Kukkuta Asana
Aside from a life of simplicity and focus on the Divine, many
sadhus engage in a diverse array of practices both internal and
external in order to attain higher states of awareness and
consciousness. This sadhu has chosen Hatha yoga and shows
off the results—a well-disciplined, strong body—while holding
the kukuta asana, or cock pose. Although Hatha yoga is partially
physical in nature, there are many internal, mental practices
that accompany the outer, physical postures. Through the
united control of body and mind, the sadhu prepares for
deeper, more advanced meditation.
Hatha yoga also helps the ascetic with sexual control and
sublimation: yogic technique allows the semen to be retained,
forced upward and finally converted into shakti, the divine
female that is the basis of all creation.
Ektara
Ektara are commonly used in kirtan chanting by sadhus, which is
a Hindu devotional practice of singing the divine names and
mantras in an ecstatic call and response format.
Panch-Agni-Tapasya
A group of sadhus engage in an ancient practice called the panch-
agni-tapasya, or five fire austerity, in this photograph. During this
austerity, the ascetic surrounds himself with four cow dung fires,
taking the sun as the fifth, repeatedly chants name of his chosen
deity with the aid of a mala, hidden under a cloth. Over a cycle of
eighteen years, the sadhu increases the number of fires to a full
ring of “innumerable” fires that is never completely closed,
allowing the God to enter. In the final stage, a pot of burning cow
dung is held on the sadhu’s head. Usually practiced during the
height of summer heat, the sadhu’s ability to remain focused on
his chosen mantra and deity is severely tested. The intention of
this ritual is for the sadhu to symbolically sacrifice himself to the
fire, ultimately becoming an offering to God.
This austerity is connected to the small sacred fire (dhuni) that many sadhus keep as the focal point of all daily worship rituals and religious practices, and a potent symbol of the ascetic’s self-sacrifice, rebirth from ashes, and the ash-covered Shiva.
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