On possession in Hinduism

Brief excursus - corroborated by the author's experience in the field - on the phenomenon of possession in Hinduism (both devotional and yogic-tantric) and in related Shamanism

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di Marco Scarinci
founder of Tantric shamanism
article originally published on Heretics Mind

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I think it appropriate to start shedding some light on the subject of possession in Hinduism, waiting to write a more extensive article about it in the future after having studied the literature on the subject better. In fact, as a tantrika and a practitioner of Indo-Himalayan Tantric Shamanism, my knowledge on the subject is more experiential than derived from literature. It is about a topic as important as it is neglected by Western scholars (with the exception of anthropologists, who inevitably see the obvious importance of the phenomenon in the field), even if in recent years we are starting to do justice to the issue, with the publication of books such as "The Self Possessed. Deity and Spirit Possession in South Asian Literature and Civilization»By Frederick M. Smith [1].

The subject has been neglected by academic scholars and mistreated - even worse - by (pseudo) traditionalist thinkers, due to the reservations and prejudices that the West has developed on the subject of possession, interpreted over time as either purely demonic possession (Christian interpretation), you want how psychism devoid of spirituality (pseudo-traditionalist interpretation), you want as a form of psychopathology (modern, psychological and psychiatric interpretation). I will not dwell on the criticism of these interpretations for now because it would take me too long, but I would like to underline the importance of possession in the Indian religion and more generally in the spirituality of Southeast Asia. Even Mircea Eliade in her famous work on Shamanism - because of the milieu culture in which he found himself - he fell into the grave error of underestimating the importance of possession [2], particularly serious in that case as possession is at the center of shamanic phenomenologies.

In Hinduism, especially in certain areas (eg Nepal, Tamil Nadu, Bengal, etc), experiences of possession by the Deities are extremely widespread and this is clearly recognized in the anthropological literature. For example, regarding the search for him in Andhra Pradesh, David Knipe states [3]:

 « It appears that the number of lay people subject to states of possession is incredibly high and the phenomenon occurs within families of all communities as a central component of religious life. »

In his studies of Tamil Hinduism, David Shulman states [4]:

« The focus is entirely on the interaction between the devotee and the divinity that has entered him, who has dominated or possessed him without destroying his empirical, sensual and self-sufficient being. »

Even here in Italy (for example in Catania, Palermo, Bari, Milan, etc) you can witness this type of phenomenology in traditional Hindu communities and you can realize how widespread they are, and in the past I published some video to witness. If you want to attend these ceremonies and see with your own eyes, contact me and I will be happy to direct you to the right places.

Since the presence of possession in popular religion is now evident to all, some have tried to contrast what is popular and folkloric with what is classic (in this case to the classical literature in Sanskrit). For example, Antonio Rigopoulos adopts this dichotomy and even states that in Maharashtra, where he did research, the folk and non-Aryan deities would possess people, while the Aryan ones would not. [5]. The experience of other researchers, however, has disproved this thesis, both inside and outside Maharashtra [6].

More specifically, then, clear references to possession can also be found in the classical religious literature in Sanskrit (and not only in the Tantric one, where there are even rituals to incorporate a Deity into an oracle to ask him questions! [7]). In this regard, I refer you to the aforementioned text "The Self Possessed»Which finds references to possession since the Rig Veda, where it would be qualified as« possession »(skt. Āveśa) the experience of those who ingest Soma (which had psychotropic effects) [8].

It follows that the opposition between what is popular and what is classic has no foundation, also because what is classic is often only the literary or poetic form of popular culture, and this is particularly true of the Vedas. Teachings that on the initiatory level are very valid on possession can also be found in the chapter called «avishkara»From the first book of the trilogy«Agora»By Robert Svoboda. The book contains the teachings of the great tantric master Vimalananda, believed to be a fully realized individual [9]. Svoboda recently wrote on his facebook page [10]:

"My mentor Vimalananda taught that very few even among the most spiritually advanced people become completely free from the possession of anything other than the Absolute, and that all others are daily conditioned by ideas," isms ", emotions, ancestors, influences. planetaries, diseases, poisons, and other varieties of entities that possess us and that express themselves through us, usually while we believe we are acting on our own as "independent individuals" [...] A more advanced approach is to evict these entities that have settled within us and replace them with more desirable occupants [...] Vimalananda was consciously opening his Self to the temporary occupation of deceased deities and saints, and each of us can do something similar (albeit less dramatic) by replacing these thieves of awareness with the sweet name of the Supreme. "

Therefore we understand the spiritual value of possession. According to this view we are already possessed by streams of spirits of various kinds, even if we do not realize it (in a similar way to the opinion attributed to the Gnostic Basilides of Alexandria, according to whom "Man is a camp of many different spirits"). This applies to everyone, but through controlled possession practiced in a religious or initiatory ritual context, instead, we open ourselves to the influence of Spirits and Deities known by tradition, considered positive, reliable and closer to the Absolute than us; you receive Shakti (Power) and Knowledge from Them and thus one approaches the Divinity and the Absolute itself.

However, there are different phenomenologies of possession, which often get confused. In a recent post on Shaktism I distinguished popular and tribal Shaktism of a shamanic nature, the yogic-tantric one and the one based on bhakti (devotion) [11]. Possession is found in all three contexts but with different shades. In the shamanic context, possession has mediumistic characteristics (in the sense that the divinity or the spirit speaks through us) with the purpose of divination, exorcism or healing. Possession is controlled (except, often, at the beginning of the shaman's career in the case of shamanic disease) and is not accompanied by great emotions.

In Shaktism founded on bhakti on the other hand, possession has very humid and emotional characteristics, at times it can be difficult to control, and is typical of group rituals. It does not usually have mediumistic characters or even a conscious purpose outside of devotion as an end in itself, but in some cases during these experiences of possession the Divinity could give personal communications to the devotee about his religious or moral life. [12]. This type of possession easily manifests itself when major festivals are organized, especially among those who have prepared for the festival through a period of purification. It is expressed through the ecstatic experiences of the devotee and often (but not always!) It is marked by the undulatory movement of the body or (especially in the case of women) by crying, a way in which the person's great devotion is sometimes expressed. This is the kind of possession that you can easily see even in Italy by going to the right places.

Then, there is the possession of the yogic-tantric ways which can oscillate between the various shades of both the first and second group, but which is usually not very mediumistic (but can also take mediumistic aspects at times), is very controlled, often very light (but not always!), and is mainly aimed to their own psycho-spiritual evolution.

The spread of possession, especially in popular contexts based on bhakti (which are the most widespread), is such that it can practically exclude the validity of the psychiatric interpretation, also because these people are fully functional and free of psychopathologies for the rest of their lives. The possession and incorporation therefore presents itself with different shades, even shades that most would not take into consideration.

The fact that the person has to embody Divinity does not only concern the tantrika; for example a "real" sacred dance dancer, during her dance, will incorporate Apsaras (celestial dancers), just as the "real" actor of sacred plays will incorporate the Deities she is impersonating. These activities are real sacred rites. Many do it lightly and unconsciously, but those who know it and do it consciously will have an edge. In doing so the play or dance becomes a channel through which the Deities come down to play in this world, a way to channel its power.

To finish this article, I will clarify one last point. Clearly, an ocean cannot enter a glass. Likewise, Divinity cannot fully enter a person; what enters, what the person goes through is a small point of his Shakti, of his Power-Energy. The amount of power that the person will pass through depends on what he is able to channel, but it is obviously an infinitesimal power compared to that of the Divinity. Furthermore, the aspect of the Divinity with which one comes into contact depends on the spiritual evolution of the practitioner (as well as on many other ritual, environmental factors, etc.): clearly an ordinary and unenlightened human being will come into contact with lower aspects and involved in samsara of the Divinity in question, with lower points of its Flow of Power.

The Divinity that contacts itself, in other words, evolves with the spiritual evolution of the practitioner. A Nepalese shaman in Kathmandu used to tell me - using an image as crude as it is evocative - that one is possessed by different parts of the Divinity. One can be possessed by his feet, hands, head, etc. [13]. Obviously, being possessed by a foot is different than being possessed by the head, isn't it? Hence, Divinity filtered by different practitioners, even if it is the same Divinity, is actually generally different.

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Note:

[1] Smith FM 2006

[2] Eliade M. 2005: 529-530. Eliade considers possession, beyond any evidence, as a subsequent innovation and not inherent in the actual shamanic ecstasy, which would have as a fundamental element the extra-corporeal journey. The anthropologist Ioan M. Lewis rehabilitated the phenomenon of possession in the academic discourse on Shamanism with the text «Ecstatic Religion. A Study of Shamanism and Spirit Possession»(1971)

[3] Knipe DM 1997

[4] Shulman D. 1991:51

[5] Rigopoulos 1993: 54n18

[6] Smith FM 2006: 151 421-431

[7] Ibid: 421-431

[8] Ibid: 175-194

[9] Svoboda R. 1986: 211-235

[10] Svoboda R. https://www.facebook.com/DrRobertSvoboda/photos/a.716702585118033.1073741828.716583695129922/1525843694203914/?type=3&theater

[11] For a detailed analysis of these three types of Shaktism see McDaniel J. 2004: 27-208

[12] Personal communication of various devotees participating in this kind of ritual

[13] Jhankri Guru, personal communication, Kathmandu 2016

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Reference Bibliography:

• Eliade M. 2005. Shamanism and the Techniques of Ecstasy, Rome, Mediterranean Editions (original ed. 1951)
• Lewis IM 2003. Ecstatic Religion. A Study of Shamanism and Spirit Possession, London, Rouledge (original ed. 1971)
• Mastromattei R. et al. 1995. Tremor and Power. The Ecstatic Condition in Himalayan Shamanism, Milan, FrancoAngeli
• McDaniel J. 2004 Offering Flowers, Feeding Skulls. Popular Goddess Worship in West Bengal, New York, Oxford University Press.
• Knipe DM 1997. Rivalries Inside Out: Personal History and Possession Ritualism in Coastal Andhra. Study presented at the seminar: Dynamics of Rituals and Narratives in Indian Folk Culture, Center for Folk Culture Studies, University of Hyderabad, Hyderabad.
• Rigopoulos A. 1993. The Life and Teachings of Sai Baba of Shirdi, Albany, SUNY Press.
• Shulman D. 1991. "The Yogi's Human Self: Tāyumāçavar in the Tamil Mystical Tradition."Religion 21: 51-72
• Smith FM 2006. The Self Possessed. Deity and Spirit Possession in South Asian Literature and Civilization. New York Chichester, Columbia University Press
• Svoboda R. 1986 Aghora. At the Left Hand of God, Brotherhood of Life

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