The Incredible Holy Men of India

As for the Naga sadhus, their bellicose past is visible in their display of weaponry --

sticks, spears, swords and especially the trident --

but nowadays these have a mostly symbolic function.

Among the Nagas -- as this name would lead us to expect --

there are still many sadhus who walk about naked.

In other respects as well they represent the ideal image of the Sadhu as it was created thousands of years ago.

The Gorakh -nathis

The Gorakhnathis are commonly referred to as Yogis or Jogis.

Although in outlook very similar to the sannyasis,

the Jogis do not follow the Vedantic teachings of Shankara,

but adhere to the Tantric way taught by their Guru-founder Gorakhnath.

Still, they are devotees of Shiva,

albeit in his manifestation as Bhairava,

and they worship Hanuman and Dattatreya.

Bhairava...

[Once when man's wickedness overran all restraining boundaries, an infuriated Shiva transformed himself into a wrathful form known as Bhairava. Thus converted, Shiva began his rampage of destruction, killing, maiming, and ripping out hearts of humans and drinking blood, his menacing laughter thundering all around.
On behalf of humanity, Vishnu approached Bhairava and requested him to stop the slaughter. Bhairava said: "I will go on killing until my bowl is filled with enough blood to quench my thirst." It was common knowledge that Bhairava's bowl could never be filled and his thirst never quenched. His heart filled with compassion, Vishnu addressed Shiva thus: "Let me give you all the blood you need. You don't have to bleed mankind." So saying, Vishnu struck his forehead with his sword and let his blood spurt into Bhairava's bowl.Ages passed, Vishnu kept pouring his blood into the bowl, while Bhairava kept drinking it.

Bhairava finally realized that Vishnu was sacrificing himself for the sake of the world. Moved by Vishnu's generosity, he declared, "So long as you preserve the world, I will not seek to quench my thirst. But when the world becomes so corrupt that even you cannot sustain it, I will raise my trident and squeeze every drop of blood from the heart of man."]

Gorakhnath, being an incarnation of Shiva,

is worshipped as a deity by the Jogis,

and has a number of temples dedicated to him.

The Jogis are therefore often designated as 'Gorakhnathis',

or more simply 'Nath babas'.

Some Gorakhnathis are known as Kanphata.

This names refers to the huge earrings

which are one of their distinctive marks,

and to their unique practice of having the cartilage of their ears split

for the insertion of the earrings.

It is said that the practice of splitting the ears originated with Gorakhnath and that the designation Kanphata ( or ‘split-eared’) was a term of disrespect applied to these Yogis by Musalmans.

In the initiation ceremony,

a special Guru splits the central hollows of both ears with a two-edged Bhairavi knife.

The slits are plugged with neem-wood sticks ;

and after the wounds have healed, large rings (mudra) are inserted.

These are a symbol of the Yogi’s faith.

Some explain that in splitting the ear a nari (mystic channel) in the cartilage is cut,

thus assisting in the acquirement of yogic power.

The Yogi, wearing the mudra, becomes immortal.

[PICTURE]

Pagal Mauni Baba belongs to the Aghori section of the Gorakhnathis. As his name reveals, this baba is 'mad, divinely intoxicated' (pagal) and 'non-speaking' (mauni).

[pix by Adolphus, except representations of Hindu Gods]