In Mahābhārata, Avadhūta is called Ājagara, and this name derives from Ājagara vṛtti. Seeing him, Prahlāda says – you do’t want anything, you have no longing or frustration for anything that is not achieved, you don’t even try to earn, and you are indifferent to desires and wants. So what are your knowledge, study and vocation?
At first touching upon the subject of Brahmadarśana, the Ājagara sage started speaking of his own lifestyle. He said, “As per the will of God,sometimes I consume a lot, sometimes I fast, sometimes I partake of grain-particles, and sometimes good rice of śālidhānya, sometimes a number of dishes. Sometimes I sleep on the ground, sometimes on a cot, and sometimes on a comfortable bedsheet as while as milk, in a building. Sometimes I wear a loincloth, sometimes clothes made of jute-extracts, sometimes good clothes, and sometimes I cover myself with the skin of some animal. If some enjoyable object comes to me at its own accord, I don’t refuse it, but I don’t desire any rare object of enjoyment. In this way, I follow the vocation of an Ajagara (python).In this vrata, there is no restriction upon food and drinks, so it cause both good health and illness. But since I have no dependence on bodily matters, that cannot even trouble me.
Vairāgya (non-attachment), practice of yoga and conquest of the indriya(s) (bodily organs signifying bodily needs and desires) and the purity of mind , along with an equal approach to everything — these are the principles of the ajagara-vrata. Just as a python enjoys things that come to it at their own accord, so I perform the ajagara-vrata, renouncing all anger, illusion, fear, pride, and by cultivating patience with the help of wisdom. Yet I feel to be pure all the time, I feel blessed, and I have no desire for a result – anitaśayanāśanaḥ prakṛtyā damaniyama-vrata-satya-śaucayuktaḥ apagataphala-sancayaḥ prahṛṣṭo vratamidamajagagaraṃ śuciścarāmi.
In Mahābhārata, there are severl similarities between Ājagara-vṛtti and the nature of an Avadhūta; although in Ajagara-vṛtti the lack of discipline regarding food and sleeping habits become important, which is also similar to Kāpotīvṛtti — just as a pigeon picks up morsels of grains from the paddy field and remains satisfied with that only. This is also a kind of indifference to food and sleeping habits. But the nature of an Avadhūta has been depicted with a deeper philosophical and spiritual level of grace. The apparent lack of rules and regulations in the behaviour of an Avadhūta signifies the ultimate level of spiritual realisation, which is achieved through previous deeds of hard ascetic practice and the grace of seeing God.
A sage of a high level, – one who does not abide by the rules of varṇāśrama (varnasrama, the system of four varnas), who has not attachment to saṃsāra (samsara;the material world), who has a certain ‘what you will’ kind of orientation even towards the nature of vairāgya (vairagya; non attachment or reclusive renunciation), but who is a yogī (yogic practitioner) and who always realises the Brahman in his innermost self, is called Avadhūta –
yo vilanghyāśramān varṇān ātmanyeva sthitaḥ pumān ati varṇāśramī yogī avadhūtaḥ sa ucyate.
According to the ‘prakṛti-pratya’ and ‘dhātumūla’-analysis of ‘Avadhūta’, its meaning becomes – ‘one who has overcome or transcended everything.
Associated with spirituality, the traditional definition of Avadhūta goes like this – one who has no kṣaya or vicyuti (decline or getting astray)- (a)kṣaratvāt, one who is vareṇya (varenya; worthy of respect) – (va)reṇyatvāt, one whose worldly bounds are thrown away (dhū)tasaṃsāravandhanāt, one in whose self the thought of ‘tatvamasi’ (the concept of assimilating the Brahman the supreme Self into one’s own self) has been internalised, is ‘Avadhūta’ – akṣaratvād vareṇyatvad dhūtasaṃsāravandhanāt tatvamasyarthasiddhatvād avadhūto’bhidhīyate.
In Bhāgavatapurāṇa, we have seen Ṛṣbhadeva, as an incarnation of God, resorting to the life of an wandering monk, as an Avadhūta. The outward appearance of this Avadhūta is like a moron, blind, deaf and mute, like a piśāca, his behaviour is like that of a madman – jaḍāndha-mūka-vadhira-piśāconmādavad avadhūta-veśaḥ.
Ṛṣabhadeva was wandering everywhere – in cities and towns, villages, forests, mountains, but the common folk, seeing his appearance and action, took him for a madman. They started throwing stones at him, some tried to threaten him, even they did not hesitate in spitting and urinating at him. But nothing mattered to him.He did not have any bodily concern relating to self-feeling or ego, so he could roam about the world with a mind undisturbed – svamahimāvasthanena asamāropithaṃmamābhimānatvād avikhaṇḍitamanāḥ pṛthivimekacaraḥ arivabhrāmaḥ.
This is the appearance and nature of a(n) Avadhūta. In the highest level of asceticism and reclusive practice, the characteristics of a Paramahaṃsa sage can be found in an Avadhūta. To teach the world, how to raise oneself above all the worldly desire, thirst, jealousy and envy, and how to perform the Pāramahaṃsa dharma, Ṛṣbhadeva roamed about the world.
In Bhāgavatapurāṇa (Bhagavatapurana), we have seen the great-souled Vidura also got tired of the worldly life, and set out to travel in the form of a(n) Avadhūta. He slept on the ground, he took a bath in every site of pilgrimage, but he moved about with an ‘unrefined’ body, like a(n) Avadhūta.
From this description, it becomes clear that Vidura was not a prper Avadhūta in the exact definitional sense of the term, though he has assumed the guise of Avadhūta, and some of his actions are like that of an Avadhūta. In the eleventh chapter of Bhāgavatapurāṇa, Yadu, son of Yayāti, meets another Avadhūta. He is a brāhmaṇa, but his behaviour and gestures correspond to that of an Avadhūta. Yadu says, seeing him, “You are roaming arounf just like a boy —
yāmāsādya bhavnāllokaṃ vidvāṃścarati vālavat.
Yadu further said, you are physically able, you are wise, you appear to be competent in allsorts of works, and you speak very nice, in pleasing words. Even being a man with such qualities, you hehave like a moron, a crazy person, or a piśāca, you don’t try to do any work, or complete any task. Still, you have no pain and suffering, you have an infinite store of bliss in your heart , how is it possible?–
tvantu kalpa kavirdakṣasubhago’mṛtabh bḥāṣaṇah
na kartā nehase kincidjaḍonmatta-piśācavat.
Hearing the question of Yadu, Avadhūta said, I have many sources of knowledge. I have taken lessons from this open world of nature, I have twenty four teachers in the world and life. This, earth, air, sky, water, fire, the moon and the sun, pigeon, and python, sea, insect, bee, elephant, the honey-hunting hinter, deer, fish, pingala, kurara-pakṣī, a boy, a maiden, an arrow-maker, a snake, spider, and the crystal-worm – these twenty four are my teachers –
In the above śloka(s), Avadhūta has taken lessons from the twenty four guru(s), and also accepted their vṛtti (attributes or vocation). Several chapters have been written about these lessons and vṛtti(s), which are like a great treasure to the Vaiṣnava(Vaishnava) theorists. These are generally termed as ‘Avadhūta-saṃvāda’ (Avadhuta-samvada; the discourse of Avadhuta). The earth, the air as well as the snake and spider can be a teacher to the Avadhūta, and the lessons he has learnt from them, has developed his life. Among these twenty four guru(s), the vṛtti of kapota (pigeon) and ajagara (python) have been described in detail in Mahābhārata. Mahābhārata does not speak so much of the Avadhūta, but gives a detailed discourse of ājagara-vṛtti or kāpotika vṛtti (kapotika vritti;the vocation of a pigeon). On the other hand, there are repeated references to ājagara and kāpotika vṛtti in the actions and gestures of the Avadhūta, so we can understand that Mahābhārata is also speaking of the sage Avadhūta.
In Mahābhārata the demon king Prahlāda found a Brāhmaṇa, who is charantam, that is, moving at his own will. Prahlāda also refereed to him as kalpacitta, which, according to Nīlakaṇṭha, is dṛḍḥacitta (dridhachitta; strong-willed), but it does not appear so in our view. Kalpacitta means ‘with a mind that has a combination of many vikalpa(s) or substitutes, that is, a mind that is indifferent to everything. Perhaps this is also the significance of being dṛḍḥacitta. It is to be noted that in Bhāgavatapurāṇa, seeing the Avadhūta brāhmaṇa moving here and there, Yadu said, -‘You are behaving like a boy’. In Mahābhārata, seeing the Ājagara-vṛtti brāhmaṇa, Yadu said – ‘You are ātmastha(atmastaha; self-contained), pure-minded, soft-natured, you are one who has control over the organs, who has renounced all comforts, without any activity, envy, and though you are sweet-spoken, intelligent, wise, and learned, you are behaving like a child — this is so strange —
svasthaḥ śuddho mridurdānto nirvidhitso’nasūyakaḥ
suvāk pragalbho medhāvī prājnaścarasi vālavat.
It is interesting that this description of Ājagara-sage in Mahābhārata is very similar to that of the Avadhūta brāhmaṇa, seen by Yadu in Bhāgavatapurāṇa. In Mahānirvāṇtantra, the characteristics of an Avadhūta is given very clearly. Here it is said that there is nothing refined about their outward look or appearance, sometimes disheveled hair, sometimes with matted locks, their body is dirty, they do not care about discipline. But at heart they are Yogī, and as calm and without cares, as the Ājagara-sage in Mahābhārata or the Avadhūta sage in Bhāgavata-purāṇa.
In Mahābhārata, Avadhūta is called Ājagara, and this name derives from Ājagara vṛtti. Seeing him, Prahlāda says – you do’t want anything, you have no longing or frustration for anything that is not achieved, you don’t even try to earn, and you are indifferent to desires and wants. So what are your knowledge, study and vocation?
At first touching upon the subject of Brahmadarśana, the Ājagara sage started speaking of his own lifestyle. He said, “As per the will of God,sometimes I consume a lot, sometimes I fast, sometimes I partake of grain-particles, and sometimes good rice of śālidhānya, sometimes a number of dishes. Sometimes I sleep on the ground, sometimes on a cot, and sometimes on a comfortable bedsheet as while as milk, in a building. Sometimes I wear a loincloth, sometimes clothes made of jute-extracts, sometimes good clothes, and sometimes I cover myself with the skin of some animal. If some enjoyable object comes to me at its own accord, I don’t refuse it, but I don’t desire any rare object of enjoyment. In this way, I follow the vocation of an Ajagara (python).In this vrata, there is no restriction upon food and drinks, so it cause both good health and illness. But since I have no dependence on bodily matters, that cannot even trouble me.
Vairāgya (non-attachment), practice of yoga and conquest of the indriya(s) (bodily organs signifying bodily needs and desires) and the purity of mind , along with an equal approach to everything — these are the principles of the ajagara-vrata. Just as a python enjoys things that come to it at their own accord, so I perform the ajagara-vrata, renouncing all anger, illusion, fear, pride, and by cultivating patience with the help of wisdom. Yet I feel to be pure all the time, I feel blessed, and I have no desire for a result – anitaśayanāśanaḥ prakṛtyā damaniyama-vrata-satya-śaucayuktaḥ apagataphala-sancayaḥ prahṛṣṭo vratamidamajagagaraṃ śuciścarāmi.
In Mahābhārata, there are severl similarities between Ājagara-vṛtti and the nature of an Avadhūta; although in Ajagara-vṛtti the lack of discipline regarding food and sleeping habits become important, which is also similar to Kāpotīvṛtti — just as a pigeon picks up morsels of grains from the paddy field and remains satisfied with that only. This is also a kind of indifference to food and sleeping habits. But the nature of an Avadhūta has been depicted with a deeper philosophical and spiritual level of grace. The apparent lack of rules and regulations in the behaviour of an Avadhūta signifies the ultimate level of spiritual realisation, which is achieved through previous deeds of hard ascetic practice and the grace of seeing God.