Indian ascetics

[Vidyasankar Sundaresan]

>I was not aware that the Nathpanthi and Dasnami Mahants were the official
>spokespeople/ registrar for all naked Indian ascetics.

Maybe not in your book, but the very fact that they are called Mahants gives
them traditional authority. The Nagas are a very disciplined group, with
deep links to Dasnami institutions. They have a Pancayat kind of internal
government among themselves, and grant a lot of power to their Mahants. So
also with the Nathpanthis. And of course, I'm not including the Digambara
Jain monks, another possible group of naked Indian ascetics, but you rarely
see them discussed in publications of Indian sadhus.

>Not quite.  Yours was the comment on Indian poverty. Mine had to do with
>the
>pain & suffering involved in exposing 100% skin to the harsh Indian climate
>& insects.

The ash helps, believe it or not. And do I detect the pukka sahib's attitude
towards the Indian environment here? Methinks you have lived outside India
for far too long.

>What distorted perspective?  Name one other country/ religion, exotic or
>otherwise, which would allow naked sadhus roaming freely all over the
>place.

Ahem, this is getting into quite deep issues of culture and society. And I
don't want to argue for argument's sake. All I wish to point out is that
there are other aspects to Sadhus and Sannyasis in India, naked or clothed,
that the picture books never portray. If you think otherwise, you're welcome
to your opinion.

Vidyasankar
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