The Naked Truth

@KeepUpWithKaustubh

 The road not taken in HR corridors

It takes a minimum of a decade to go through the process of becoming a Naga Sadhu – shedding your clothes, identity, name and all worldly emotions! It is a laborious, unbearable and anti-materialistic task that may take up to 30 years to accomplish.

Biting cold

Pitch darkness

Vast loneliness

And the sound of silence.

That’s the elusive Naga Sadhu’s idea of a quiet, peaceful evening at home…way up in the Himalayas.

Their bizarre rituals include complete celibacy, strong penance, and even performing their own last rites. A situation most of us would not have the guts to even think through. Since a Naga Sadhu considers himself dead to his family and society, he performs Pind Daan and Shraddh himself, after which he receives a new name and identity from his guru.

Think about that for a moment. How attached are you to your name? Is you self-worth and everything you have achieved tied to it? Do you work relentlessly to maintain the honour of the family name? Is it really worth fighting for? The Naga Sadhu, willingly gives up all attachment to his name.

These devotees of lord Shiva exist in the intersection of myth and reality for most of us. What makes the legend of the Naga Sadhus so powerful is that they are no ordinary ascetics. They stand out by being bizarre, yet majestic. Their faces are smeared with ash, they are naked and are often seen smoking copious amounts of drugs like ‘charas’ or cannabis. Apparently, the hallucinatory state that these substances put them in, bring them closer to God.

Apart from blurring vision, the smoke also metaphorically blurs the lines between right & wrong, and truth & illusion. In their world, nudity is no obscenity, it is purity and freedom. It’s ok to roll a joint, but not roll our eyes in judgement. It’s necessary to be prepared for any physical hardship, but completely unnecessary to conform to unfounded societal norms.

But as conditioned souls, wallowing in the luxury of material comforts – do we dare to take off our blinders (let alone our clothes!)? There is an internal strength in every individual, but most of us are too busy conforming to be able to test the limits and identify it. The sadhus live in extreme conditions and test the resistance of their bodies to the limit. Are we willing to go the distance and discover what lies within us?

It’s not good to dress modestly, or bad to speak your mind. It’s not wrong to question authority, or right to surrender to power. The only real truth is good karma. Bhakti yoga, or activity in devotional service is the noblest pursuit. Acting in the interest of family and society is the greatest indicator of strength of character. And, strength of character develops when we explore our spiritual side. Question everything, understand your role in the larger scheme of life. Be with others the way you would have them be with you. But don’t go to town with it; the pursuit of spirituality is divine, but the pursuit of publicity – shallow.

While it’s true that an empty mind is a devil’s workshop, it also matters what you fill your mind with. Bring in positivity and it will result in an even temperament. Even in the real world, it’s not necessarily the most knowledgeable person who can change the world, it’s the one with the most controlled mind.

We sometimes mistake an even temperament or a calm mind with renunciation. It couldn’t be further from the truth. We can’t achieve calmness by emptying the mind, we can do so by filling it with positive thought and creative pursuits. The idea is not to withdraw from the world and give up on your responsibilities to yourself and those around you; the idea is to create the right desires and goals. Do desires, ambitions and disappointments come from our hearts, or is it society that prompts us to see them as such? The answer may surprise you. Look at the Naga Sadhus for inspiration. In their nakedness, are they shameless or above petty shame? By living in the Himalayan caves, have they shunned life or found their own strength? Look within, block prejudices – the answers lie within.

But blocking prejudices is easier said than done. Prejudices start filtering into our minds as soon as our senses find their bearings in this world. Let’s start with the education system (actually, don’t get me started on the state of our education!). We could learn a thing or two from the gurukul system. For instance, let go of competitiveness and the proverbial rat race; learn for the love of knowledge. Get close to nature, air conditioning can never do for your senses what a cool breeze can. Don’t start praying when in trouble, instead worship life and your work….it will catapult you to great heights. Clean is the new beautiful and happiness trumps wealth any day.

Don’t run away from natural forces like the torrential rain, biting wind and scorching sun; take inspiration from them. Don’t fear nudity, you were born that way and will likely die the same. Shed your inhibitions like you shed your clothes. Clothes are not important, your moral fibre is.

Don’t be quick to label people, ideas and emotions. Desires aren’t bad, dark desires are. Replace them with love, it is pure...and natural. The deeper you delve, the more differences melt away. Souls are all the same, bodies differ. Thought is pure, judgement is coloured.

So take a fresh look at the philosophy of Naga Sadhus. They are isolated, but draw their strength from their own selves. They aren’t exposed in their nudity, they are armed with confidence and strength of belief. They are the army of nudes – mysterious, strong, confident and awe-inspiring.