Rudra Sampraday

One of the four branches (sampraday) of
the Bairagi Naga ascetics. The name
Bairagi denotes ascetics who are devotees
(bhakta) of the god Vishnu. The name
Naga describes a class of fighting ascetics
recruited to protect the other Bairagi
ascetics who, because they were saintly,
scholarly men, could not protect themselves. Bairagi Nagas were organized in
military fashion into different anis or
“armies.” Until the beginning of the nineteenth century the Nagas’ primary occupation was as mercenary soldiers,
although they also had substantial trading interests. The Nagas lent money at
interest, engaged in trade, and often
owned large amounts of property. They
were particularly powerful in parts of the
country where the centralized government had broken down. Their roles as
mercenaries and in trade have both largely disappeared in contemporary times.
The Rudra Sampraday traces its spiritual lineage through the philosopher
Vallabhacharya and the earlier religious
teacher, Vishnuswami. The followers of
Vallabhacharya tend to be householders
rather than ascetics; Vallabhacharya
himself was married and had many children. It is the smallest and least important of the Bairagi Naga sampradays,
and the only event at which it figures is
the bathing (snana) processions at the
Kumbha Mela.