In the last
post, we discussed the origins and significance of the massive Kumbh Mela which
is currently being held in Allahabad, India. Its sheer enormity and the
gathering from all over the country and parts of the world, has intrigued many
a foreigner, who come down to attend every Kumbh Mela in hordes. Besides the
religious fervour, which is at its full display, there is another very
intriguing aspect of the Mela and
that is the Naga Baba’s, or the naked ascetics.
World over, they
seem to be the most photographed and also the most discussed aspect of the fair.
In some, they evoke a sense of faith, while in some they evoke a sense of
intrigue while for some they evoke a sense of revulsion. Just who are these babas and why are they the way they are?
The Naga babas are notable by their
appearance, they are naked, and have long, knotted and unkempt hair, with ash
smeared all over their bodies. They do not wear a shred of cloth even in peak
winters and keep themselves warm by smoking ‘chillum’ or local marijuana. Many of them carry trishul or the trident carried by Lord
Shiva as they are all followers of Lord Shiva. Many are known to perform
inhuman tasks and some of them are known for doing things that the modern day
civilisation might term weird, like standing on one leg for decades or using
only one hand, or sleeping on a bed of sharp nails or standing on their heads
for days, so on and so forth.
If one observes
them closely, one can find in them all aspects of Shiva, except for the nudity.
The nudity is a sign of renunciation of all material possessions and a sign of
lack of any human inhibition. It also shows that they have parted with worldly
pleasures and nothing arouses them, both sexually as well as emotionally and
are at one with their god. This is another aspect which distinguishes them from
their Lord (Shiva), who is a much married and a family man with wife and
children. However, this renunciation of the baba’s
is to end to the cycle of life and death and attain salvation. The reverence
given to them can be seen in the fact that the first dip in waters during the
Kumbh Mela is allowed to them.
The Naga baba’s consider the god Dattatreya as their
Guru (who was considered to be the first naga
baba) and the Adi Shankaracharya is supposed to have organised them in akharas, or camps, some of them being
the Udasins, the Gorakhnatis, the Aghoris
and the Yogis amongst the main ones. They
were brave and did not care much for their lives and thus have been part of
regiments fighting the early Mughals and later British. This streak of
aggression is found in many of these babas
even today, and thus often referred to as the warrior-ascetics.
If anybody tells
me that they get photographed due to their nudity, then I would like to say,
that there is much more nudity (and aesthetic at that), elsewhere and the Naga babas are definitely not satisfying that
voyeuristic need. It is their unique lifestyle and the way they are that
arouses both a sense of wonder and a squeamish suspicion about the babas. Needless to say, that they also
have a heavy following in terms of disciples many of who are amongst the rich
and famous of India.
Many feel
threatened and embarrassed by this uncanny focus on such people during the
fair. To this I only have to say, that these men are the followers of an
ancient faith and live in the past out of their own volition and the impression
that they create cannot be interpolated on an entire country or a philosophy
which has many aspects to feel proud of. I don’t see this even as an
aberration, but just another aspect of the diverse fabric of a philosophy,
better known as Hinduism.
