The word Aghor literally means "that which is not difficult or terrible". Aghor is simple and natural state of consciousness. There is no place for feelings of fear, hatred, disgust or discrimination in the eyes of an Aughar. A person who practices these virtues may be designated as an Aughar or Aghori. With constant practice when the soul is established in that state, such a person becomes an Avadhut regardless of his path. An Aghoreshwar is an Avadhut who has gone through all the various stages of Aghor and then has returned to society for the benefit of others. Even though an Aghoreshwar remains above and beyond all social and material illusions, distinctions, and categories, he can bring many social reforms into effect. Realizing his divine nature, retaining the carefree, unattached Aghor state of being, he may have at the same time the appearance of one observing the contemporary social norm rather than a recluse. The term Aghor goes back to the farthest reaches of time. One of the five faces of Shiva was known as "Aghor". The word is as old as Shiva himself. In the SHIVA PURANA, one of Indias oldest legends, there is a hymn to the glory of Shiva by Pushpadanta, head of the Gandharvas, called the "Shiva Mahimnah Stotram". One of its verses is: Aghoranna paro mantro Nasti tatvam Guro param.
The very name of Aghor (Shiva, or the one who has attained the state of Aghor) is a mantra that is above all other mantras. There is nothing higher to be known than the real nature of the Guru. In the past the word "Aghor" implied something mysterious. Very, very slowly, over thousands of years, its meaning came to include methods and practices used by sadhus. After the preshistoric association of Aghor with Lord Shiva, another legendary being was not only considered by the ancients to have realized the state of Aghor but was believed to have propounded and taught the knowledge of it to others. This was Lord Dattatreya. Many other saints and mahatmas who embodied this Aghor state arose at their destined times in history, while at other times the lineage became dormant, like embers hidden under ashes. Eventually the methods and means to achieve this Aghor state began to be communicated in guru-disciple relationships. However, the practices continued to be little known.
HISTORY
In the sixteenth century, a great saint called Baba Kinaram was known as Aghoreshwar. The story of Baba Kinaram tells of his wandering for years until he attained complete knowledge by having the darshan of Bhagwan Dattatreya, who appeared to him in the Girnar mountains, a holy place in Gujarat state. Later in his life Baba Kinaram wrote a book called "Viveksar", said to be the most authentic treatise on the principles of Aghor. In his book he wrote that when he understood whan Bhagwan Dattatreya was saying to him, he saw that the whole world, the whole universe, is situated in this human body, a vast world perfect in all respects, which was called Maya. Maya and its every transformation was present inside his body. Baba Kinaram established an Ashram in Varanasi, called "Krim Kund". He initiated many social reforms during the tumultuous times of the Moghul invasion when the Indian people were being persecuted. The direct lineage of the twelve Aghoreshwars that began with Baba Kinaram extends from the sixteenth century until the present. When Baba Bhagwan Ram became the 12th Aghoreshwar in this lineage, he was likened to Baba Kinaram because he had a strong sense of social responsibility, identifying himself with suffering humanity, and waiting to help the people in their struggle against social injustices. As in Baba Kinaram's time, there were social problems the people were unable to handle.
Sometimes spiritual leaders are able to give the people some protection against injusics but there are other periods of time when the fires of spiritual strength burn low, embers under ashes. Recognizing the need for change Baba Bhagwan Ram renewed the socially conscious spirit of Baba Kinaram when he established a new called Shri Sarweshwari Samooh and dedicated it to help the poor and the afflicted. The ashes leapt into flame again, being fed by the spiritual fuel of another Aghoreshwar. In order to maintain the seat of Aghor tradition as a continuum, Baba initiated his own disciple, Siddhartha Gautam Ram, as the head of Krim Kund so he could be free to follow his social callings. Krim Kund and Shri Sarveshwari Samooh are on the opposite sides of the Ganges at Varanasi, with many more Aghor ashrams in various locations in India and a number of centers and ashrams in other countries. All of them are working in cooperation with each other to maintain the ancient tradition as well as to take a freshly motivated direction towards social services and integration of Aghor practices into the life of the community.
