What strikes you when you hear the word ‘aghori’ ?
- Few might think, ‘ huh what’s that’?
- And few who actually have a clue, might think why aghori now?
First let me just brief you a bit little about them, so that you can get a clear image.
Aghori –
They are ascetic Shiva sadhus. The Aghori engage in post-mortem rituals. Who eat corpse and apply ash on their body.
Identity-
They sacrifice each and everything in their personal life and move ahead to attain moksha (freedom from life). They eat corpse and drink their excrete urine as a medium of survival.
And use human corpses skull and craft the bone into kapalas (skullcups in which their deity is iconically depicted using) as jewelry. Aghori Sadhu is associated with cannibalism.
Main cuisine-
Aghori is well known for their nature of eating habit. It is discovered that they prefer exploring and live in cemeteries and feast on human flesh as part of their rituals and sacrifices. They also eat rotten food, a dead corpse, and even excreta such as human feces or urine.
Attire and looks-
They let their hair grow to lengths without ever bothering about the need to cut it.
The Aghori Sadhus wear minimal clothing and are not embarrassed with their bare body.
Aghori sadhus normally wear animal skin clothing or any other cloth to cover their lower body. Mostly many are similar; they smear their body with human ashes and walk around naked. Twear rudraksha chains and wristbands.
Belief-
Aghoris worship Shiva or Mahakali – the destroyer, or its female manifestation: known as Shakti or Kali, the goddess of death.
But what Shiva and Kali demand from their followers is very difficult for one to follow the path. Because of which it is not acceptable to most people. Thus Aghoris are the only ones willing to please their Demands.
Demand being fulfilled(of their deity) –
Aghoris believe that it is Goddess Kali who actually demands satisfaction through meat, alcohol, and sex.
To eat meat actually means to eat everything. To have no limits. By eating anything, Aghoris try to gain awareness of the oneness of everything and eliminate discrimination. Therefore they consume feces, human fluids, and human flesh.
Sex rituals-
When the goddess Kali demands satisfaction in sex, they then have to find an appropriate corpse and have sexual intercourse with it.
The women involved in this act are smeared with the ashes of a departed. And the consummation is carried out along the beats of drums and recitation of mantras. It is necessary that the women have to be menstruating while the act is going on, and they cannot force anyone for pleasure. The process of coitus is carried on for an hour, and the men cannot complete their orgasm until the whole ritual is completed.
Marijuana and concentration?
Smoking marijuana is very helpful because,
They believe it is marijuana that helps them concentrate on religious mantras and yogic practices they perform by routine. Also, they are mostly found to be sober and calm due to the consumption of marijuana. Visitors are attracted towards the logic behind consuming it. And people use it for various purposes. Like adding it in medicines, to make you feel better and relaxed, increase your concentration level and many more.
The delusion and hallucinations provided by weeds are taken as religious ecstasies and heightened spiritual experiences.
Ever heard the left road to heaven?
Heard the right but never left…
While the basic chosen dialogue is to choose the right way to reach god, these sadhus proudly assert that they follow the ‘left way’ to reach God. According to them, true godliness lies in seeking the ‘purity in the filthiest’.
