The Story of Paglatl     The cult of Paglatl is about 300 years old, and is the descendant of the Association founded by Paglatl himself to promugate his Way. It is one of the most popular of the mystical Ways of the Kadane, and its practices have influenced many Kadane who do not claim formal membership in the cult.   The mystic Ways of the Nunga artaduku seek a personal experience of the Godhead for the devotee. The Way of Paglatl emphasizes a radical simplicity of heart and estatic dancing as its path to divine union.   Paglatl was a young man when he began his career. He served in the household of Sagyo Hoshi, himself a renowned religious thinker and poet. Paglatl did not so much develop his Way, as have it thrust upon him.   He was evidently a morose and unhappy man, constantly in a state of agitation and anxiety, generally considered a failure by himself and the others in the household. One evening at sunset devotions, he was in the depths of despair, and, as he put it, 'broke through' his pain to the other side, where he abandoned himself without thought or hope to the will of the gods. Immediately his soul was seized with such joy and lightness that he began to dance around the floor of the temple. This must have been quite a sight, since Paglatl was a big man and considered clumsy (his nickname was Pogovan 'bear', and for some time, his Way was known as 'Bear's Way').   A less tolerant master than Sagyo Hoshi might have disciplined Paglatl, but Lord Sagyo recognized that he was in the presence of something profound, and he allowed Paglatl's estatic practices to continue. In fact, he had a hand in laying the philosophical underpinnings for the Way. Over a period of a few years, the Way was refined and augmented to include dancing, drumming and a mantra-like recitation of the Ninety-Nine Qualities. Paglatl's experience of simple abandonment to the Godhead set the tone for the Way, which emphasizes an uncomplicated heart and hopeless (in a positive sense) reliance on the good will of the gods.   While Paglatl originally developed his Way out of his own experiences, only to please himself, there soon developed around him a circle of followers who adopted his own practices. Paglatl was not much of a theorizer, and tended to lead by example. Lord Sagyo is responsible for the handbook which was developed, in which the proper orientation of mind and heart are explained and the estatic practices justified (although, oddly, he himself never became a follower).   When Lord Sagyo passed away a few years later, he bequeathed a portion of his estate to Paglatl, who used it to formally organize an Association. This seems to have been more at the request of his followers than by his own inclination. His Way had become known throughout Tihzanthy, and some means was needed to keep in contact with and instruct those who could not come to Paglatl themselves. The Association published Lord Sagyo's Handbook, collections of Paglatl's talks (mostly stories or parables) and other devotional works.   As Paglatl's fame spread, he began to get requests to visit his far-flung followers, and so he spent several years travelling throughout Tihzanthy. This was an unsettled time in Kadane history, and he had many adventures on his journeys.   Paglatl passed away in late middle age. By this time, his Association had grown to include tens of thousands. His most trusted associates organized the installment of Paglatl's remains at Wawatranu and changed his organization from an Association to a cult. With the publication of Paglatl pol - vova kasnu, nunga nasnu (Life and Way of the God Paglatl), primarily a record of conversations with him in the last years of his life, devotion to Paglatl became a feature of the Way. This devotion takes the form of dramatic reenactments of scenes from his life, especially his travels, along with the more usual ritual sacrifices and prayers.   Today, the cult itself has over 300,000 devotees, but many more Kadane follow at least some of the principles of the Way, often without realizing their origins. The defining characteristic of the devotee remains a child-like trust and joy in the gods, and the defining practice is still drumming, dancing and chanting the Ninety-Nine Qualities. However, the cult has been enriched over the centuries by many profound thinkers who have meditated on Paglatl's Way, and by composers and artists who have found inspiration in the stories of his life (a popular genre of theater among the Kadane are stories of the gods, told in a sweeping, majestic style with music, song and dance, and stories of Paglatl are among the most popular of these.)

© 2000, Terrence Donnelly