Avadhuta


Avadhūta is a Sanskrit term from the root 'to shake' that, among its many uses, in some Indian religions indicates a type of mystic or saint who is beyond egoic-consciousness, duality and common worldly concerns and acts without consideration for standard social etiquette. Avadhūta is a Jivanmukta who gives his insight to others and teaches them about his realisation of the true nature of the ultimate reality and self and takes the role of a guru to show the path of moksha to others. Some Avadhūta also achieve the title of Paramahamsa.
Similar figures are also known in Buddhist traditions, such as the medieval Zen monk Ikkyū, and the 20th-century Tibetan tulku Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche. In Tibetan Buddhism the equivalent type is called a nyönpa.

Types

frames how the term avadhūta came to be associated with the mad or eccentric holiness or 'crazy wisdom' of some antinomian paramahamsa who were often 'skyclad' or 'naked' :

Sacrifice

et al. equate Chöd practitioners as a type of avadhūta:
The rites of Chöd differ between lineages but essentially there is an offering of their body as food, a blessing to demons and other entities to whom this kind of offering may be of benefit, in a feast called the ganachakra. This sādhanā is common to another denizen of the charnel ground, Dattātreya the avadhūta, to whom has been attributed the nondualist medieval song, the Avadhūta Gītā. Dattātreya was a founding guru of the Aghori according to Barrett:

Mahānirvāṇatantram

, in his translation of the Mahanirvana tantra from the original Sanskrit into English under the pen name "Arthur Avalon", may be the introduction of the archetype of "avadhūta" to the English-reading public, as none of the avadhūta upanishads were translated amongst the collections of minor upanishads such as the Thirty Minor Upanishads. The Mahānirvāṇa tantra is an example of a nondualist tantra, and the translation of this work had a profound impact on the Indologists of the early-to mid-20th century. The work mentions four kinds of avadhūta.

Brahmanirvāṇatantram

The Brahmanirvantantra describes how to identify the avadhuts of the following types:
  1. Brahmāvadhūta : An avadhuta from birth who appears in any class of society. Completely indifferent to the world or worldly matters.
  2. Shaivāvadhūta : Avadhutas who have taken to the renounced order of life, often with unkempt long hair, or who dress in the manner of Shaivites and spend almost all of their time in trance, or meditation.
  3. Vīrāvadhūta : This person looks like a sadhu who has put red colored sandal paste on his body and wears saffron clothes. His hair is very well grown and is normally furling in the wind. They wear Hindu prayer beads made of Rudraksha, or of bones. They hold a wooden stick in their hand and additionally they always have a parashu or damaru with them.
  4. Kulāvadhūta : These people are supposed to have taken initiation from the Kaula sampradaya or are adepts in Kundalini Tantra. It is supposedly very difficult to recognize these people, as they do not wear any outward signs designating them as avadhutas. The speciality of these people is that they remain and live like ordinary people do. They can show themselves in the form of kings, warriors, householders or beggars.

    Relationship with the Natha Sampradaya

The Natha Sampradaya is a form of avadhūta ''panthan. In this sampradaya, Guru and yoga are of extreme importance. The important book for the Nath is the Avadhuta Gita''. Gorakshanath is considered the topmost form of the avadhuta-state.

Books