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4) MADHI (Goswami's) :- (1)
Aparnath Madi (2) Bodhek Madi 5) Ten orders :-
The Gosains consider their
founder to have been Shankaracharya, the great apostle
of the revival of the worship of Siva in Southern India
, who lived between the eighth centuries. He had four disciples Sureswar,Hastamalaka
Padmapada,Totakacharya, from whom the ten order of Gosai's are derived.
These are commonly defined as follows : 1.Tirtha (A shrine or pilgrimage)) 2. Aashram (Hermitage) ) 3. Ban or Van (the forest) 4 Aranya (forest) 5 Giri [Peak of mountain] 6. Parvat (a mountain) 7. Sagar (the ocean) 8 Saraswati (the Goddess of learning) 9. Bharthi (the Goddess of speech) 10. Puri ( a town)
6).Initiation – A
notice of the Gosains who have become an ordinary caste will be given
later, formerly only Brahmans or members of the twice-born castes could
become Gosain but now a man of any caste, as Kurmi, Kunbi or Mali from
whom a Brahman takes water may be admitted. In some localities it is said
that Gonds and Kols can now be made Gosains, however, that the Giri order
is still recruit only Brahmans. 8).
Methods of begging and greetings .They
have various rules about begging some will never turn back to receive
alms. They may also make a rule only to accept the surplus of food cooked
for the family, and to refuse any of special quality cooked expressly
for them. One Gosain, noticed by Mr. A.K.Smith always begged hoping and
only from five houses he took from them respectively two handfuls of flour,
a pinch of salt and sufficient quantities of vegetables, spices and butter
for his meal, and then went hopping home. Those who are performing the
perikrama or circuit of the Nerbudda from its source to its mouth and
back, do not cut their hair or nails during the whole period of about
three years. They may not enter the nerbudda above their knees nor wash
their vessels in it. After crossing any tributary river or stream in their
path they may not re-cross this; and if they have forgotten or left any
article behind must abandon it unless they can persuade somebody to go
back and fetch it for them. Some carry a gourd with a single string stretched
on a stick (Ektara) on which they twang some notes; Others have a belt
of sheep’s hair hung with the bells of bullocks which they tie round
the waist. So that the tinkling of the bells may announce their coming.
A common begging word is "Alakh" or "Alakh Niranjan"
which is said to mean apart and to refer to as being separated from the
world. The Gosain gives this loud sound and stands at the door of the
house for a half a minute, shaking his body about all the time. If no
alms are brought in this time he moves on. When an ordinary Hindu meets
a Gosain he says “NamhoNarayan”Narayan is name of Vishnu and
in its reply Gosains says "Naraayan"Those who have performed
the circuit of the Nerbudda say “Har Nerbudda” and the person
addressed answers “Nerbudda Mai ki jai” or Victory to Mother
Nerbudda.
9)The Dandis The
Dandis are a special group of ascetics belonging to several of the ten
orders. According to one account a novice who desires to become a Sanniasi
must serve a period of probation for twelve years as a Dandi. Others say
that only Brahman can be a Dandi while members of other castes may become
Sanyasis, and Brahman can only become one if he is without father, mother,
wife or child. The Dandi is so called because he has dand or bamboo staff
like the ancient Vedic students. He must always carry this and never lay
it down but when sleeping plant it in the ground. Some times a piece of
red cloth is tied round the staff. The Dandi should live in the forest,
and only come once a day to beg at Brahman’s house for part of such
food as the family may have any one else, even a dog is waiting for it.
He must not accept money, or touch fire or any metal. As a matter of fact
there rules are disregarded, and the Dandi frequents towns and is accompanied
by companions, who will accept all kinds of alms on his behalf. Dandis
and Sanyasi do not worship idols, as they are themselves considered to
have become part of the daily. They repeat the Phrase “ So ham ”
which signifies I am Shiva. 10).
The Rawanvansis Another
curious class of Gosains are the Rawanvansis who go about in the character
of Rawan. The demon king of Ceylon, as he was when he carried off Sita.
The legend is that in order to do this, Rawan first send his brother in
the shape of golden deer before Rama’s place. Sita saw it said she
must have the skin of deer and sent Rama to kill it, so Rama pursued it
to the forest, and from there Rawan cried out, imitating Rama’s
voice. Then Sita thought Rama was being attacked and told his brother
Laxman to go to his help. But Laxman had been left in charge of her by
Rama and refused to leave her, till Sita said he was hoping Rama would
be killed, so that he might marry her. Then he drew a circle round her
on the ground and telling her not to step outside it until his return,
went off. Then Rawan took the disguise of a beggar and begged for alms
from Sita she told him to come inside the magic circle and she would give
him alms, but he refused. So finally Sita come outside the circle, and
Rawan at once seized her and carried her off to Ceylon.The Rawanvansis
Gosains wear rings of hair all up their arms and a rope of hair round
the waist, and the hair of their head hanging down. It would appeal that
they are intended to represent some animal. They smear vermilion on the
forehead and beg only at twilight and never at any begging they will never
move backwards, so that when they have passed a house they cannot take
alms from it unless the house holder brings the gift to them. 11).
Maths Unmarried
Sanyasis often reside in Maths or monasteries. The superior is called
Mahant, and he appoints his successor by will, from the members the admits
all these willing and qualified to enter the order. If the applicant is
young the consent of the parents is usually obtained; and parents frequently
vow to give a child to the order. Many converts have considerable areas
of land attached to them and also dependant institutions. The whole properly
of the convent and its dependencies seems to be at the absolute disposal
of the Mahant, but he is bound to give food raiment and lodging to their
inmates, and he entertains all the traveler belonging to the order 12). The fighting Gosains :- In
former times the Gosains often became soldiers and entered the service
of different military chief. The most famous of these fighting priest
were the Naga Gosain of the Jaipur, State of Rajputana who are said to
have been under on obligation from their guru of religious chief to fight
for the Raja of Jaipur whenever required. They received rent-free land
and pay of two price (1/2d.) a day, which later was put into a common
treasury and expended on the purchase of arms and ammunition whenever
needed for war. They would also lend money, and if a debtor could not
pay would make him give his son to been rolled in the force. The 7000
Naga Gosains were placed in the vanguard or the Jaipur army in battle.
Their weapons were the bow, arrow, shield, spear and discus. The Gosains
proprietor of the Deopur estate in Raipur formerly kept up a force of
Naga Gosains with which he used to collect the tribute from the feudatory
chiefs of Chattisgarh on behalf of the Raja of Nagpur. It is said that
they once invaded Bastar with this object, where most of the Gosains dies
of cholera. But after they had fasted for three days, the goddess Danteshwari
appeared to them and promised them her protection. And they took the goddess
away with them and installed her in their own village in Raipur. These
Naga Gosains wore only a single white garment, like a sleeveless shirt
reaching to the knees, and hence it is said that they were called naked.
The Gosains and Bairagis, or adherents of Siva and Vishnu, were often
engaged religious quarrels on the merits of their respective deities and
sometimes came to blows. A favorite point of rivalry was the right of
bathing first in the Gangas on occasion of one of the great religious
fairs at Allahabad or Hardwar. The Gosains claim priority of bathing,
on the ground that the Gangesflows from the matted locks of Siva; while
the Bairagis assert that the source of the river is from Vishnu’s
foot. In 1760 a pitched battle on this question ended in the defect of
the Bairagis, of whom 1800 were slain. Again in 1796 the Gosains engaged
in battle with the sikh pilgrims and were defeated with the loss of 500
men. During the reign of Akbar a combat took place in the Emperor’s
presence between the two sivite sects of Gosains, (Sanyasi) and Jogis.
This have been apparently arranged for his edification(Improve
morally), & to decide which sect had the best ground for
its pretensions to supernatural power. The jogis were completely defeated.
13)Burial <A
dead Sanyasi is always buried in the sitting attitude of religious contemplation
with the legs crossed. The grave may be dug with a side receptacle for
the corpse so that the earth, on being filled, in does not fall on it.
The corpse is bathed and rubbed with ash and clad in a new reddish-colored
shirt, with a rosary round neck. The begging wallet(zoli) with some flour
and pulse are placed in it, and also a gourd staff. Salt is put round
the body to preserve it, and earthen pots put over the head. Sometimes
coconuts are broken on the skull, to crack it and give exit to the soul.
Perhaps the idea of burial and of preserving the corpse with salt is that
the body of an ascetic does not need to be purified by fire from the appetites
and passions of the flesh like that of an ordinary Hindu; it is already
cleansed of all earthly frailty by his austerities, and the belief may
therefore have originally been that such a man would carry his body with
him to the afterworld or to absorption with the deity. The burial of a
Sanyasi is often accompanies with music and signs of rejoicing; Such a
funeral in which the corpse was seated in a litter(Palki, Doli), open
on three sides so that it could be seen; it was tied to the back of the
litter(Palki, Doli), and garlands of flowers partly covered the body.
But could not conceal the hideousness of death as the unconscious head
rolled helplessly from side to side with the movement of the litter(Palki,
Doli). The procession was headed by a European brass band and by men carrying
censers of incense(Agarbatti). 14)
Sexual Indulgence
Celibacy is the rule of the Gosain orders and a man’s property passes in
inheritance to a selected Chela or disciple. But the practice of keeping
woman is very common, even outside the large section of the community
which now recognizes marriage. Women could be admitted into the order,
when they had to shave their heads, assume the ochre-colored shirt and
rub their bodies with ashes. Afterwards, with the permission of the guru
and on payment of fine, they could let their hair grow again, at least
temporarily. Admitting woman into the order is gragually disappearing.These
women were supposed to remain quite chaste and live in nunneries, but
many of them live with men of the order. The sons born of such unions
would be adopted as chelas or disciples by other Gosain, and made their
heirs by reciprocal arrangement. Many of the wandering mendicants lead
on immoral life and scandals about their enticing away with the wives
of rich Hindus are not infrequent. During visits of Gosains to villages
they also engage in intrigues and a ribald Gond song sung at the Holi
festival describes the pleasure of the village women at the arrival of
a Gossai owing to the sexual gratification, which they expected to receive
from him
15)Missionary
Work.:- Nevertheless
the wandering Gosain have done much to foster and maintain the Hindu religion
among the people. They are the gurus or spiritual preceptors of the middle
and lower castes and though their teaching may be of little advantage,
it perhaps quickens and maintains the religious feeling of their clients.
In former times the Gosains traveled over the wild esttracts of country
proselytizing the primitive non-Aryan tribes for whose conversion to Hinduism
they are largely responsible, on such journeys they necessarily carried
their lives to their hand, and not infrequently lost them. 16)The
Gosain,Goswami, Gosavi Caste The
majority of the Gosains are however, now married and form an ordinary
caste. Buchanan states that the ten different orders became exogamous
groups, the members of which married with each other. It is said that
all Giri Gosains marry, whether they are mendicants or not which the Bharthi
order can marry or not as they please. They prohibit any marriage between
first cousins, but permit widow remarriage and divorce. They take cooked
food from the higher castes, including savarna and kunbis. Hence they
do not rank high socially, but their religious character gives them enormous
prestige. Many Gosains have become landholders, obtaining their estate
either as charitable grant from chelas or through money lending transactions.
In this capacity they do not usually turn out well and are often considered
harsh landlords and graphing creditors.
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