Aghori Sadhus of Antiquity

Aghori Sadhus are very rarely to be found. There are only about a handful of 1500 in the total 1.2 Billion population of India. Most hindus are afraid of Aghoris. These Aghoris are not actually violent but are known to consume corpses of humans or dogs, etc. when they can find it. They dont hurt or kill anyone. By inspiring fear in the minds of worldly men, they keep them at bay and do austerities in secret and indeed for a good reason. An Aghori tries to destroy all fear, hatred, fondness, greed, anger present inside the mind.

In Aghora, the adepts attain mastery over the components of the universe; the 5 mahabhutas ie., earth, water, fire, air and Akasha. They also understand the vital force Prana from inside out and energies that are even more subtle. They become the students of Mahashakti (Mother Nature) and play with the universal laws like a small child plays with toys! They transmute elements as if its a funny game. Ordinary men cannot understand their ways and are afraid and disgusted by them. The Aghoris are shy and keep away from the world of men. They stay in remote mountain caves, dense tiger infested forests, Cremation grounds and desolate river banks. Verily they are a cult steeped in mystery. Very few sadhus dare to tread this path, for its a closed tradition and they guard their secrets well. Very few people of this world have met adept Aghori Yogis. So little of them is known except their strange power and horrendous lifestyle.
Yogiraj Gambhir Nath is a legend from the nineteenth century. He was the most powerful yogi during his lifetime. According to Sant Vijayakrishna Goswami, Gambhirnathji could create and destroy this universe in the blink of an eye. Numerous miracles are known to be performed by him, including giving life to a dead devotee. He was the embodiment of kindness and devotion to God. He didnt wear silken clothes because numerous silkworms are boiled to death during it's manufacture. And he lived the life of a pauper even though he was the President of the gigantic Natha tradition. He was devoid of arrogance and pride. What very few people know is that, in his youth, Gambhirnath had been an Aghori.

When Yogiraj Visuddhananda was a little boy, he was taken to Gyangunj for initiation. After initiation from Maha_Rishi Mahatapa, he was taken to the place where Yogi Gambhirnath had set his Asana (seat) for blessing. Gambhirnath spoke very little. He awoke form samadhi, opened his merciful eyes, looked once at the boy and said, "OK, good." And instantly entered samadhi again. [taken from the record of Swami Visuddhananda]
Visuddhananda Paramhamsa became a legend in the field of Surya Science. He could transmute elements and create anything, even a living being by the power of his Yoga and solar science. He was not an Aghori but a Tantrik Yogi of the first order. He was very kind and wise and could openly perform unthinkable miracles. Once he opened his navel and displayed the Manipur Lotus to his devotees and students. His accounts can be found in Visuddhananda Prasanga and Yogirajadhiraj. He became a Paramhamsa yogi, as great as the legendary Rishis of yore. He was a rare adept in many fields simultaneously; his prowess is unequalled in Yoga, Tantra, Solar Science and Mantra Science. He walked with equal ease in both Hatha and Raja Yoga. He was the spiritual brother ( Gurubhai ) of Kutupananda or, Rishi Kauthumi ( Kooti Hoomi ), the Guru of Madame Blavatsky and Colonel Henry Olcott. [Rishi Kutupananda has mentioned students of foreign origin in a letter to Yogi Vishuddhananda. ]

When Sant Bijoykrishna Goswami ( Vijayakrishna Goswami ) was searching for a true Guru (yoga master), he met Yogi Gambhirnath in a mountain cave. A young chela (student) Aghori sadhu, who looked very fierce in appearence was guarding the cave. [Taken from the Diary of Kuladananda Brahmachari 1900AD] His job was to ward off inquisitive worldly people who disturbed the adept's austerities. The chela threw pebbles at Vijaykrishna and his friend, but never actually hitting them and shouted ferociously. The friend ran away to save himself, but Vijayakrishna advanced. Finding the latter to be fearless and stubborn, the chela was very pleased. He offered Vijaya some prasadam(holy food offered to God) which to Vijaya's utter shock was a half burnt human palm! Vijaya declined and was taken inside the cave. Inside he saw a one of a kind sight.
On four sides sat 4 adepts in their respective asanas. They had their own dhoonis (holy fire) and were incessantly engaged in sadhana. All of them were from a different religious tradition and have become one in adepthood. They have lost all personal weakness and pride and were just children of One Single God. One of these adepts were Yogiraj Gambhirnath, another was a Ramaeth Vaishnava Sant, another a Nanakshahi Sikh Mahatma and the fourth was a Sufi Muslim Sage. Its so strange to see that the Mahatmas have reconciled their difference of paths and were worshipping God togather. Gambhirnathji told young Vijaya that he was not his Guru, for such is the will of God. But he taught Vijaya Ajapa pranayama; Vijayakrishna Goswami was taught the same pranayama years later by his Guru and he understood the importance of it 20 years after meeting Gambhirnath. Bijoykrishna Goswami became a famous adept of the Vaishnava Tradition. He was like a Rishi, he spent almost 16 hours in samadhi. It is said that after he was posioned to death, he reentered his own corpse and maintained his life for a few more weeks to end his earthly Karma. He was not an Aghori, by the way.

Aghori is a branch of the Nath Yoga cult. Yogiraj Guru Gorakh Nath arranged the yogis into 12 orders. They are: Kanphat, Aoghar, Machendra, Bhartrihari, Sarangi, Durihar, Kanipa (Kanifnath), Rampanthi, Siddhi-Kerani, Aghori, Yogini and Sanyogi. There is a 13th muslim branch called Ardhyogi.Main pilgrimages of the Nath tradition are: Gorakhpur, Kajli, Peshawar (Pakistan), Dwarka, Haridwar, Pasupatinath (Nepal), Damdama (Kolkata) Mahanaad Jateshwar Temple (Hoogli), Kapildhara (Gaya), Nath Tilla, Mount Ar (Gujarat).

There is a misconception that the legendary sage Trailinga swami of Varanasi was an Aghori. Tailanga Swami was not an Aghori. His real name was Hitlal Mishra, he was the disciple of Swami Bhagirath Saraswati. His monkhood name was Swami Ganapati Saraswati. Had he been an Aghori, he would have been in the Nath Order. He was a fully realised Shaiva Yogi. (a devotee of Shiva) He was well versed in the scriptures and was an adept Hathayogi, Rajayogi and Rasayanik (alchemist). He could transmute matter from one form to another. He once lifted a 1 ton Shiva Lingam from the Ganges and planted (put Life force inside it) in his single room Ashram in Kashi. He was a very huge man and was often seen floating in padmasana, completely nude in the Ganges. When he was doing austerities in the bank of river Narmada and wanted to drink it's water, the whole river turned to milk. Khaki Baba, another yogi witnessed this miracle. Sri Ramakrishna Paramhansa, Yogiraj ShyamaCharan Lahiri, Bama Khepa, Yogiraj Lokenath Brahmachari & Bijoykrishna Goswami met him in his 250 years lifetime. All these facts can be proved from the records of the aforesaid holymen.
Being a devotee of Shiva is different from being an Aghori. There are innumerable subclasses among Shiva worshippers. They are broadly divided into the Right Path ( Dakshina Achara ) and the Left Path ( Vama Achara ). Along the Right path, walk the the Rudradhyai Vedic, Swetashwetara Upanishad Rishis, Patanjal, Raja Yogi, Hatha Yogi and common devotees. The Left path is reserved by the terrible Aghori, Kapalik, Tantrik sadhus. The attitude, sense of sanctity, austerities, mantras and behaviors are radically different between the Right and the Left.
When I was a boy, I met a remarkable sadhu in Rajgir, Bihar, near the hotspring. He was almost 7 feet in height and very strongly built. He looked amazingly nimble for a 50 year old. He was wearing a garland of Rudraksha beads alternating with bones from the human vertibral column; he was unclad except for a small cloth around his loins. He had grey hair cut short on his head. I looked at him in awe ( because he radiated a magnetic personality ) and asked what kind of a sadhu he was. He looked at me kindly and said, "Mai AghorNath hoon, beta." (I am an Aghor Nath, my son.) and walked away. Only after I heard the word "Aghori" and saw the bones, that I felt a little nervous; otherwise he was quite kind and gentle in his manners.