In its broadest meaning, this term refers to a person who has given up normal society and traditional social life in order to achieve religious enlightenment and complete spiritual freedom (moksha).
- Although austerity or physical discipline are often emphasized by spiritual searchers, they are not required.
- Ascetics may be divided into subgroups depending on their organizational membership or the Hindu god that they worship.
The Bairagis, Dashanami Sanyasis, and Nathpanthis are all well-defined ascetic groups into which one must undergo official initiation; the Bairagis are Vishnu worshippers (bhakta), while the other two are Shiva devotees.
- The sadhu ("straight") is the second main ascetic group and the most difficult to categorize.
- Sadhus are not connected with any religious organization, have not undergone official ascetic initiation, and fall beyond the sectarian borders of the other sects.
- A sadhu is a lone religious seeker who is motivated to achieve religious objectives by doing whatever he thinks is ideal (or more rarely, to her).
You may also want to read more about Hinduism here.
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