Gorakshanath

Overview and Significance

Gorakshanath (also known as Gorakhnath), arguably one of the greatest yogis

who ever lived, is famous as one of the founders of India’s Nath Hindu monastic
movement. He is considered as one of the two notable disciples of
Matsyendranath but since has become more famous and influential than his
Master. His followers are found in India at the place known as Garbhagiri, which
is in Ahmednagar in Maharashtra. Gorakshanath has long since been revered
and deified and is considered a representative, and even an embodiment, of
Lord Shiva. Gorakshanath is mentioned in older sources such as Padma Purana,
Brahmanda Purana, Skanda Purana, along with Matsyendranath.

He was one of nine saints known as the Navnaths and is widely popular in
Maharashtra, India. Hagiographies describe him as more than a human
teacher and someone who was well established outside the laws of space and
time, and who appeared on earth during different ages. Historians state
Gorakshanath lived sometime during the first half of the 2nd millennium CE, but
they disagree on which century. Estimates based on archaeology and texts range
from Briggs’ 15th- to 12th-century to Grierson’s estimate of the 14th-century.

The position of the Nath lineage is considered supreme within the annals of
spiritual practice in the overall Sanatana Dharma Tradition of India. The Nath
lineage is believed to have originated from Adinath (Primordial Master) Lord
Shiva, in whose lineage there are believed to have been nine Naths and eighty-
four Siddhas (perfected Yogis, adepts). Historians place all of them in the Middle
Ages from the ninth to the fourteenth century.

Matsyendranath and Gorakshanath (Guru and disciple) command the leading

position among the Siddha Yogis of this lineage. Tradition holds that Adinath
Shiva himself was Matsyendranath’s Guru, while he, Matsyendranath, was, in
turn, Gorakshanath’s Guru. In this pair of Guru and disciple, Gorakshanath has
achieved greater popularity and influence. Many Mahatmas of the Nath lineage
consider Gorakshanath to be an incarnation of Lord Shiva. They argue that
in a text of their lineage named Mahakalyoga, Lord Shiva has stated: ‘I am
Goraksh. Consider that as my form. I have taken that form for the
propagation of the path of yoga.‘
From medieval times onward, Gorakshanath is the well-known wonder-worker
and master yogi of northern and western India. He and members of his order are
celebrated in legend and song in countless villages. From Nepal to Rajiputana,
from the Punjab to Bengal, from Sind to the Deccan, tradition and folklore are
full of allusions to Gorakshanath recounting his wonderful deeds. He is the
famous saint and worker of miracles; the founder and outstanding teacher of the
Shaivite sect of ascetics, original instructor of Hatha Yoga, founder and leader of
the Nath Yogis, and the patron saint and tutelary of the state named Goraksh in
Nepal, whose royal house was the land’s rulers.

Gorakshanath is considered a Maha-yogi (or great yogi) in the Hindu tradition.

He did not emphasise a specific metaphysical theory or a particular Truth
but stressed that the search for Truth and the spiritual life should be a
valuable and typical goal of man. Gorakshanath championed Yoga, spiritual
discipline, and ethical life of self-determination as a means to reaching samadhi
and one’s spiritual truths.

His influence is widespread. References to him are found in the poetry of

Kabir and of Guru Nanak of Sikhism, which describe him as a compelling
leader with a large following, thereby suggesting he likely lived around the
same time these spiritual leaders lived in India. Historical texts imply that
Gorakshanath was originally a Buddhist in a region influenced by Shaivism, and
he converted to Hinduism championing Shiva and Yoga. Gorakshanath led a life
as a passionate exponent of the ideas of Kumarila and Adi Shankara that
advocated the Yogic and Advaita Vedanta interpretation of the Upanishads.
Gorakshanath considered the controversy between dualism and non-dualism
spiritual theories in medieval India as useless from a practical point of view. He
emphasised that the choice is of the yogi and that the spiritual discipline and
practice by either path leads to a ‘perfectly illumined samadhi state of the
individual phenomenal consciousness.’

The Nath tradition states that its traditions existed before Gorakshanath,
but the movement’s most significant expansion happened under the
guidance and inspiration of Gorakshanath. He produced many writings and
even today is considered the greatest of the Naths. It has been purported that
Gorakshanath wrote the first books on Laya yoga.

In India, there are many caves, many with temples built over them, of which it is
said that Gorakshanath spent time in meditation. According to Bhagawan
Nityananda (of Ganeshpuri), the samadhi shrine (tomb) of Gorakshanath is at
Nath Mandir near the Vajreshwari temple about one kilometer from Ganeshpuri,
Maharashtra, India. According to legends, Gorakshanath and Matsyendranath did
penance at the Kadri Temple in Mangalore, Karnataka. They are also
instrumental in consecrating shivalingas at Kadri and Dharmasthala.

Many scholars associate the origins of Hatha yoga with the Nath yogis, in
particular, Gorakshanath and his guru Matsyendranath.

The Gurkhas of Nepal and India take their name from this saint. He has long
been considered the rashtradevata (lord of state) of Nepal, with his name
appearing on numerous versions of Nepalese coins and currency notes.
Gorkha, a historical district of Nepal, is named after him. There is a cave with his
paduka (footprints) and his idol, and every year on the full moon day in the
Hindu month of Vaishakha, there is a grand celebration at the cave called Rot
Mahotsav that has been observed for the last seven hundred years.

In the Tamil Siddha tradition, Gorakshanath is named as Korakkar, and is

one among the Eighteen Siddhas. In that tradition, Sage Agastya and Siddha
Bhogar are claimed to have been his Gurus. His jeeva samadhi temple is in
Vadukupoigainallur of Nagapattinam district of Tamil Nadu. According to one
account, he spent a portion of his formative years in the Velliangiri Mountains in
Coimbatore. Other sanctums related toKorakkar are Perur, Thiruchendur, and
Triconamalli. Korakkar caves are found in Chathuragiri and Kolli Hills. Like
other Siddhas, Korakkar is the author of works on medicine, philosophy, and
alchemy. These include Korakkar Malai Vagatam (Korakkar’s mountain
medicines), Malai Vaakadam, Korakkar Vaippu, Kaalamegam, Marali
Varadham, Nilaiyodukkam, Chandhira Regai Nool, and many more. In his work,
Chandira Regai Nool, Korakkar has predicted future events. One of such events
predicted by him was that Bhogar will be born again in the world when
people lose their faith in god.

Osho says about Gorakshanath:

‘Without Gorakh, there could be no Kabir, no Nanak, no Dadu, no Vajid, no

Farid, no Meera — without Gorakh, none of these are possible. The
fundamental root of all of them is in Gorakh. India’s whole saint tradition
— those innumerable devotees of love — is indebted to Gorakh. Just as
without Patanjali, there would be no possibility of yoga in India; as without
Buddha, the foundation stone of meditation would be uprooted; just as without
Krishna, the path of love would not find expression — similarly, without
Gorakh, the search that began for methods and techniques of sadhana, of spiritual
practice to attain the ultimate truth would not have been possible. Gorakh made
many discoveries within man for the inner search, more perhaps than anyone
else. He has given so many methods that in terms of procedures, Gorakh is the
most significant inventor.

But why have people forgotten Gorakh? The milestones are remembered, the
path breaker is forgotten. The ones who have decorated the path are remembered;
the one who has first broken the path is forgotten. Forgotten because those who
come after have the leisure to dress it up. One who comes first will be
unpolished, unfinished. Gorakh is like a diamond just out of the mine. If Gorakh
and Kabir would be sitting together; you would be impressed by Kabir, not by
Gorakh. Because Gorakh is a freshly mined diamond, but on Kabir, the jewelers
have worked hard; on him, the chisel has worked hard; much polishing has been
done.’
Life History

Traditionally, Guru Gorakshanath is believed to have been born sometime

in the 8th century, although some believe he was born hundreds of years
later. He traveled widely across the Indian subcontinent, and accounts about him
are found in several places, including Afghanistan, Balochistan, Punjab, Sindh,
Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Nepal, Assam, Bengal, Kathiawar, Maharashtra,
Karnataka, and even Sri Lanka.

Gorakshanath’s life and works are extraordinary. Tradition maintains that he

was not born from the union of male and female as in the ordinary course.
His works were also divine. The Nath Rahasya, which translates as ‘The Mystery
of the Masters’, recounts the birth, work, and death of nine such Naths; and Guru
Gorakshanath was the ninth Nath, preceded by his Guru, the eighth Nath, namely,
Matsyendranath.

There is no confirmed report of Gorakshanath’s birthplace or date of birth.

However, several theories have arisen from different parts of India where the
locals of distinct ethnic regions claim that Gorakshanath was born in their area.
One myth says he was born in Tilla, near Jhelum, in Punjab, while another claims
that Gorakshanath initially had been a Buddhist named Ramnavajra. Another
theory is that he was born in Assam, and a fourth theory claims that he was born
in Uttar Pradesh. A fifth theory is that he was born in the Kathiawar Peninsula of
Gujarat.
According to a legend, Shiva and Parvati quarreled, and Parvati, with a vain
mind, told Shiva: ‘Adideva, everywhere you are, I am. You do not exist
without me. You do not exist apart from me!‘ Shiva answered: ‘Maheshvari,
wherever you are, I am. That is true. But to say that everywhere I am, you
are – that is not true. It is like when there is a jar, there is always earth, but
when there is earth, there is not always a jar.‘

To give a lesson to Parvati, Shiva divided himself into two parts, one as himself
and the other as Gorakshanath. Gorakshanath, the true form of Shiva immaculate,
went to a remote location and entered into deep meditation. Shiva and Parvati
later approached the place, and Shiva told the goddess that there was a great Yogi
who had been meditating there for a long time. Upon seeing a Yogi as radiant as
a thousand suns, Parvati understood that he was a form of Shiva and wondered if
he was not a creation of Mahadev intended as a response to her previous
assertions. She thus decided to test the Yogi.

‘If the acts of Maya are irresistible, moreover Maya herself must be
irresistible‘, she said. ‘My name is Maya. My power is superior.‘ Using the
power of her maya, she filled the universe with her presence. But
Gorakshanath remained unprovoked and did not turn from his meditation.

Parvati then went back to Shiva and said, ‘Lord, you were right. You can be
without me. I have seen it. Who is this Yogi who did not consider my power
and stayed in samadhi?‘

Shiva answered, ‘This Yogi you saw is Gorakshanath. He is superior to all

gods and men. He is free from maya; he is the death of death. I am
Gorakshanath. Gorakshanath is my essential form – we have no difference
between us. Light is not different from light. I took the form of
Gorakshanath for Veda, Cow, and Earth to be safe. Whosoever knows yoga
can conquer death.‘

Gorakshanath went to look for a Guru and found him in Matsyendranath. So the
divine Guru Shiva incarnated as Gorakshanath and then became the
disciple of his own [Shiva’s] disciple Matsyendranath to help him in his
efforts to propagate the doctrine of yoga.

Another legend states that when Lord Kartikeya left home, as per the legend,
mother Parvati came down to the earth to meet her son Lord Kartikeya (aka
Muruga or Kumara). Mother Parvati requested him to come back home. He
agreed but said I will take birth on the earth for my Bhaktas (Devotees). Lord
Kartikeya asked Mother Parvati to find a Guru for him when he would take
birth on the earth. Mother Parvati suggested Guru Gorakshanath. Mother
Parvati said Gorakshanath is a yogic manifestation of Shiva himself. Hence
there was no duel between Guru Gorakshanath and Balaknath. Lord Kartikeya
incarnated as Balaknath and simply accepted Guru Gorakshanath as his Guru, as
listed in the list of 84 Maha Siddhas as per the Nath tradition, founded by
Shambhujati Guru Gorakshanath.

According to another legend, Vishnu, Brahma, and Shiva came to Gorakshanath

to obtain powers to create the World. Gorakshanath used sacred ash (vibhuti)
from his akhanda-dhuni and blessed those three gods to create, maintain, and
destroy the Manifested Phenomena. Therefore, Gorakshanath is perceived as
Yogesvara, the one who protects the yogis.

Nathas believe that Gorakshanath appears in each Yuga (epoch) in various parts
of Bharata (India), teaching yoga. According to some Gurus, Gorakshanath,
Paramatma (Supreme Soul) is ever-present everywhere and incomprehensible.
However, embodied beings cannot see Him as Paramatma; this is why he
appears to ordinary people in his temporal form. Yogis claim that
Gorakshanath paved the way to achieve the highest goal of yoga, which is
moksha (liberation).

One section of the Nath lineage believes that Gorakshanath is not born of a
human womb and is a Siddha Yogi with an immortal body that manifests in each
of the four Yugas. He manifested in the Peshawar province of Punjab in the Satya
Yuga, after that in Gorakhpur in Uttar Pradesh in Treta Yuga; in Dwapara Yuga,
he manifested at Harmuj, which is farther away than Dwarka on the western coast
of India and now under the sea, and in Kali Yuga, he appeared as Gorakh Madhi
on Girnar Mountain in Saurashtra area of Gujarat. It is believed that in
Dwapara Yuga, Gorakshanath was a contemporary of Lord Krishna.

In a legend known throughout northern India and Nepal, Gorakshanath is himself

the product of ashes and cow dung – whence his name Go-Rakh (cow-ash). As
the story goes, Matsyendranath enjoyed the hospitality of a Brahmin couple, and
upon hearing they were childless, as a sign of appreciation, he gave the woman a
piece of magical ash to eat. Matsyendra instructs her to eat it together with milk,
following her purificatory bath after her next menses. However, instead of eating
the ash, persuaded by her friends not to eat it, she throws it onto a heap of cow
dung behind her hut. Twelve years later, Matsyendra returns and asks for the
news of his son. When the woman avows that she had discarded the ash,
Matsyendra scoops away twelve years of accumulated cow dung to reveal a
perfect 12-year old child yogin – for the boy has been practicing his
sadhanas (spiritual practices) there since birth – whom he names Goraksha
(the Master who protects the cows and ‘cow’ is to be understood as an
expression of ‘senses’) and makes him his disciple. Just as Matsyendra
exhumed Goraksha from his ashes, Goraksha does the same to his disciples, first
creating them from ashes and then initiating them with more of the same.

Gorakshanath is thus a ‘yogic-child’ par excellence, having no human

parents. An ordinary sexual act did not occasion his birth. He is conceived
out of the magic ‘ash’ he gestated in and was born from the Earth. All of these
elements constitute significant aspects of the Nath worldview.

‘Go’ means senses, body, or the Universe; ‘raksha’ means a protector, Lord.
Thus, Gorakshanath is the protector saint of the manifested phenomena.
Gorakshanath is the founder of Hatha Yoga, and of the Order of Kanphats whose
members cut their ears and wear big earrings (darshans or kundals), influencing
the energy flows in the solar and lunar channels or nadis. These channels play a
crucial role in the practice of Hatha Yoga. The initiation through cutting the
ear cartilage and inserting earrings is performed at the highest level of the
disciple’s training.

Moreover, Gorakshanath developed methods working with sound vibration,

i.e., nada. This practice became the basis of Laya Yoga and its practice of
nadanusandhana. One of the initiations in the Nath tradition is carried out using
the nadi (ritual whistle) and the janeu (black woolen thread) as the symbols of the
nadis (channels). These principles of working with sound vibration formed the
basis of Shabar Tantra revealed by Matsyendranath, where mantras are created
using Sanskrit and other Indian languages. Gorakshanath finalised the Shabar
Tantra system, and due to this fact, he is considered its protector.

According to a well-known narrative, Matsyendranath, in the course of his career,

temporarily forgot about his yogic identity while living in the country of women,
married to their queen, enjoying the pleasure of sensual and family life. He
returned to his yogic vocation only after Gorakshanath personally intervened –
disguised as a female dancer – and through a series of poems he imparted the
teachings of yoga back to his teacher.
Tradition and Gurus

Although Gorakshanath is traditionally regarded as the disciple of

Matsyendranath—understood by Natha yogis as the first human guru in their
teaching succession—Matsyendranath probably preceded Gorakshanath by at
least three centuries.

The Nath Sampradaya is considered a development of the earlier Siddha or

Avadhuta Sampradaya, an ancient lineage of spiritual masters. The Nath
Yogis are classical followers of Shaivism but do not recognise the caste system;
it is followed by different communities and can be considered a sect within the
Hindu religion.

In the Jnaneshvari, the 1290CE Marathi commentary of the Bhagavadgita by

Jnandev, Jnandev quotes Gorakshanath as being the Guru of Gahininath.
Gahininath was the Guru of Nivrittinath, who in turn was the brother and Guru of
Jnandev.

There is writing available in the library of Pratap Philosophy Centre, Amalner,

titled ‘An Introduction to Nath-Yoga,’ which records particular strong
traditionally held views wherein it is believed that Jesus Christ received training
in Yoga from a Nath-yogi teacher in the Himalayan region. This view gets
support from the great scholar Akshaya Kumar Banerjee in his exceptional work
‘Philosophy of Gorakhnath’ (Pg 316), wherein he also admits to having known
about these traditional claims. Even today, folklore of Kashmir quite
interestingly vouches for a brief sojourn of Jesus in his early twenties in
Kashmir, while on world travel, and many places in Kashmir are associated
with this strange yet questionable event. (The early manhood years of Jesus,
world scholars admit, are obscure and shrouded in mystery, and no one knows for
sure if Jesus ever had been on a world tour; however, some researchers claim he
undertook an extensive tour and became enlightened before he revealed himself
as Son of God [God-realised] in Jerusalem).
Teachings

As a yoga teacher, Guru Goraksh Nath always emphasised the practical side of
yoga and was always against creating any kind of sophisticated philosophical
doctrines. Instead, he created the Nath Panth, which presents within itself the
living body of his teaching. His followers, the Nath Yogis, reach their goals
not by proving the superiority of their doctrines over the doctrines of others
or by arguments in the philosophical disputes, but achieve it practically, as a
way of life, by following in his footsteps. The Siddha yogis (another name under
which members of Nath Sampradaya are sometimes known) consider any
attempts to grasp and express the Absolute Reality with words or comprehend it
by the mind as useless.

He always stayed away from creating too many theoretical conceptions, and even
his most philosophical book Siddha Siddhanta Paddhati is counted by modern
researchers as only a semi-philosophical work. This is not a matter of big wonder
because he states that it is impossible to express Absolute Truth by written
words at the beginning of this book. Yet, to bring ideas of Enlightened Siddha
Yogis in front of the masses, he attempts to express them. In such a way, he steps
away from all possible future disputes by accepting that from the point of
Absolute truth, all that he is going to narrate is only relative truth and only one of
many points of view. He insisted that Higher Spiritual Reality can only be
realised and experienced individually through Yogic practices and can’t be
defined by debates.

Instead of indulging in different discussions and attempts to prove the superiority

of his doctrine over others through argumentation, he practically realised the
essence of his teaching and became an actual example of the perfect yogi. His
teachings are straightforward, based on correct knowledge of subtle
structures existing inside the body, and laws existing in the universe. It is so
logically interconnected that even today, his teachings appear most wonderful.
Life as yoga [living in union with the Supreme] and to be a real example of what
a yogi should be like constitutes the core of his teachings.

Conceptions are always only conceptions, and however refined and well-argued
they are, he felt that they lead us nowhere in the end. Moreover, with yoga
advising restraining the mind from all possible kinds of sensual activities,
submersing the mind in philosophy appears as nothing but as a form of
intellectual indulgence. Conforming ourselves with well-balanced arguments will
not save us from the inevitably coming death. It can be compared with the
ostrich, who, when he sees approaching danger, puts his head deep into sand in
the hope of avoiding it.

The metaphysical doctrine, which Gorakshanath preached along with his

instructions on yogic discipline, was not purely the result of any logical
reasoning, nor did he attempt to put his doctrine in exact logical forms. The
ultimate basis of his philosophy was his supra-mental and supra-intellectual
experience in the samadhi [self-realised] state of his consciousness. It was an
intellectual expression of his transcendent experience, presented as an
enlightening way of thinking and meditation to seekers of truth, peace, and
freedom from bondage and sorrow.

He taught people that Truth was the same, in whatever forms of language it might
be expressed, and in whatever paths the intellect might approach it. The mind
must seek for the Truth with sincerity and earnestness and must not be led
away by undue attachment to particular forms of language or particular
methods of thinking.

Gorakshanath’s contributions to the world can be found in the following texts;

• Gorakh Samhita (“Collections of Gorakh”)
• Goraksha Gita
• Siddha Siddhanta Paddhati
• Yoga Martanda
• Yoga Siddhanta Paddhati
• Yoga-Bija
• Yoga Chintamani
• Goraksha Shataka
• Gorakh Bodh
• Goraksha Vijaya
• Amanaska Yoga
• Amaraughaprabodha, Amaraughoshasana

Gorakh Bodh (‘Illumination of Gorakh’) is an obscure ancient Hindi text, written

as an intense dialog between Gorakshanath and his teacher, Matsyendranath. In
it, he is described as the founder of the Nath Sampradaya. It is stated that the
nine Naths and 84 Siddhas are all human forms created as yogic
manifestations to spread the message of yoga and meditation to the world. It
is they who reveal samadhi [self-realisation] to humanity.
The Siddha Siddhanta Paddhati is a Hatha Yoga Sanskrit text attributed to
Gorakshanath. According to George Feuerstein, it is one of the earliest hatha
yoga scriptures, containing many verses that describe the state of an Avadhuta or
fully liberated yogi. This text is based on the framework of advaita (non-duality),
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 in the following example.

The caste system as viewed by the Naths:

The four varnas (castes) are perceived as part of the nature of the individual,
i.e., Brahmana in sadachara (righteous conduct), Kshatriya in shaurya
(bravery and courage), Vaishya in vyavasaya (business), and Shudra in seva
(service). A yogi 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.

— Gorakshanath, Siddha Siddhanta Paddhati III.6-8 (Translator: D Shastri)

A story of Gorakshanath:

One man told Goraksha that he was thinking of committing suicide.

Gorakhsha said: ‘Go and commit it, but I tell you, afterward you will be
amazed.‘

That man said: ‘What do you mean? I came to you so that you would tell me,
“Don’t do it!” I went to other sadhus. They all cautioned me: “Brother, don’t do
it, suicide is a great sin.”

Gorakhsha replied: ‘Are you mad? No one can commit suicide. No one can
even die. Dying is not possible. I warn you, do it, and you will be very
surprised. After committing suicide, you will discover, “What! The body is
left behind, but I am exactly as I was!”… If you want to commit real suicide,
then stay with me. If you want to play nonsense games, then it’s up to you
— jump from some mountain, put your neck in a noose. But if you want the
real death, then stay by my side. I will give you the art which brings on the
great death. Then there will be no possibility of coming back again.’
Sacred Practices/Sadhana

The focus is on yoga. Here, the mastery of the body does not strictly refer to an
ability to assume various postures.

More importantly, it implies an ability to redirect the Bindu [vital essence] flow
and thus escape death or achieve immortality. Bindu is the drop of immortality
that ordinary and ignorant people waste through their creative energy through
modes of activity that are primarily self-centred or solely pleasure-based. Bindu
needs to be controlled through the disciplining of attention and returned to the top
of the head through yoga. At its highest station, on top of the head, the Bindu
turns into an elixir (Amrit). In its journey from the bottom of the spine to the top
of the head, the Bindu passes through a set of chakras, or energetic vortexes.

Gorakshanath says, ‘Only the person who has a guru can hope to drink the
elixir of immortality; the one who is without a guru remains thirsty.‘

Miracles

• The Nath Siddhas, Gorakhsha in particular, are great yogic progenitors, fertilizing
women with their yogic seed, which they carry in their jholi (wallets), in the form of
rice grains, barleycorns, ashes, or water in which their loincloth has been washed.
Several of Gorakhsha’s illustrious disciples including Guga, and Charpati, were
conceived and born this way.

• Like calcined mercury, the ashes of a Nath Siddha can transform matter in a myriad of
other ways. In the legend of Puran Bhagat, Gorakhsha turns bullocks into men and
women into donkeys with ashes. With ashes, he dries up wells and causes a garden to
burst into bloom.
 • In the legend of Guga Pir, Gorakhsha creates gemstones and caters for a wedding
with ashes.

• One day, Gorakshanath held a great feast for his fellow yogins. When food had been
dished out on leaf plates, the place of honour was given to Gorakshanath’s venerable
disciple Ratannath. As fate would have it, there were two plates of food lying before
Ratannath when he sat down. After eating the food from the first plate, Ratannath
then stood before the second plate. After pronouncing a mantra, he caused ashes to
flow from his body in the manner of Shiva. Then he made those ashes into a ball,
which he placed before the second plate of food. He then announced that the ball
of ashes would eat the food in front of it. The other yogins, who had begun to laugh,
were quickly silenced when they saw that Ratannath’s yogic energy was causing the
ball to expand. The ball then split open, and a laughing, fully formed boy emerged
from it and set about eating the food on the plate before him. It was then decided
that this boy should be given a name and initiation into the Nath Order. Gorakh
named the boy Kayanath (Body-Nath, who likely lived in the 17th century in present-
day Pakistan, historically one of the most important centres of Nath sampradaya).
Kayanath later became the abbot of the Bhera Monastery, performed many miracles,
and lived 101 years before quitting his mortal coil.

Contemporary Masters

• Kabir – Indian mystic and poet

• Guru Nanak – the founder of Sikhism

Holy Sites and Pilgrimages

• Gorakhpur takes its name from Gorakshanath.

 • The Gorakhnath Math is a temple of the Nath monastic group of the Nath tradition.
This math is located in Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh, within large premises. The temple
performs various cultural and social activities and serves as the cultural hub of the
city. A shrine called Gorakhnath Mandir was built in his honor at the location. The
Gorakhnath Temple is 4.5 km away from the Gorakhpur Railway Station. Local
transport, auto, and taxi are readily available from the railway station.
• A temple of Gorakshanath is situated on a hill called Garbhagiri near Vambori, Tal
Rahuri; Dist Ahmednagar. There is also a famous temple of Gorakshanath in the state
of Odisha.
• A famous Samadhi shrine of Gorakshanath is in the Nath Mandir, near Vajreshwari
Temple, Ganeshpuri, Maharashtra.
• Legends also state that Matsyendranath and Gorakshanath did penance in the Kadri
Temple, Mangalore, Karnataka, and installed a Shiva linga at Kadri as well as
Dharmasthala.
• Legend states that Gorakshanath spent part of his childhood in the Velliangiri hills
near Coimbatore. There is a Jeeva Samadhi temple of Siddha Gorakshanath in
Vadakkupoigainallur, Nagapattinam, Tamil Nadu.
• Temples dedicated to him exist in Perur, Thiruchendur as well as Triconamalli.

Caves where he is said to have meditated exist in the following locations:

1. Chathuragiri Hills, Kolli Hills (Tamil Nadu),
2. Goraksha Gufa, Brahmagiri Hills, Nasik(Maharashtra),
3. Jhilmili Gufa, Rishikesh
4. Girnar, Junagadh, Gujarat (his padukas on the peak)
5. Gorakshanath-gadh, Majarsubha hiill. Near Pandharichapool, Nevasa Dist.
Ahmednagar, Maharashtra

Bibliography

• The Twilight Language of Gorakh Bodh by Shailendra Sharma (Author)

• Goraksha Samhita: Also Known As Goraksha Paddhati by Swami Vishnuswaroop
• Philosophy of Gorakshanath with Goraksha-Vacana-Sangraha by Akshaya Kumar
Banerjea
• The Gorakhnath Enlightenment: The Path to Om by Jayraj Salgaokar
• Gorakshanath and the Kanphata Yogis by George Weston Briggs
• The Alchemical Body: Siddha Traditions in Medieval India By David Gordon White
• Sayings of Gorakshanath: Annotated Translation of the Gorakh Bani

External Links

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gorakshanath
https://Gorakshanath.org/legend.php

https://nathas.org/en/parampara/nine_nathas/gorakshanath/