Naga sadhus at Mahakumbh pray for a cause

HARIDWAR - They live in their mountain retreats in the icy reaches of the Himalayas, practising extreme austerities. But many ash-smeared Naga sadhus who have come down here for the Mahakumbh Mela say they are rather concerned about terrorism and environmental pollution.

“Terrorism is one of the major threats confronting the world. It is alien to the culture of India, which is not open to ‘unmatyata’ or excesses,” sant Divyanandji, a Naga sadhu, associated with the Ramtapanch wing of the Juna Akhada religious sect, told IANS at his camp in Jwalapur on the outskirts of Haridwar.

At least 250,000 Naga sadhus are expected to take part in the three-month-long Mahakumbh religious fair.

Called naked seers, they are known for their “rigorous abstinence” and “inner fire” that helps them survive in temperatures as low as minus 80 degrees Celsius in the Himalayas without clothes.

Maharaj Ved Vyas Puri said: “Any kind of recklessness destroys the social fabric, sowing seeds of terror. We are praying for world peace in this Mahakumbh Mela so that people stop indulging in subversive acts.”

“We are taking up human causes and adapting to the role of social reformers. One of the issues that we are campaigning for currently is the environment.

“The people of northern India are worried because of the high level of pollution in the river Ganges. The government and the tourism department should be blamed for the state of the river and the litter in the Himalayas - from where the river emanates,” he added.

Around 150 Naga sadhus in the Jwalapur camp were adhering to the “social dress code”.

Sporting dreadlocks and necklaces of coloured beads and semi-precious stones, they were clad in loincloth as they warmed themselves around a bonfire outside their tents.

“We cannot afford to move around naked now because society has a code of conduct and we have to abide by it. It is not possible to dress the way we dressed earlier. But we will bathe naked Feb 12 - the day of the first ’shahi snan’ (royal bath in the river Ganges) when we arrive at the river bank in a procession of chariots, elephants and horses in the morning,” Divyanandji said.

The seers are preparing for their “royal procession Jan 30 to formally enter the town of Haridwar” where they will camp at the Maya Devi temple.

Ved Vyasji said the Naga sadhus have not compromised on their spiritual beliefs and rites which have not changed over the centuries.

“We practise three types of yoga — dhyan yoga, kriya yoga and mantra yoga — which help us survive temperatures as low as minus 80 degrees. The cornerstone in our lives is restraint - be it in food or thought,” Divyanandji said, shedding light on the difficult yogic practices of the seers.

The Juna Akhada, led by Sri Avdheshanand Giri Maharaj, is the largest of the 13 ‘akhadas’.

The order of the sadhus owes its allegiance to the deity Dattatreya, an avatar of the Hindu holy trinity. Seer Adi Shankaracharya first organised the Nagas many centuries ago to protect “traditional Hinduism” as a faith.

(Madhusree Chatterjee can be contacted at madhu.c@ians.in)