Udasi

Udasi is derived from the Sanskrit word Udāsīn, which means one who is indifferent to or disregardful of worldly attachments, a stoic, or a mendicant.[6] The word Udasi is derived from the Sanskrit word udasin,[7] meaning 'detached, journey', reflecting an approach to spiritual and temporal life,[2] or from udas ('detachment'), signifying indifference to or renunciation of worldly concerns.[8]

Fresco of Sri Chand from Akhara Bala-Nand, Amritsar

According to myth, the sect was established in the Puranic age but historically-speaking, the sect was founded by and based on the teachings of Guru Nanak's elder son Sri Chand (1494–1629, other sources give a death year of 1643).[6] Sri Chand, contrary to his father's emphasis on participation in society, propagated ascetic renunciation and celibacy.[2] Another Sikh tradition links the Udasis to Baba Gurditta, the eldest son of Guru Hargobind, and there is dispute on whether the Udasis originated with Sri Chand or Gurditta.[9] Another viewpoint is that Sri Chand was the founder of the sect and passed the leadership to Baba Gurditta as his successor.[10]

They maintain their own parallel line of gurus from Guru Nanak, followed by Sri Chand, followed by Gurditta.[2] They first came to prominence in the 17th century,[7] and gradually began to manage Sikh shrines and establishments in the 18th century,[1] from where they espoused a model of Sikhism that diverged considerably from that of the Khalsa.[7] They would set up establishments across North India through to Benares, where they would come to be ideologically joined with monastic asceticism.[7] The combination of Hindu gods and the Sikh religious text indicated that the sect evolved over time under many historical influences and conditions,[2] interpreting the message of Guru Granth Sahib in monistic Vedantic terms.[11][12] They were initially largely based in urban centers where they set up their establishments, or akharas, only beginning to spread into rural areas during Sikh rule;[2] before, they had around a dozen centres; by the end of Maharaja Ranjit Singh's reign, the number had increased to around 250.[12] The Udasis widely propagated its form of Sikh philosophy, and during the 18th and the early 19th centuries, their teachings attracted a large number of people to the Sikh fold.[2] According to early gur-bilas literature and some modern scholars, Guru Gobind Singh had employed a large number of armed, militant Udasi asectics prior to the construction of the forts of Anandpur Sahib. It has been posited that Guru Gobind Singh initiated the Khalsa in order to amalgamate the nirgun bhakti beliefs of the Ramanandis and the martial traditions of the growing number of armed mahants.[13]

Before the emergence of the Singh Sabha Movement in the late 19th century, they controlled important Sikh shrines, including the Harimandir Sahib for a short while.[7][8] However, during the Akali movement of the 20th century, the Tat Khalsa Sikhs expelled them from the Sikh shrines, accusing them of vices and of indulging in ritual practices that were against the teachings of the Sikh gurus. The Sikh Gurdwara Reform Act, 1925 defined the term "Sikh" in a way that excluded the syncretic groups like Udasis, Nanakpanthis, and other groups who maintained transitional identities.[3] Subsequently, the Udasis increasingly identified themselves as Hindus rather than Sikhs.[1]

According to 18th-century descriptions, they either cut or matted their hair under a turban, rather than knot it under a turban like Khalsas, and instead of the Khalsa emphasis on the panj kakkar garb and sporting arms, their dress code would include items such as a cap, a cotton bag, a flower rosary, a vessel made of dried pumpkin, a chain around the waist, ash to smear on their body, and a deerskin upon which to perform Hatha yoga, resulting in an extremely divergent appearance from Khalsa Sikhs in the eighteenth century.[7] In addition to not consider the Khalsa's Rehat Maryada to be binding on them,[8] their modes of thought and attitude towards salvation also differed significantly. The Khalsa believed that salvation could be attained while taking part in society and pursuing secular objectives like political power and accumulation of resources like agrarian land, though this had to be accomplished within a particular framework of beliefs and spiritual practices, chief among which was the societal order and structure of the Khalsa. The Udasis considered secular pursuits to be incompatible with personal salvation, which was to be achieved only through renouncing the world,[7] espousing asceticism and a monastic traveler lifestyle. Udasis are known for their Akharas along with the Nirmala sect of Sikhism.

The Udasis also worship the panchayatana, the five Hindu deities: Shiva, Vishnu, Durga, Ganesha, and Surya.[14]

Painting of a "Naga" Udasi ascetic from a folio of a manuscript of the Silsilah-i-Jogiyan, ca.1800

There are various sub-sects within the Udasis, some of them being:[6]

• Almast dhūāṅ
• Phūl dhūāṅ
• Goind (or Gondā) dhūāṅ
• Bālū Husnā dhūāṅ
• Nāngā, followers of this sect remain naked except for a brass chain worn around the waist

Note - the word dhūāṅ means hearth

Bakhshishāṅ sects

'Suthrasahi, an order of Sikh ascetics', a painting from the Tashrih al-aqvam, circa 1825

After the four dhūāṅs, another sub-sect of Udasis emerged known as Bakhshishāṅ. There were six prominent groups of this type, them namely being:[6]

• Bhagat Bhagvanie (followers of Bhagat Bhagvan)
• Suthrashahie (followers of Suthrashah)
• Sangat Sahibie (followers of Sangat Sahib)
• Mihan Shahie or Mihall Dasie, so called after Mihan, the title conferred by Guru Tegh Bahadur on Ramdev
• Bakht Mallie (followers of Bakht Mall)
• Jit Mallie (followers of Jit Mall)

• Dhanadeva – an ancient inscription found in an Udasi shrine
• Sects of Sikhism
• Sects of Hinduism
• Sadh Belo

• Udasis