Natha Pantha:

Order of the Primordial Shiva

W
hile Pashupata Shaivas, Lakul- big earrings—mudrā or karṇa-kunḍala—or
ishas, Kapalikas, and kalamukhas aim at spiritual realization. The Nathas did not
were progressively losing contact with posit God outside the creation and believed that
people during the first half of the second mil- each human is perfect, though only a few could
lennium, Natha Pantha—presumably origin- realize this fact.
ated in north and north-east Bengal—spread For Natha Panthis the supreme master of
across India. all is Shiva—also called Adinatha, from whom
Natha Pantha is also known as Adinatha Sam- everything ensues, than whom nothing is
pradaya, ‘Order of the Primordial Shiva’, Yogi greater, and without whom none can experi-
Pantha, ‘Order of Yogis’—Kanaphata (split- ence bliss. The Nathas were different from Ka-
eared) yogis or Siddha (realized) yogis—Gorak- palikas, Mattamayuras, and Aghoris as they did
sha Pantha, ‘Sect of Goraksha (or Gorakha)’, or not indulge in gory practices like śava-sādhanā,
Siddha Siddhanta Padyati, ‘Methods and Prin- spiritual practice on a corpse—mentioned in
ciples of Realized Ones’. the Kaula­vali Nirnaya (14.75–260), the Kula-
Natha Pantha remained popular throughout chudamani (6.19–28), and other tantric texts—
the previous millennium and was influenced, or observe the pañcamakāra, practice of the five
to some extent, by the austere tantra doctrines ‘M’s, as opposed to vedācāra, Vedic rules of con-
of the Shaiva, Shakta, Sahajiya, Siddha Baul, duct. They disapproved of such obnoxious rites
and Bauddha traditions.1 Yet Nathas—natha as mārana, killing, uccāṭana, disturbing others,
means lord, master, or protector—distinguished haraṇa, carrying away, and stambhana, prevent-
themselves by their unitive metaphysics; high ing others from doing something, commonly ob-
standard of morality; prohibition of madya and served by left-handed sects. The Nathas affirmed
māmsa, liquor and animal food; mastery over that the human body is a miniature universe that
asanas, yogic postures, and prāṇa, vital breath; must not be neglected or polluted by wicked
extraordinary control over mind and body; thoughts or immoral actions. Hence, they ad-
herbal or alchemical knowledge; magical or vocated the strengthening of the body, like the
mystical feats; powers of benefaction; and the thunderbolt of Indra, through the practice of
ability to communicate with plants and animals kāya-sādhanā,2 involving control over breath,
as well as to predict future events. In course of the senses, and the mind as well as the use of
time magicians, sorcerers, snake-charmers, wan- alchemical preparations, specially those related
dering ascetics with wonder-drugs, and many to mercury and sulphur—symbolically associ-
more who worshipped Shiva or practised yoga ated with Shiva and Shakti—as also herbal drugs
came to its fold. But all of them did not wear like bilva (Aegle marmelos), ­haritaki (Terminalia

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chebula), vibhitaka (Terminalia belerica), amla, it reaches up to the forehead 4 and then turned
(Emblica officinalis), mundi (Sphaeranthus in- upwards and backwards with focused vision to
dicus), amritavalli (Tinospora cordifolia), pala- partake of the divine nectar; the vajrolī mudrā,
sha (Buteamonosperma), and many more. The in which one draws back the seminal fluid or
Nathas presented an integrated system of phys- sucks liquids—even mercury—through the
ical, mental, moral, and spiritual culture that urethra;5 or the plāvini kumbhaka, in which
can help one to savour the divine elixir stored breath is so retained as to enable one to walk
in the brahmarandhra, aperture in the crown on water or live exclusively on air.6 His doctrine
of the head. became popular as forced, haṭha, yoga. Asanas
like matsyendrāsana, ‘fish-pose’; ardha, ‘half-
Matsyendranatha: The First Human Guru pose’, matsyendrāsana; and matsyāsana, useful
The historical founder of Natha Pantha was in curing a number of diseases like constipation,
Matsyendranatha—in common parlance, Mac- rheumatism, and diabetes are known after him.
chendra—(tenth century ce), mythically be- In strictly orthodox terms hatha yoga is the
lieved to have been born out of the womb of method of uniting the two life-sustaining cur-
a matsya, fish. He has been identified with the rents—the sun-breath (ha) flowing through
mystic Luyi-pada—Lui-pa meaning fish—of the pingalā, right nostril, and the moon-breath
Tibet and Avalokiteshvara Padmapani of the (ṭha) flowing through the iḍā, left nostril—
Buddhist tradition. The Kaula-jnana-nirnaya, with the ultimate aim of making both of them
‘Judgement of Kaula-knowledge’, an outstanding flow through the suṣumṇā, principal conduit,
Buddhist tantra of Bengal, and the Akula-vira- between iḍā and pingalā, for the awakening of
tantra, a Shakta text delving on the Shiva aspect kunḍalini śakti, serpent power, lying in a dor-
of Shakti for lower grade tantric aspirants, have mant state at the base of the spine. The kundalini
been attributed to him.3 has three and a half coils like a serpent, represent-
Haṭha-vidyā, the knowledge of hatha yoga, ing the qualities of sattva, purity, rajas, passion,
leading the aspirant to ‘the highest raja yoga’ and tamas, inertia; the half coil symbolises the
is ascribed to Adinatha (Shiva) in the Hatha modifications of Prakriti.7
Yoga Pradipika (1.2) by Yogi Swatmarama Matsyendranatha earned wide popularity
(fifteenth-sixteenth century), disciple of Shri- in Nepal, North India, Bengal and Assam,
natha. Matsyendranatha, the first human guru, and parts of South India too; he prepared
evolved techniques for bringing the body under the ground for the proliferation of his sect
conscious control by asanas; mudrās, seals; by grooming a number of disciples, the most
bandhas, body locks; prāṇāyāma, breathing notable among them being Gorakhanatha.
techniques to control prāṇa, vital power; and Reverentially called Karunamaya, ‘full of com-
bhūta-śuddhi, purification of the five elements passion’, Matsyendranatha is regarded as the
constituting the gross body. patron deity of the Himalayan Kingdom of
As Matsyendranatha experimented with Nepal. Two famous shrines dedicated to him
such difficult practices as the khecarī mudra— in the capital city of Kathmandu are those of
khe is ākāśa, sky, and carī means to move—in Rato (red) Machindranatha and Seto (white)
which the tendon of the tongue is cut little by Machindranatha. The chariot-pulling festival of
little, for about six months, and lengthened till Seto Machindranatha from Bungamati to Patan

490 PB July 2011

takes place every twelve years, like the Maha- the Tirthankaras of Jainism.8 That precisely ex-
kumbha, the biggest religious fair of Hindus plains why Gorakhanatha is regarded as the pre-
in India. ceptor of his preceptor in the folk tradition of
Bengal. Gorakhanatha popularized hatha yoga
Gorakhanatha: in a rechristened form, adhering to the ori-
Preceptor of His Preceptor ginal doctrine of the sage Patanjali (c.200 bce),
Gorakhanatha—Gorakha or Gorakshanatha, which emphasises the discipline of the body
‘Lord who protects cows’—outshone his pre- and the mind through observance of yama and
ceptor in spiritual and esoteric practices that niyama, ethical precepts; āsana, right posture;
help one gain such mystical powers as invisibil- prāṇāyāma, breath regulation; pratyāhāra, with-
ity, lightness, immunity from weapons, mag- drawal from sensory objects; dhāraṇā, concen-
nification, metabolic and psychic control over tration; and dhyānā, meditation, to achieve
oneself, and the ability to separate the astral samādhī, union (yoga) with the Divine Being.
from the physical body and move about in the Ironically, Goraksha-shataka, ‘Hundred verses
sky. According to tradition, Gorakhanatha saved of Gorakha’, excludes yama and niyama, the first
his guru from further moral depravity when two aspects of Patanjali’sYoga Sutra, although
the latter became enamoured of the queen of these are religiously observed by the Nathas.
Ceylon and begot two Legends abound in
s o ns —Pa r a s a natha Gorakhanatha’s life,
(Parshvanatha) and ranging from his birth
Nimanatha (Nemi- from a dung-heap,
natha), sometimes or from the sweat
identified with of Shiva’s breast, or
from Shiva’s mat-
ted hair, to his
origin from the
cow made holy
by Shiva in
his form as
Mahadeva,

PB July 2011 Gorakhanatha Temple, Gorakhpur 491

‘Great God’. His date of birth has been placed the space between the eyebrows, in the ājñā
by Briggs around the thirteenth century— cakra, for achieving the blissful unmani state.
which seems to be incorrect since had it been Laya, vibration, produced by nāda, at once
so he could not have met Allama Prabhu, the gives an experience of spiritual powers (4.79).
Virashaiva mystic and poet belonging to the Laya makes one forgetful of the objects of the
twelfth century.9 As per the North Indian trad- senses. The mind is the master of the senses, and
ition, he was born somewhere in Punjab in the the breath is the master of the mind. The breath,
eleventh or twelfth century, but his name be- in its turn, is subordinate to laya, absorption,
came a household word due to his parapsycho- and that laya depends on the nāda (4.29, 33).
logical faculties. ‘Just as a bee, drinking sweet juice, does not
Gorakhanatha observed extreme physical care for the smell of the flower; so the mind,
and mental austerities to conserve his prāṇa absorbed in nāda, does not desire the objects
śakti, vital power, and became a mahāsiddha, of enjoyment’ (4.89). Gorakhanatha thus used
accomplished yogi. The tradition of making an the principle of sound to stabilize the mind and
incision in the cartilage of the ear for wearing tune it with the cosmic Being.
large rings, as part of the initiatory rites of the Gorakhanatha travelled widely in India and
Nathas, started with him. The ear-piercing ritual abroad, from Punjab, Rajasthan, and Uttar
derives its origin from the Vedic karṇabedha Pradesh to Bengal and Assam, from Maha-
saṁskāra, rite performed during childhood to rashtra and Karnataka to the southernmost
make children immune from malefic influence parts, reaching as far as Ceylon. Peshawar, now
or diseases like hernia and enlargement of tes- in Pakistan, was the hub of his activities and
tis, a fact substantiated by the Sushruta Samhita from where he went to South and South Cen-
(19.21). The Nathas believe that split ears render tral Asia.12 He sojourned in Nepal, Sindh, Af-
them more receptive to ‘the etheric nuances of ghanistan, Baluchistan, and Iran delineating
unstruck sound ’—anāhata nāda—that no one how one can attain immortality by purity of
else can listen to.10 thought, self-control, detachment from worldly
The popular hatha yoga, raja yoga, laya affairs, and the practice of yoga under the guid-
yoga, kundalini yoga, dhyana yoga, mantra ance of a guru.
yoga, or nada yoga preached today by Hindu As the physical body is the prime vehicle
religious sects in various forms owe a lot to for the discharge of human activities, he ad-
Gorakhanatha’s injunctions as recorded by vised spiritual aspirants to take pure, fresh,
Yogi Swatmarama.11 Gorakhanatha prescribed and nutritious food of the sattvic type, strictly
anāhata-nāda, the practice of listening to the avoiding intoxicating liquors, fish, meat, gar-
eternal sound vibrating in each person, for lic, onions, minor grains, or such substances as
those spiritual aspirants who could not follow are too bitter, sour, saltish, hot, or that cause a
the path of knowledge, known as jnana yoga. burning sensation. To check the distractions of
Sitting without encumbrances in muktāsana— the mind he exhorted travellers on the yogic
also called gorakṣāsana—and with open eyes, as path to shun the company of women and the
in śāmbhavī-mudrā, one could hear the sound evil-minded. Charting a practical approach to
of cosmic vibration through one’s right ear the realization of the transcendental Shiva and
(4.64–6). One could further contemplate on to achieve liberation while living, he suggested

492 PB July 2011

constant and vigilant practice, keeping aside mic presence in Girnar during Lili Parikrama,
laziness and the pedagogy of yogic discipline.13 the five-day annual circumambulatory fair held
To quote him: ‘Success cannot be attained by from the 11th to the 15th of the bright half of
adopting a particular dress. It cannot be gained Kartika (October-November).15
by telling tales. Practice alone is the means to Among the major works attributed to
success. This is true, there is no doubt’ (1.68). Gorakhanatha are Siddha-siddhāntapadyati,
For awakening Parameshvari, ‘the Great ‘Method and Principles of Adepts’, and
Goddess’—also called Bhujangi, ‘a she-serpent’, ­Goraksha-shataka, ‘Hundred Verses of Gorakha’.
Shakti, ‘power’, Ishvari, ‘of the nature of God’, Several other texts known after him in Sanskrit,
Kundali, ‘of a bent shape’, or Arundhati, a Vedic Hindi, and Punjabi are: Gorakha-gita, ‘Gospel
goddess—he suggested yogis to observe brahma- of Gorakha’, Goraksha Samhita, ‘Collection of
charya, continence, and always eat sparingly Gorakha’, Jnanamrita, ‘Nectar of Knowledge’,
while following the procedure of śakti-cālana, Yoga-martanda, ‘Sun of Yoga’, Yoga-bija, ‘Seed
flow of energy (3.97–123).14 of Yoga’, Gorakhabani, ‘The Word of Gorakha’,
Several sites, temples, tapasthalīs—places for and Gorakha-bodha, ‘Realization of Gorakha’.
ascetic practices—hermitages, monasteries, and Gorakṣāsana, the yogic posture which is a pana-
hillocks commemorate Gorakha­natha’s name. cea for all diseases,16 is named after him. So are
For example, Gorakhpur in Uttar Pradesh; medicinal herbs like gorakha-mundi (Sphaer-
Gorakhamari, or Gorakhamandi, in Kathia- anthus indicus) and gorakha-pana (Helio­
war, Gujarat; Gorakha temple at Dhinodhar tropium strigosum), which he discovered for
hill, near Bhuj, Gujarat; Gorakhadanda near healing wounds, eye disorders, and piles; or the
Mangalore, Karnataka; Gorakha-tilla, also ­gorakha-cinca tree (Baobab, Amli, Imali, Tama-
called Tilla Jogian, a hillock in west Punjab, rindus indica), under whose shade he used to
Pakistan; Gorakha Dibbi in the precincts of meditate and teach.
Jwalaji shrine, Himachal Pradesh; Gorakha- (To be concluded)
tari in Peshawar, Pakistan; and many centres
of worship in Nepal, among which are Boga- Notes and References
mati, Mrigasthali, Sawari Kot, Pidadhan, Bhat 1. Swami Pratyagatmananda, ‘Philosophy of the
Gaon, and Caughara. The valiant Gurkha com- Tantras’, in Studies on the Tantras (Kolkata:
Ramakrishna Mission Institute of Culture,
munity of Nepal proudly derive their spiritual
2002), 21; S C Banerji, A Brief History of Tantra
lineage from Guru Gorakhanatha. Of the five Literature (Calcutta: Naya Prokash, 1988), 26.
main peaks of mount Girnar, the highest (3,666 On the basis of old and middle Bengali litera-
ft) is named after Gorakhanatha. The other four ture Sukumar Sen argues that the Baul cult of
peaks—Ambaji, Oghad, Dattatreya (Datta), Bengal is ‘a transformed form of the Nātha
Cult’. He affirms that the Bauls have adopted the
and Kalika—are associated with Shaiva or yogic discipline of the Nathas as also their mys-
Shiva-Shakti schools. Some Natha teachers are tical poetry and way of ‘talking in riddles’—see
said to have been endowed with divine powers Sukumar Sen, ‘The Nātha Cult’, in The Cultural
by Dattatreya—called the Adi Guru, primal Heritage of India, 4: The Religions, ed. Haridas
spiritual guide—or by mother goddesses, who Bhattacharya (Calcutta: Ramakrishna Mission
Institute of Culture, 1957), 280.
are the matrix of the universe. It is believed that
the preceptors of the Natha sect reveal their cos-  (Continued on page 501)

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