Avadhut
Encyclopedia
Avadhuta is a Sanskrit term used in Indian religions to refer to an antinomian
mystic
or saint
who is beyond ego-consciousness, duality and common worldly concerns and acts without consideration for standard social etiquette. Such personalities "roam free like a child upon the face of the Earth". An avadhūta does not identify with his mind or body or 'names and forms' (Sanskrit: namarupa
). Such a person is held to be pure consciousness (Sanskrit: caitanya) in human form.
Avadhūtas play a significant role in the history, origins and rejuvenations of a number of traditions such as Yoga
, Advaita Vedanta
, Buddhist
and Bhakti
parampara
s even as they are released from standard observances. Avadhūtas are the voice of the avadhuti, the channel that resolves the dichotomy of the Vamachara
and Dakṣiṇācāra or "Right and Left-Handed" traditions. An avadhūta may or may not continue to practice religious rites as they are free from sectarian ritual observance and affiliation.
Avadhūta is also a common Marathi
name.
(1991: p. 105) frames how the term 'Avadhuta' came to be associated with the mad or eccentric holiness or 'crazy wisdom
' of some antinomian paramahamsa
who were often 'skyclad' or 'naked' (Sanskrit: digambara
):
et al.. (1902: p. 20) equates the 'chodpa' as a type of avadhuta:
The rites of chod differ between lineages but essentially there is an offering of their body as food, a blessing to demons and other entities to whom this kind of offering may be of benefit. This leitmotif and sadhana is common to another denizen of the charnel ground
, Dattatreya
the avadhuta, to whom has been attributed the esteemed nondual medieval song, the Avadhuta Gita
. Dattatreya was a founding adi guru of the Aghor tradition according to Barrett (2008: p. 33):
and the young later-to-be, King Arthur
, within the story-cycle of tales known generally as King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table
; specifically according to Taylor (2001: p. 148), Woodroffe chose the name from the noted incomplete magnum opus
, the painting 'Arthur's Sleep in Avalon
' by Burne-Jones. Moreover, Taylor (2001: p. 148) conveys the salience of this magical literary identity and contextualizes by making reference to western esotericism, Holy grail
, quest
, occult secrets
, initiations and the Theosophists:
Unfortunately, the most important point is not made by Taylor (2001: p. 148) and that is of the Eternal return
(of "the once and future King
") a narrative
, motif
and archetype
that pervades the two traditions of entwined esotericism, East and West.
The Mahānirvāṇatantraṃ is an example of a nondual tantra and the translation of this work had a profound impact on the Indologists of the early to mid 20th century. The work is notable for many reasons and importantly mentions four kinds of Avadhuta.
There is one type of Avadhuta Sect which has their worship samadhi located at Karla (near Amaravati in Maharashtra), this sect has followers in Vidharba, they do puja of samadhi at home also, they are against murthi puja and their greeting style is different from others, they greet by closing hand like doing namaskara and then touching each others hand. They are against murthi puja and they call their worship house (temple) as Bangala. They have typical tradition of burying bodies after death and not burning it like other Hindus do. They do not have idols of any god or do not go to any other temples of Hindus. they held typical bhajans which are different from any other bajans prevalent in local Hindu population. Also during prayer they stand still in front of samadhi until the kapur is lit off naturally after it is burnt. Followers of this sect are Shids (some converted their name to Shinde from Savali near wardha)
Sanskrit text attributed to Gorakshanath
by the indigenous tradition, as Feuerstein
(1991: p.105) relates:
The gendered language in this quotation is no longer relevant in our gender inclusive World.
(1919–1974) Avadhuta: Reason & Reverence, Indian Institute of World Culture?, Bangalore, 1958.
are of extreme importance. Therefore the most important book in this sampradaya is Avadhut Gita. Shri Gorakshanath
is considered the topmost form of Avadhut-state.
The nature of the avadhuta is the subject of the Avadhuta Gita, the authorship of which is traditionally ascribed to Dattatreya
.
s. It is a Sannyasa
Upanishad associated with the Black Yajurveda.
Sampradaya
, the Avadhuta Gita
is a text of Advaita Vedanta
sung by Dattatreya
and recorded by his disciples Swami and Kartika.
Antinomianism
Antinomianism is defined as holding that, under the gospel dispensation of grace, moral law is of no use or obligation because faith alone is necessary to salvation....
mystic
Mysticism
Mysticism is the knowledge of, and especially the personal experience of, states of consciousness, i.e. levels of being, beyond normal human perception, including experience and even communion with a supreme being.-Classical origins:...
or saint
Saint
A saint is a holy person. In various religions, saints are people who are believed to have exceptional holiness.In Christian usage, "saint" refers to any believer who is "in Christ", and in whom Christ dwells, whether in heaven or in earth...
who is beyond ego-consciousness, duality and common worldly concerns and acts without consideration for standard social etiquette. Such personalities "roam free like a child upon the face of the Earth". An avadhūta does not identify with his mind or body or 'names and forms' (Sanskrit: namarupa
Namarupa
Nāmarūpa is a dvandva compound in Sanskrit and Pali meaning "name and form ".-Nāmarūpa in Hinduism:The term nāmarūpa is used in Hindu thought, nāma describing the spiritual or essential properties of an object or being, and rūpa the physical presence that it manifests...
). Such a person is held to be pure consciousness (Sanskrit: caitanya) in human form.
Avadhūtas play a significant role in the history, origins and rejuvenations of a number of traditions such as Yoga
Yoga
Yoga is a physical, mental, and spiritual discipline, originating in ancient India. The goal of yoga, or of the person practicing yoga, is the attainment of a state of perfect spiritual insight and tranquility while meditating on Supersoul...
, Advaita Vedanta
Advaita Vedanta
Advaita Vedanta is considered to be the most influential and most dominant sub-school of the Vedānta school of Hindu philosophy. Other major sub-schools of Vedānta are Dvaita and ; while the minor ones include Suddhadvaita, Dvaitadvaita and Achintya Bhedabheda...
, Buddhist
Buddhism
Buddhism is a religion and philosophy encompassing a variety of traditions, beliefs and practices, largely based on teachings attributed to Siddhartha Gautama, commonly known as the Buddha . The Buddha lived and taught in the northeastern Indian subcontinent some time between the 6th and 4th...
and Bhakti
Bhakti
In Hinduism Bhakti is religious devotion in the form of active involvement of a devotee in worship of the divine.Within monotheistic Hinduism, it is the love felt by the worshipper towards the personal God, a concept expressed in Hindu theology as Svayam Bhagavan.Bhakti can be used of either...
parampara
Parampara
Parampara denotes a succession of teachers and disciples in traditional Indian culture and Indian religions such as Hinduism, Sikhism, Jainism and Buddhism...
s even as they are released from standard observances. Avadhūtas are the voice of the avadhuti, the channel that resolves the dichotomy of the Vamachara
Vamachara
Vāmācāra is a Sanskrit term meaning "left-handed attainment" and is synonymous with "Left-Hand Path". It is used to describe a particular mode of worship or sadhana that is not only "heterodox" to standard Vedic injunction, but extreme in comparison to the status quo.These practices are often...
and Dakṣiṇācāra or "Right and Left-Handed" traditions. An avadhūta may or may not continue to practice religious rites as they are free from sectarian ritual observance and affiliation.
Avadhūta is also a common Marathi
Marathi language
Marathi is an Indo-Aryan language spoken by the Marathi people of western and central India. It is the official language of the state of Maharashtra. There are over 68 million fluent speakers worldwide. Marathi has the fourth largest number of native speakers in India and is the fifteenth most...
name.
अव
'ava' (Devanagari: अव):- [masculine gender] favour (as per usage in ऋग्-वेद i , 128 , 5)
- [indeclinable] (as a prefix to verbs and verbal nouns expresses) and holds the semantic fieldSemantic fieldA semantic field is a technical term in the discipline of linguistics to describe a set of words grouped by meaning in a certain way. The term is also used in other academic disciplines, such as anthropology and computational semiotics.-Definition and usage:...
: off , away , down.
धूत
'dhUta' (Devanagari: धूत):- [masculine, feminine and neuter; or adjective] shaken , stirred , agitated (सोम = धौत "rinsed" as in the text साम-वेद)
- fanned , kindled
- shaken off, removed, destroyed
- judged
- reproached
- [neutral gender] morality (Buddhist literature)
अव-धूत
'avadhUta' (Devanagari: अवधूत):- अव-धूत "shaken off (as evil spirits)" as in the text वाजसनेयि-संहिता
- removed , shaken away
- discarded , expelled , excluded
- disregarded , neglected , rejected
- touched
- shaken , agitated (especially as plants or the dust by the wind), fanned
- that upon which anything unclean has been shaken out or off
- unclean
- one who has shaken, off from themselves worldly feeling and obligation, a philosopher
- [neuter gender] rejecting , repudiating
Types of Avadhutas
FeuersteinGeorg Feuerstein
Dr. Georg Feuerstein is a German-Canadian Indologist specializing on Yoga. Feuerstein has authored over 30 books on mysticism, Yoga, Tantra, and Hinduism...
(1991: p. 105) frames how the term 'Avadhuta' came to be associated with the mad or eccentric holiness or 'crazy wisdom
Crazy wisdom
Crazy wisdom, also known as holy madness, is a manifestation of certain spiritual adepts where they behave in unconventional, outrageous, or unexpected fashion...
' of some antinomian paramahamsa
Paramahamsa
Paramahamsa , also spelled paramahansa or paramhansa, is a Sanskrit religio-theological title of honor applied to Hindu spiritual teachers of lofty status who are regarded as having attained enlightenment. The title may be translated as "supreme swan," and is based on the swan being equally at home...
who were often 'skyclad' or 'naked' (Sanskrit: digambara
Digambara
Digambara "sky-clad" is one of the two main sects of Jainism. "Sky-clad" has many different meaning and associations throughout Indian religions. Many representations of deities within these traditions are depicted as sky-clad, e.g. Samantabhadra/Samantabhadrī in Yab-Yum...
):
"The appellation "avadhuta," more than any other, came to be associated with the apparently crazy modes of behaviour of some paramahamsas, who dramatize the reversal of social norms, a behaviour characteristic of their spontaneous lifestyle. Their frequent nakedness is perhaps the most symbolic expression of this reversal."
Sacrifice
ChandraSarat Chandra Das
Sarat Chandra Das was an Indian scholar of Tibetan language and culture most noted for his two journeys to Tibet in 1879 and in 1881 - 1882-Biography:...
et al.. (1902: p. 20) equates the 'chodpa' as a type of avadhuta:
"ཀུ་སུ་ལུ་པ ku-su-lu-pa is a word of Tantrik mysticism, its proper Tibetan equivalent being གཅོད་པ, the art of exorcism. The mystic Tantrik rites of the Avadhauts, called Avadhūtipa in Tibet, exist in India."
The rites of chod differ between lineages but essentially there is an offering of their body as food, a blessing to demons and other entities to whom this kind of offering may be of benefit. This leitmotif and sadhana is common to another denizen of the charnel ground
Charnel ground
Charnel ground is a very important location for sadhana and ritual activity for Indo-Tibetan traditions of Dharma particularly those traditions iterated by the Tantric view such as Kashmiri Shaivism, Kaula tradition, Esoteric Buddhism, Vajrayana, Mantrayana, Dzogchen, and the sadhana of Chöd, Phowa...
, Dattatreya
Dattatreya
Dattatreya or Datta is a Hindu deity encompassing the trinity of Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva, collectively known as Trimurti. The name Dattatreya can be divided into two words - "Datta" and "Atreya" referring to the sage Atri, his physical father.Various Hindu sects worship him differently...
the avadhuta, to whom has been attributed the esteemed nondual medieval song, the Avadhuta Gita
Avadhuta Gita
Avadhuta Gita is a Hindu text based on the principles of Advaita Vedanta . The singer of the Avadhuta Gita is Dattatreya, an Avadhuta, and according to the Nath Sampradaya, the work was heard and transcribed by two of Dattatreya's disciples—Swami and Kartika...
. Dattatreya was a founding adi guru of the Aghor tradition according to Barrett (2008: p. 33):
"...Lord Dattatreya, an antinomian form of Shiva closely associated with the cremation ground, who appeared to Baba Kina Ram atop Girnar Mountain in Gujarat. Considered to be the adi guru (ancient spiritual teacher) and founding deity of Aghor, Lord Dattatreya offered his own flesh to the young ascetic as prasād (a kind of blessing), conferring upon him the power of clairvoyance and establishing a guru-disciple relationship between them."
Mahānirvāṇatantraṃ
Woodroffe, in his translation of the Mahānirvāṇatantraṃ from the original Sanskrit into English under his nom-de-plume of Arthur Avalon, may be the opening discourse of the archetype of "Avadhuta" to the English reading public, as none of the Avadhuta upanishads were translated amongst the collections of minor upanishads such as the Thirty Minor Upanishads (Aiyar: 1914). The pen-name is play on the magical realm of AvalonAvalon
Avalon is a legendary island featured in the Arthurian legend. It first appears in Geoffrey of Monmouth's 1136 pseudohistorical account Historia Regum Britanniae as the place where King Arthur's sword Excalibur was forged and later where Arthur was...
and the young later-to-be, King Arthur
King Arthur
King Arthur is a legendary British leader of the late 5th and early 6th centuries, who, according to Medieval histories and romances, led the defence of Britain against Saxon invaders in the early 6th century. The details of Arthur's story are mainly composed of folklore and literary invention, and...
, within the story-cycle of tales known generally as King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table
King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table
King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table can refer to:*The legend of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table*King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table , a 1979 Japanese anime series...
; specifically according to Taylor (2001: p. 148), Woodroffe chose the name from the noted incomplete magnum opus
Magnum opus
Magnum opus , from the Latin meaning "great work", refers to the largest, and perhaps the best, greatest, most popular, or most renowned achievement of a writer, artist, or composer.-Related terms:Sometimes the term magnum opus is used to refer to simply "a great work" rather than "the...
, the painting 'Arthur's Sleep in Avalon
The Last Sleep of Arthur in Avalon
The Last Sleep of Arthur in Avalon is a painting by Edward Burne-Jones, started in 1881. The massive painting measures 279 cm × 650 cm, and is widely considered to be Burne-Jones's magnum opus....
' by Burne-Jones. Moreover, Taylor (2001: p. 148) conveys the salience of this magical literary identity and contextualizes by making reference to western esotericism, Holy grail
Holy Grail
The Holy Grail is a sacred object figuring in literature and certain Christian traditions, most often identified with the dish, plate, or cup used by Jesus at the Last Supper and said to possess miraculous powers...
, quest
Quest
In mythology and literature, a quest, a journey towards a goal, serves as a plot device and as a symbol. Quests appear in the folklore of every nation and also figure prominently in non-national cultures. In literature, the objects of quests require great exertion on the part of the hero, and...
, occult secrets
Occult
The word occult comes from the Latin word occultus , referring to "knowledge of the hidden". In the medical sense it is used to refer to a structure or process that is hidden, e.g...
, initiations and the Theosophists:
"This is quite important to know, for here we have a writer on an Indian esoteric system taking a name imbued with western esotericism. The name at any rate seems to hint at initiations and the possession of occult secrets. The Arthurian legends are bound up with the story of the Holy Grail and its quest. This was a symbol of esoteric wisdom, especially to Theosophists who appropriated the legend. Anyone who named himself after King Arthur or the mystic isle of Avalon would be thought to be identifying himself with occultism, in Theosophists' eyes."
Unfortunately, the most important point is not made by Taylor (2001: p. 148) and that is of the Eternal return
Eternal return
Eternal return is a concept which posits that the universe has been recurring, and will continue to recur, in a self-similar form an infinite number of times across infinite time or space. The concept initially inherent in Indian philosophy was later found in ancient Egypt, and was subsequently...
(of "the once and future King
The Once and Future King
The Once and Future King is an Arthurian fantasy novel written by T. H. White. It was first published in 1958 and is mostly a composite of earlier works written in a period between 1938 and 1941....
") a narrative
Narrative
A narrative is a constructive format that describes a sequence of non-fictional or fictional events. The word derives from the Latin verb narrare, "to recount", and is related to the adjective gnarus, "knowing" or "skilled"...
, motif
Motif (narrative)
In narrative, a motif is any recurring element that has symbolic significance in a story. Through its repetition, a motif can help produce other narrative aspects such as theme or mood....
and archetype
Archetype
An archetype is a universally understood symbol or term or pattern of behavior, a prototype upon which others are copied, patterned, or emulated...
that pervades the two traditions of entwined esotericism, East and West.
The Mahānirvāṇatantraṃ is an example of a nondual tantra and the translation of this work had a profound impact on the Indologists of the early to mid 20th century. The work is notable for many reasons and importantly mentions four kinds of Avadhuta.
Brahmanirvantantra
The book of Brahmanirvantantra describes how to identify the avadhuts of the following types:- Bramhavadhuta : An avadhut from birth, who appears in any class of society. Completely indifferent to the world or worldly matters.
- Shaivavadhuta : Avadhuts who have taken to the renounced order of life (sannyas), often with unkempt long hair (jata), or who dress in the manner of Shaivites and spend almost all of their time in trance (samādhiSamadhiSamadhi in Hinduism, Buddhism,Jainism, Sikhism and yogic schools is a higher level of concentrated meditation, or dhyāna. In the yoga tradition, it is the eighth and final limb identified in the Yoga Sūtras of Patañjali....
), or meditationMeditationMeditation is any form of a family of practices in which practitioners train their minds or self-induce a mode of consciousness to realize some benefit....
. - Viravadhuta : This person looks like a sadhuSadhuIn Hinduism, sādhu denotes an ascetic, wandering monk. Although the vast majority of sādhus are yogīs, not all yogīs are sādhus. The sādhu is solely dedicated to achieving mokṣa , the fourth and final aśrama , through meditation and contemplation of brahman...
who has put red colored sandal paste on his body and wears saffronSaffronSaffron is a spice derived from the flower of Crocus sativus, commonly known as the saffron crocus. Crocus is a genus in the family Iridaceae. Each saffron crocus grows to and bears up to four flowers, each with three vivid crimson stigmas, which are each the distal end of a carpel...
clothes. His hair are very well grown and are normally furling in the wind. They wear in their neck a RudrakshaRudrakshaRudraksha Rudraksha Rudraksha (also Rudraksh; Sanskrit: ("Rudra's tears") is a large evergreen broad-leaved tree whose seed is traditionally used for prayer beads in Hinduism. The seed is borne by several species of Elaeocarpus, with E. ganitrus being the principal species used in the making of a...
malaJapa malaA Japa mala or mala is a set of beads commonly used by Hindus and Buddhists, usually made from 108 beads, though other numbers, usually divisible by 9, are also used. Malas are used for keeping count while reciting, chanting, or mentally repeating a mantra or the name or names of a deity...
or a string with bones. They hold a wooden stick (dandaDandaIn the Devanāgarī script, the danda is a punctuation character. The glyph consists of a single vertical stroke. The character can be found at code point U+0964 in Unicode. The "double danda" is at U+0965 . ISCII encodes danda at 0xEA....
) in their hand and additionally they always have an axe (parashu) or a damaruDamaruA damaru or damru is a small two-headed drum shaped like an hourglass. The drum is typically made of wood, with leather drum heads at both ends; the damaru might also be made entirely out of human skulls...
(small drum) with them. - Kulavadhuta : These people are supposed to have taken initiation from the Kaul sampradayaSampradayaIn Hinduism, a sampradaya can be translated as ‘tradition’ or a ‘religious system’, although the word commands much more respect and power in the Indian context than its translations in English does...
. It is very difficult to recognize these people as they do not wear any signs outside which can identify them from others. The speciality of these people is that they remain and live like usual people do. They can show themselves in the form of Kings or a family man.
There is one type of Avadhuta Sect which has their worship samadhi located at Karla (near Amaravati in Maharashtra), this sect has followers in Vidharba, they do puja of samadhi at home also, they are against murthi puja and their greeting style is different from others, they greet by closing hand like doing namaskara and then touching each others hand. They are against murthi puja and they call their worship house (temple) as Bangala. They have typical tradition of burying bodies after death and not burning it like other Hindus do. They do not have idols of any god or do not go to any other temples of Hindus. they held typical bhajans which are different from any other bajans prevalent in local Hindu population. Also during prayer they stand still in front of samadhi until the kapur is lit off naturally after it is burnt. Followers of this sect are Shids (some converted their name to Shinde from Savali near wardha)
Siddha Siddhanta Paddhati
The Siddha Siddhanta Paddhati is a very early extant Hatha YogaHatha yoga
Hatha yoga , also called hatha vidya , is a system of yoga introduced by Yogi Swatmarama, a Hindu sage of 15th century India, and compiler of the Hatha Yoga Pradipika....
Sanskrit text attributed to Gorakshanath
Gorakshanath
Gorakshanath was an 11th to 12th century Hindu Nath yogi, connected to Shaivism as one of the two most important disciples of Matsyendranath, the other being Caurangi. There are varying records of the spiritual descent of Gorakshanath. All name Adinath and Matsyendranath as two teachers preceding...
by the indigenous tradition, as Feuerstein
Georg Feuerstein
Dr. Georg Feuerstein is a German-Canadian Indologist specializing on Yoga. Feuerstein has authored over 30 books on mysticism, Yoga, Tantra, and Hinduism...
(1991: p.105) relates:
"One of the earliest hatha yoga scriptures, the Siddha Siddhanta Paddhati, contains many verses that describe the avadhuta. One stanza (VI.20) in particular refers to his chameleon-like capacity to animate any character or role. At times, it is said, he behaves like a worldling or even a king, at other times like an ascetic or naked renunciant."
The gendered language in this quotation is no longer relevant in our gender inclusive World.
English discourse
Jayachamaraja Wodeyar BahadurJayachamaraja Wodeyar Bahadur
Jayachamaraja Wodeyar Bahadur was the 25th and the last Maharaja of the princely state of Mysore from 1940 to 1950. He was a noted philosopher, musicologist, political thinker and philanthropist.-Biography:...
(1919–1974) Avadhuta: Reason & Reverence, Indian Institute of World Culture?, Bangalore, 1958.
Relationship with the Nath sampradaya
The Nath Sampradaya is a form of Avadhuta-pantha (sect). In this sampradaya, Guru-importance and YogaYoga
Yoga is a physical, mental, and spiritual discipline, originating in ancient India. The goal of yoga, or of the person practicing yoga, is the attainment of a state of perfect spiritual insight and tranquility while meditating on Supersoul...
are of extreme importance. Therefore the most important book in this sampradaya is Avadhut Gita. Shri Gorakshanath
Gorakshanath
Gorakshanath was an 11th to 12th century Hindu Nath yogi, connected to Shaivism as one of the two most important disciples of Matsyendranath, the other being Caurangi. There are varying records of the spiritual descent of Gorakshanath. All name Adinath and Matsyendranath as two teachers preceding...
is considered the topmost form of Avadhut-state.
The nature of the avadhuta is the subject of the Avadhuta Gita, the authorship of which is traditionally ascribed to Dattatreya
Dattatreya
Dattatreya or Datta is a Hindu deity encompassing the trinity of Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva, collectively known as Trimurti. The name Dattatreya can be divided into two words - "Datta" and "Atreya" referring to the sage Atri, his physical father.Various Hindu sects worship him differently...
.
Avadhuta Upanishad
The Avadhuta Upanishad is number 79 of the Muktika canon of UpanishadUpanishad
The Upanishads are philosophical texts considered to be an early source of Hindu religion. More than 200 are known, of which the first dozen or so, the oldest and most important, are variously referred to as the principal, main or old Upanishads...
s. It is a Sannyasa
Sannyasa
Sannyasa is the order of life of the renouncer within the Hindu scheme of āśramas, or life stages. It is considered the topmost and final stage of the ashram systems and is traditionally taken by men or women at or beyond the age of fifty years old or by young monks who wish to renounce worldly...
Upanishad associated with the Black Yajurveda.
Avadhuta Gita
According to the International Nath Order of the NathNath
The Sanskrit word nāthá or नाथ, is the proper name of a Hindu initiatory tradition and the word itself literally means "lord, protector, refuge"...
Sampradaya
Sampradaya
In Hinduism, a sampradaya can be translated as ‘tradition’ or a ‘religious system’, although the word commands much more respect and power in the Indian context than its translations in English does...
, the Avadhuta Gita
Avadhuta Gita
Avadhuta Gita is a Hindu text based on the principles of Advaita Vedanta . The singer of the Avadhuta Gita is Dattatreya, an Avadhuta, and according to the Nath Sampradaya, the work was heard and transcribed by two of Dattatreya's disciples—Swami and Kartika...
is a text of Advaita Vedanta
Advaita Vedanta
Advaita Vedanta is considered to be the most influential and most dominant sub-school of the Vedānta school of Hindu philosophy. Other major sub-schools of Vedānta are Dvaita and ; while the minor ones include Suddhadvaita, Dvaitadvaita and Achintya Bhedabheda...
sung by Dattatreya
Dattatreya
Dattatreya or Datta is a Hindu deity encompassing the trinity of Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva, collectively known as Trimurti. The name Dattatreya can be divided into two words - "Datta" and "Atreya" referring to the sage Atri, his physical father.Various Hindu sects worship him differently...
and recorded by his disciples Swami and Kartika.
Vaishnava tradition(s)
Avadhutas (the "pure ones", in Bhagavat Purana 4.29.11 described as "most free") are usually associated with the Shaivite tradition but there is a relatively obscure lineage of Vaishnava sannyasis known as turiyatit-avadhuta. The turiyatit-avadhuta are described in the Narada-parivrajaka-upanisad, Turiyatit-avadhuta-upanisad and the Brhad-avadhuta-upanisad."Bṛhad-avadhūta Upaniṣad
Rigopoulos (1998: p. 214) renders the Bṛhad-avadhūta Upaniṣad 1.2, a text oriented to the Vaishnava tradition, thus:
"The Avadhūta is so called because he is immortal (akṣara); he is the greatest (vareṇya); he has discarded worldly ties (dhūta-saṃsāra-bandhana); and he is indicated in the meaning of the sentence "Thou art That," etc. (tat-tvam-asyādi-lakṣya)."