Sadhu is a Sanskrit term that originated in the Vedic/Hindu Dharma, otherwise called Hinduism. It is a common term in India for a renounced ascetic or yogi who has given up pursuit of the first three Hindu goals of life: kama (pleasure), artha (wealth and power) and even dharma (duty), solely dedicated to achieving moksha (liberation) through meditation and contemplation of God.
Naga sadhu is in Hinduism is a generic term for those who have devoted themselves to a religious, strictly ascetic life, particularly it refers to the monks of the various Hindu religious. Naga Sadhu means an ascetic wandering monk in India, who is also naked. Most Naga sadhu are yogis, but not all yogis are sadhu. A female naga sadhu is naga sadhvi.
The sadhus are something like India’sanswer to the social security system. They are renunciates who have left behind all material and sexual attachments and live in caves, forests and temples all over India. The word comes from the Sanskrit ‘to practice’ and the practice of meditation is supposed to be what they’re about, more or less.
The Naga Sadhus who descend the Himalayas during the Kumbh Mela are not the same as those worshipped as deities! The former practice cult religions such as Shakta or Naga and are typically known as Sadhus or ascetics. They are detached from life, although not necessarily devoid of its pleasures (like narcotics, sex etc.) The Sadhus practice rituals involving fire, water, yoga, and meditation, and beg for a living, following the lifestyle of Lord Shiva.
There are naked Naga sadhus with thick dreadlocks or Jata, who carry swords and there are Agora babas who may keep company with ghosts in their holy path. Everything has a place in India and the number of paths to God is considered as infinite. You could even come to Enlightenment by milking holy cows.
The Sanskrit terms sādhu that means good man and sādhvī (meaning good woman) refer to renouncers who have chosen to live a life apart from or on the edges of society in order to focus on their own spiritual practice. A Sadhu is usually referred to as Baba by common people. The word baba also means father, grandfather, or uncle in many Indian languages.
A sadhu who has completely abandoned the worldly life, ascetic lives and is in the fourth and final phase of the Vedic ashram system is a sannyasin, a "renunciate". But there are also sadhus who marry and start families, such as the Baul, members of a mystical sect in eastern India. Baul roam, sing in villages and towns and its traditional religious songs earn their livelihood with the donations. They have modest homes.
Other sadhus form communities in ashrams or live in dwellings that are associated with temples. Here they devote themselves to the spiritual life, study and teach the scriptures. Many sadhus deal besides spiritual activities with philanthropic and humanitarian work, particularly those that are known as the Ramakrishna Mission, and the Swaminarayan mission, both very popular in India. They help organize and arrange disaster relief for the pur.
Some wandering, particularly ascetic sadhus, the sannyasins, are content with any place near a temple, others live in caves or are completely homeless on constant wandering. Many sadhus smoking ganja (marijuana) for the purpose of meditation. Sannyas is the last of the four stages of an ideal Hindu life, the Dharma, the Hindu ethics, provides desirable. In the last section of life, it is therefore appropriate to solve all of the mundane and homeless, charitable gifts of nurturing, devoted to the search for redemption.
However, many men choose from a young age to live a life as a Sadhu. After the decision for self-denial is made, the seeker joins a guru who introduces him to the spiritual teaching as well as the techniques of asceticism and meditation, and he serves as a student. Then he takes off a personal vow that imposes different requirements depending on the requirements of the respective gurus. This may be homelessness, poverty, sexual abstinence, fasting and total frugality. Quite a few sadhus live in complete nudity. The Hindu religious belong to completely different currents and countless sub-groups that represent their sadhus also different demands.
Sadhus in India are usually very respected because their asceticism is seen not only as a personal task, but also act as a sacrifice for many.
Besides the sadhus who are dedicated to the spiritual development, but there are also some who, in order to demonstrate their utter devotion, perform bizarre performance: Some individual Naga sadhi have set World Records such as holding one arm since in the air 25 years . Such actions are seen as sacrifices for the particular God. Through them, the sadhus seek a mystical insight.