The word Aghor literally means, that which is not
difficult or terrible. Aghor is simple and natural state of
consciousness. There is no place for feelings of fear, hatred, disgust or
discrimination in the eyes of an Aughar. A person who practices these virtues
may be designated as an Aughar. With constant practice when the soul is established
in that state, such a person becomes an Avadhuta regardless of his path.
An Aghoreshwar is an Avadhut who has gone through all the
various stages of Aghor and then has returned to society for the benefit of
others. Even though an Aghoreshwar remains above and beyond all social and
material illusions, distinctions, and categories, he can bring many social
reforms into effect. Realizing his divine nature, retaining the carefree,
unattached Aghor state of being, he may have at the same time the appearance of
one observing the contemporary social norm rather than a recluse.
The term Aghor goes back to the farthest reaches of time.
One of the five faces of Shiva was known as Aghor. The word is as old as Shiva
himself. In the SHIVA PURANA, one of India’s oldest legends, there is a hymn to
the glory of Shiva by Pushpadanta, head of the Gandharvas, called the Shiva Mahimnah Stotram.
One of its verses is:
Aghoranna paro mantro
Nasti tatvam Guro param.
Nasti tatvam Guro param.
The very name of Aghor (Shiva, or the one who has attained
the state of Aghor) is a mantra that is above all other mantras. There is
nothing higher to be known than the real nature of the Guru.
In the past the word Aghor implied something mysterious.
Slowly, over centuries, its meaning came to include methods and practices used
by sadhus to overcome their limitations. After the prehistoric association of
Aghor with Lord Shiva, another legendary being was not only considered by the
ancients to have realized the state of Aghor but was believed to have
propounded and taught the knowledge of it to others. This was Lord Dattatreya.
Many other saints and mahatmas who embodied this Aghor state arose at their destined
times in history, while at other times the lineage became dormant, like embers
hidden under ashes. Eventually the methods and means to achieve this Aghor
state began to be communicated in guru-disciple relationships. However, the
practices continued to be little known.
In the sixteenth century, a great saint called Baba Kinaram was known
as Aghoreshwar.
The story of Baba Kinaram tells of his wandering for years
until he attained complete knowledge by having the darshan of Bhagwan
Dattatreya, who appeared to him in the Girnar Mountains, a holy place in
Gujarat state. Later in his life Baba Kinaram wrote a book called Viveksar,
said to be the most authentic treatise on the principles of Aghor. In his book
he wrote that when he understood what Bhagwan Dattatreya was saying to him, he
saw that the whole world, the whole universe, is situated in this human body, a
vast world perfect in all respects, which was called Maya. Maya and its every
transformation was present inside his body.
Baba Kinaram established an Ashram in Varanasi, called Krim
Kund. He initiated many social reforms during the tumultuous times of the
Mughul invasion when the Indian people were being persecuted.The direct lineage of the twelve Aghoreshwars that began
with Baba Kinaram extends from the sixteenth century until the present. When
Baba Bhagwan Ram became the 12th Aghoreshwar in this lineage, he was likened to
Baba Kinaram because he had a strong sense of social responsibility,
identifying himself with suffering humanity, and waiting to help the people in
their struggle against social injustices. As in Baba Kinaram's time, there were
social problems the people were unable to handle.
Sometimes spiritual beings are able to give the people some
protection against injustice but there are other periods of time when the fires
of spiritual strength burn low, embers under ashes. Recognizing the need for
change Baba Bhagwan Ram renewed the socially conscious spirit of Baba Kinaram
when he established a new ashram called Sri Sarveshwari Samooh and dedicated it
to help the poor and the afflicted. The ashes leapt into flame again, being fed
by the spiritual fuel of another great Aghoreshwar.
In order to maintain the seat of Aghor tradition as a
continuum, Baba initiated his own disciple, Siddhartha Gautam Ram, as the head
of Krim Kund so he could be free to follow his social callings. Krim Kund and
Sri Sarveshwari Samooh are on the opposite sides of the Ganges in Varanasi with
many more Ashrams in various locations in India and a number of centers and
Ashrams in other countries. All of them are working in cooperation with each
other to maintain the ancient tradition as well as to take a freshly motivated
direction towards social services and the integration of ancient wisdom into
the life of the community.
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