
Is an Aghori a Nath?
Dr. Robert Svoboda is a very dear and close friend of mine. He usually visits here at the house two or three times a year and is always welcome here. We have discussed his Guru/Mentor Vimalananda at length. Dr. Svoboda also visited Shri Mahendranath several times in India while he was still alive.
No, an Aghori is not a Nath. This question, if you think about it, is much like asking, “Is a Catholic a Unitarian?” These are two different names for two different things. In both instances we are referring to distinctly different sects. They may have things in common, but they are different names for different things.
The name Vimalananda is not an “initiation” name, but a chosen name he desired to be associated with. While Vimalananda had several highly advanced Gurus he himself never claimed initiation into any Aghori “sampradaya” or sect that I am aware of. Shri Vimalananda chose to refer to his teachings as Aghora, because this he felt was the clearest way to express it.
Shri Vimalananda was a very advanced spirit and capable of teaching, blessing, guiding. In contrast to many “teachers,” Shri Vimalananda had done a great deal of practical sadhana “spiritual exertion” and could rely on his own experiences and accomplishments to help others. As in the case of all important Guru-shishya relationships, there was a karmic bond between the two parties which was being played out in the current lifespan. In the case of Vimalananda and Dr. Svoboda, three books were written and published on the subject. These were Vimalananda’s words to Dr. Svoboda. Third party readers such as the rest of us can be confident that volumes were “lost in translation.” That is, the books reflect the words of Vimalananda to Dr. Svoboda and not the rest of us, though many things come through nicely.
As an addendum, it might be amusing to note that while I have sat and exchanged mind/spirit transmissions with Dr. Svoboda on more occasions than many of my own Nath initiates, Dr. Svoboda is not a “Nath” nor has he ever been initiated into any Nath sect. I don’t recall that Dr. Svoboda has ever claimed to be an Aghori, but he might identify himself as one if pressed. It is amusing that we regard each others as parts and members of a larger spiritual family, but have never sought to define it by the use of any word except, Kaula, which broadly refers to a spiritual family including both the living and departed.
Kind Regards,
Kapilnath