Sahajiya is a
Bengali religious sect that dates back to medieval times.
The Sahajiyas combine devotional rites to the deity Vishnu
with ritual practices from the secret tantric tradition, particularly the
severe acts connected with tantra's "left-hand" (vamachara) lineage.
The term sahajiya derives from the Sanskrit word sahaja,
which means "natural" or "spontaneous," signifying the
group's conviction that one's innate emotions, qualities, and inclinations
should not be suppressed but rather directed to assist one achieve ultimate
soul freedom (moksha).
The devotion to the deity Krishna and his wife Radha was
added to this foundation of tantric ritual practice, a devotional impetus
heavily inspired by the Gaudiya Vaishnava religious sect, established by the
Bengali saint Chaitanya.
Obscure Religious Cults, by Shashibhushan B. Dasgupta, was
published in 1962, and The Place of the Hidden Moon, by Edward C. Dimock Jr.,
was published in 1989.
