Sadhus waiking up..., a photo by Harry Fisch.
This was my second visit. The other time the relation has not been easy. I just arrived after they morning "Toilette" and they were quite surprised to have someone there at such an early moment. Sadhus are sanyasi, or renunciates, who have left behind all material and sexual attachments and live in caves, forests and temples all over India and Nepal.
Era mi segunda visita. La vez anterior la cosa había estado más tensa. Lo cierto es que llegué cuando casi habían terminado de acicalarse para desplazarse a las zonas del templo donde vienen los fieles y turistas. Los Nagas Sadhus (los Sadhus desnudos), al fondo, estaban cubriendo su cuerpo de cenizas y se calentaban con una pequeña fogata. En lugar de desayuno.....
todos se pasaban la pipa de su droga local. Pude captar su atención trás decirles que las fotos del día anterior se habían estropeado
A Sadhu is usually referred to as Baba by common people. The word baba also means father, grandfather, or uncle in many Indian languages. Sometimes the respectful suffix -ji may also be added after baba, to give greater respect to the renunciate. It is also a term of endearment for small boys.
There are 4–5 million sadhus in India today and they are widely respected for their holiness,[3] and sometimes feared for their curses. It is also thought that the austere practices of the sadhus help to burn off their karma and 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. Historically and contemporarily, sadhus have often been viewed with a certain degree of suspicion, particularly amongst the urban populations of India. Today, especially in popular pilgrimage cities, posing as a sadhu can be a means of acquiring income for non-devout beggars.
There are naked Naga (Digambar, or "sky-clad") Sadhus which are non-shaven and wear their hair in thick locks, and Jata, who carry swords]. Aghora sadhus may claim to keep company with ghosts, or live in cemeteries as part of their holy path. Indian culture tends to emphasize an infinite number of paths to God, such that sadhus, and the varieties that sadhus come in have their place.
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Los Nagas Sadhus son los Sadhus que se mantienen desnudos, cubiertos solamente con un "vibhuti" o cenizas sagradas. Dejan crecer su pelo en bucles llamados "jata". Un sadhu (Saa-dhu) es un asceta hindú o un monje que sigue el camino de la penitencia y la austeridad para obtener la iluminación. Es la cuarta fase de la vida en la religión hindú, después de estudiar, de ser padre y de ser peregrino. La tradición sadhu consiste en renunciar a todos los vínculos que los unen a lo terrenal o material en la búsqueda de los verdaderos valores de la vida.
Han dejado atrás todas las ataduras materiales para liberarse a un mundo con la realidad divina, y viven en cuevas, bosques y templos por toda la India. Existen alrededor de 4 ó 5 millones de sadhus hoy en día en el país, y son personas respetadas, veneradas e incluso temidas. Son mantenidos por todos los ciudadanos que les donan alimentos.
Por norma general un shadu vive incluido en la sociedad, pero intenta ignorar los placeres y dolores humanos. Muchos de éstos se reúnen en determinadas fiestas como es el Kumbhamela.
