Gorakhnath

Gorakhnath Math

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.

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.

Influence

Hatha yoga Some scholars associate the origins of Hatha yoga with the Nath yogis, in particular Gorakhnath and his guru Matsyendranath. According to British indologist James Mallinson, this association is false. Gorakhnath shrines have continued to operate a langar and provide a free meal to pilgrims who visit.

Nepal

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. 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.

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.

Dang valley of Nepal, located in the south-west of the country close to India, is regarded as one of the historically significant place for the disciples of Gorakhnath for over 1300 years. As per the legend, the king of Dang named Ratnaparikshak was initiated by Gorakhnath in the valley's forest and later became a famed siddha called Ratnanath, and built a temple. Ratnanath travelled across the sub-continent to spread the teachings of Hatha yoga.

Siddhar tradition In the Siddhar tradition of Tamil Nadu, Gorakhnath is one of the 18 esteemed Siddhars of yore, and is also known as Korakkar. Siddhar Agastya and Siddhar Bhogar were his gurus. There is a temple in Vadukku Poigainallur, Nagapattinam, Tamil Nadu which specifically houses his Jeeva Samadhi. 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). They were marginalised in Medieval Bengal.

Works Gorakhnath was perhaps one of the earliest poets of Punjabi. Romola Butalia, an Indian writer of Yoga history, lists the works attributed to Gorakhnath as including the Gorakṣaśataka, Goraksha Samhita, Goraksha Gita, Siddha Siddhanta Paddhati, Yoga Martanda, Yoga Siddhanta Paddhati, Yogabīja, Yogacintamani.

Siddha Siddhanta Paddhati 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.

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: