| 6. BOM SHANKAR
Pashupatinath, Kathmandu, Nepal |
Although Hindu religious texts as well as sadhus themselves hold varying opinions about drug use as a spiritual practice, it is certainly important to this sadhu. He is smoking a mixture of tobacco and hashish, or charas, in a straight clay pipe called a chilum. Since the god Shiva is admired for his ability to transmute poisonous substances into harmless or beneficial elements, drug use is seen by many to be an important spiritual practice unto itself. In this way, the intoxicating properties are felt to be the blessings of Shiva, Lord of Charas. |