As beggars they go from house to house crying, 'Alakh, Alakh', but they do not sing. Some put on special clothes when they go out to beg. Their food consists of millets, rice, vegetables, fruits, fowls, gout's flesh, mutton, fish, beef and pork. But not every one accepts all these articles of diet. By some the cow is con-leered sacred and the pig unclean. Gorakhnathis are under a vow of celibacy. At Dhinodhar the rule is strictly enforced. It was reported in the year 1880 that women were not allowed to enter the precincts of the monastery. At Devi Patan and at Gorakhpur the rule is enforced that Aughars and Yogis are not allowed to marry! And probably at most monasteries of the Gorakhnathis celibacy is enforced. At the matha in Varanasi, however, the residents were (1924) married men who had their wives with them. And Kasinath, who attended the temple of Kal Bhairom (in Varanasi), lived in his own house in the city. It is possible that the rule of celibacy does not require absolute continence for, to cite one exception, Yogis acknowledge the practice of sakta rites. Reports from various areas show that marriage is common amongst Kanphatas, and Census returns confirm this. The so-called secular Yogis are numerous. In some instances Brahmans are employed to perform their marriage ceremonies. Even in monasteries of repute the practice has been well known. While the regulation that Yogis who marry are not allowed in live in a monastery is not universally enforced, still, in many places grhastas are allowed neither to live at nor to eat in the monastery. In marriage, Yogis hold to the caste from which they have come, in choosing a wife, and avoid marriage in the same sub-sect. Yogis who marry are held in contempt by others, and, in some instances have to pay a fine before they are permitted to smoke with tributes. Married Yogis continue to wear the ear-rings, the sacred thread, the clothes and other articles of the sect, and they may continue to practise Yoga. In Various parts of India Yogis are engaged in weaving, cultivation, in peddling, as soldiers, and as money-lenders. As per the vows or principles of the Gorakhnathis, the candidates willing to become yogis are required to serve their religious guide. |