Living Question

[Photo is illustrative; not the sadhvi described]

"In Hinduism, there are those who have renounced themselves from the normal way of life and live in seclusion. They live lives of simplicity, devoted entirely to their God or Deity. One such devotee, is MaThaji. MaThaji is a Sadhvi, or aryika renunciate, who lives in the protected forests of Kathmandu. She sleeps only 3 or 4 hours a night, and in those hours is acutely aware of her surroundings and dreams, dreams through which she receives guidance from her serpant guru. A skeptic much like myself, Mathaji was at first doubtful of the messages she received in her dreams, but has since established a life of practice that accommodates her undying faith. She meditates for hours a day, from 2 till 7 in the morning, and then again when visitors like Dragons come to visit her.

Some sadhus are gifted with special powers or characteristics, a further distinguishment of their spiritual purpose in life. Mathaji was gifted with the power to heal. From her hands stem cold water and heated energy. In her presence, I had the unique opportunity to be blessed by her. As she laid her palms against my forehead, I felt heat emanating from her hands and a sense of calm energy running through my body.

With her hands on my forehead I wanted so bad to feel her powers, but when her cellphone rang doubt and judgment pervaded my mind. But who am I, a westerner from California, to say what a sadhu should or should not do, behave, or even look like? At the same time, I don’t want my ignorance and intrigue to be something taken advantage of. Though Mathaji is not like the sadhus in touristy areas like Pashupathinath who cover themselves in paint and beckon to tourists to take pictures with them, for a small price of course.

She is clearly devoted to her beliefs through her daily meditation and reclusive lifestyle. She has two students which she passes her guru’s teachings on to, and she supports local devotee orphans through an education. She is a good woman, that much is clear, and as long as she believes in her purpose, I trust that. As one of the few female sadhus, Mathaji faces her own world of skeptics."
~ Amalya King

"A sadhu’s body is a map of the Hindu universe, for the body is a microcosm of the cosmos. Like a canvas, the color and painted symbols aid in purification, inspire, and remind of the timeless divine beyond body and form. The body is used to tell stories. As the sadhu works towards an egoless state, he becomes the very symbols he’s painted - whether it be Shiva, Vishnu, or  Rama. The colors refer to esoteric inner visions and possible alchemical states of consciousness. The real goal of a sadhu is to achieve an attitude of non-attachment and transcendence of the physical body.

As a photographer, I sometimes like to hide behind my lens, become invisible. Yet for sadhus, it is their very outlandish visibility, the powerful symbols of the divine they paint on their bodies, which help them not to become invisible, but to transcend self. Disturbing, annoying, inspiring, exasperating, irrational, wise and powerful, photographing sadhus is like photographing a living question that people have forgotten to ask."

-- Sadhus: The Great Renouncers
A photographic exhibition by Thomas L. Kelly