SADHU AND SWAMI

also spelled saddhu and swamy, Sanskrit sadhu and svamin, in India, religious or holy men. Sadhu signifies any religious ascetic or holy man. The class of sadhus includes not only genuine saints of many faiths but also men (and occasionally women) who have left their homes in order to concentrate on physical and spiritual disciplines, as well as hermits, magicians, and fortune-tellers, some of dubious religious intent. Swami usually refers to an ascetic who has been initiated into a specific religious order and, in recent years, has come to be applied particularly to monks of the Ramakrishna Mission. A Saiva (follower of the god Siva) sadhu is generally referred to as a sannyasi (q.v.), or dasnami sannyasin, while a Vaisnava (follower of the god Vishnu) monk is often called a vairagin (q.v.). An ascetic who practices yoga in order to achieve his spiritual goals is a yogin, or yogi. A Jaina ascetic is usually referred to as a muni, while a monk who follows the teachings of Buddha is a bhikku (q.v.). Sadhus may live together in monasteries (mathas) that usually belong to a particular order, may wander throughout the country alone or in small groups, or may isolate themselves in small huts or caves. They generally take vows of poverty and celibacy and depend on the charity of householders for their food. Their dress and ornaments differ according to sectarian allegiances but they usually wear ochre-coloured (more rarely, white) robes. They shave their heads, or they allow their hair to lie matted on their shoulders or twist it in a knot on top of their heads. They usually retain only the few possessions they carry with them: a staff (danda), a waterpot (kamandalu), an alms bowl, a rosary, perhaps an extra cloth or a fire tong. Sadhus generally congregate on important religious occasions, such as lunar eclipses or melas (fairs), and throughout the year are found in large numbers in sacred cities such as Varanasi (Benares) and Haridwar.