Sadhu

{{Short description|Religious ascetic or holy person in Hinduism}}
{{about|Hindu/Jain holy persons|Buddhist use of the term|Sādhu (Pali word)|the 1994 film|Sadhu (film)}}
{{Distinguish|Sadu (disambiguation){{!}}Sadu}}
{{Italic title}}
{{EngvarB|date=November 2013}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2013}}
{{Hinduism}}
[[File:Nepali Sadhu.jpg|thumb|290x290px|Sadhu in Pashupatinath Temple, Kathmandu, Nepal.]]
'''''Sadhu''''' ({{lang-sa|साधु}}, [[IAST]]: ''{{IAST|sādhu}}'' (male), ''sādhvī'' or ''sādhvīne'' (female)), also spelled ''saddhu'', is a religious [[ascetic]], [[mendicant]] or any holy person in [[Hinduism]] and [[Jainism]] who has renounced the worldly life.<ref name=britsadhu>{{Cite web|url=https://www.britannica.com/topic/sadhu|title=sadhu and swami &#124; Hindu ascetic &#124; Britannica|website=www.britannica.com}}</ref>{{sfn|Jaini|1991|p=xxviii, 180}}<ref name=klaus299>{{cite book|author=Klaus K. Klostermaier|title=A Survey of Hinduism: Third Edition|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=E_6-JbUiHB4C&pg=PA299|year=2007|publisher=State University of New York Press|isbn=978-0-7914-7082-4|page=299}}</ref> They are sometimes alternatively referred to as '' [[yogi]]'', ''[[sannyasa|sannyasi]]'' or ''vairagi''.<ref name=britsadhu/>

Sādhu means one who practises a '[[sadhana]]' or keenly follows a path of spiritual discipline.<ref name="Yogananda, Paramhamsa 1997 p.16">″Autobiography of an Yogi″, Yogananda, Paramhamsa, Jaico Publishing House, 127, Mahatma Gandhi Road, Bombay Fort Road, Bombay (Mumbai) - 400 0023 (ed.1997) p.16</ref> Although the vast majority of sādhus are [[yogi|yogīs]], not all yogīs are sādhus. A sādhu's life is solely dedicated to achieving [[moksha|mokṣa]] (liberation from the cycle of death and rebirth), the fourth and final [[Ashrama (stage)|aśrama]] (stage of life), through meditation and contemplation of [[Brahman]]. Sādhus often wear simple clothing, such as [[saffron]]-coloured clothing in Hinduism and white or nothing in Jainism, symbolising their [[sannyasa|sannyāsa]] (renunciation of worldly possessions). A female mendicant in Hinduism and Jainism is often called a ''sadhvi'', or in some texts as ''[[aryika]]''.{{sfn|Jaini|1991|p=xxviii, 180}}<ref name=klaus299/>

In [[Sikhism]], a person who has become ''[[Brahmgiani]]'' is considered a ''sadhu''. However, ascetism, celibacy and begging is prohibited in Sikhism. A Sikh has to be married and do an honest job for a living.<ref>Winternitz, M., History of Indian Literature. Tr. S. Ketkar. Calcutta, 1927</ref>

==Etymology==
[[File:Sadhu and a picture of Siva.jpg|thumb|250px|A sadhu in [[yoga]] position, reading a book in [[Varanasi]]]]
The term ''sadhu'' (Sanskrit: साधु) appears in ''[[Rigveda]]'' and ''[[Atharvaveda]]'' where it means "straight, right, leading straight to goal", according to [[Monier Monier-Williams]].<ref name=mmwsadhu>[http://www.ibiblio.org/sripedia/ebooks/mw/1200/mw__1234.html Sadhu], Monier Williams Sanskrit English Dictionary with Etymology, Oxford University Press, page 1201</ref>{{refn|group=note|See for example:<br>अग्ने विश्वेभिः स्वनीक देवैरूर्णावन्तं प्रथमः सीद योनिम् । कुलायिनं घृतवन्तं सवित्रे यज्ञं नय यजमानाय '''साधु''' ॥१६॥ – Rigveda 6.15.16 ([https://sa.wikisource.org/wiki/ऋग्वेद:_सूक्तं_६.१५ Rigveda Hymn सूक्तं ६.१५], Wikisource)<br>प्र यज्ञ एतु हेत्वो न सप्तिरुद्यच्छध्वं समनसो घृताचीः ।  स्तृणीत बर्हिरध्वराय '''साधू'''र्ध्वा शोचींषि देवयून्यस्थुः ॥२॥ – Rigveda 7.43.2 ([https://sa.wikisource.org/wiki/ऋग्वेद:_सूक्तं_७.४३ Rigveda Hymn सूक्तं ७.४३], Wikisource)<br>यथाहान्यनुपूर्वं भवन्ति यथ ऋतव ऋतुभिर्यन्ति '''साधु''' । यथा न पूर्वमपरो जहात्येवा धातरायूंषि कल्पयैषाम् ॥५॥ – Rigveda 10.18.5 ([https://sa.wikisource.org/wiki/ऋग्वेद:_सूक्तं_१०.१८ Rigveda Hymn सूक्तं १०.१८], Wikisource), etc.}} In the [[Brahmana]]s layer of Vedic literature, the term connotes someone who is "well disposed, kind, willing, effective or efficient, peaceful, secure, good, virtuous, honourable, righteous, noble" depending on the context.<ref name=mmwsadhu/> In the Hindu Epics, the term implies someone who is a "saint, sage, seer, holy man, virtuous, chaste, honest or right".<ref name=mmwsadhu/>

The Sanskrit terms ''sādhu'' ("good man") and ''sādhvī'' ("good woman") refer to renouncers who have chosen to live lives apart from or on the edges of society to focus on their own spiritual practices.<ref>Flood, Gavin. ''An introduction to Hinduism''. (Cambridge University Press: Cambridge, 1996) p. 92. {{ISBN|0-521-43878-0}}</ref>

The words come from the root ''sādh'', which means "reach one's goal", "make straight", or "gain power over".<ref>[[Arthur Anthony Macdonell]]. ''A Practical Sanskrit Dictionary''. p. 346.</ref> The same root is used in the word [[sādhanā]], which means "spiritual practice". It literally means one who practises a ″sadhana″ or a path of spiritual discipline.<ref name="Yogananda, Paramhamsa 1997 p.16"/>

==Demographics and lifestyle==
Unlike skilled workers and professionals, there is no certification for sadhus. So, it is very difficult to determine the exact number of sadhus. According to various assumptions, there are 4 to 5 million sadhus in India today.{{citation needed|date=August 2022}} Sadhus are widely respected for their holiness.<ref>Dolf Hartsuiker. ''[http://www.adolphus.nl/sadhus/ Sadhus and Yogis of India] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071015040933/http://www.adolphus.nl/sadhus/ |date=15 October 2007 }}.''</ref> 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. For example, [[nath|Nath yogi sadhus]] have been viewed with a certain degree of suspicion particularly amongst the urban populations of India, but they have been revered and are popular in rural India.<ref>{{Citation | last =White | first =David Gordon | year =2012 | title =The Alchemical Body: Siddha Traditions in Medieval India | publisher =University of Chicago Press | pages=7–8}}</ref><ref>David N. Lorenzen and Adrián Muñoz (2012), Yogi Heroes and Poets: Histories and Legends of the Naths, State University of New York Press, {{ISBN|978-1438438900}}, pages x-xi</ref>

There are naked ([[digambara]], or "sky-clad") sadhus who wear their hair in thick [[dreadlocks]] called ''jata''. Sadhus engage in a wide variety of religious practices. Some practice asceticism and solitary meditation, while others prefer group praying, chanting or meditating. They typically live a simple lifestyle, and have very few or no possessions. Many sadhus have rules for alms collection, and do not visit the same place twice on different days to avoid bothering the residents. They generally walk or travel over distant places, homeless, visiting temples and pilgrimage centers as a part of their spiritual practice.<ref>M Khandelwal (2003), Women in Ochre Robes: Gendering Hindu Renunciation, State University of New York Press, {{ISBN|978-0791459225}}, pages 24-29</ref><ref>Mariasusai Dhavamony (2002), Hindu-Christian Dialogue: Theological Soundings and Perspectives, {{ISBN|978-9042015104}}, pages 97-98</ref> [[Celibacy]] is common, but some sects experiment with consensual [[tantric sex]] as a part of their practice. Sex is viewed by them as a transcendence from a personal, intimate act to something impersonal and ascetic.<ref>Gavin Flood (2005), The Ascetic Self: Subjectivity, Memory and Tradition, Cambridge University Press, {{ISBN|978-0521604017}}, Chapter 4 with pages 105-107 in particular</ref>

==Sadhu sects==
[[File:A female sadhu sannyasi monk with a Vishnu mark, painting from India.jpg|thumb|left|upright=0.85|A female sadhvi with a [[Vishnu]] mark on her forehead]]
[[File:Ambubachi Mela at Kamakhya Temple by Vikramjit Kakati.jpg|thumb|250px|Sadhus gathered at [[Assam]]'s Kamakhya Temple for the [[Ambubachi Mela]]]]

===Hinduism===
{{See also | Sampradayas | Guru–shishya tradition | l2= Parampara | Akhara }}

[[Shaivism|Shaiva]] sadhus are renunciants devoted to [[Shiva]], and [[Vaishnavism|Vaishnava]] sadhus are renouncers devoted to [[Vishnu]] (or his avatar like Rama or Krishna). The Vaishnava sadhus are sometimes referred to as ''vairagis''.<ref name=britsadhu/> Less numerous are [[Shaktism|Shakta]] sadhus, who are devoted to [[Shakti]]. Within these general divisions are numerous sects and sub-sects, reflecting different lineages and philosophical schools and traditions often referred to as "[[sampradaya]]s". Each sampradaya has several "orders" called [[parampara]] based on the lineage of the founder of the order. Each sampradaya and parampara may have several monastic and martial [[akhara]]s.

Within the Shaiva sadhus are many subgroups. Most Shaiva sadhus wear a [[Tripundra]] mark on their forehead, dress in saffron, red or orange color clothes, and live a monastic life. Some sadhus such as the [[Aghori]] share the practices of ancient [[Kapalika]]s, where they beg with a skull, smeared their body with ashes from the cremation ground, and experiment with substances or practices that are generally abhorred by society.<ref>Gavin Flood (2008). The Blackwell Companion to Hinduism. John Wiley & Sons, pp. 212–213, {{ISBN|978-0-470-99868-7}}</ref><ref>David N. Lorenzen (1972). The Kāpālikas and Kālāmukhas: Two Lost Śaivite Sects. University of California Press, pp. 4-16, {{ISBN|978-0-520-01842-6}}</ref>

Among the Shaiva sadhus, the [[Dashanami Sampradaya]] belong to the [[Smarta Tradition]]. They are said to have been formed by the philosopher and renunciant [[Adi Shankara]], believed to have lived in the 8th century CE, though the full history of the sect's formation is not clear. Among them are the '''Naga''' subgroups, naked sadhu known for carrying weapons like tridents, swords, canes, and spears. Said to have once functioned as an armed order to protect Hindus from the [[Mughal empire|Mughal]] rulers, they were involved in a number of military defence campaigns.<ref>1953: 116; cf. also Farquhar 1925; J. Ghose 1930; Lorenzen 1978</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://publishing.cdlib.org/ucpressebooks/view?docId=ft6n39p104&chunk.id=ch09&toc.depth=1&toc.id=ch09&brand=eschol |title=The Wrestler's Body |publisher=Publishing.cdlib.org |access-date=29 March 2012}}</ref> Generally in the ambit of non-violence at present, some sections are known to practice [[indian wrestling|wrestling]] and [[Indian martial arts|martial arts]]. Their retreats are still called ''[[akhara|chhaavni]]'' or armed camps (akhara), and mock duels are still sometimes held between them.

Female sadhus (''sadhvi''s) exist in many sects. In many cases, the women that take to the life of renunciation are widows, and these types of sadhvis often live secluded lives in ascetic compounds. Sadhvis are sometimes regarded by some as manifestations or forms of the Goddess, or Devi, and are honoured as such. There have been a number of charismatic sadhvis that have risen to fame as religious teachers in contemporary India, e.g.&nbsp;[[Anandamayi Ma]], [[Sarada Devi]], [[Mata Amritanandamayi]], and Karunamayi.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.karunamayi.org/|title=Home - Amma Sri Karunamayi|access-date=20 April 2015}}</ref>

===Jainism===
The Jain community is traditionally discussed in its texts with four terms: ''sadhu'' (monks), ''sadhvi or aryika'' (nuns), ''sravaka'' (laymen householders) and ''sravika'' (laywomen householders). As in Hinduism, the Jain householders support the monastic community.{{sfn|Jaini|1991|p=xxviii, 180}} The ''sadhus'' and ''sadhvis'' are intertwined with the Jain lay society, perform ''[[murtipujaka|murtipuja]]'' (Jina idol worship) and lead festive rituals, and they are organized in a strongly hierarchical monastic structure.<ref name=cort651>{{cite journal | last=Cort | first=John E. | title=The Svetambar Murtipujak Jain Mendicant | journal=Man | publisher=Royal Anthropological Institute of Great Britain and Ireland | volume=26 | issue=4 | year=1991 | pages=651–671 | doi=10.2307/2803774 | jstor=2803774 }}</ref>

There are differences between the [[Digambara]] and [[Svetambara]] sadhus and sadhvi traditions.<ref name="cort651" /> The Digambara sadhus own no clothes as a part of their interpretation of [[Ethics of Jainism|Five vows]], and they live their ascetic austere lives in nakedness. The Digambara sadhvis wear white clothes. The Svetambara sadhus and sadhvis both wear white clothes. According to a 2009 publication by Harvey J. Sindima, Jain monastic community had 6,000 sadhvis of which less than 100 belong to the Digambara tradition and rest to Svetambara.<ref>{{cite book|author=Harvey J. Sindima|title=Introduction to Religious Studies|url= https://books.google.com/books?id=Bki5SZToAUkC&pg=PA100 |year=2009 |publisher=University Press of America|isbn=978-0-7618-4762-5|pages=100–101}}</ref>

==Becoming a sadhu==
[[File:Baba in Kathmandu.jpg|thumb|upright=0.9|A Vaishnava sadhu in [[Kathmandu]], with a [[Urdhva Pundra]] mark on his forehead.]]
The processes and rituals of becoming a sadhu vary with sect; in almost all sects, a sadhu is initiated by a [[guru]], who bestows upon the initiate a new name, as well as a mantra (or sacred sound or phrase), which is generally known only to the sadhu and the guru and may be repeated by the initiate as part of meditative practice.

Becoming a sadhu is a path followed by millions. It is supposed to be the fourth phase in a Hindu's life, after studies, being a father and a pilgrim, but for most it is not a practical option. For a person to become sadhu needs [[vairagya]]. Vairagya means desire to achieve something by leaving the world (cutting familial, societal and earthly attachments).{{citation needed|date=April 2017}}

A person who wants to become sadhu must first seek a guru. There, he or she must perform ''guruseva'' which means service. The guru decides whether the person is eligible to take [[sannyasa]] by observing the sisya (the person who wants to become a sadhu or sanyasi). If the person is eligible, ''guru upadesa'' (which means teachings) is done. Only then, the person transforms into sanyasi or sadhu. There are different types of sanyasis in India who follow different sampradya. But, all sadhus have a common goal: attaining [[moksha]] (liberation).{{citation needed|date=April 2017}}

==Festive gatherings==
[[File:Indian sadhu performing namaste.jpg|thumb|250px|A sadhu in [[Madurai]], India.]]

[[Kumbh Mela]], a mass-gathering of sadhus from all parts of India, takes place every three years at one of four points along sacred rivers in India, including the [[holy river]] [[Ganges]]. In 2007 it was held in Nasik, Maharashtra. Peter Owen-Jones filmed one episode of "Extreme Pilgrim" there during this event. It took place again in Haridwar in 2010.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/15/world/asia/15india.html|title=Taking a Sacred Plunge, One Wave of Humanity at a Time|last=Yardley|first=Jim|author2=Kumar, Hari |date=14 April 2010|work=[[New York Times]]|access-date=24 November 2010}}</ref> Sadhus of all sects join in this reunion. Millions of non-sadhu pilgrims also attend the festivals, and the [[Kumbh Mela]] is the largest gathering of human beings for a single religious purpose on the planet. The Kumbh Mela of 2013 started on 14 January of that year at [[Allahabad]].{{Citation needed|date=November 2015}} At the festival, sadhus appear in large numbers, including those "completely naked with ash-smeared bodies, [who] sprint into the chilly waters for a dip at the crack of dawn".<ref name=geeta>{{cite news|last=Pandey|first=Geeta|title=Kumbh Mela: 'Eight million' bathers on first day of festival|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-india-21017217|newspaper=BBC News|date=14 January 2013}}</ref>

==Gallery==
<gallery heights="150" mode="packed-hover" gallery="" widths="150" caption="Sadhu">
File:Sadhu of Orchha.jpg|Sadhu in [[Orchha]]
File:Sadou Kathmandu 04 04.jpg|A sadhu in Kathmandu, Nepal
File:Vrai ou faux Sadhu ? (Orchha) (8450517857).jpg|Sadhu in Orchha, Madhya Pradesh
File:Sadhus Kathmandu.jpg|Sadhus walking on [[Durbar Square]], Kathmandu
File:Sadhu Vârânasî .jpg|Sadhu from [[Varanasi|Vârânasî]]
File:A sadhu by the Ghats on the Ganges, Varanasi.jpg|Sadhu by the Ghats on the Ganges
File:Three saddhus at Kathmandu Durbar Square.jpg|Sadhus at Kathmandu Durbar Square
File:A sadhu playing flute, Benaras.jpg|A sadhu playing flute
File:(A) Sadhu in Varanasi, India.jpg|Sadhu in [[Varanasi]], India.
File:Kathmandu, Nepal, Sadhu.jpg|Sadhu at Kaathe Swyambhu, Kathmandu
File:India-7579 - Flickr - archer10 (Dennis).jpg|Sadhu in India.
File:Sadhvi - Gangasagar Fair Transit Camp - Kolkata 2013-01-12 2517.JPG|Sadhvi or female Sadhu at the Gangasagar Fair transit camp, Kolkata.
File:People of Varanasi 006.jpg|Sadhu at a river bank
File:Saddhu04.jpg|Sadhu in Nepal
File:Pushkar, India, Sadhu ascetic.jpg|Shiva sadhu in [[Pushkar]], India.
File:Nepali Sadhu.jpg|Sadhu in Pashupatinath Temple, Kathmandu, Nepal.
File:Chanpatia Dist. Sadhum, India, ca. 1906 (IMP-CSCNWW33-OS14-60).jpg|A female  ''sādhvī'' in [[Chanpatia]], India, 1906.
File:Hindu Holy Man makes purchases at produce market, Debe, Trinidad and Tobago..JPG|A [[sadhu]] at a market in [[Debe]], [[Trinidad and Tobago]].

</gallery>

==See also==
{{Portal|Hinduism|Sikhism}}
{{div col |colwidth=12em}}
* Types
** [[Aghori]]
** [[Godman (India)|Godman]]
** [[Nath]]
** [[Shramana]]
* Lineage
** [[Guru–shishya tradition]]
** [[Parampara]]
** [[Sampradaya]]
* Lifestyle
** [[Akhara]]
** [[Chillum (pipe)|Chillum]] 
** [[Kaupinam]]
** [[Kacchera]]
** [[Langota]]
{{Div col end}}

==Notes==
{{Reflist|group=note}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Further reading==
{{Div col}}
* {{citation |last=Jaini |first=Padmanabh S. |author-link=Padmanabh Jaini |title=Gender and Salvation: Jaina Debates on the Spiritual Liberation of Women |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=GRA-uoUFz3MC |publisher=[[University of California Press]] |date=1991 |isbn=0-520-06820-3 }}
* ''Indian Sadhus'', by Govind Sadashiv Ghurye, L. N. Chapekar. Published by Popular Prakashan, 1964.
* ''Sadhus of India: The Sociological View'', by Bansi Dhar Tripathi. Published by Popular Prakashan, 1978.
* ''The Sadhu: A Study in Mysticism and Practical Religion'', by Burnett Hillman Streeter, Aiyadurai Jesudasen Appasamy. Published by Mittal, 1987. {{ISBN|0-8364-2097-7}}.
* ''The Way of the Vaishnava Sages: A Medieval Story of South Indian Sadhus : Based on the Sanskrit Notes of Vishnu-Vijay Swami'', by N. S. Narasimha, Rāmānanda, Vishnu-Vijay. Published by University Press of America, 1987. {{ISBN|0-8191-6061-X}}.
* ''Sadhus: The Holy Men of India'', by Rajesh Bedi. Published by Entourage Pub, 1993. {{ISBN|81-7107-021-3}}.
* ''Sadhus: Holy Men of India'', by Dolf Hartsuiker. Published by Thames & Hudson, 1993. {{ISBN|0-500-27735-4}}.
* ''The Sadhus and Indian Civilisation'', by Vijay Prakash Sharma. Published by Anmol Publications PVT. LTD., 1998. {{ISBN|81-261-0108-3}}.
* ''Women in Ochre Robes: Gendering Hindu Renunciation'', by Meena Khandelwal. Published by State University of New York Press, 2003. {{ISBN|0-7914-5922-5}}.
* ''Wandering with Sadhus: Ascetics in the Hindu Himalayas'', Sondra L. Hausner, Bloomington, Indiana University Press, 2007. {{ISBN|978-0-253-21949-7}}
* ''Naked in Ashes'', Paradise Filmworks International&nbsp;– Documentary on Naga Sadhus of Northern India.
{{Div col end}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Sadhus}}
{{Wikiquote}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20071015040933/http://www.adolphus.nl/sadhus/ Sadhus and Yogis of India]
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0hKa_B0N7TY "Sadhus from India"]—Extract from ''The Last Free Men'' by José Manuel Novoa
* [https://www. "Interview of a Sadhu Living Inside a Cave in the Himalayas"]—Episode from ''Ganga Ma: A Pilgrimage to the Source'' by Pepe Ozan and Melitta Tchaicovsky

{{Worship in Hinduism}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Beggars]]
[[Category:Moksha]]
[[Category:Hindu prayer and meditation]]
[[Category:Jain practices]]
[[Category:Titles and occupations in Hinduism]]