Mahakumbh: Seers embrace spiritual identity as Aadhaar cards reflect gurus, not parents!

With sainthood initiation ceremonies marking a would-be holy man or woman forsaking all worldly relationships and possessions, sadhus and sanyasis camping on the banks of Sangam for Mahakumbh-2025 have names of their spiritual gurus instead of their biological parents on their important identification and travel documents like Aadhaar cards and passports.

The saints in passport applications can write the name of their spiritual gurus in place of their biological parent under Government of India rules. In new rules for passport application announced in December 2016, the Union Ministry of External Affairs had allowed seers and mendicants to apply for a passport mentioning the name of their spiritual gurus in place of their biological parents, stated officials.

Swami Hari Giri, the secretary of Akhil Bhartiya Akhara Parishad (Hari Giri faction) and a patron of Shri Panch Dasnaam Juna Akhara shared that to become a saint, like under the Shaiv Akharas, ‘Tyagis’ first perform 17 types of ‘Pind daans’, a ritual usually performed by men for their late ancestors.

In this, 16 ‘Pind daans’ are done in the name of others while the 17th is in his own name marking an end of his old self and identity. After this process, the Tyagis break all ties with their parents, siblings, other family members, relatives and move towards propagating the Sanatan dharma, he added.

Interestingly, these saints including the naga sadhus who maintain a distance from all blood relations get a father figure in the form of their Gurus. In many ways, this relationship is stronger than any other social relationships because these saints keep roaming around with the pictures of their Guru, Dada Guru, Pardada Guru, Sir Dada Guru and their ancestor Gurus close to their hearts wherever they travel, said Swami Hari Giri confirming that names of gurus are on Aadhaar cards and passports of almost all saints.

In the fair area, the saints including Naga Sadhus set up a shrine and keep the pictures of the Gurus with their names written on them above or around their sitting place in their camps in line with the age-old chela-guru tradition that they are carrying forward. It is in line with this very belief and tradition, that even Aadhaar cards and passports of saints have names of their gurus mentioned in place of their biological parents, said Sri Mahant Thanapati Swami Sevanand Giri of Shri Panch Dasnaam Awahan Akhara.

Showing his own Aadhaar card bearing the name of his guru Swami Tapti Giri in place of his parent, Swami Sevanand Giri said that guidelines of Government India for Aadhaar enrollment and passports duly incorporate this provision for saints and sanyasis.

Shringaverpur Peethadheeswar Srimad Ramanujacharya Swami Narayanacharya Shandilya says that there is a blood relation with parents, siblings or relatives when one takes birth but when one enters the tradition of Sanyas, all blood relations end. “After that only the relationship of Guru remains. There is a relationship of thoughts and spirituality with the Guru, so he is the closest to us. Under his supervision, we enter the world of spirituality and follow the path shown by him till our last breath. The disciples of the Guru are Guru brothers for us and they are our only family. When we go to Kumbh Melas of Prayagraj, Haridwar, Nashik or Ujjain or anywhere else, we all stay together,” he added.