Incessant rainfall since the previous evening restricted the Naga Sadhus of Dashnam Juna Akhara to their assigned camp at Assam’s sacred Kamakhya temple on International Yoga Day.
Nevertheless, the weather did not curb the Hatha Yogis’ enthusiasm to participate in the global observance of yoga.
Coated in conventional ash and modestly dressed, hundreds of Naga Sadhus convened in Kamakhya’s main hall, India’s top “Shakti Peetha".
The sadhus displayed their proficiency in Hatha Yoga and Ajapa Yoga, utterly unfazed.
“Nobody can match the Naga Sadhus in yoga. We are Hatha Yogis. Yoga Kriya is part of our daily routine, and we spend the day engrossed in yoga sadhana. As supreme yogis, we showcased our abilities today, on International Yoga Day. Yoga holds answers to everything," shared Nityananda Giri Maharaj.
“People resort to gyms as they offer better facilities which yoga seems to lack. Over time, yoga has evolved, and is now taught professionally in studios. The younger generation is beginning to appreciate yoga’s significance," explained Maharaj.
Hatha yoga, a yoga branch that utilizes physical techniques to maintain and harness vital energy, has roots tracing back to texts like Hindu Sanskrit epics and Buddhism’s Pali canon since the 1st-century CE.
Similar to countless devotees nationwide visiting the sacred Kamakhya temple atop Guwahati’s Neelachal hills for Ambubasi, the Naga Sadhus believe that this period is prime for “Maha Yoga", where achievements are multiplied.
“Kamakhya is India’s supreme tantra peeta, and tantra directly relates to the body. Yoga promotes good health (niryoga) and long life," said one of the Naga Sadhus.
Ambubachi, or “spoken with water", symbolizes the fertility the expected rains bring to the earth during this time. All religious and agricultural activities are suspended during this period. On the fourth day, all used items are cleaned and symbolically purified.
The Ambubachi festival, celebrated in the monsoon, commemorates Goddess Kamakhya’s annual menstrual cycle. The temple closes for three days for traditional seclusion, then reopens ceremonially with a grand fair, believed to bless devotees with the Goddess’s fertility.
Worship of Goddess Kamakhya resumes post cleansing and rituals. The prasad is distributed in two forms, ‘Angodak’ and ‘Angabastra’, symbolizing body fluids and a piece of red cloth covering the stone yoni during menstruation.
Known also as the Ameti or Tantric fertility festival, Ambubasi Mela is linked to the Tantric Shakti cult prevalent in Eastern India. Some Tantric Babas only appear publicly during these days, showcasing their psychic abilities. For the rest of the year, they remain secluded.