Wandering With Sadhus

Intimate portraits of the life of Hindu Sadhus.

Sushil Choudhury was a Brahmin priest in a small village in the interior of East India when he met Swami Satyananda, an American sadhu who lived in the cremation grounds. He was thirteen years old when he joined the barefoot Sadhu in spiritual pilgrimages all around India, throughout the Himalayas, and ultimately around the world, following this Sahib Sadhu through some of the most fascinating spiritual adventures recorded in recent times. Swami Satyananda performed the disciplines of a wandering ascetic for over twenty years in India, chanting naked in the snow, meditating in hot springs, sitting for days at a time beside a sacred fire, walking the length and breadth of India, encountering snakes, miracle sadhus, rainmakers, healers, terrorists, palm readers, great saints and ultimately the Divine Mother.

There are millions of these wandering Indian renunciants, begging monks, mystical walkers, roaming philosophers, miracle-workers, hashish smokers, holy men . . . but little is known about them. They are often photographed yet their words are seldom heard. Some began this way of life from childhood, while others were civil servants, shopkeepers, real estate agents, thieves . . . who left their families and jobs to become renunciants. Sadhus. Patrick Levy recounts their everyday lives, the respect they are given and how they make use of it, their teachings, their philosophy and the way they transform it into a lifestyle. Sadhus - going beyond the dreadlocks is a novel written in the form of a road movie. It is a spiritual journey into the world of sadhus."

There are millions of these wandering Indian renunciants, begging monks, mystical walkers, roaming philosophers, miracle-workers, hashish smokers, holy men . . . but little is known about them. They are often photographed yet their words are seldom heard. Some began this way of life from childhood, while others were civil servants, shopkeepers, real estate agents, thieves . . . who left their families and jobs to become renunciants. Sadhus. Patrick Levy recounts their everyday lives, the respect they are given and how they make use of it, their teachings, their philosophy and the way they transform it into a lifestyle. SADHUS - GOING BEYOND THE DREADLOCKS is a novel written in the form of a road movie. It is a spiritual journey into the world of sadhus.

An in-depth photographic study of the ascetic holy men of India • Includes more than 100 striking color photographs of Sadhus, their extreme austerities, and their holy festivals, including the Kumbha Mela • Examines the practices and beliefs of Sadhus from several different sects • Traces the historical and mythological roots of the Sadhus and shows how they have fundamentally shaped Hinduism since remote antiquity Spiritual adventurers, philosophical monks, naked ascetics, or religious transvestites, the Sadhus of India form a vital and unbroken link between the birth of yoga millennia ago and its present-day expression. Numbering in the millions, these mystic holy men are worshipped by the Hindus as representatives of the gods, yet they remain largely unknown in the West because they often live in far-off places, hidden from everyday life. In this full-color study of Sadhus more than 20 years in the making, photographer Dolf Hartsuiker illustrates the Sadhus’ world of ancient magical rituals, religious symbols, and ascetic practices. In his photographic quest across India, the author visited many holy places, attended religious festivals including the Kumbha Mela, and encountered and photographed thousands of Sadhus, befriending several as he was drawn into their inner circle. Sharing more than 100 striking color photographs from his travels, he reveals the Sadhus’ utmost devotion to their spiritual path through meditation practices, yoga exercises, penance, and austerities--sometimes taken to the extreme of prolonged self-imposed silence, bodily mortification, such as holding an arm above the head for years, or even ritual suicide--as well as their profound involvement with the mundane world as healers and teachers or magicians and sorcerers. It is a path of knowledge and devotion, renunciation and realization, sexual energy and spiritual power, divine intoxication and mystical union. The author examines the different beliefs and behaviors of each Sadhu sect, including the “sky-clad” Naga Babas, and traces their historical and mythological roots to show how they have fundamentally shaped Hinduism since antiquity. Revealing the powerful “otherworldliness” of the Sadhus, the author also exposes the mystical beauty that emanates from those who have chosen the path of asceticism in pursuit of knowledge of the Absolute and liberation from all earthly bonds.

How does it feel to be forever on the move? Who are global nomads? Why did they leave their former lives? How do they finance their travels? And, ultimately, what is the meaning of life for them? In this book our fellow global nomads, travelers who wander the world without a permanent job or home, answer these intriguing questions. They are modern-day adventurers and vagrants, no one's property. Global nomads value freedom and mastery of their own lives. Their ideas draw from the everyday life and dreams of explorers, philosophers, and vagrants, some notable pioneers including Alexander the Great, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, and George Orwell. This book shows how global nomads revive the ancient ideals of a simple and beautiful life. In the process, home, nationality, freedom, and travel get a new meaning that will permanently change the way in which we perceive the world.