ABSTRACT
Nijī maṭhs depend on their own network of resources, on land grants given in former times by kings and landlords and nowadays on cash donations made by wealthy lay devotees. A new type of relationship has developed between the Nāth Yogīs and the people around them in which the Yogīs have to compete for support with other religious institutions, sects, or gurus, and are induced to respond to the needs of their lay followers. Material gifts are included in the sevā, the ‘service’ that the followers are expected to provide in exchange for the spiritual advice and protection they obtain. In addition, the wealth accumulated in some monasteries allows for a redistributive process.
