dashnami sannyasin,
Hindu Shaiva ascetic
who belongs to one of the 10 orders (dashnami, "ten names")
established by the philosopher
Shankara
in the 8th century AD and still flourishing in India today.
The 10 orders are Aranya, Ashrama, Bharati,
Giri, Parvata, Puri, Sarasvati, Sagara,
Tirtha, and Vana. Each order is attached to one of four
monasteries (mathas), also established by Shankara,
in the north, south, east, and west parts of India. They are
Jyoti (Joshi) Matha (at Badrinath, near
Hardwar, Uttar Pradesh state); Shrngeri
Matha (Sringeri, Karnataka state); Govardhana Matha
(Puri, Orissa state); and Sharada Matha
(Dwarka, Gujarat state). The heads of the
monasteries are called mahants (the head of the Shrngeri
Matha is called jagadguru, "teacher of the world");
they continue to be consulted on points of doctrine and to be
accorded the highest respect by Hindu laymen as well as by the
ascetics who follow them.
Dashnami sannyasins typically wear ochre-coloured robes
and, if they can obtain one, carry on their shoulders a tiger
or panther skin to sit on. They wear a mark (tilaka),
ideally made with ash from a cremation fire, consisting of three
horizontal bands across the forehead and on other parts of their
body, and a necklace-rosary consisting of 108 rudraksa
seeds. They allow their beards to grow and wear their hair loose
about their shoulders or else tied in a topknot.
Some extreme dashnamis go about naked. They are called
naga ("naked") sannyasins and
are the most militant among the ascetics. In the past the naga
sannyasins on occasion engaged in battles with Islamic
fanatics and with the naked ascetics of other Hindu sects.
Copyright (c) 1995 Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc. All Rights Reserved
Related Propaedia Topics:
Religious orders, holy men, the four stages of life
Shaivism