Naga sect
The Naga is a sect of SADHUS or holy men devoted
to SHIVA. Many of its followers go about naked,
as the word naga implies. In doing this they fol-
low the example of Lord Shiva, who was himself
a naked mendicant. They often live in mountain
caves completely naked, with the mountain snows
outside. Following the example of Shiva, Naga
sadhus smear their entire bodies with ashes from
cremation grounds and wear dreadlocks. As does
Shiva, they smoke great quantities of hashish, par-
ticularly when singing praises to that god.
The Nagas are also known as ascetic warriors.
Though most Indian holy men are known as
peaceful seekers of truth and higher conscious-
ness, Nagas have been known to be extremely
militant. In the past they have taken up arms
against other sects of ascetics, Muslims, and the
British.
Today Naga sadhus still carry weapons as they
wander the countryside—sticks, spears, swords,
and most especially the trident (which is a symbol
of Shiva). At the KUMBHA MELA (festival) at ALLA-
HABAD, these sadhus are usually the first to have
the honor of entering the confluence of the waters
of the YAMUNA and GANGES.
Further reading: Shashi Bhushan Dasgupta, Obscure
Religious Cults, 2d rev. ed. (Calcutta: Firma K. L. Muk-
hopadhyay, 1962); Dolf Harsuiker, Sadhus: Holy Men
of India (London: Thames & Hudson, 1993); John
Campbell Oman, The Mystics, Ascetics, and Saints of
India: A Study of Sadhuism with an Account of the Yogis,
Sanyasis, Bairagis, and Other Strange Hindu Sectarians
(New Delhi: Cosmos, 1984).
Nakula See PANDAVAS.
namarupa
Namarupa (from nama, name, and rupa, form)
is a term used in Hindu philosophy to refer to
the phenomenal world, the world of finiteness
and limited nature, as opposed to the transcen-
dent reality of the BRAHMAN or god. In Hindu
thought, reality begins as an unmanifest infin-
ity devoid of any manifestation or “thing.” As
things emerge that acquire a “name” and take a
shape or “form,” the manifest world or namarupa
appears. Most Hindu traditions see liberation
from birth and rebirth as a release or escape from
the clutches of name and form, or namarupa. The
term namarupa also appears in Buddhism with aNaked hermit of Naga sect at source of Ganges River,
Gomulkh, near Gangotri, in the foothills of the
Himalaya Mountains (Constance A. Jones)namarupa 301 J