Nāth Yogīs’ Encounters with Islam
Far from modern ideologies focusing on fixed ascriptive religious identities, the Shaivite ascetic sect of the Nāth Yogīs had a long tradition of close relationships with Islam. This article will focus on two levels where this lack of concern for encompassing religious labels manifests: the doctrina...
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| Main Author: | |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Centre d’Etudes de l’Inde et de l’Asie du Sud
2015-05-01
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| Series: | South Asia Multidisciplinary Academic Journal |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://journals.openedition.org/samaj/3878 |
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| Summary: | Far from modern ideologies focusing on fixed ascriptive religious identities, the Shaivite ascetic sect of the Nāth Yogīs had a long tradition of close relationships with Islam. This article will focus on two levels where this lack of concern for encompassing religious labels manifests: the doctrinal vernacular texts and the Nāth hagiographic tradition. A surprising text edited under the name of ‘Mohammad Bodh’ by contemporary Nāth authorities will be presented. It is composed of short elliptical verses, which have to be recited during the month of Ramadan and are thus intended for Muslim Yogīs. However, more familiar to the mainstream Nāth Yogīs are the many narratives that function as carriers of sectarian identity. Several of them present heroes characterised by a somewhat ambiguous relation to Islam; they may be blessing Muslim rulers or be granted a dual identity (like Ratan Bābā and Raja Bākshar), a shifting identity (like Gūgā), or come from a Muslim background (Hanḍī Bhaṛang). In conclusion, we may even think that fluid boundaries with Islam were part of the religious identity of the Nāth Yogīs. |
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| ISSN: | 1960-6060 |