when they are much older and have widowed or simply never marry.) are India's treasure, a sign that humanity's search for inner light has not gone dim. Though there's is not the only path to Moksha, their ability to maintain celibacy, renounce material things, and maintain a rigorous spiritual discipline, is refreshing, if not purely inspirational.

The exact history of the Sadhu is uncertain. Some believe the tradition of the Sadhu comes from the Vedic culture, pointing out that the ascetic teachings were inherent in the Vedas. Archaeological evidence does support the existence of the sadhu as far back as 2500 BC, where shamanistic remnants were found near the Indus Valley. The evidence consists mainly of steatite seals depicting a horned God which is said to be the prototype for the God Shiva. (Sadhus, India's Mystic Holy Men, Dolf Hartsuiker) These seals can be viewed at the National Museum of India, New Delhi. There is controversy in the interpretation of these symbols, even, but most scholars agree they are the remnants of the Sadhu tradition.

It is important to view the Sadhus with an ethnocentrically-eradicated mind. Many of these men and women would be seen as lunatics in our corner of the planet. Taken out of their context, away from the spiritually free environment of their native country, they would seem almost ridiculous. They roam the roads of India in little but a loin cloth, sometimes with only a colorful garland of flowers around their necks, supplicating the deities, practicing mediation for many hours a day. Considering most human beings would require many thousands of lifetimes in order to reach the ultimate goal of the Sadhu, perhaps we can look upon their 'fringe' behavior as appropriate to the task that lies before them. Though not all of us are ready to renounce all we have and start roaming the country spending days in meditation we might gather a few lessons from the Sadhus. The Sadhus have made a radical commitment, but a worthy one.

Many believe that the Sadhu is a spark of the flame of the Infinite Energy. Some believe that even laying our eyes upon a Sadhu is akin to receiving a blessing from a living idol. A sadhu's spiritual energy is so great, it is said to have healed sickness, awakened a spiritual longing in others, and even stopped death. Many of these men and women are considered souls who have already reached liberation, but that have returned to a human incarnation to help others to reach liberation also. Others believe that the presence of a sadhu in their community and villages helps to burn off the collective karma of the people who live there.

Sadhus are not always seen in a good light, even by Indian's. They survive off of donations from kind passersby, just like the drunkards or homeless who loiter in store fronts. Often, though, this is due to the fact that many beggars pose as the "devout," tarnishing the reputation of the sadhu. Others are offended by the sadhu's nudity. Often in darshan (the practice of having a site or viewing of the divine) a sadhu will sit in complete nudity. This is not meant to insight ambivalence or to be sexually provocative, but to show the sadhu's ability to exist beyond the confines of sexuality.

Sādhus practice different types of spiritual and religious ceremony or rites depending on the sect they are associated with. Some burn ritual fires, others spread white ashes on their bodies from head to toe. Some have long dread-locked hair, some shave their heads completely. Sādhus from certain historical tribes often artistically mark their bodies with colored stripes or dots of varying colors, made with the ashes of sacred fires. The markings often represent a belief of the sadhus, that our bodies are malleable and impermanent. Some sādhus have elaborated piercings or head dresses; others roam with simply a loin cloth of ochre color and a string of mala beads around their necks.

There are only about four or five million sadhus left. This seems to be a large number, but represents only about one half of a percent of India's population. They are seen often enough to inspire great reverence, but not often enough to take for granted. Their presence changes the energy of the surrounding area. Even if you are not religious, you cannot help but notice a certain spark in their eyes. With dwindling numbers, the sadhus continue on their quest. If we are wise, we can learn from their example.

The life of a renunciate is surely not for everyone. Later yogic traditions elaborated on the need for common householders to have a way to reach moksha or enlightenment. Buddha himself later preached the Middle Way, recognizing the problems which could occur in society if we all shirked our familial responsibilities in order to roam in a loin cloth seeking liberation. The most important aspect of a sadhu's existence; however, is not his appearance or his rarity, but the goal he has in mind, to achieve freedom from the bondage of this life through the contemplation of God and practice of meditation. It might be difficult to have such singular purpose. We cannot all shirk our jobs and refuse to pay the mortgage in order to don a loin cloth and sit in the subway practicing pranayama and meditation all day. We would likely be hauled off by the police. We can; however, find certain moments in the day where we focus on nothing but the liberation of our own minds. We can commit an hour to meditation instead of ten minutes. We can learn to live with less instead of always seeking to acquire more. How many t-shirts are in your closet right now? And how many of those do you actually wear? We need not renounce everything, but we can start to let go of little things, as a start, as a way to dip or toes in the water of the sanyasi's life. Great change is made by small acts. The greatest of these changes is made by changing our minds about what is truly important. The sadhus value only their relationship to the Infinite Source. If we were to question our attachments to the many things we own, we may find that in our hearts there is a sādhu yearning to become free.

(c) 2009, 2010 Christina Sarich