Who Are They?
The Aghori are ascetic Shaiva sadhus. A follower of the left-handed path or Vamacharya. The Aghori are known for their engagement in rituals involving the dead. They often dwell in open air crematories, smear cremation ashes on their bodies, and use bones from human corpses for crafting kapalas (skull-cups) and jewellery. Their practices are completely in contradiction to orthodox Hinduism. Many Aghori gurus command great reverence from rural populations as they are supposed to possess healing powers gained through their intensely difficult and erratic rites and practices of renunciation and tápasya.
Where Can You Find One?
From chilly mountains to hot deserts to dense jungles, Aghoris are known to live in places where no other human being are known to survive. Though Aghoris are prevalent in cremation grounds across India and Nepal, the secrecy of this religious sect leaves no desire for practitioners to aspire for social recognition or fame.
The main Aghori pilgrimage centre is Kina Ram’s hermitage or ashram in Ravindrapuri, Varanasi. The full name of this place is Baba Keenaram Sthal, Krim-Kund. Here, Kina Ram is buried in a tomb, which is a centre of pilgrimage for Aghoris and Aghori devotees. The present head, since 1978, of this Baba Keenaram Sthal, is Baba Siddharth Gautam Ram. Apart from this, an Aghori can be seen at any cremation ground. Asia and the Himalayan terrain are key locations preferred for performing sadhana by the Aghoris. They are also known to meditate and perform sadhana in haunted houses.
After centuries spent in investigation and research, the beliefs, practices, and doctrines of the highly secretive Aghori sect remain shrouded in mystery. The little pieces of truth that have been uncovered so far are listed below.
They are fundamentally different from other sadhus because they practice meat-eating, drink liquor, smoke marijuana and even indulge in the act of sex. And their practice of eating human flesh has contributed to them being secluded from the ‘mainstream’ sadhus.
Origin And History
Aghoris trace their origin back to Baba Keenaram, an ascetic said to have lived 150 years back. He was considered to be an incarnation of Lord Shiva. His successors are also considered to be Shiva’s incarnations. Aghoris also believe that the Hindu deity Dattatreya is a predecessor of the Aghori Tantric tradition. He was believed to be a singularly embodied incarnation of Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva and is respected in all schools of Tantrism, which is the underlying philosophy of the Aghori tradition. Because of their severe beliefs and rituals, it is said that Aghori sadhus have mystical and magical powers. While the accuracy of this information cannot be guaranteed, there are a significant number of people who believe otherwise. It is even said that if an Aghori ascetic curses you, you are likely to have a bad time. However, they are hardly known to make use of their powers as they fear that Shiva will become angry on them for using their powers for evil and they would die a horrific death. They go in search of these powers because they wish to go beyond the cycle of birth. One major practice that they employ in this quest is the shava samskara (a tantric ritual using a corpse as an altar) and, subsequently, cannibalism.
Beliefs And Rituals
The Aghoris are worshippers of Lord Shiva in his avatar as Lord Bhairava. The main principle here is moksha or salvation from the cycle of reincarnation. This liberation gives rise to the thought which states that every human is a shava (dead body) and they should try to personify Shiva by detaching themselves from human and other worldly pleasures. Subsequently, it enables them to embrace pollution and degradation by transcending social taboos and performing their rituals for the realization of moksha. A symbol that marks their detachment in order to achieve moksha is their ‘clothing’ or rather the lack of it. Most Aghoris roam naked or completely smeared in ash from the cemeteries representing humans in their truest form and their detachment from the world of Maya or illusion. In Hindu philosophy, the idea of that ‘nothing is evil, and everything emanates from Brahman’ is widely preached but seldom followed. And this is what drives the Aghori philosophy. They believe that every object in this Universe, whether living or dead, is a manifestation of God and everything is as pure as God. Therefore, abandoning anything is like abandoning God. And this is also the reason why Aghoris eat everything they can find in order to satisfy their hunger. It could be usual food like rice and fish to inedible substances like rotten food, urine, and even faeces!
What Flesh? What Bone? Everything Is A Form Of God!
The infamous shava samskara ritual involves sitting on a corpse for hours, in deep meditation. Using the corpse as an altar, the sadhu meditates on top of it to invoke the Mother Goddess, Shamshan Tara (Tara of the cemetery). Tara, like Kali, is one of the ten Goddesses who blesses the ascetic with supernatural powers, once invoked. After this, it comes to the even more mind-numbing act of actually consuming the corpse. It starts with an Aghori sadhu waiting for a corpse on the banks of the Ganga to float along. The body, decomposed and bluish in colour, is then retrieved. He then performs the shava samskara on the corpse and offers the flesh to the Goddess before eating it himself. Aghori sadhus believe that this ritual prevents them from ageing and gives them supernatural powers, taking them closer to Brahma. While ordinary people see cannibalism as primitive, barbaric and unclean, Aghoris consider it to be a spiritual resource and a subversion of taboos. As per the Aghori view, nothing is profane or separate from God. In fact, they see it as a scientific method of discovering how matter converts from one form to another.
Sex As A Medium Of Entering Trance!
Just like their doctrines, rituals and their take on food, drink, and other elements, Aghoris have a specific and highly secretive ritual for sexual intercourse as well. Though few outsiders have actually had an opportunity to witness such an event, a chosen few have actually had that privilege. Propagated by Acharya Rajneesh, the ritual explains that sex in the midst of the dead can lead to supernatural powers. In the dead of the night in a graveyard, amidst the strewn ashes of cremated bodies, the Aghori clans unite to perform this ritual. The women are smeared with the ashes of the departed, and the consummation is carried out to the beats of drums and recitation of mantras. It is imperative for the women to be menstruating during sexual consummation. Also, the women cannot be forced to be a part of this. The coitus goes on for about an hour. The men cannot ejaculate (or complete their orgasm) until the ritual is over. Taking the form of Shiva and Shakti, the men and women perform this act in a strangely methodical state of trance, releasing sexual energy in the form of supernatural powers. It is believed that the participants in this ritual develop extrasensory perception (ESP) once the process is completed. Even sex, which is generally perceived as a source of pleasure in our world, is used by the Aghoris as a medium to channelize energy to achieve salvation.
The Power To Heal
Cannibalism and other such acts aside, there is another aspect of the Aghoris’ practice that is hardly known – their power to heal. Practising such purification is a pillar of the Aghoris’ rituals. There are a lot of people willing to testify that an Aghori actually treated them or someone from their family, who was abandoned by even the doctors. Many of their ‘patients’ have actually said that Aghoris are able to transfer pollution and health to and from patients, as a form of ‘transformative healing’. This is possible on account of the belief that Aghoris have a superior mind and body.
Misconceptions Of The Modern World
It is but natural for us to misinterpret the actions and beliefs of the Aghoris, as very few of us know the rationale behind it. In essence, Aghoris are indifferent to everything; they don’t have a need to distinguish between good, neutral or bad. The things that might seem barbaric or uncivilized to us is natural to them. Which is why they consume liquor, eat human flesh or utter obscenities.
While it is rumoured that Aghoris kill humans for their rituals, there is no actual evidence to support this fact. They really harbour no desire to harm anyone or anything, as they believe that everything on this planet is a manifestation of Lord Shiva. While their claim of possessing superpowers is open to debate, there have been instances where it has been shown to be actually true.
There are thousands of social evils circling our lives, gnawing away at humanity every single day, but we choose to turn a blind eye to such events.
There is no rule that supports the acts of the Aghoris, but criticizing the unknown is not fair either. After all, as the old saying goes, “Don’t criticize when you can’t understand.”
