11th-century Hindu yogi and saint
Gorakhnath
(also known as
Goraksanath
(Sanskrit:
Gorak?an?tha
),
[3]
c. early 11th century) was a
Hindu
yogi
,
saint
who was the founder of the
Nath
Hindu monastic movement in
India
.
He is considered one of the two disciples of
Matsyendranath
. His followers are known as
Jogi
,
Gorakhnathi
,
Darshani
or
Kanphata
.
He was one of nine saints, or
Navnath
, and is known in Maharashtra, India.
Hagiographies
describe him to be a person outside the laws of time who appeared on earth during different ages.
Historians agree that Gorakhnath lived sometime during the first half of the 2nd millennium CE, but there is some disagreement about which century he lived. Estimates based on archaeological and textual evidence range from Briggs' estimate of the 11th to 12th century
to Grierson's estimate of the 14th century.
Gorakhnath is considered a
Maha-yogi
(or "great yogi") in Hindu tradition.
He did not emphasise a specific metaphysical theory or a particular
Truth
, but emphasised that the search for Truth and the spiritual life is a valuable and normal goal of man.
Gorakhnath championed
Yoga
, spiritual discipline and an ethical life of
self-determination
as a means to reaching
samadhi
.
Gorakhnath, his ideas, and his yogis have been popular in rural India, with monasteries and temples dedicated to him found in many states of India, particularly in the eponymous city of
Gorakhpur
.
[10]
[11]
Biography
[
edit
]
Historian accounts
[
edit
]
Historians disagree on when Gorakhnath lived. Briggs estimates 11th to 12th century,
while Abbott argues that
Baba Farid
documents and
Jnanesvari
manuscripts place Gorakhnath in the 13th century.
Grierson, relying on evidence discovered in Gujarat, suggests the 14th century.
Gorakhnath is referenced in the poetry of
Kabir
and of
Guru Nanak
of
Sikhism
, which describe him as a very powerful leader with a large following.
Historical texts imply that Gorakhnath was a
Buddhist
in a region influenced by Shaivism, but then converted to Hinduism, championing
Shiva
and
Yoga
.
Gorakhnath led a life as an exponent of ideas of Kumarila and
Adi Shankara
that championed the Yogic and
Advaita Vedanta
interpretation of the Upanishads.
Gorakhnath considered the controversy between
dualism
and
nondualism
in medieval India as useless from a practical point of view. According to Banerjea, He emphasised that the choice is that of the yogi, and that spiritual discipline and practice by either path leads to "perfectly illumined samadhi state of the individual phenomenal consciousness.".
Hagiographic accounts
[
edit
]
The
hagiography
on Gorakhnath describe his appearance on earth several times.
The legends do not provide a birth time or place, and consider him to be superhuman.
North Indian hagiographies suggest he originated from northwest India (
Punjab
, with some mentioning
Peshawar
).
Other hagiographies in
Bengal
and
Bihar
suggest he originated from eastern region of India (
Assam
).
Available hagiographies offer varying records of the spiritual descent of Gorakhnath. All name
Adinath
and
Matsyendranath
as two teachers preceding him, though one account lists five
gurus
preceding Adinath, and another lists six teachers between Matsyendranath and Gorakhnath. Current tradition has Adinath placed with
Shiva
as the direct teacher of
Matsyendranath
, who was himself the direct teacher of Gorakhnath.
Nath Sampradaya
[
edit
]
The
Nath tradition
states that it existed before Gorakhnath, but the movement's expansion happened under the guidance and inspiration of Gorakhnath. He produced a number of writings and even today is considered
[
by whom?
]
the greatest of the
Naths
. It has been purported
[
weasel words
]
that Gorakhnath wrote the first books on
Laya yoga
. In India there are many caves, many with temples built over them, where it is said that Gorakhnath spent time in meditation. According to
Bhagawan Nityananda
, the samadhi shrine (tomb) of Gorakhnath is at Nath Mandir near the
Vajreshwari temple
about one kilometre from Ganeshpuri,
Maharashtra
,
India
.
[19]
Legends state that Gorakhnath and Matsyendranath did penance in Kadri Temple at Mangalore, Karnataka. They were also instrumental in laying Shivlingam at Kadri and Dharmasthala.
The temple of
Gorakhnath
is situated on hill called Garbhagiri near Vambori, Tal Rahuri; Dist Ahmednagar. There is also a temple of Gorakhnath in the state of Odisha.
Gorakhnath Math
[
edit
]
The
Gorakhnath Math
is a monastery of the Nath monastic group named after the medieval saint, Gorakhnath (c. 11th century), of the Nath sampradaya. The math and town of
Gorakhpur
in Uttar Pradesh is named after him. The monastery and the temple perform various cultural and social activities and serve as the cultural hub of the city. The monastery also publishes texts on the philosophy of Gorakhnath.
[20]
A shrine existed at the site from older times which was converted into a mosque by Ala-ud-din Khilji.
A smaller shrine was built by Nath Sampraday's followers at a later time. Later additions were made in 18th, 19th and 20th century by devotees and yogis of the order. The math is situated in a Muslim majority area and is a centre of syncretism among devotees and visitors from diverse communal background.
[22]
Influence
[
edit
]
Hatha yoga
[
edit
]
Some scholars associate the origins of
Hatha yoga
with the
Nath
yogis, in particular Gorakhnath and his guru
Matsyendranath
.
[2]
[23]
According to British
indologist
James Mallinson
, this association is false.
[23]
In his view, the origins of hatha yoga should be associated with the
Dashanami Sampradaya
of
Advaita Vedanta
(Hinduism), the mystical figure of
Dattatreya
,
and the
R?m?nand?s
.
[27]
While the origins of Hatha yoga are disputed, according to Guy Beck, a professor of Religious Studies known for his studies on Yoga and music, "the connections between Goraknath, the Kanphatas and Hatha yoga are beyond question".
According to Arvind-Pal Singh Mandair, a professor in Asian languages and cultures, the Gorakhnath orders were operating free community kitchens in
Punjab
before Guru Nanak founded Sikhism.
[28]
[29]
Gorakhnath shrines have continued to operate a
langar
and provide a free meal to pilgrims who visit.
[30]
Nepal
[
edit
]
The
Gurkhas
of Nepal take their name from Gorakhnath.
Gorkha
, a historical district of Nepal, is also named after him.
A cave exists in Gorkha with his paduka (footprints) and an idol.
[32]
Every year, on the day of Baisakh Purnima, a celebration known as Rot Mahotsav takes place in the cave; it has purportedly been celebrated for the last seven hundred years.
[33]
[34]
According to William Northey and John Morris, legend states that a disciple of Machendra by name Gorakhnath once visited Nepal and retired to a small hill near Deo Patan. There, he meditated in an unmovable state for twelve years. The locals built a temple in his honour there.
[35]
Siddhar
tradition
[
edit
]
In the
Siddhar
tradition of
Tamil Nadu
, Gorakhnath is one of the 18 esteemed
Siddhars
of yore, and is also known as
Korakkar
.
[36]
Siddhar
Agastya
and
Siddhar
Bhogar
were his
gurus
. There is a temple in Vadukku Poigainallur,
Nagapattinam
, Tamil Nadu which specifically houses his
Jeeva
Samadhi
.
[37]
According to one account, he spent much of his youth in the
Velliangiri Mountains
,
Coimbatore
.
There are various other shrines honouring
Korakkar
, including ones located in
Perur
,
Thiruchendur
and
Trincomalee
.
Korakkar
Caves are found in both
Sathuragiri
and the
Kolli Hills
, where he is noted to have practised his sadhana. Like his colleagues, the 18
Siddhars
,
Korakkar
wrote cryptic
Tamil
poetry pertaining to
medicine
,
philosophy
and
alchemy
. He was one of the first to use
cannabis
in his medicinal preparations for certain ailments; as a result, it gained the name Korakkar Mooligai (Korakkar's Herb).
[38]
West Bengal ? Assam ? Tripura - Bangladesh
[
edit
]
The
Bengali Hindu
community in the states of
West Bengal
,
Tripura
, and
Assam
, and the country
Bangladesh
have a sizeable number of people belonging to the
Nath Sampradaya
, named as
Nath
or
Yogi Nath
, who have taken the name from Gorakhnath.
[39]
[40]
They were marginalised in Medieval Bengal.
[41]
Works
[
edit
]
Romola Butalia
, an Indian writer of Yoga history, lists the works attributed to Gorakhnath as including the
Gorak?a?ataka
,
Goraksha Samhita
,
Goraksha Gita
,
Siddha Siddhanta Paddhati
,
Yoga Martanda
,
Yoga Siddhanta Paddhati
,
Yogab?ja
,
Yogacintamani
.
[
citation needed
]
Siddha Siddhanta Paddhati
[
edit
]
The
Siddha Siddhanta Paddhati
is a
Hatha Yoga
Sanskrit text attributed to Gorakhnath by the
Nath
tradition. According to
Feuerstein
(1991: p. 105), it is "one of the earliest hatha yoga scriptures, the
Siddha Siddhanta Paddhati
, contains many verses that describe the
avadhuta
" (liberated) yogi.
[42]
The
Siddha Siddhanta Paddhati
text is based on an
advaita (nonduality)
framework, where the yogi sees "himself in all beings, and all in himself" including the identity of the individual soul (
Atman
) with the universal (
Brahman
).
This idea appears in the text in various forms, such as the following:
The four varna (castes) are perceived to be located in the nature of the individual, i.e. Brahmana in
sadacara
(righteous conduct), Ksatriya in
saurya
(valor and courage), Vaisya in
vyavasaya
(business), and Sudra in
seva
(service). A yogin experiences all men and women of all races and castes within himself. Therefore he has no hatred for anybody. He has love for every being.
?
Gorakhnath,
Siddha Siddhanta Paddhati III.6-8
(Translator: D Shastri)
See also
[
edit
]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
a
b
"Hatha Yoga"
. Encyclopædia Britannica. 2007
. Retrieved
3 April
2017
.
- ^
Bruce M. Sullivan (1997).
Historical Dictionary of Hinduism
. Scarecrow Press. pp. 96, 149.
ISBN
978-0-8108-3327-2
.
- ^
White, David Gordon
(2012),
The Alchemical Body: Siddha Traditions in Medieval India
, University of Chicago Press, pp. 7?8
- ^
David N. Lorenzen and Adrian Munoz (2012), Yogi Heroes and Poets: Histories and Legends of the Naths, SUNY Press,
ISBN
978-1438438900
, pp. x?xi
- ^
"Discipleship"
. Archived from
the original
on 5 September 2015
. Retrieved
13 May
2007
.
- ^
Akshaya Kumar Banerjea 1983
, p.
[
page needed
]
.
- ^
Chaturvedi, Shashank (July 2017). "Khichdi Mela in Gorakhnath Math : Symbols, Ideas and Motivations".
Society and Culture in South Asia
.
3
(2): 135?156.
doi
:
10.1177/2393861717706296
.
ISSN
2393-8617
.
S2CID
157212381
.
- ^
a
b
James Mallinson
(2014).
"The Yog?s' Latest Trick"
.
Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society
. Third Series.
24
: 165?180.
doi
:
10.1017/S1356186313000734
.
S2CID
161393103
.
That these N?th Yog?s were the originators and foremost exponents of ha?hayoga is a given of all historical studies of yoga. But these Yog?s were in fact the willing and complicit beneficiaries of the semantic confusion which has caught out White and many other scholars
- ^
James Mallinson 2012
, pp. 26?27, Quote: "Thee key practices of hathayoga?including complex, non-seated ?sanas [...] whose first descriptions are found in P?ncar?trika sources?originated among the forerunners of the Dasn?m?s and R?m?nand?s.".
- ^
Arvind-Pal Singh Mandair (2013).
Sikhism: A Guide for the Perplexed
. Bloomsbury Publishing. p. 25.
ISBN
978-1-4411-1708-3
.
- ^
"Arvind-Pal Singh Mandair: Bloomsbury Publishing (US)"
.
Bloomsbury Publishing
. Retrieved
9 March
2022
.
- ^
Geaves, Ron (2007).
Saivism in the Diaspora: Contemporary Forms of Skanda Worship
. Equinox Pub. p. 145.
ISBN
978-1-84553-234-5
.
- ^
"Gorkha: The Historical Landmark of Nepal"
.
Nepal Sanctuary Treks
. 10 September 2018
. Retrieved
15 June
2020
.
- ^
Gauron, Julianne.
"Nepal's Rot Festival at Gorhka's Durbar Palace"
.
SNOW ON THE ROAD
.
- ^
"Brief Introduction"
.
District Coordination Committee Office Gorkha
.
- ^
Northey, W. B.; Morris, C. J. (2001).
The Gurkhas: Their Manners, Customs, and Country
. Asian Educational Services.
- ^
R. N. Hema (December 2019).
Biography of the 18 Siddhars
(Thesis). National Institute of Siddha.
- ^
"18 Siddhars"
.
www.satsang-darshan.com
. Archived from
the original
on 12 May 2023
. Retrieved
12 May
2023
.
- ^
R. N. Hema (December 2019).
Biography of the 18 Siddhars
(Thesis). National Institute of Siddha.
- ^
Briggs, George Weston (1989).
Gorakhn?th and the K?npha?a Yog?s
. Motilal Banarsidass Publ. p. 243.
ISBN
978-81-208-0564-4
.
- ^
Bha???c?rya, ??utosha (1978).
Folklore of Bengal
. National Book Trust, India. p. 124,132.
- ^
Debnath, Kunal (June 2023).
"The Naths of Bengal and Their Marginalisation During the Early Medieval Period"
.
Studies in People's History
.
10
(1): 45?56.
doi
:
10.1177/23484489231157499
.
ISSN
2348-4489
.
S2CID
259185097
.
- ^
Feuerstein, Georg
(1991). 'Holy Madness'. In
Yoga Journal
May/June 1991. With calligraphy by Robin Spaan. Source:
p. 105
(accessed: 29 February 2011)
Sources
[
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]
Further reading
[
edit
]
External links
[
edit
]