Blurb:

In Chapter 2, the focus is on the ascetic society, using diachronic and synchronic approaches to describe four traditional sampradāyas –that of the Nāths, the Daśnāmīs, the Udāsīs and the Rāmānandīs– traditionally connected to the practice of tapasyā (austerities), haṭha yoga and yoga sādhanā. The chapter analyses then the structure of ascetic society, the reasons that lead an individual to enter it, as well as the issue of female asceticism. Eventually, the ascetic symbolism that is shared among sādhus belonging to different sampradāyas but engaged in similar practices is emphasized.