Aghor simply means someone who has passed beyond sorrow and fear, A(not)-Ghor (terrible). The path towards this state of oneness is either through the daivic approach, that is sadhanas that avoid extremes and take the luminous balanced approach of surrender to the Divine. Or it can be an asuric approach through extreme ascetic practices involving even certain forms of torture. Unfortunately the word aghori refers mainly to the latter.
Whatever path an aghori takes, if he succeeds, he passes beyond good and evil. He has no account of good karma and is equally immune to bad karma. So the question of passing on good karmas does not arise. However a genuine aghori can transmit through his curses and abuses certain vibrations that are destructive of harmful forces that may be hovering around the person. He is not abusing or cursing the person, though it seems so, but the web of darkness, the formation of falsehood around him. That dissolved the person benefits and feels relieved. It is somewhat like shaap or shrap (curse) by Rishis that ended up benefitting eventually, though hurting immediately. Shrap or shaap was however purificatory which actually cleansed, whereas an Aghori’s abuse is more like a purge of dark elements which gives at best only a temporary relief. However one must understand that it does not come without its own dangers. The nature of some of these ascetics is quite rotten (even though they may be free within) and may even harbour dangerous elements. Besides for one genuine aghori there are quite a few who pass off as one. They are best avoided.
Besides, all these forced precipitous outer interventions have their limitations. It is best to turn to the Divine, the supreme healer, with loving trust and surrender. As Sri Krishna says in his promise, ‘…..I will deliver Thee from all sin and fear, do not grieve.’
Affectionately,
Alok Da
