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Among Nath Yogies most popular name is Gorakhnathji. In sanskrit it is called as gorakshanatha. It is believed that Guru Gorakhnath ji have been born sometime in the 8th century. According to another group of people it to be anytime from 8th century to several centuries later. It is said in Nepal he appeared for the first time. In Nepal there is a cave with his paduka(feet) and idol of him. Every year on the day of baisakh purnima there is a great celebration at gorkha on cave of him called as Rot Mahotsav, being celebrated since seven years. It is also believed that Gurkhas of Nepal also take their name from this saint. Among the 12 gurues, it is beleved that Guru Gorakhnath ji is on third to fifth. He is the most important figure in Nath Yogi sect in North India.Originally the practices of Nath Yogies was centered in western India. Later on it spread throughout North India. Before Guru Gorakhnathji it was Guru Mastyendranath who is seen in North Indian Nath Yoga to be the guru of Gorakhnath. On Guru Gorakhnath ji there is vast availability of literature including several important SANSKRIT texts and numerous poems in Hindi, Bengali, and Rajasthani. A rich mythology emphasizes his magical, divine powers: he was known for being able to raise the dead at will. Nath Yogies Practices The mostly practices in the tradition of Gorakhnath are tantric in orientation, but they did not involve any of the sexual practices of tantrism, as the Naths generally do not involve women in their worship. They adopted antisocial behaviour as a norm; as in earlier Shaivite sects, it was part of their esoteric practice to smear themselves with ashes from the cremation ground and even human feces, to eat disgusting things, and to act in outrageous, antisocial ways. Gorakhnath and his followers to this day are known for their propensities toward magic and their use of oxides of mercury and other secret substances and potions meant to create bodily immortality. Their practice generally conforms to that of the SIDDHAS, tantric yoga specialists, of India over many centuries. In terms of yoga practice, those in the Gorakhnath tradition perfect forms of HATHA YOGA; they concentrate on an invisible web of bodily channels called NADIS, through which one can channel breaths to gain both occult powers and liberation from birth and rebirth. Philosophically the views of the followers of Gorakhnath varied from region to region, but generally they had a non-dual tantric character, which saw the divine as not merely a transcendent reality, but an immanent, worldly reality as well. Gur Gorakhnath ji travelled widely across the Indian subcontinent, and accounts about him are found in some forms or others several places including Afghanistan, Baluchistan, Punjab, Sindh, Uttar Pradesh, Nepal, Assam, Bengal, Maharashtra, Karnataka and even Sri Lanka. |
