scary sadhus - beware!

Paleface

A saddhu in Coventry, well i never ... You obviously have a rnabandhana with the fellow, which debt is not over yet, hence the worm of scaredness. Has to be resolved or this one will stick around, tying you both together for many a lifetime yet... isn't that why they say, never put off until the next life what could be dissolved in this one!

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Only a mediocre person is always at his best. Somerset Maugham.

anar

a (real) sadhu came to my gate a few minutes ago. he stood there silently, hands joined, not a word, waiting to be noticed. i spotted him from my kitchen window. went to him, gave him some fruit, some money. he took what was offered, joined his hands to his head and left. not a word. just gestures of appreciation. perfect.

bsprasad

Ever heard about sivachariyaars who are found before any of the lord shiva's temple.

These sivachariyaars neither beg for alms nor demand for money. They spend their whole life time singing about lord shiva and always found in groups.

They dont refuse to take money if you give. But they dont go demanding.

The same way Aghoris in Varanasi. They dont demand anything. If they want to eat in a hotel, They walkin eat and leave after blessing the owner ' Anna dhaatha sukhi bhawa ' which means the man who gave us food should live well.

Aghoris are one of the most scary sadhus you can come across, but they dont interfere in your way and you dont want to interfere in their way. You can find them in groups in varanasi and all over india. Aghoris are a great hit with tourists. A ganja smoking sadhu is always amusing to a foreign tourist.

108

Well, they were hungry, I guess. They were desparate. They had a plan that works only once in a while, and went out with five rupiah. You got a teaching, worth more than a fiver. And the teaching could be like this:
Give to the needy, and when they try bad things on you, hoping to extract more paisa from you - be strict and just like a Rajah and do not become a victim, so they do not accumulate bad karma. Do not lead the beggars in temptation - be a great man/woman, serious but smiling, generous but wise.

Nick-H

Do not give to the fit and able bodied. Saffron clothes do not mean such a person cannot get a job. No need for them to be hungry.

anar

it is the duty of a good hindu to give alms to a sadhu/ascetic, regardless of whether he is able-bodied or not. it is the duty of a good sadhu to take what is given, not demand more, be aggressive. normally, this works. i just happened to come across crooked 'sadhus' in bangalore. the one who came to my door in kerala (earlier comment) is how one expects a sadhu to be.

Nick-H

A true sadhu, yes. I never seem to come across them; once or twice, maybe in five years, a man with his stick and pot, and I will go out of my way to give to these people if I do.

There are quite a few people that do get Rs5 from me, although I'm not as liberal as I used to be. In the recent situation you describe, I would certainly give.

Not a sadhu, but a poor Brahmin (we lived in a Brahmin street at that time) came, one day, raising money for a family wedding. We gave some cash, and also some cloth --- and the mantra that he chanted was truly beautiful.

Another marriage-fund seeker , who came to this house, and, finding a foreigner, started to ask for thousands and lakhs on top of what we gave, I told that he was acting like a street person and sent him away.

Giving is a necessary part of life, I think... but the experiences vary!

AwayFromHome

Curious - why do Sadhus have to be Brahmins?
Does it really matter? Or I may be completely unaware (shame on me, being a Brahmin myself (I am pretty suer)).

kaustabh

I agree with Anar that giving alms to sadhus is a basic duty of a hindu. but the same texts define a code of conduct for sadhus as well. A person who do not obey that conduct is not a sadhu at all. They need to be filtered away to protect the purity of the sect. It is our responsibility also. We should offer only to the deserving people and never fear a fake one. For a long period some lazy and greedy people have enjoyed religious protection. It will take time to clean it.

Paleface

It doesn't matter - In all the Lakhs of Sannyasins, how many are perfect? It is the few attainments and the many approximations that justify an ideal - said Aurobindo

Nick-H

I didn't mean to imply that the two were related, and I have no idea if they do or not!

Maybe. I do remember something from the TV coverage of Kumb Mela quite a while back, about new students having to be accepted as Brahmins and given a thread ceremony before starting out on their guru's road.

AwayFromHome

Interesting!

But as Paleface said, I don't think there is a requirement to be a Brahmin to be a Sadhu, and also just because you are a Brahmin does not mandate you become one.

I'm a prime example!

Nick-H

So, you disappointed your family, then?



There are certainly many poor pujaris who didn't get much choice in their youth --- and you can bet they are struggling to make sure their children get to college and do have the choice!

AwayFromHome

I'm a perpetual disappointment - to many!

Nick-H

Bank manager? Engineer? Doctor?

No respect for tradition!