Dimension of Spirituality

The sight of a Naaga sadhu, locally referred to as Naaga babas, evokes all kinds of reactions from us ordinary mortals particularly the young amongst us.  In India, these sadhus are frequently seen at popular religious place and events.   A common place to see these hermits is the Kumbh Mela where they dominate the proceedings by their massive presence. The largest of the akharas come here in droves for the pilgrimage; you can see hundreds or thousands of these sanyasis. History and traditions The Naagas are supposed to have been organized by Madhusudan Saraswati who was advised by Akbar the Mughal Emperor for the purpose of the Hindu monks who were not very militant and aooften failed to protect themselves from the onslaught of the Muslim leaders and their hardcore clerics. Madhusudan Saraswati was a contemporary of Akbar the great and practiced the Shankaracharya’s teachings. These monks are the militant arm of the Advaita Sanyasis hailing from the north of