Gorakhnāth and The Kānpha A Yogīs

Gorakhnath
and
the
Kānphata
Yogīs
GEORG WESTON BRIGGS

1
GORAKHNĀTH AND THE KĀNPHAȚA YOGĪS
GORAKHNATH AND THE
KĀNPHATA YOGĪS
GEORGE WESTON BRIGGS
MOTILAL BANARSIDASS
Delhi Calcutta Bangalore Mumbai Chennai
Varanasi Pune Patna
This one
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First Edition : Calcutta, 1938
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MAGDEJA
PREFACE
THE cult of the Kānphata Yogis is a definite unit within

Hinduism ; but the ideas and practices of the sect reach a
much wider distribution than the order. In this study of
these Yogis what may seem like undue attention is given to
legend and folklore in general, and to the description of
institutions, but this has been necessary in order to createthe
proper background for the understanding of the special Yoga
of the sect. The study has been carried on in the midst of
regular tasks, both in India and in this country, over a long
period of time. A good deal of the data supplied by others
has been checked as the author has met withYogis in many
places, and with some Gorakhnāthis many times.
The analysis of the subjectmatter of this study has been
made so that the first two sections of the book may serve to
illustrate the third . The assumption has been maintained
throughout, that folklore and tradition are indispensable to
an understanding of the growth and influence of the sect ;
and that popular views concerning Yogīs are as essential for
an understanding of this phase of thereligious life of India
as are the formulated texts of the sect.
The use of various spellings of names and places corres
ponds with practice in different areas .
The Sanskrit text here presented has not been , so far as
the author knows, heretofore translated into English. There
are, in other works, quotations including in all practically
every verse of the Gorakşaśataka, but the English translations
of those verses are often in very free renderings. The
translation here offered has been checked with the extensive
commentary by Lakşmi Nārāyaṇa , attached to the Poona'
copy of the Gorakṣaśataka. The translations of passages
from other Sanskrit texts of the sect are also by the author.
viii PREFACE
The attempt has been made to present the whole matter
objectively and without comment, reserving a few paragraphs
in the last chapter for some personal opinions. When the
study was begun, the author had little idea that it would lead
where it has . He has had nodesire to hold up to view any
unpleasant aspects of Hinduism and can only plead that
Hindus are much more realistic and thorough in their
criticisms of some of the practices here described.
Special thanks are due to the mahants and gurus of the
order, more particularly to those at Gorakhpur, Devi Pātan ,
Țilla and Dhinodhar; and to a few friends in this country
for council and for reading certain chapters of the book.
The Reverend Daniel Buck and Pandit Brahmarşa Jagatā
nand deserve separate mention, theone for his companionship,
and as an interpreter in visits to Kānphata institutions, the
other for assistance in the reading of Yoga texts. The late
Professor A. V. Williams Jackson of Columbia University,
Professor Franklin Edgerton of Yale University, and the late
Dr. George William Brown of the Kennedy School of
Missions have given generously of time and council. To the
late Dr. J. N. Farquhar is due the impulse which started this
investigation. His successors, the Reverend E. C. Dewick ,
M.A. and Mr. L. A. Hogg have rendered assistance in the
later stages of its progress.
The pictures reproduced in the book, with the exception
of one, were taken by the author. The cut showing the
cave -temple of Gorakhnāth was furnished by Messrs. Con
stable and Company , Ltd., of London , with permission of
H.H. the Mahārāja of Nepāl. The picture first appeared in
Mr. Perceval Landon's Nepāl, volume one, page sixty -six .
The line drawings were made by George S. Briggs, a son of
the author.
Grateful acknowledgement is made to the following pub
lishers for permission to quote from the volumes listed below .
All of the excerpts are noted in appropriate places in the text.
The Secretary of the Delegates, The Clarendon Press:
The Vedānta Sūtras with Commentary of Rāmanuja and The
Vedānta Sutras with the Commentary of Shankarachārya. By
G. Thibaut.
PREFACE ix
The Oxford University Press of New York and London :

Hymnsfrom theRig -veda. By A. A. Macdonell.
The Samkhya System . By A. B. Keith.
Popular Religion and Folklore of Northern India. By W. Crooke .
The Religion of the Rig Veda . By H. D. Griswold .
Outlinesof the Religious Literature of India . By J. N. Farquhar.
The Darvishes. By J. P. Brown.
The Oxford University Press, New York, and Professor
R. E. Hume, Ph.D .:
The Thirteen Principal Upanishads.
Macmillan and Company, New York, and Macmillan and
Company, Ltd., London :
Tribes and Castes of the Central Provinces. By E. V. Russell and
Hira Lal.
Macmillan and Company, New York, and The Cambridge
University Press :
The Cambridge History of India. Vol.I. By J. E. Rapson , Editor.
A History of Indian Philosophy. 2 Vols. By S. N. Dasgupta.
Macmillan and Company, New York , and George Allen
and Unwin :
Indian Philosophy. 2 Vols. By S. Radhakrishnan .
Arthur Probsthain , London :
Indian Serpent Lore. By J. Vogel.
Mohenjo -daro and the Indus River Civilization. 3 Vols. By
Sir John Marshall.
Luzac and Company, London :
TheSerpent Power and other works on Tāntra . By ArthurAvalon
(Sir John Woodroffe ).
( Also for the reproduction of one of the plates from The Serpent
Power .)
Edward Arnold and Company, London :
Hinduism and Buddhism . By Sir Charles Eliot.
Harvard University Press , Cambridge:
Religion and Philosophy of the Veda. 2 Vols. By A. B. Keith .
John Lane, The Bodley Head Limited , London :
The Gurkhas. By Major W. Brook Northey and Captain C. G.
Morris.
х PREFACE
D. B. Taraporevala Sons and Company, Bombay:

The Mysterious Kundalinī. By Dr. Rele.
The Superintendent of Government Printing, The Panjab :
A Glossary of the Tribes and Castes of the Panjab, and of the
North -West Frontier Province. By H. A. Rose.
I am indebted to one of my students , the Reverend William
L. Lancey, B.A. , B.D. , for the preparation of the Index.
Of readers, especially of Indians, the author desires gener
ous consideration, for he has endeavoured to carry on this
study not with bias or for controversy, but with the desire to
understand what these Yogis themselves believe and do.
Madison , N. . , G.W.B.
22 June, 1938 .
TABLE OF CONTENTS
CHAP . PAGE
...
...
PREFACE ... ix
A. THE CULT
...
...
...
I. GORAKHNĀTHIS 1
...
...
...
...
II. THE ORDER 26
44
...
...
...
...
III. Vows
...
IV . DIVISIONS OF THE ORDER ... 62

...
...
...
...
V. SACRED PLACES 78
...
...
VI. SACRED PLACES (Concluded) 98

...
...
VII. RELIGION AND SUPERSTITION ... 125

...
...
VIII. THE PANTHEON 150
B. HISTORICAL
...
IX. LEGEND ... ... 179
X. THE FORERUNNERS OF THE GORAKHNĀTHIS ... ... 208

...
...
XI. GORAKHNATH 228

...
...
XII. THE LITERATURE ... ... 251

xii TABLE OF CONTENTS
CHAP . PAGE
...
XIII. YOGA AND TANTRA ... 258
C. THE SYSTEM
XIV . THE GORAKŞASATAKA ... 284
XV . MORE IMPORTANT PHYSIOLOGICAL CONCEPTS ... 305
...
...
XVI. CHIEF AIMS AND METHODS ... 322
...
...
XVII . CONCLUSION
...
349
...
GLOSSARY ... 356

...
BIBLIOGRAPHY ... 360
PLATES
INDEX ... 369

CHAPTER ONE
GORAKHNATHIS
THE followers of Gorakhnāth are known as Yogi, as
Gorakhnathi, and as Darşani, but most distinctively asKan
phața. The first of these names refers to their traditional
practice of the Hatha Yoga , the second to the name of their
reputed founder, the third to the huge ear -rings which are
one of their distinctive marks, and the fourth to their unique
practice of having the cartilege of their ears split for the
insertion of the ear- rings. In the Panjab , in the Himālayas,
in Bombay, and elsewhere they are often called Nātha,
which is a general term meaning master.' Women of the
sect are similarly called Nāthni. In Western India they are
generally known as Dharamnāthi ( or Dhoramnāthi), after a
famous disciple of Gorakhnāth, by thatname. In other parts
of India the names Kānphata and Gorakhnāthi are commonly
used.
It is said that the practice of splitting the ears originated
with Gorakhnath , and that the designation Kānphata
( literally, ‘ Split-eared ') was a term of disrespect applied to
these Yogis by Musalmāns.
The word Yogi is a general descriptive term , applied to
many who do not belong to the Kānphatas. 'It ' has many
shades of meaning, from that of saint to that of sorcerer or
charlatan.'2 It is also a general term for ascetics, particularly
1 TA , vol. VII, p. 299.
2 BRI, p. 215 ; RTCCP, vol. III ; BHCS, pp. 319 ff., 402 ; Wi,
p. 217.
The following quotation is from RTCP , vol. II, p. 389. In the
Panjab the term Yogi, is used to cover a wider group, that miscel
laneous assortment of low castefaqirs and fortune-tellers, both Hindu
and Musalman, but chiefly Musalman , who are commonly known as
2 GORAKHNĀTH AND THE KANPHAȚA YOGIS
for those who are endeavouring, by restraint and discipline of
the body, to secure union with the Brahman . From the
generalized point of view , the Gorakhnāthis constitute the
principal group and the better class of Yogis, although some
of the less desirable characters of ascetics bearing the name
Yogi, may be found amongst them . They form a distinct
order ofYogis .
Kánphata Yogīs are found everywhere in India, being as
widely scattered as any of the ascetic orders. They aremet
with separately as mendicants and as hermits, and in groups,
in the Northern Deccan, in the Central Provinces, in Gujarāt,
in Mahārāșțra, in the Panjab, in the provinces of the Ganges
basin and in Nepal.3
It is not proper for Yogis to live alone; and they are not
supposed to wander, but to abide in monasteries, or at
temples, and to meditate. The books prescribe as follows,
for Yogis :
The practice of the Hatha Yoga should be carried out in a private
cell, four cubits square, free from stones, fire and water, (situated]
in a well- governed country, free from violence,where the law
(dharma) is followed and where alms are abundant. [ The cell] should
Jogis. Every rascally beggar who pretends to be able to tell fortunes,
or to practice astrological and necromantic arts, in however small a
degree, buys himself a drum and calls himself, and is called by others,
a Jogi. Those men include all the Musalmāns, and probably a part
of the Hindus of the eastern districts, who style themselves Jogis.
They are a thoroughlyvagabond set,and wander about the country
beating a drum and begging, practising surgery and physic in a
small way, writing charms, telling fortunes, and practising exorcism
and divination ; or, sitting in the villages, eke out their earnings from
these occupations by theofferings made at the local shrines of the
malevolent godlings of the Sayads and other Musalmān saints ; for
the Jogi is so impure that he willeat the offerings made at any shrine.
These people, or at least the Musalmānsection of them , are called
Rāwal in the centre of the Panjab. Rāwal corresponds to Nāth .
In Kāțhiāwār they are said to exorcise evil spirits and to worship
Koriāl. In Siālkot they pretend to avert storms from the ripening
crops by plunging a drawn sword into the field or a knife into a
mound, sacrificing goats and accepting suitable offerings .'
1 See Census Report,North -Western Provinces and Oudh, 1891 ,
pp. 225, 226 ; ERE, vol. XII, p . 833.
2 FORL, p. 347 ; BRI, p .213.
3 Tessitori, ERÉ, vol.XII, p. 834 ; BRI, p. 213.
GORAKHNATHIS 3
be neither too high nor too low , freefrom cracks, hollows and holes,
[ and should have) a small door. [It) should be well plastered with
cow -dung, clean and free from allkinds of vermin . On the outside
[ surrounding it] it should be graced with a beautiful enclosure
[garden ) with sheds, a platformand awell. These are the marks, as
described by adepts in the practice of Hatha Yoga),of a cell where
the Yoga is to be practised . Having seated [himself ] in such a cell,
with histhoughts abandoned, (the Yogi) should practise Yoga in the
manner indicated by his guru.'i
Yogis go on pilgrimages, visiting shrines and holy places
all over India. Inthe rainy season of 1924, there were very
few Yogīs at Gorakhpur, most of them being away visiting
various sacred places. However, they make their monasteries
their headquarters. Some do live alone , in the jungles,
1 Hathayogapradīpika, ch. 1, v. 12–14. The Gorakhbodh allows
otherwise ( EŘE, vol. XII , p. 832).
? In earlier times they may have travelled further. The following
report, while it deals with another type of ascetic, illustrates the fact
that Indian ascetics have known great areas in Asia. The following
is the statement of an ' oordhbabu (urdhvabāhu ) who claimed to have
travelled extensively in Asia . Setting out from Bithur, he visited
shrines in Central, Western and Southern India . Thence he travelled
east, and then visited the holy places of Ceylon. Hethen proceeded
to Malaya, and thence returned to India. Following the west coast of
the peninsula, he visited Dwāraka, and Hing Lāj; thence to Multān ,
Attock (Atak) and eastward to Hardwār. Retracing his steps west
ward, he visited Kābul, Bāmiān , Khurāsān, Herāt and Astrābād, and
continued to the western borders of the Caspian Sea , Astrakan and
Moscow . Thence travelling through Persia , he visited Hamadan ,
Ispahān, Sirāz, Kermanshāh and other cities. Sailing from Abushahr
he visited cities, including Bahrein and Basrah . Unable toreach Bagh
dād, he sailed to Muscat and Sūrat. Then he visited Mokha and
returned to Karāchi and Sind. Hethen journeyed to Balk, Bokhārā,
Samarqand, Badakhshān . Thence he entered Kashmir and moved on
into the Himālayas to Gangotri. He then travelled in Oudh and
Nepāl,visiting Kāthamāņduand the mountain regions beyond. Re
turning to Kāthamāņņu, he set out for Tibet, reachingLhāsa and
Lake Manasorowāra. He then returned to India and finally settled at
Benares. This record of the sādhu's travels was made by Jonathan
Duncan , Esq ., at Benares in 1792, and Mr. Duncan reported that the
ascetic gave circumstantial details of things in cities as far away as
Moscow and Astrakān to confirm his statements. See Asiatic Resear
ches, vol. V, pp. 37 ff.
3 ' Holy men , in general,are not supposed to travel during the rainy
season ; but modern meansof transportation arechanging these
customs. • Bombay Gazetteer, vol. IX , p. 543.
4 GORAKHNATH AND THE KANPHATA YOGIS
practising Yoga ; but hermits of this kind are exceedingly
difficult to find. The author was able to get track of but
two adepts, Bābā Hira Nāthji at Kāli Mohini in Alwār,
betweenBhātinda and Bandikui, and Bāwā Tejnal, at Patañjali
Aśrama in Hardwār; and was unable to find either. Some of
these are considered to be real adepts.
Census figures dealing with Gorakhnāthis are not satisfac
tory, because, in many instances, other Yogis (or “ Jogis ') and
mendicants are included in the enumerations.
The census returns for 18911 show “ Jogis' under ‘ miscel
aneous and disreputable vagrants,' and enumerate 214,546
for India. The figures for the Provinces of Agra and Oudhº
were , Aughar, 5,319 ; Gorakhnāthī, 28,816 ; Jogi, including
Gorakhnathi and others, 78,387. This would indicate that the
Gorakhnāthis, including Aughars, constituted about forty
1 vol. II, p. 14 (Statistics) :
Panjab 91,937
Rajputana 49,262
Bombay 16,823
Central India 10,274
The Report, vol. I, Part. 1 (1911) gives the following comparative
study :
Faqir (1911) 979,293
( 1901) ... 1,212,648
( 1891) ... 830,430
Part 2, Tables (1911 ) give the following distribution of Religious
Mendicants, etc. :
Bengal 47,666
Bihar and Orissa 16,388
Bombay ... 94,764
CentralProvincesand Berār 94,933
North -West and Frontier Provinces 12,848
United Provinces ... 21,405
Rājputāna Agency ... 170,135
Hyderabad 33,743
Kashmir ... 31,614
.
Central Indian Agency 32,327

Bombay States 82,568
: Part 1 , p. 225.
GORAKHNATHIS 5
five per cent of the Yogis. The same report for Agra and
Oudha shows that the proportion of male to female Yogis
was about 42/35 ; that Aughars were 2,422 males and 1,895
females ; and Gorakhpanthis 6,955 males and 6,178 females.
The figures are of special interest because these Yogis are
generally supposed to be celibates. It is to be noted that
many female Yogis are widows. Of the Yogis reported in
the Panjab, 38,137 were Musalmāns.
The Census of 19015 shows, for India :
Faqir, Hindu 436,803 Male / Female 252/185
Jogi, Hindu 659,891 do. 385/325
Jogi, Muhammadan 43,139 do . 21/22
Nātha, Hindu 45,463 do.. 25/21
There were 10,947 Yogis in the Bombay Presidency.
1 Census of India , 1891, North -Western Provinces, Part 3, p. 52 :
AUGHAR GORAKH
Jogi PANTHI
DIVISION
Male Female Male Female Male Female
Meerut ...
23,767 19,331
Agra 2,584 2,258
Rohilkhand 3,500 2,845 In some In some
Allahābād 2,962 3,109 Divisions Divisions
Benares 436 430
Gorakhpur 5,811 4,952
Kumaon 2,581 2,180
Total 41,641 | 35,105 2,368 1,870 6,941 6,178
Total Oudh and
N.-W. Provinces 42,562 35,822 2,422 1,895 6,955 6,178
2 Part 3,p . 52. The largest number of Yogis was found in the
Meerut Division , the Gorakhpur Division being second.
3 Martin (vol. II, pp. 484 , 485) reported that though they were not
permitted to marry they were at liberty to communicate with what
ever women they pleased.
* Census of Panjab,Report, 1891,pp . 113-8.
5 Censusof India,vol.1, Part 2, Tables,pp.283, 288, 301.
6 ETCB , vol. II , p . 103.
In 19111 there were enumerated in India 979,293 faqirs,
814,365 Jogis and 698,036 mendicants; there being 15,000
Kānphatas in the Central Provinces.
The enumeration for 19213 was :
Jogi, Hindu 629,978 Male/Female 325/305
Jogi, Muhammadan 31,158 do . 16/15
Faqir, Hindu 141,132 do. 80/61
Table XVII of the Imperial Census of India for 1931
shows under the headings of Aghori, Faqir, Jogi, Sadhu and
Sannyāsi a total of more than a million persons, not far from
half of whom are females, but does not so return ascetics as
to show how many Gorakhnāthīs there are in India.
On the basis of the more detailed figures of 1891 , the
Gorakhnāthis would still be very numerous. But no exact,
or even approximate, statement can be made; simply,
Kānphatas are very widely scattered and are exceedingly
numerous .
The distinctive marks of the sect of the Kānphatas are
the split -ears (kān - phata) and the huge ear-rings. In the final
stageof their ceremony ofinitiation a specially chosen guru, or
teacher, splits the central hollows of both ears with a two
edged knife (or razor ). The slits are plugged with sticks of
nin -wood ; and, after the wounds have healed , large rings
(mudrā ) are inserted. These are a symbol of the Yogi's
faith. Some explain that in splitting the ear a nāļi (mystic
channel)5 in the cartilege is cut, thus assisting in the
acquirement of yogic power . The Yogi, wearing the mudrā,
becomes immortal.? The rings worn in Western India are
about seven inches in circumference and weigh two and a
quarter ounces or more. Weight is dependent upon the
substance out of which the rings are made . In Kacch, where
some of the wealthier Yogis wear mudrās of gold, the strain
of their weight is carried by a string, which is passed over the
head .
1 Census of India , vol. I, Part 1 , Tables, pp. 192, 198, 309.

· RTCCP , vol. III, p. 250.
3 Census of India, vol. I, Part 2, p. 154. 4 See OMAS, p. 165.
5 See ch. xv . 6 Aipanthis at Hardwār. ·
? RTCP, vol. II, p. 398. (See the story on p. 9, below .)
8 Bombay Gazetteer, vol. V, p. 85.
GORAKHNATHIS 7
Rings are of two general shapes, flat and cylindrical; the

former called darşan, the latter kundal. The word ‘ kundal'
simply means ' round .' Darşan is a term of extreme
respect. The use of the word is sometimes explained as a
sign that the wearer has had a vision of the Brahman ." The
ring is sometimes called pāvitri, holy ,' sacred .'
Rings are made of various substances. The rule seems to
be that the initiate first wears rings of clay. A legend relates
how Gorakhnath cut holes, three inches long, in Bhartri's ears
and inserted ear-rings of clay. Some Yogis continue to wear
earthen rings. But, since these are easily broken , others of
moredurable substances are usually substituted. The element
of value also enters into the use of more substantial rings.
Rhinoceros horn is a favourite substance for ear-rings. It is
not easily broken. The practice goes back to an early period,
for such rings are dug up, from time to time, in the oldest
burial places of the sect,forexample, atȚilla andin oldAlmora.
The mahant (head of the monastery) at Țilla, in the Panjab,
wore ( 1924) rings of rhinoceros horn covered with plates of
gold . Rings of rhinoceros leather are not uncommon .
A legend is available, explaining the use of rhinoceros
horn, which accounts for the practice, not because the rings
are not easily broken , but for the reason that the rhinoceros
is a sacred animal. The story is as follows: As a result of
the great war between the Pāņdavas and the Kāuravas (the
ancient war which is the central theme of the Mahābhārata )
the Pāņdavas, having slain their kinsmen, a most heinous sin ,
were thereby disqualified from performing the funeral rites
for them . They appealed to Brahmā for absolution. In reply,
the Creator commanded : ' First make the pilgrimage to
Badrināth and Kedārnāth .' The Pāņdavas straightway set off
upon the journey. Returning from the Himālayas, they
reported to Brahma and then again asked for permission to
perform the funeral rites fortheir slain kinsmen ( ancestors).
Brahmā gave instructions: ' Kill a rhinoceros, make a vessel
of its skin , and with that offer water to your relatives. They
1 So explained to the author at Puri.

• The author once saw especially fine ones at Gorakh Bansuri,
Calcutta.
will receive the oblation and then will be able to proceed to
Paradise.' So the Pandavas slew a rhinoceros, made a vessel
of its skin and from it poured out water to their kinsmen .
The pinda was then offered (i.e. the funeral rites were per
formed ) and the slain relatives attained Paradise. Since that
time the rhinoceros has been considered a sacred animal, and
that is why the Gorakhnāthis make their ear-rings from its
horn.1
Thin gold discs are sometimes seen . The pir (abbot) and
some important Yogis of Dhinodhar, in Kacch, wear heavy
rings of gold, darşan -shaped , inlaid with precious and semi
precious stones. A mahant from Delhi, in 1924, wore rings
of crystal with inlay of gold and precious stones. Other
substances used are copper, stag's and antelope's horn,
ivory, agate, jade, glass (white and coloured) and wood. In
Mewār manyKänphatas use rings of conch shell. The conch
is their battle trumpet.3
The wearing of the ear-rings is of great importance. If, by
accident, one is broken, amodel in cloth , or the singnād, must
be substituted before the Yogi may partake of food,or perform
hisreligious duties. Or,he must bathe and procure another
beforehe eats with his fellows orengages in conversation.
A Yogi must protect himself from having his rings torn
out. In the old days he, whose ears had been mutilated, did
not survive; he either died outright or was buried alive. It
is claimed in Kumaon that the practice still holds (1924 ).
1 This story was obtained at Sri Nagar,Garhwāl. The same

reason is found to explainwhy followers of Guru Govind Singh use
ear -rings made ofthehorn of therhinoceros. There are manymarks,
in the lower Himālayas, showing where the Pāņdavas, with the dog,
travelled in the course of their wanderings. At Deo Dhura may be
seengreat boulders said to have been thrown about in sport by the
Pāņdavas; and near thetemple of Devi there are two boulders cleft
through by a fresh - looking fissure and there is a similar rift in the
lower rock. The smallerupper
, rock issaid to be the weapon with
which Bhima cleft the great boulders. Holes in the rocks are still
pointed out as his finger -prints. Himalayan Gazetteer, vol. III,
pp. 201, 202.
* The author saw fine ones at Puri in 1924.
8 BCI, vol. III , p. 198 . · See RTCCP, vol. III, p. 250 .
Bombay Gazetteer, vol. VIII, p . 155.
GORAKHNATHIS 9
Even now a Yogi with mutilated ears cannot face the world.
He must flee from his brethren ; he must never be seen
again ; he is excommunicated ; no tomb is erected over his
body when he dies ;1 others will not associate with him ; and
he is not allowed to share in religious ceremonies and he
loses his pūjārī rights .
There is conflict of opinion concerning the origin of the
practice of wearing the rings. As statedabove, the institu
tion of the custom is attributed to Gorakhnāth. However,
Siva is the great ascetic and he wears huge ear-rings . Legend
records that ear-rings (kundal), made from dirt off her body,
were attached to the body which Śiva had left behind when
he descended the lotus stalk in the form of an insect, by
Sakti . These ear-rings were later changed into mudrās.
Siva's ears were split atthattime. Bythis means the body
of Siva became immortal. Some trace the practice to
Macchendranāth, the guru of Gorakhnāth . The Aipanthis of
Hardwār say that Macchendranāth, when he began to preach
the Yoga, by order of Mahādeo, saw that Śiva had his ears
split and that he ( Siva) wore the great rings. Macchendra,
thereupon,longed to have similar rings himself. He began to
worship Siva and so pleased the god that his desire was
granted. Macchendranāth was then ordered to split the ears
of all who should become his disciples. Another legend ,
which connects the practice with Macchendranāth, states that
when he was born as a fish , he was discovered to have had
rings in his ears. At Puri, they say that the order to split
theears came from Macchendranāth .
But the origin of the practice of splitting the ears is traced
to others as well. It is said that Bhartri asked his guru .
Jālandharipā, for a distinguishing mark . So holes, three
inches wide, were made in Bhartri's ears and rings of clay
were inserted . Later, those rings were changed for others of
wood, then of crystal-gilt and finally of ivory.5
Legends and traditions which refer the custom to Gorakh
1 RTCP,vol. III , p. 250. But, at Sri Nagar, they reported to the

author that he would have a samadh .
* FORL , p . 388. 3 RTCP, vol. II, pp. 391 , 392.
Toldtothe author at Näsik . 5 RTCP, vol. II, p. 398 .
nāth are numerous. It is said that Siva ordered Pār
vati to split Gorakhnāth's ears and that thus the practice
arose . Again , Karkāi and Bhuskāi received consent from their
guru , Gorakhnāth, to split each other's ears . The agree
ment was made at a place on the road to Hing Lāj, a shrine
which every perfect Yogi must visit. Gorakhnath is said to
have split Bhartri's ears .?
Women who wear the mudrā are numerous. They are
chiefly widows who have become Yogis, and initiated wives
of Yogis. However, not all women whose husbands are Yogis,
have their ears split. Widows often take the vows, are
initiated into the sect and then go on pilgrimage. Some of
these are in charge of temples.3 Married women who are
Yogis and who wear the mudrā are not uncommon in Kumaon
and Garhwal. But it is not according to rule that wives of
householders wear the ear-rings.
Aughars are followers of Gorakhnāth who have not under
gone the final ceremony of having their ears split. A legend
is current which serves to justify them in not completing
initiation . Once two siddhas ( perfect Yogis) tried to split
the ears of a candidate who had been at Hing Lāj; but they
found that the slits closed as fast as they were made. So
they gave up the attempt. Since then Aughars have dispensed
with the custom . It will be seen , further on, that while
many Aughars contemplate completing their initiation,
there is a division of Gorakhnathis who always remain
Aughars .
The Gūdara sometimes wears a ring, as do the Kān
phatas. These mendicants are Sāivites , so - called because
they carry a pan of metal in which is kept a small fire for
the burning of scented woods at the houses of persons from
whom they beg. They cry out, ‘ Alakh, Alakh !' Their
peculiar garb consists of a large, round cap, a long ochre
coloured frock, and ear -rings like those of the Kānphatas,
1 RTCP, vol. II, p. 390. · RTCP, vol . II, p. 398.

• Forexample, in Almora , the authormet two such women and
saw their temples.
• So they said in Almora . 5 RTCP, vol. II, p. 398.
• Wi, pp. 235, 236; RTCB, vol. II, p. 22.
GORAKHNATHIS 11
or cylinders of wood passed through the lobe of the ears ,
which they term khecharimudrā , the seal or symbol of the
deity, ' of him who moves in the heavens.' The Gūdara be
longs to the Aughar sect of Sāivites founded by a Dasnāmi
by the name of Brāhmagiri, through the favour ofGorakhnāth ,
who is said to have invested the ascetic with his ear - rings.
The Gūdara sub -sect wears the ring in one ear, and in the
other a flat copper plate with the footprint of Aughar or
Gorakhnāth . Other groups wear rings of copper or of pewter
in both ears .
From the Nizam's Dominions it is reported that the
various orders of Gorakhnāthīs are distinguished by the kind
of materials from which they make their ear -rings.1
Both Aughars and Yogis of the sect wear a janeo, or sacred
thread, which is made by certain members of the order, who
are taught the art. It is not made by all Yogīs nor by
Brāhmans. The thread is spun from black sheep's woola
and consists of nine strands. It is worn around the
neck .
To this thread is attached a ring, which may be flat or
cylindrical, called pāvitri. It is made of deer's horn, rhinoceros
horn , of bone, of brass or other metal. Brass rings obtained
from Nepāl have on their rim three images, that of Pasupati
(Śiva) with the trident on one side of itand the bull onthe
other. The ring represents Pārvati.
To the ring are attached , by means of a white cotton
cord, a whistle, singnād, and a single rudrākṣa berry. The
singnād is, as the name implies, a whistle made of horn,
either of black -buck horn, of stag horn, or of rhinoceros
horn. As a matter of fact, it maybe made of wood or of jade.
It is about two inches long. That of black -buck's horn is
the most popular.
The use of horn is explained in a legend about a king
Bhartri (Bhartſhari). Once his seventy queens urged him to
go hunting. While he was away he ran across a herd of
seventy hinds and one stag; but was unable to overtake the
stag. Finally, a hind asked the stag to allow himself to be
1 STCND, vol. I, p. 278.
: In the hills of Kumaon many Yogis use cotton for this thread.
12 GORAK A T K Y
HNĀTH ND HE ĀNPHAȚA OGIS
shot, and he agreed, on certain conditions, one of which was
that his horn should be used for the Yogi's whistle.1
The singnād is blown before meals and before morning
and evening worship. It may be blown before the Yogi
performs his offices of nature. The mahant (abbot) at
Dhinodhar uses his whistle in returning a salute and before
performing his duties. One of his chief privileges is to blow
his whistle when he worships his gods. The use of the
whistle was ordered by Siva. It has a phallic significance, as
has the pāvitri which is associated with it.
Some attach a tooth pick of silver to the thread. This may
have a protective use against evil influences.
Because the whistle is fastened to it, the thread is called
singnād-janeo.3
Some Yogis wear around the loins, a special rope made of
black sheep's wool to which they fasten the loin cloth ,
langoțī. It is called ārband-langot-nāg. As the last word in
this name signifies, they, except for the rope , go naked .
This cord, which is an inch or more in diameter, is made on
a bobbin , and is finished with a loop on one end and a button
on the other. It is fastened in front. Most Yogis use a
strip of cotton cloth instead of this rope of wool.
A third 'thread ' is worn by some Känphatas. Special
regulations go with its use . For example, while wearing this
cord, and the other paraphernalia that go with it, the Yogi
may neither sit nor stand still butmust go out, as soon as he
has put it on , and beg. This cord is called häl matangā.
It is made of three strands, each of eight threads, plaited
with the twist to the right into a bobbin cord . One end is
finished with five tails, and the other has a bell, like a large,
1 RTCP , vol. II, p . 404. The whole story is told in ch. vii.
2 RTCCP, vol. III, p. 250. 3 Compare BHC, p. 403.
• Compare RTCP, vol. II, p. 399. The authorsaw an especially
fine one at Devi Pātan in 1924.
5 Dasnāmis also,who are special devotees of Bhāirom , wear this
cord. One such had on his forehead a ţikā consisting of two curved,
horizontal marks, both red ; with a black dot between them and a
black line below them . Hanumān is indicated by the red lines and
the black line and the dot are for Bhäirom .
6 PNO , vol. II, para. 126. Some say sixteen strands, some nine
and some twelve.
GORAKHNATHIS 13
brass sleigh -bell, attached to it. Sometimes strips of red
cloth are woven into the cord . The ' thread' is reckoned of
various lengths, nine, eleven and one-half or twenty -three
cubits ;- and is of about the diameter of a lead pencil, although
it may be considerably larger.
The cord may be worn as a sort of plaited net-jacket. In this
case it is first doubled . The end , with bell attached , is hung
down in front, the bell reaching to the knees ; the cord is
then thrown over the left shoulder and turned back under
the right shoulder ; then around the chest and under the left
and over the right shoulder ; it is crossed under the long
section in front and then wound round and round the body,
alternately under and over the front strands and plaited as it
is wound about the chest. After the cord is adjusted, two
rosaries are put on, one over each shoulder and under the
opposite one. Smaller rosaries are put around the neck and
on each forearm . ' Handkerchiefs' are fastened to the upper
arms. The Yogi then takes his bowl, his bag and his fire
tongs and goes out to beg. The wearing of the cord is a
matter of choice rather than of regulation.3
An occasional Gorakhnāthi wears the usual janeo, or sacred
thread of the Hindu.
Yogis are met with who do not wear the sacred thread,
singnād -janeo. A Yogi who has attained to unusual spiritual
eminence may discard the use of the thread and the ear -rings,
saying that he wears them invisibly , or that he wears them
underneath his skin. This is not an uncommon claim in
legends about holy men .
Although Kanphata Yogis wear no distinctive rosaries,
they do use some that are of significance and of interest.
One of these consisting of rudrākṣa berries is that commonly
worn by Šāivites. Itis hung around the neck and consists
of thirty-two, of sixty -four, of eighty -four, of one hundred
1 So they say at Devi Pātan. ? So they say at Benares.
3 This paragraph is based upon exhibitions of putting on the hal
matangāby Yogis at Cawnpore and at Benares.
RTCP, vol. II, p. 402.
5 Compare Rāe Dás,the Chamār, and his Brāhmaṇical cord . — The
Chamārs,p. 209.
14 GORAKHNATH AND THE KANPHAȚA YOGIS
and eight, or even of more berries. A smaller one having
eighteen ? or twenty -eight berries , is worn on the wrist, or
elbow . This is called sumarani. The small rosary is often
carried in the hand. Beads are used in worship and as a
check on memory, while repeating the names of God. This
is evident from the technical terms for rosary , japa māla,
'muttering chaplet ' and sumaraņi, ‘ remembrancer. A Śāivite
has to recite the 1,008 names of his god.
Rudrākṣa berries of the tree elæocarpus ganitrus") are
significant for the Yogi in many ways. The word ' rudrākşa’
means 'eye of Rudra (Siva)' and may refer to the third, now
invisible, eye of that god, which will be opened for the
destruction of the world . There isa mark on the seed that
is said to resemble an eye . Or, the berries may refer to the
tears, shed by Siva? in rage when he set out to destroy the
three cities, Tripura ; for those tears became rudrākṣa berries.
Again, some say that the string of 108 berries represents that
many successive appearances of Siva on the earth . The size
of the berries is of importance.
Rudrākṣa berries are found with faces ranging from one to
twenty -one in number, and each kindhas a special signific
ance. The usual number of faces is five, and some say that
this berry is sacred to Hanumān , or to the Pāņdavas. It also
represents the five -faced Siva .
1 Eighty -four beads make up the proper Šāivite rosary. It is
interesting to note that 84 = 7 x 12 and symbolizes the number of the
planets (7) and the signs of the Zodiac (12). 108 = 9x 12 where the
moon is counted in its three phases as increasing, full and waning to
make -up nine ( 9 ). ' Consequently these Hindu rosaries symbolize the
whole circuit of the hosts of heaven .' (See, in Journal of the Royal
Society of Arts, vol. L. (1902),p. 275 f ., a discussion , by Sir George
Birdwood, of a paper on ' The History ofthe Rosary in all Countries'
by the Rev. H. Thurston, S.J.) 108 = 22 x 38 and is, therefore, an
auspicious number.
So reported at Dhinodhar. 3 So reported in the ' hills .'
• Śāktas count up to one hundred, using the finger (joints) of the
right hand, and keep score by joints of the fingersof the left hand.
Theyuse dead men's teeth and similar relics also, for beads. - ERE ,
vol. X, p. 848 f.
5 Seeds of the badar orjujuh. PNG, vol. II, p. 558.
* NCS, p. 83. ' ERE , vol. X , p. 848. 8 So reported in Benares.
• Bengali Religious Lyrics, ſākta, p. 90 . See Brahmanism and
Hinduism , p. 82 f.
GORAKHNATHIS 15
The number of faces is often merely of symbolic import
ance ; for example, that of three faces represents the trident,
or the triad ; that of four, the four Vedas, or Brahmā ; that
of six, the six systems of philosophy; that of seven , the
seven the worlds; that of eight, the eight-armed Durgā;
that of nine, the nine Nāthas ; that of ten, the ten avtāras
(of Vişņu ); while that of eleven is sacred to Mahādeva and
is counted as the very best' and is worn by celibates only.
It is referred to as askand [ (?) not spilling, as of semen ). The
two-faced berry is worn only by a Yogi who is accompanied
by his wife . A much valued berry is that which is double,
that is, two berries naturally joined . If the total number of
faces on the two be eleven , the double is called Gāuri- Sankar,
and it is sacred to Pārvati (Gāuri) and Siva. One-faced
berries are very seldom found. It is said that kings only
possess them, and that one who finds such a berry is set up
for life in wealth, because it secures to the owner everything
thathe may wish . This rare type is often counterfeited.2
There is no rule as to the number of faces for the berry
that the guru gives to his disciple at the initiation ; and the
one received at that time may be changed, later on, for one
of another number of faces.
Two rosaries made of white ' stone'beads (really nummu
lities ) are greatly prized by Yogīs. Both are obtained on
the difficultpilgrimage to the Vāmacāra SaktiTemple at Hing
Lāj. That made of the smaller 'stone ' beads is called Hing
Lāj kā thumſā ; the other , made of larger beads, Āśāpūri. The
former is said to represent grains of millet ( jawar), the latter,
grains of rice, or bājra.5 The former is the more commonly
1 RTCP, vol. II, p. 399.
? A seed of this kind belonged to Kharak Sing, son of Mahārāja
Ranjīt Singh, the only one of its kind ever seen ; but it has been lost!
--Crooke,Religion and Folklore, p. 289.
3 Of the family nummulinida , a family of foraminifers having a
calcareous, symmetrical, usually lentrical or discoidal, shell composed
of numerous chambers concentrically arranged. Especially abundant
in eocene and oligocene deposits of Eastern and Southern Asia.
For the native accounts concerning these beads, see pp. 103 ff.
5 Jawār, the larger millet, a commonfood - grain , Andro pogon ,
sorghum or sorghum vulgare. Imperial Gazetteer of India, Index
Volume, Glossary, p. xiv. Bājra, bulrush millet, acommon food
grain , pennisetum typhoideum ( ibid ., p. vi.)
16 GORAK AND THE KANPH YOGIS
HNATH ATA
worn , and is evidently the more prized . It consists of 5001
or 1,000 beads.
Necklaces made of beads of glass, of china, and of other
materials are worn by Yogis, but, apparently, with no special
religious significance.
All Yogis use ashes , but the practice is not limited to
them, for all ascetics observe the custom , which is very old.
Şabhasma-drja, sprinkled with ashes,' is a generic term for
Sãivite.2 Känphatas use ashes for the tripund (tripundra ) or
triple mark drawn across the forehead , and on other parts
of the body. This mark is to represent the half-moon drawn
three times. They also cover the body with ashes, or with
earth mixed with ashes. Those who go naked rub the whole
body with ashes. The hair is also sprinkled with ashes. It
is said that the practice serves to protect the user from
vermin . Earth is often used instead of ashes.3
Ashes may be taken from the dhūni, the Yogi's hearthfire.
Ashes of burned cow -dung are also used. Siva, as the Yogi par
excellence,covers his bodywith ashes from the burning grounds.
Several reasons are given for the use of ashes. They
signify death to the world ,5 and, in this case, undoubtedly
refer to the burning grounds; or, they may indicate that the
1 Reported at Dhinodhar.
2 BŘI, p. 314, n. 3. Brhat Sarhitā, 60, 19, p . 328. (Ed. Kern ).
3 Compare Panjab Census Report, 1891, p . 118.
* There are elaborate explanations of the practice as it relates to
Siva. For example: “ The sacred body of Siva is covered with ashes
naturally. In this form it is called ' the eternal ashes.' In the next
place after he has, by a spark emitted out of his central eye, reduced
the gods together with all animate and inanimate beings to ashes at
the end of each kalpa, he rubs their ashes upon his sacred body. In
this form it is called ' the original ashes, and since the god thus
adorns his sacred body, they only can be the true servants of Siva
who constantly wear the sacred ashes rubbed upon their person .
The reward for so doing is declared in the Agamas to be the blotting
out of all the greater sins. They also teach that the ashes to have
this effect must be made of cow -dung: and that there are three
methods of preparing them , namely, Kalpa, Anakalpa and Upakalpa;
and that no other ashes but such as are madein one of these three
ways must be rubbed on the body. ' Quoted by Murdock in his Śiva
Bhakti, p. 17.
5 RTCP, vol. II, p. 140 .
GORAKHNĀTHIS 17
body must be reduced to ashes ultimately, or they may be

a sign that the Yogi has abandoned the world.
Ashes protect from evil spirits as well.
The common mark placed upon the forehead by the Yogi
is the tripuņd, consisting of three horizontal lines, or of a
broad band, made by the hand, with ashes, with ashes and
clay, or with sandal-wood paste. Similar lines are drawn on
other parts of the body, for example, on the arms and chest.?
These are, strictly, Sāivite marks. The tripuņd is sometimes
said to representthe moon. Some Yogis put on the forehead
a mark consisting of a black, horizontal line with a black dot
above it, representing Bhāirom ; and below it a red circle
representing Hanumān (Mahābīr ). A few put a single spot of
sandal-wood paste on the forehead, when they are offering'
the paste to Bhāirom.3 Still others put a black spot on the
forehead when they are burning incense . Other forms of the
țīkā are the double square of sandal-wood paste :4 a single
spot of ashes on the forehead; a yellow , rounded rectangle
with a red dot in the centre; a rounded rectangle of yellow
with a single grain of rice in the middle, below a brush of
ashes; two circles one above the other, the upper of sandal
wood paste, the other red ;5 a circle made of a mixture of
sandal-wood paste and a red substance, for Bhāirom ; two
spots one above the other, the upper red, the lower black ;
two elongated enclosures one above the other, in red , with a
red dot below . In Benares it was explained that these marks
have to do with the isţadeva, or chosen god, of the particular
Yogi. The examples given by no means exhaust the varieties
of ţikā employed.
All Yogis who make the pilgrimage to Hing Lāj stop at
Koteswar on their return journey and are there branded on
the ' front of their right fore arm with an image of the yoni
linga. The reason given for this practice will be found in
chapter six. The brand mark which is reproduced bears a
phallic significance. It is generally claimed that Yogis
receive no other brand marks .?
1 B. and H, p. 67, n.
n 1. 2 NSC , p. 83. 3 E.g., in Almora.
4 E.g., at Kāma. 5 E.g. , at Devi Pātan .
67 See also PNQ, vol. II, para . 345 .
? So reported at Naini Tāl, Tulsipur and Gorakhpur. 2
At the time that a candidate is made a novice (Aughar),
his head , including his scalp -lock ( cuțiya ), is shaved. Aside
from this, there seems to be no uniform practice with
reference to the careofthe hair. Apparently the hair on the
head and face should all be shaved or none . If a Yogi has
his moustache and his beard shaved and not his head, or the
reverse , he must pay a fine of one rupee and four annas .
Some allow their hair to grow long and it is left unkempt
or matted . Others shave their heads. Some braid black wool
into their hair. The photographs shown in this volume
indicate a lack of uniformity in practice. It is claimed that
those who have their heads shaved wear clothes, while others
go scantily clothed (nanga ), or wear no clothes at all, and are
obliged to sit on the ground. But this assertion does not
seem to hold good in general.
There seems to be no rule about the care of the finger- nails.
They are trimmed in the usual way. It is reported that
some allow the nails to go unpruned.6 But this is denied .?
The nails are not removed at death .
The yellow "8 robe is the distinctive dress of the Yogi.
The ochre -coloured dress is worn because Siva ordered it.
The cloth of the Yogi was first dyed by Pārvati who resorted
to self-mutilation , dyed a cloth with her blood, and gave it
to Gorakhnāth .
In practice, the yellow robe is by no means commonly
worn. Many dress in the ordinary garb of the Hindu, some
So reported at Dhinodhar, Devi Pātan, Gorakhpur.
* This is 17, or { rupees, five being an auspicious number.
3 BHCS, p. 403 .
:5 AtRTCCP,
Devi vol.III,
. p. 251, quoting Maclagan ; OMAS,P. 185.
8 Yellow (and red) is a symbol of fertility and is the marriage
colour. It is the colour of ripe grain , is lucky, and is connected with
the cultof Gāuri. Turmeric as a sacred plant is used in the anoint
ing of the bride and groom . The corpse is anointed with turmeric,
since death is looked upon as a marriage . Yellow is also a protection
against demons. (Crooke, Popular Religion and Folklore of Northern
India, p. 295.). Some Rākşases are yellow . (Keith, Religion and
Philosophy of the Veda, vol. I, p. 237.) These notions may have some
bearing upon the question of the use of yellow . But the explanation
given in the text, below , probably has truth in it.
• RTCB, vol. II, p. 390.
GORAKHNATHIS 19
times coloured with ochre, but very often simply white. Thin
cotton is used in the warm weather and slightly heavier
clothing in the cold weather. In the Panjab , in the cold
season , heavy clothes of wool are worn , made after the com
mon patterns of the people . However, many Yogis go
scantily clothed , wearing only a loin cloth . Some add to this
a scarf, or a jacket of the usual type. A girdle of wool
(ārband ) is sometimes the only clothing. At Deoprayāg in
the Himālayas there was (in 1924) a Nāga, who was absolutely
naked . He lived in a cave, alone. He never crossed the river
(Bhāgirathi)into thetown. He bathed three times a day and
then rubbed his body with ashes. He performed his evening
worship facing the east. Occasionally one sees a long, loose
robe of orange colour, often drawn in at the waist with a
cord.
The headdress varies greatly. Turbans (pagrī) are com
mon. These are either white or ochre -coloured, as a rule.
Many wear a simple white cap , others a cap of patch -work .
This last is the characteristic headdress of the Satnāthīs .
while travelling. A conical cap of nine sections, with ear
flaps, or a cap of black ribbonsis worn . Still others wear
no head covering at all. The Aughars of Kirāna wear an
ochre - coloured turban over which is twisted a network of
black thread, covered with gold. The head of the monastery
at Kāma has a flat, or cylindrical, turban made of threads of
black sheep's wool, for special occasions. But, commonly, he
wore a white skull- cap of the ordinary ' Hindu' pattern.
Besides rosaries and other articles of dress andornaments as
already described, Yogis wear certain objects for personal
adornment. Bracelets of brass, of precious metals and of
rhinoceros leather may be mentioned; brass bracelets
obtained in Nepāl, like the pāvitri of brass already described,
1 See various photographs. · See p. 12 above.
3 ' In Sind, Yogis wear caps.' (Hughes, A Gazetteer of the Province
of Sindh, p. 96 ). The cap isnot described.
This was reported at Puri. see Wi, p .216 ; Conybeare, Statis
tical and Historical Account of the North -Western Provinces of India,
Bareilly , p. 592 .
5 PNO, vol. II, para 279.
• SHĨC, p. 262;BCI,vol. II, p. 497.
20 GORAK AND THE KANPH Y
HNATH ATA OGIS
having on the rim an image of Pasupati, with Nanda, the
bull, on one side and the trident on the other ; and armlets
of copper from Kedārnāth and of iron from Badrināth. Some
Yogis wear anklets. Kangnas, or wristlets and armlets made
of thread are worn, likewise charms and amulets of the usual
types. The mahant at Gorakhpur wore on his right arm two
cylindrical cases of gold, containing charms. Finger rings
of various patterns and materials are common.
The dress of some notables of the Kānphatas may be
described . The pīr of Dhinodhar wears very rich clothes.
As described in 1839,2 his dress of honour consisted of a
gold -bordered silk turban , a scanty waist band, a sacred
woollen neck thread, a sheli, a red, or brick -coloured scarf, and
wooden pattens. He was allowed to wear neither an angarakhā
nor leather shoes . Some of his ornaments were very valu
able, and some were very old. His ear -rings were of gold , very
large, and inlaid with gems. They were so heavy that they had
to be supported by a string passed over his head . His finger
rings were of gold, and of the ‘ Kacch ' pattern , and his
bracelets were broad and heavy. On the morning of the
author's visit to Dhinodhar * the pir was dressed much as
was his predecessor in 1839. His turban was of black cloth
and his waist-band of heavy, dark -red silk, rolled and wound
about him . He wore in his girdle a two -handled dagger,
finished in gold. This was a mark of distinction. He was
dressed in white. His shawl was ochre -coloured . He wore
the usual rosaries and had on much jewelry, including strings
of beads, and a heavy, finely -wrought necklace of gold. His
shoes were of the usual pattern, made of wood . The appoint
ments of his gaddi (his cushion, or official seat), his huqqa
(water -pipe), his box and other articles were of silver. His
staff was trimmed with silver.
The mahant of Gorakhpur wore (1924) clothes of white, like
those of ordinary Hindus. But he had for special occasions a
heavy coat of gold -embroidered cloth and a turban . While
he was attired in these garments his attendants carried heavy
1 In the spring of 1924. * JRAS, 1839, p. 270 .
3 IA, vol. VII,p. 52.
• The author visited the pir, on 29th March, 1924 .
GORAKHNATHIS 21
maces of bamboo covered with sheets of silver, and waved

over him yak -tail fans.
The special dress which some Yogis wear when they go
out to beg is very elaborate. The whole process of dressing,
as the author saw it, was as follows: First, the Yogi rubbed
ashes on his body and face. Then, after putting on a dhoti,
or loin - cloth, and a jacket, he proceeded to adjust his häl
mațangā . He then fastened kamgas, arm bands, short
rosaries and handkerchiefs ' to his wrists and arms, slung
threads over his shoulders, and put many rosaries around his
neck. Then swinging his wallet (food bag) over his left
shoulder he took up hisfire tongs andhis begging bowl and
started onthe round of houses from which he was accustom
ed to beg.
Like most Indian ascetics, Kānphatas have a number of
necessary accessories. Among these is the dhūni, or fire,
consisting of a smouldering log of wood ( or more than one ),
sometimes in a hollow pit . Whenever he takes up his abode
he lights his fire, provided there is not one already at the
place. At all important shrines and monasteries such fires
are found, some of which have been kept burning for long
periods of time. The dhūni at Dhinodhar, and those at
Gorakhpur, Țilla and Pāe Dhūni in Bombay are famous
because of associations with Dharamnāth , Gorakhnāth and
others. These have been kept burning for centuries. It is an
interesting fact that the Forest Department of Government
supplies two hundred and fifty bullock carts of wood annually
for the dhūnī of Bhāiror at the shrine of Devi Pātan . House
holders of the Kānphatas keep a dhūni in their houses.
Kānphata Yogis carry a begging bowl, a wallet, fire-tongs,
and a staff, anduse a crutch .The begging bowl (khappar)
may be of cocoanut shell. The most prized bowls of this
kind are of large size , made of dariya nārial, the large variety
of cocoanut found in the west. These are blackened , and are
without a handle. Some use a bowl with a handle, but the
1 See p . 12 above.
2 An Āipanth Yogi donned all his clothes in the presence of the
author one morning in November, 1923, in Cawnpore, preparatory
to begging.
3 So reported in Almora.
regulation pattern is as just described . A bowl with a handle,
made of gourd, is also used. This is a common type and is
often called tomſi. A bowl of this shape, made of brass is
often seen .
The wallet, or bag, which is made of red cloth, is square in
shape. It is usuallyhung from the left shoulder, and is used
to carry utensils and the supplies collected while begging.
There is no prescribed length for the fire-tongs ( cimtā ). All
ascetics carry them . Tongs may serve as a weapon, and
perhaps, incidentally as a protection against evil spirits.
Occasionally the tongs take the place of a musical instrument.
Sometimes a pair of tweezers is attached to the tongs. These
are used to handle coals for the cilam , or pipe bowl. The
tweezers may be attached to the pipe bowl by a chain.
The staff of the Kānphatas is of bamboo, or of timur, a
stick covered with knots, or a trident of metal . At Puri
a Satnāth Yogi of the monastery carried a club , made of
straw covered with cloth , called a sudarşan. In Bombay
and Belgaon the trident is carried by Yogis while they
are out begging. Sticks of the ordinary kinds are also
carried .
The crutch , acal, is made of a horizontal stick about six
teen inches long, fastened to a short perpendicular support.
It is used as a rest for the chin, or the arms, during medita
tion and at certain other times. Crutches are used to support
the body prepared for burial.
The conch shell is used by Yogis in worship , being blown
at the time of service.
As a rule the hour -glass -shaped drum (dholak) is not used
by Yogis, although Siva as Nātarāja carries one.
are exceptions; e.g., in Almora. In Bombay there is a class
of Yogis who carry a drum (dāur ), and who, therefore, are
called Dāuri Gosains.5
1 The trident was formerly a weapon , and is well -known. It is

connected with sun worship and with the solar race. ( FRAS, 1891,
p. 389.) Its useinIndia goes back at least as far as theIndus River
Civilization .
In 1924 . 3 Reminiscent of Lakulisa ?
* Bombay Gazetteer, vol.XXI, p. 185 ;PNQ, vol. II, para 964,.
5 ERE, vol. XII, p.835.
GORAKHNATHIS 23
Some Yogis in Benares and elsewhere carry a fan made of

peacock feathers (han mocal) used to keep off flies, and also
in exorcism , to keep off evil spirits, and to relieve children
suffering from the effects of the evil eye.
Yogis have a reputation for certain habits and practices
which are not well thought of, some of which are quite
common amongst them , and some of which are confined to
the few . Not all that is said and written about Yogis applies
to the Kānphata. But the following practices are foundto a
greater or less extent amongst the Gorakhnāthīs. They make
charms for themselves, and some sell them to others ;; they
pronounce spells and practice palmistry and juggling , teil
fortunes , and interpret dreams ; they sell a woollen amulet
to protect children from the evil eye ;' and they pretend to
cure disease , muttering texts over the sick, and practising
medicine and exorcism , and vending drugs. Russell says
that Nandia Yogīs lay claim to supernatural and magic
powers. This is, of course, involved in their practice
of medicine and exorcism and belief in Yoga. Some
are reputed to have transmuted base metals into gold or
silver. There is a legend of such transmutation in the times
of Altamsh .? Others, for fraud, impersonate members of
families on pilgrimages. Still others resort to gambling and
swindling and the three card game. Some are said to be able
to control hail storms. In Siālkot there was once a Yogi
( rathbana) who could impose a check upon hail, or direct
it into waste land. There are Yogis who are engaged in
extensive commercial enterprises ;10 others, like those in
Benares, were rich ;11 still others are enrolled in the armies
of Hindu kings.12 Others are engaged in trades; and some
sell small wares and silk thread.13 În Almora they are to be
found as tailors and sellers of milk. In many parts of India
Yogīs are found as weavers, and are rated as inferior Śūdras,
illegitimate and semi-legitimate descendants of Yogis of
Compare RTCCP, vol. III, p. 253. 2 IA , vol. X, p. 146 .
3 BRI, p. 215 . • 1.A. , vol. X, p. 146 .
5 RTCCP, vol. III, p . 252. 6 Wi., p. 217.
? RTCP, vol . II, p . 398. 8 BRI,p . 215.
• RTCCP, vol.II, p . 398 . 10 BHTC, p. 404
11 SHTC , p. 262. 12 BH TC , p. 404 . 13 Wi, p. 218.
Gorakhpur. Some sell apron strings and lace. The author
once found a Yogi in charge of a government rest house.
Others are engaged in agriculture, their women helping them
in sowing and weeding .
Barth says that Yogis were degraded and despised, and that
there are evidences of their being dangerous characters.
Legends show that large bands moved about the country.
They must have been feared and their arrogant demands
were undoubtedly granted. They had a sharp struggle with
the Sikhs in the sixteenth century . The walls about Dhino
dhar are loopholed for defence, and these means of protection
must have been needed. Their power in Kacch was broken
about the middle of the sixteenth century, by Atīts of
Junāgad. Before that time they held several places and
seized Atits and other sādhus passing on pilgrimages and
forcibly split their ears . Sometimes there are struggles
between Yogīs and other ascetics over priority in bathing
privileges atcertain melas. Some lead about trained, deformed
cattle; others train monkeys, still others carry snakes, and
others raise buffaloes, donkeys and dogs.
They often, especially Bhartri Yogis, play musical instru
ments , including the sārangi , and .sing cyclic songs, or
ballads, including those of Gopichand, Bhartri, Puran
Bhagat, Rāja Rasalū, Hir and Rāñjha, Gūga Pīr, Gorakhnāth,
Macchendranāth, Dharamnāth , Garibnāth, Rāni Pinglā, Devi
and Ganesa . They use also religious songs and poems
such as The Praise of the Seven Gods ( SaptaDeva Stotra).10
1 HTS, p. 236. See chap ii.

: Bombay Gazetteer,vol. XXI, p. 185.
: Mac., vol. II, pp. 139, 140. * IA, vol. VII, p. 5.
6 Atīts are degraded Dasnāmis who reverence Dattatreya. Wi.,
pp . 204–5. See also article, " The Fighting Ascetics of India,' by
J.N. Farquhar, Bulletin of the John Rylands Library, vol. IX, No. 2,
July , 1925.
IA, vol. X, p . 146. In Almora they say ' No.'
? Martin, vol. III, pp. 407, 408, 534 .
8 Compare Crooke, vol. III, p. 60 ; Bombay Gazetteer, Nasik, 1883,
vol. XVI ,p. 74.
• IA , vol. X, p. 146 .
10 The author saw a copy of this book with an Aipanth Yogi at
Cawnpore, in November,1923 .
GORAKHNATHIS 25
The Nandias, who keep deformed oxen for exhibit, sing
songs of Zahir Pir and Hir and Rāñja.
People do homage to Yogis, touching their feet with
fingers dipped in holy water, and receive flowers, mangoes and
pieces of cocoanut as charms and talismans. Sometimes a
touch works a cure. Sometimes a chili is obtained from one
as a remedy for sickness. On the other hand, their curse is
feared and this in turn often works as an incentive to do
homage.
CHAPTER TWO
THE ORDER
GORAKHNĀTHIS claim that they receive none but the twice

born into their order. This position is not quite clear,
however, for some Yogis admit that Sūdras are received.
Oman reported low caste recruits and said that they
admitted every description of people. Wilson made a
similar report. In some parts of the Panjab low castes are
admitted and menials are called “ Camarwā.'6 And it was
reported in 1901 that they admit anyone, that even a
Musalmān may become a Yogi.? At Dhinodhar, orphans,
children of destitute persons, lazy and disheartened men ,
even old men, the indolent and those afflicted with domestic
troubles are admitted ; 8 but recruits are chiefly from the
Shepherd (Rabari) caste. The abbot in 1838 was Warnāth
of that caste . Formerly in Kacch Dheds were admitted to
the order, and one pir of the monastery was Meghnāth, of
that caste; however, the practice was discontinued and
Meghwāls, or Dheds, were denied admittance.10 At Gorakh
mandi they recruit from most Hindu castes , but ostensibly
receive neither Christians, Musalmāns nor Dheds . Kāņķhad
nāthis recruit from Ahirs, Rājputs and others.12 At Tilla
candidates are drawn chiefly from Khatris, Aroras and
Brāhamans.13 It is probable that caste distinctions are to
1 RTCP, vol. II, p. 400 . ? At Devi Pātan and Almora.
3 OMAS, p. 185 . 4 OMAS,
7
p. 152. 5 Wi, p. 206 .
6 RTCP, vol. II, p. 404. ? Census of the Panjab, Report, 1891, p . 117.
8 See Khakhar, p. 10 ; Bombay Gazetteer, vol. V , p . 87; 1A , vol. VII,
p. 53.
9
JRAS, 1839, p . 270. 10 IA , 1878, p . 51 , n .
11 Bombay Gazetteer, vol. VIJI, p. 155. 12 Khakhar, p. 13 .
13 District Gazetteer, Jhelum 1904, p. 36.
THE ORDER 27
a great extent ignored. In some places they receive boys
whom parents have promised to Yogis in fulfilment of
vows .
At Gorakhpur each candidate is examined as to his family
and caste before he is accepted. Besides, each candidate has
to go to the police station and prove that he is not a
criminal, and there he makes record that he is willing to
become a Yogi.
Yogis are casteless. Within the order there are no caste
restrictions upon eating, drinking and smoking. But Hindu
and Musalman Yogis do not eat together, the former refus
ing to eat with the latter . Theoretical equality does not,
however, extend to women , for Yogis do not allow their
women folk to eat with them , although women of all panths
eat together .
Initiation is divided , roughly , into two stages of the first, a
probationary period , followed by ceremonies leading to
preliminary discipleship; the second, during which the
ceremony of splitting the ears, which leads to full membership
in the sect, is performed. An initiate in the first stage is
called an Aughar; in the second stage he becomes a full
fledged Yogi.
A candidate may be of almost any age. There are many
boys, of varying ages, who are fully initiated Kānphatas.?
In Gorakhmandi the rule is initiation in youth.8
The months most auspicious for the ceremonies are Pūs,
December - January; Māgh, January -February; Phāgun, Feb
ruary -March ; and Cāit, March - April; and initiations are
almost entirely confined to these months.
Initiation usually takes place at a monastery, but it may be
1 Compare BRI, p . 213.
: Census of the Panjab, Report, 1891, p. 118.
3 So reported at Țilla.
* As reported to the author at Benares .
6 Some insist that there are three stages ; but the distinction lies
in a subdivision of what is set up here under the second stage, and
deals with the rites that follow the healing of the ear -wound . See
report of the case at Gorakhpur, below , p. 37.
? See pictures.
8 Bombay Gazetteer, vol. VIII, p. 155.
performed at a place of pilgrimage , or at a temple of
Bhāirom .?
The candidate is first closely confined for a period ranging
from forty days to from three to six months ; that is , for
a period of testing satisfactory to the guru . During this time
the candidate is tried as to his resolution and ability to carry
through his undertaking. At the same time he is dissuaded
from becoming a Yogi, the guru pointing out to him the
hardships that his initiationand his life as a Yogi would entail.
When the guru is satisfied with the self-control and
resolution shown by the candidate, a fast of two or three days
may be prescribed . Then , on the day chosen for the initiation
ceremony, the candidate bathes and appears before his guru,
bringingwith him a rupee and a quarter, a cocoanut, flowers,
and sweets. The latter are distributed amongst those
present. A two - edged knife, with which the ears are to be
split in the second stage of initiation, is presented to the
candidate three times, and he is again dissuaded from
proceeding with the ceremony.
The knife is driven into the ground, or is laid down before
him and the candidate takes the necessary vows over it,
swearing not to engage in trade, not to take employment, not
to keep dangerous weapons, not to become angry when
abused, not to marry , and to protect his ears. Like all other
ascetics he takes the vow of ahimsa (non - injury ). He then
receives the mantra , or initiatory verse, either from his guru ,
or from some other Yogi. Ochre-coloured clothes are then
presented to him, and he is accepted as a disciple by his guru .
A barber now shaves his head , including the scalp -lock
( cuțiya). In some places, however, his guru cuts off the
cuțiya.' In Almora it was stated that a special guru, not the
1 The author saw a recently initiated Yogi at the Kumbh Mela at
Allahābād, in 1918.
2 So reported at Benares. This applies when there is no monastery
at the place. At Kāma, it was said,that the ceremony is performed
at a monastery .
3 BCI, vol. II , p. 497 . 4 So reported at Almora.
5 Laddu, or similar sweets .
6 Mantras are used with each act throughout the ceremony of
initiation - Almora.
? So stated in Dhinodhar, Gorakhpur and Benares.
THE ORDER 29
candidate's chief guru , cuts the scalp -lock. If the Ganges

river is nearby, the hair is consigned to it ; if not, the guru
keeps the hair in his wallet until he and his disciple go to the
river, when it is taken and offered to the Ganges. Or, the
hair may be thrown into a tank . A feast is then given.
Among the Ratannāth Yogis the candidate is given, by his
guru , a razor and scissors seven times, and he is urged not to
proceed with the initiation. The scissors suggest the cutting
of the scalp -lock , which entails the breaking of caste ; the
razor, the painful ordeal of having the ears split. But if the
candidate persists, his guru cuts off his scalp -lock after
which his head is shaved by a barber. He then bathes and
is besmeared with ashes, and a kafni or shroud , a langoți or
loin -cloth , and a cap are given to him . The ashes and the
shroud signify death to the world. After six months, or so ,
if his guru be satisfied, the candidate's ears are split.
After the ceremony the novice allows his hair to grow , or
at least his scalp -lock, until he pays a visit to some famous
shrine, when he has it cut, places it before the deity, with
offerings of food , and gives a feast . This practice isdenied
however by the Yogis of Gorakhpur. In Almora, they say
that the cuțiya alone is allowed to grow until a pilgrimage is
made to some sacred place like Hardwār, when it is cutand
offered to the Ganges.
After the barber has finished his work and the candidate
has bathed , he seats himself before his guru , facing north, or
east. His teacher then puts around his neck the singnād
janeo, or sacred thread of the order.
The candidate's body is then smeared with ashes.
He is now the accepted disciple of his guru and begins to
serve his religious guide.
The candidate may now add to his name the sect word ,
das. To this Almora Yogis agree, but at Gorakhpur and
at Devi Pātan it was contradicted. He may at this time,
or during the final stage of the initiation, receive from his
1 So Russell, TCCP, vol. III, pp. 250, 251 .

2 RTCP, vol. II, p. 401, n . 1. 3 Sostated in Almora .
4 Compare CTC , vol. III , p. 157.
5 Compare OMÁS, p. 85 ; RTCCP, vol. III, p. 250.
guru a new name, that of some saint, or of a plant, or of an
animal.1
Those who have undergone the first stage of initiation are
usually termed Aughars.
They wear, as a usual thing, the clothes of the ordinary
Hindu. The one in charge of the shrine on the summit at
Dhinodhar wore ( 1924) a very long, loose coat, of ochre
colour, reaching nearly to hisankles, and without a waist
band ; and a turban of cotton of the same colour.
Some Aughars wear their hair long and unkempt.2
The Aughar serves his guru , attends his teaching, and
performs certain duties about the establishment where he
lives. At Dhinodhar the novice is made to repeat, twice
daily, in the presence of his guru , the words, oņkār, updesh,
adesh and on through his singnād . In Almora it was said
that these words need not be repeated through the whistle.
The Aughar is not accorded equal rights with the Yogi.
This is illustrated by the fact that at feasts and when gifts
are distributed, the Aughar receives but half the portion of a
Yogi. In Benares, however, Yogis maintain that Aughars
would share equally with them .
There is no stated period of service before which an
Aughar may proceed with the final stage of initiation which
will constitute him a Yogi. At anytime, when his guru
is satisfied that he is ready, the disciple may proceed with
the initiation . There are some, however, who wait for
twelve years ; and , according to Russell, the novice in
the Central Provinces must remain such for twelve years,
during which time he is expected to make two or three
parikramas ( that is, travel from the mouth of the river to its
source on one bank, and return by the other) of the Narbada
river. During each pilgrimage, he allowshis hair to grow , and,
at the end of the journey, shaves all but the scalp -lock, and
offers the hair to the river.5 In Benares, in Gorakhpur and
1 Compare PNC, vol. II, para 562. 2 See pictures.
3 Bombay Gazetteer, vol. V, p. 87; IA , vol. VII, p . 52. The
updesh mantra is, ' Be wise, pious and useful.' Omkāris om .
Sherring reported that the candidate was kept in a room under
surveillance for forty days. - SHTC , p. 262.
5 RTCCP, vol. III, pp. 250, 251.
THE ORDER 31
in the Panjab, Yogis assert that the parikrama is not obliga

tory. In Almora itwas explained that an Aughar would make
such a pilgrimage only asthe companion of his guru , should
thelatter make the journey.
Aughars of all panths are constantly met with, who are old
men, and who have no intention of ever having their ears
split. They call themselves Gorakhnāthis. At Kirāna, in
Jhang, the Aughars are ingood repute and are wealthy. They
have their own pir, or abbot, who, after his induction into
office, is never allowed to descend the hill.1 There are other
monasteries of Aughars, for example, at Hardwār and at
Bombay. Near the temple of Bālkeswar on the sea-front at
the latter place, is the residence of аa group of Aughars who
are followers of Bālaknāth . He has some followers in the
Panjab. Rose says that he was a disciple of Gorakhnath , who
left his guru in childhood for the jungle where he used to
suck unmilked cows. The caran ( foot-prints in marble) of
this saint is found there. These Aughars never become
Kānphatas. They bear a rather bad reputation.
Aughars pretend to some magical powers, and some
approximatethe Aghori . Others say that they are followers
of Kānipā, pupil of Jālandhar. In the west, Aughars
(Oghads) are an inferior class .
When his guru is satisfied that the candidate is prepared
to complete his initiation , the arrangements are made. The
chief tests of fitness are that the pupil has kept his vows, has
been faithful in his service to his guru and is steadfastly
resolved to proceed. First, the candidate bathes, is shaved,
puts ashes on his body, and ties a cloth of cotton about his
İoins. Some say that he covers the upper part of his body
with a cotton cloth dyed in ochre , but others say not. He
then presents himself, with two of his guru's disciples, before
a Census, North -western Provinces and Oudh, 1891 , Pt. 1., p. 226 .
Gospel in Gonda, p . 216.
Census of the Panjab, Report, 1891 , p. 115.
• Bombay Gazetteer, vol . VIII, p. 447.
6 Compare CTC, vol. III, pp. 156, 157 ; RTCCP, vol. III,
p. 251.
• An āñchala, kafni.
32 GORAKHNATH AND THE KÄNPHAȚA YOGIS
his teacher. The candidate is made to sit facing north . He
draws his knees up and clasps his hands under them . Prepara
tion for the splitting of the two ears is then made. A
specially skilled Yogi is called to perform this service , for
which he receives one and a quarter rupees. The fee may
be larger, two and a quarter or twenty - five and a quarter
rupees. This guru is called Kān Guru ( ear-guru) or Cira
Guru ( the guruwho splits the ears ). The two edged knife
is brought, and in front of Bhāirom , mantras, or sacred
texts, are pronounced over it. Slits, about three-quarters
of an inch long, are then made in the cartileges of
both ears. The mantra, Siva Gorakşa ,' being used.3
Some claim that the effect of the mantra is to make
the operation painless and bloodless. Plugs of nim or of bikua
wood are then inserted in the wounds. The gashes are
washed daily with pure water or with nim water. Some say
that the plugs are removed daily when the wounds are
dressed . The care of the wounds continues for forty days.
It is said that the plugs fall out after nine days. In some
instances the nim sticks are covered with the soft, downy
feathers of the peacock's quill and the wounds are kept
wet .
According to one report the regular Yogi who slits the
ears inserts the knife and then asks the novice whether he be
willing to renounce the world or not ; and if he is unwilling
he withdraws the knife. If the novice says that he is willing
to follow the precepts of the sect and become an ascetic, the
ear - slitter moves the knife up and down, finishing the opera
tion ; pieces of a twig of nim -wood, soaked in oil,are inserted
in the wounds for three days, when ear -rings are inserted .
One of the pictures shows an initiate whoseears are not yet
healed , wearing ear-rings.
1 In some cases Yogīs are initiated by their fathers; e.g., in the

Himālayas. There the practice has been handed down from father
to son. In this case the cuțiya, or scalp -lock , is cut by another Yogi
and the earssplit by still another.
2 RTCCP, vol. III, p . 250 ; RTCP, vol. II , p. 401; Census of the
Panjab, Report, 1891, p . 115.
Compare FORL, p.348.
4 Bombay Gazetteer, vol. VIII, p. 447 .
THE ORDER 33
By the slitting of the ears the Aughar becomes a Yogi, and

may add to his name the word Nātha, Lord . Often he
takes a new name to which he adds the word , Nātha .
He may receive as a name that of a plant or animal; e.g.
Nimnātha Kanahnātha, Nāgnātha . Kaņķhaờnāthis use the
word Kanthad, instead of Nātha.
When the wounds have healed, the Yogi resumes his sacred
thread, smears his body with ashes, and appears before his
guru . From now on , he will remember' his teacher twice
daily and appear before him . Ear-rings of clay, weighing
about one -fourth of a pound, are now put on, the mantra,
‘Om svāham ,' being used.5 In some parts of India the rings
are of lacquered earthenware. After a period varying from
fifteen to twenty, or forty days, or a year, ringsof some other
substance may be substituted for those of clay .
When the rings are inserted , the following exhortation is
whispered in the Yogi's ear; ' Be wise, pious and useful';?
or, ' Be wise, perform your religious8 duties, keep yourself
prompt in theservice of your guru .'
The ceremony of initiation is completed with the worship
of the nine Nathas, the eighty -four Siddhas and Bālasun
darī. The goddess is represented by a twisted thread wick
fixed in a ballof dough and lighted. This is placed in a square
made on the ground with flour or rice. In this square a jar
(kalsa ) of water also is set. The light'is worshipped with
offerings of flowers, sweets ( lađều , halwa), cakes and acocoanut.
The latter is split with a knife before being offered .
The duties of a Yogi are various. At Dhinodhar, for
example, he repeats the name of Dādā, referring to the founder
of the sect,10 or Bābā, referring to his guru , serves his teacher,
and performs such other tasks as are assigned to him . The
disciple is considered as the adopted son of his guru and
inherits from him .u
1 RTCP, vol. II, p . 401. 2 RTCP, vol. II, p . 399 .

3 PNQ , vol. II , para 51. 4 IA, vol. VII, p. 53.
5 SHTC, p. 14 6 See under ear -rings, above, p. 7 .
? Theupdesh mantra. 8 Compare Bombay Gazetteer,vol. V ,p. 87.
• A substitute for human sacrifice ? CTC, vol. III, p. 157.
10 CompareBombayGazetteer, vol. V , p. 87.
11 IA , vol. VII, p. 52.
3
After initiation a Yogi may elect to become a militant Yogi,
vowed to celibacy . In this case he would be known as
Nāga, Nihang, or Kānphata . On the other hand , quite con
trary to supposed regulations, he may become a householder,
or grhasta .
The initiate becomes a member of the sub -sect of his
guru ; consequently, in choosing his guru , he chooses his
sub-sect. He belongs, also, to the monastery of which his
teacher is a member.2
Some women receive initiation . These are either married
women , or those who enter the sect after the death of their
husbands. In Almora, in 1924, there was one, Sarasvati
(Nāthni), a widow whose husband had been a landlord.
After his death , she was initiated into the Satnāth sub -sect
at Almora. She had been on pilgrimages as far as Hing
Lāj. She was pūjārī at a temple of Bhāirom in her own
house. On her arm was a brand mark received at Koteswar,
and she wore the usual beads from Hing Lāj. Her cocoanut
begging -bowl (darya nārial) was from Bhūj in Kacch. In her
rosary of thirty -two beads she wore a tāwiz, or amulet; black
stones from Badrināth ; and large, white stones from Hing
Lāj, set in silver. Another widow , at Kāma, who had made
the pilgrimage to Hing Lāj, was a member of the same sect.
The Känphatas possess many monasteries, of which there
are a number of importance . Some of these occupy very old
religious sites whose history undoubtedly long antedates the
rise of the Gorakhnāthis. There is no fixed rule of superiority
amongst the monasteries; but that at Țilla, in the Panjab, is
generally considered to be the chief seat of the Gorakhnāthis.
The abbot at Gorakhpur claims authority over the establish
ments in the United Provinces, and regions to the south look
to this place as their chief authority. This monastery claims
to supervise some 360 lesser establishments. However, the
1 That he need not remain in the monastery is allowed by the
Hathayogapradīpika, 1 , 12 f. See Wi, p. 216 n. and Tessitori, ERE,
vol. XII, p. 834.
2 Forthespecialized functions of gurus and mahants, or pirs, see
below , pp. 38 , 39.
3 Baines calls attention to the fact that those with monasteries
have the right to be called Yogis. (Ethnology, p. 41.)
THE ORDER 35
nearby monastery at Tulsipur is related to that at Sawārikot

in Nepāl and is independent of Gorakhpur. The head of the
Gorakhpur establishment was, in 1924, of the Dharamnāth
sub-sect, while that at Tulsipur belonged to the Ratannāth
branch of Gorakhnāthis. There may be some relation between
Gorakhpur and Dhinodhar where the Yogis are known as
Dharamnāthis. Yet, the pir at Dhinodhar belongs to the
Santnāth sect of the Panjaband Nepāl. The chief monasteries
seem to be more or less independent of each other. The
chief seats of the Yogis exercisewide influence.
There is an organization, called the Bhek Bārah Panth
which has general supervision over the monasteries, and
which is consulted when mahants are elected, and which
deals with disputes arising from various causes, or where the
deposition of a mahant is desired. The Bhek is composed
of representatives from the twelve Panths of the Gorakhna
this, one from each . The elections are made at the Kumbh
Mela, held at Hardwār once in every twelve years. At this
time thousands of Yogis from all of the mathas (monasteries)
are assembled . Special elections may be made to supply
vacancies when the Bhek is convenedto settle questions, at
local monasteries, or at great melas, such as those held at
Ujjain and Allahābād . The head of this organization is
chosen in turn from each of the twelve panths. This is a desir
able office, with tenure of twelve years, for which the
incumbent pays a fee of twelve hundred rupees. He is con
sidered as Jogeswar and ranks as head of all the Gorakhnāthis .
The Bhek has a monastery at Hardwār. On two occasions,
when the author visited it, there was no one in residence. It
is reported that the committee was not re -elected at the last
Kumbh Mela.1
The monasteries (matha, asthäl, akārā ) vary in structure
and extent according to the wealth of the Yogis who reside
in them , or the extent of their endowments. They com
prise a set of chambers, or cells, for the resident mahant,
or abbot, his permanent pupils, and other members of the
order. There are always in residence a number of disciples
as well as vagrants. The older disciples usually have young
1 See references to the trial at Gorakhpur, below , p. 37.
followers towhom they are teaching the elements of their
doctrine and practice. In connection with the monastery
will be found a temple of Siva, of Devi, or of Bhāirom , or
temples of all these deities and others ; the samādh, or shrine,
of the founder of the monastery , or of some other eminent
teacher ; tombs ( samadhs) of numerous other Yogis; and one
or more dharamsālas, or rest- houses for the accommodation
of the mendicants and other travellers who are constantly
visiting the place. Ingress and egress are free to all.
The buildings of theKānphatas vary from substantial halls,
some two storeys high, like those at Dhinodhar, to less
pretentious structures, like those at Tulsipur, and to rude,
mud huts with roofs of thatch, like those at Puri.
The monasteryis under the control of an abbot, called
mahant, or pir. The functions of the mahant are to direct
the worship at the temple and elsewhere in the establishment
and to appoint pūjāris and assistants for this purpose ; to
instruct and to direct instruction in Yoga and in the duties
of Yogis; to administer the funds of the monastery and to
keep the property in repair.
The mahant at Gorakhpur nominates his successor, in
variably choosing a member of his own sub -sect. However,
Sundarnathji, who was head of the monastery in 1924, died
without naming a successor. A dispute immediately arose as
to whether a brother guru (that is, a brother of the same
sub -sect ) or a cela (personal disciple) should succeed to
the gaddi. The matter was taken to the civil courts for
decision . Sundarnāthji was of the sub -sect of Dharamnāth .
The rule as stated at Gorakhpur is that, upon the death of
the mahant, representatives of the twelve sub - sects of the
Gorakhnāthis meet to choose a successor. They invariably
elect the person named by the late mahant. The law suit
referred to above shows that the election is not wholly within
the power of the residents of the monastery.
An interesting point in the dispute at Gorakhpur was that
1 The matha is more particularly the residence of teachers . Their

pupils frequent the establishment and may become semi- residential;
but the inmates are not a permanent body following a fixed rule of
life.
THE ORDER 37
one Nanhoo Singh, who was involved in the suit, and who
hopedtowin the gaddi,was not a Yogi at all. He stated that
if he had won his case at law , he had intended to undergo
initiation , become a Yogi and have his ears split. It seems
that in this particular case the guru bhāi had died previously
to the mahant and the dispute involved the question of cela.
According to the opinion of the judge in the Gorakhpur case
the succession would be (1 ) cela , (2 ) guru bhài, (3) caca guru ;
e.g., disciple, guru of the same panth as the mahant, and
brother of the brother guru .
After a mahant has been chosen, the electors proceed to the
District Officer of Gorakhpur and announce their decision.
The officer takes the signature of the twelve Yogis on a
declaration that the newly - elected mahant is their choice.
After his election, it is said , the mahant is not allowed to leave
the monastery. Sundarnāthji had made the various pilgrim
ages from Nepāl to Kacch and from Badrināth to the south of
the peninsula before he waselected head ofthemonastery. The
mahant is inducted into office with the usual form of worship,
the prasād and a feast which includes the giving of food in
charity to all who may come to the ceremonies, whether they
be Yogis or not. The installation is concluded with fire-works.
Part of the services of installation take place while the mahant
is seated in a niche in the wall of the main shrine. The
Yogīs worship him , present him with a new garment and
mark his forehead with the tikā. Afterwards he is seated on
the rāja gaddi, or royal seat,outside the veranda of the main
shrine. Then the priest at the monastery gives him a garment
and marks his forehead with the țīkā, and makes other
presents. There is, of course, a large number of Yogis and
others including prominent men of the community present.
In connection with the ceremonies there is a protracted
worship of Pātar Deo, covering seven days .
Theabbot at Dhinodhar, in Kacch is called pir. The head
1 Reported by the Rev.E. C.Dewick,M.A., in a letter to the author,
dated 27 March, 1928. Nanhoo Singh won his suit, and is now
mahant of Gorakhpur.
2 See trial cited above. Pātar Deo = Patel Deo (?) the spirit of the
ancient ( village) proprietor. See Sleeman, Ramblesand Recollections,
Oxford edition , p. 221.
ĀTH ND HE ANPHAȚA YOGIS
38 GORAKHN A T K
of that monastery, in March, 1924, was Pir Sri VII, Somnāthji.
The pir is chosen, from among the Yogis at the monastery,
by the Rāo of Kacch and holds office for life. He is not
allowed to go outside of the bounds of the state. The pir is
installed in office by the Rão, who invests him with a dress of
honour, and seats him on the gaddi, or cushion of authority, as
chief of the Kānphatas. The pir is held in high honour. He
does not have to return the salute of anyone, not even of the
Rāo ; and he need not rise when the Rão pays hima visit.1
In 1924, the pir had a small boy as his much beloved cela , or
pupil. Evidently he hoped to provide for succession through
him . It would seem that the succession is through adoption
and that the Rāo's choice is only nominal. This view is
upheld by the fact that, in the west, outside of Dhinodhar,
the pir, or bābā, is allowed to marry , and, failing issue, to
adopt one of his disciples, thus providing for the succession
at his establishment.
The mahant of Tulsipur (Devi Patan) is chosen by vote of
twelve Yogis representing the twelve sub -sects of the
Gorakhnathis. He is placed upon the gaddi, given a janeo
and a special dress, and offerings of prasād are made before
him . The mahant ( in 1924) was Harināth . He did not
initiate nor did he make disciples.
The mahant at Țilla occupies the most important seat of
the Kānphatas; in other respects he does not exercise
peculiar functions. His establishment is in good repair,
except for the very old remains on the site, even though the
income of the institution has been much curtailed in recent
times. The records show that, once inducted into office, he
should never descend the hill. However, in 1924 , the author
met him in Amritsar under circumstances related below .
This fact, however, might be the very important exception
which proves the rule.
It may now be stated that the office of mahant is either
( 1) Māurūsi, hereditary, by succession , (2) Panchayati, by
decision of a council, or (3) Hākimi by authority or right.
No definition of the third case has been discovered.
Next in order after the mahant is the guru or teacher in the
* JRAS, 1839, p. 270.
THE ORDER 39
order. He usually has a group of students about him who are

receiving instruction preparatory to initiation, or who are
Yogis under instruction in Yoga.
Yogis and Aughars make up the rank and file of the order.
As indicated above, a candidate chooses his guru in the first
instance; but the choice may be decided finally by the
mahant.
Life in the monastery follows a fairly close, but not very
exacting routine. There is the early worship at the samādhs,
and the later offerings as well; the time given to teaching and
to meditation ; the midday worship at the various shrines and
the evening worship. Begging may form part of the day's
work. There is plenty of timefor conversation. Visitors are
constantly coming and going. Every Yogi returning from a
pilgrimage has much to report about all sorts of things.
There isthe business of administration. Each Yogi has his
own room , where he may enjoy some privacy , but much of
the life of the establishment is open to publicview. Further
details of activities may be noted in the accounts of the
various establishments.
Gorakhnāthīs bury their dead , rarely, if ever, employing
the services of Brāhmans, the rites being performed by
fellow -Yogis . A legend is sometimes given which accounts
forthe practice. There was once a dispute between Hindus
and Musalmāns as to who were masters of the earth. To
disprove the claims of the latter, Gorakhnāth sat on the
ground, placing his food and belongings beside him , and
called upon the earth to yield to him if he had a share in
her. The earth opened and he sank below the surface
of the ground . The practice of burial is not confined
to Kānphatas, being followed by some other ascetic
orders.
Thy dying Yogi, especially if he be an adept in Yoga, is
made to sit cross-legged, as in meditation .
After death the body is prepared for burial. It is washed
by Yogis, rubbed withashes of cow - dung, or with ashes from
1 See RTCP, vol. II, pp. 399 , 400.
: Compare OBTM , p . 264; Wi, p , 196; SHTC , p. 262.
3 RTCP, vol. II, p. 400 . · RTCP, vol. II, pp 3. 99,400.
the dhūni, sometimes with sugar also, and dressed in new
garments of everyday life. Or, the body may be covered
with an ochre -coloured shroud. A new sacred thread, with
the näd , ring and rudrākşa berry , and a new rosary are hung
around the neck. Some say thatthe ear -rings are removed and
replaced by earthen ones. A tīkā of sandalwood or of red
lead is drawn on the forehead. Five things are put into the
from alamp (cirāg)
mouth - gold , silver, a pearl, a charred wick
used in the worship of Devi, and incense (kesas khuşbhu).
The body is then placed in a postureof meditation (a sitting
posture )on a seat, and is supported by one crutch, or by
three. Under the body sugar, and sometimes earth, but not
salt, are placed. Flowers also may be put on the seat. A
potsherd is placed on the head, but for this a black silk cap or
a turban may be substituted .
The grave is a pit, dug deep , three and one half hands
(häth ), and circular. In the south wall a niche is cut for the
reception of the body which is set facing north . Under the
seatone rupee and four annas or five andone- fourth rupees
and sugar are deposited. The platform is made of 'wool,
grass, etc.'
At the right end in front of the body is placed a gourd full of
water ; and at the left a rot ( a thick loaf of unleavened bread ),
a saucer of rice and milk , and another of water. A loin cloth
and a staff(kanak ) arelaid in front of the body. The begging
bowl is filled with milk and is placed in the wallet which is
hung from the right shoulder . Rose says that the nails are
removed and taken to Hardwār, but at Gorakhpur this was
denied. Sugar and gold are put into the grave. It is then
filled in with earth , and a mound is raised over it. Later, a
masonry platform , ora tomb may be erected over the grave,
in which case it will be surmounted with the yoni-linga.
1 PNQ, vol. II, para 464 . • CTC , vol. III, p. 158.

• Census Report, Berār, 1881, p . 60 .
• Reported by theAipanthis at Hardwär.
• In Sind,sugar is placed under and above the body. (Aitken ,
Gazetteer of the ProvinceofSind, p . 184.) See notein Siva Samhita,
p. 50, where it is pointed out thatafter beginning the practice of the
Hatha Yoga, a Yogi may not use salt.
• Compare CTC,vol. III, p .158 .
THE ORDER 41
The păduka (caran) of the deceased may be put on the

samadh.1
If the deceased had been a rich Yogi,or if he had been the
disciple of a guru who owned land, his body would be placed
in a chair shaped like a doli, it would be adorned with flowers,
and he would be carried to the grave in a procession lead by
musicians. In Berār, according to Kitts, the body is carried
to the grave in a large wallet .
The grave is called samādh or samadhi.
In some places, especially in Benares and in Almora, Yogis
were formerly buried in their own houses. But municipal
regulations have put a stop to the practice. However in the
outlying places about Almora the practice still continues. At
Almora their burial grounds are at Patal Devi, outside of the
town. There are some, manifestly old, samadhs in Almora
which consist of four slabs of stone making a box with a
fifth slab for a cover . There are now no lingas on them .
If the Yogi was a poor man , or if he had been the disciple
of a man without landed property, his body might be placed
on two poles and sunk in a river. This practice was
acknowledged at Benares, but Gorakhpur Yogis insisted that
all are buried.
For ten or twelve days after thedeath offerings are made
to the deceased. Bel leaves and flowers are placed on the
grave and upon it a lamp is kept burning.
After the disposal of the body, all the Yogis bathe with
water supplied by the deceased's disciples, and then sweets
( laddu ) are distributed. There is no further ceremonial
impurity. However, some say that clothes are washed on
the tenth day after death . A council of all the Yogis at the
place where death occurred is held , and in case the deceased
had not chosen a successor, a guru, if this was his rank , is
chosen to take his place. The clothes of the dead are given to
degraded Yogis or are divided among those present. Food
and money also are distributed .
1 This appliesin the case of disciples of Matseyendranāth and of
Dattatreya also. See Enthoven, Folklore of Bombay, p. 150.
: Census Report, Berar, 1881, p . 60.
Compare CTC ,vol. III, p.158.
• See CTC, vol. III, p. 158 . 5 At Almora.
On the third day cakes ( rot) cooked rice, milk and cūrmā
are offered on the grave and then are consumed by the
worshippers. If the deceased were not well off, cūrmā only is
offered. Some wash their clothes on the third day, but this
is not considered necessary.
On the twelfth day turmeric powder is sprinkled.1 And
worship of Bahrām Deo and Māri Māi is performed on a
kettle drum (danka ).
On the thirteenth day a conch shell is blown and the
krya karna is completed and the spirit of the deceased
departs. At Dhinodhar a feast is given on the thirteenth day
and alms are distributed . In Berār, on the Sivrātri, the
pāduka of the deceased is worshipped .
After a year (bārsi), or a year and a half, the śrāddha, or
funeral rite is performed. The Yogis keep vigil all night
and in some places the ceremony known as bharad, the
beating of drums for Devi, is kept up. In the watch before
dawn fish, or pakāuri, or khit, or palau or flesh is distributed .
Six or seven thrones (gaddi) are erected ; to the pir, to
Joginīs,to Sākhya (or witness ), to Bir, to Dhandāri ( cook of
Guru Gorakhnāth ), to Gorakhnāth and to Neka or Ant
( reported at Almora ). Mantras are recited, clothes and coins
of gold, silver and copper are distributed, and a cow orsome
other gift is made to the pir. Gifts are made also to Yogīs.
The silver goes to Sākhya, copper to Bir, the cow to the pir,
water to Gorakhnāth .
Formerly all classes ' attended this ceremony , now only
Yogis.
Householders also are buried , and in some cases their
families likewise. Kitts reported that ceremonies for the
widow of a Yogi are the same as for a member of the order,
but that her shroud would be of red or green, not of ochre
colour.
Worship is continued at the samādhs indefinitely and is
1 Kitts, Berär Census Report, 1881, p. 60.

• Bombay Gazetteer , vol.V, p. 87 .
• Census Report, Berār, 1881,p.60.
• CompareRTCP, vol. II, pp. 399, 400.
Census Report, Berār, 1881, p. 60.
THE ORDER 43
performed twice a day. In the early morning , after bathing,

the pūjāri offers Ganges water, sandalwood , rice, bel leaves ,
flowers, sweets and incense at each samādh connected with
the monastery; or at least some of these things are offered.
The food is then thrown away. In the evening milk and
sweets are offered , a lamp is lighted and incense is burned .
The poor before consuming their food offer it at the samadhs.
The buried Yogi is supposed to remain in trance
indefinitely .
1 The Aipanthis at Hardwār said ' four o'clock.'
* ModernIndia and the Indians, p. 73.
CHAPTER THREE
VOWS
Yogisvow not to engage in trade and not to take employ

ment. So they are supposed to beg for their food. But this
is by no means the universal practice. It is estimated that
butone in one hundred begs; and at monasteries and at
shrines where offerings and income are sufficient, the inmates
do not have to go outto beg at all. Very often all that a Yogi
may askfor is brought at once by willing devotees. Most of
those who bring gifts are not immediate followers of the
Yogis. Certain Yogis, called Darşanīs, do not beg but remain
in definite places, in the forest, at temples, in caves or at
monasteries, where they are visited and worshipped . While
away on pilgrimage, it may be necessary for a Yogi to beg.
If food is not available, they eat fruit and roots; and in some
instances, if food is not given them they mix ashes from the
dhūni with water and drink it as a substitute.
As beggars they go from house to house crying, 'Alakh ,
Alakh , but they do not sing. Some put on special clothes
when they go out to beg.3 In Belgaon both men and women
beg, carrying a begging bowl, and often a trident as well.
They take both money and food.
Thereisa difference of opinion amongst writers on the
question of food; and Yogis themselves do not agree about
the matter . Sherring says that they accept food from all
1 RTCCP, vol. III, p. 250.

: Compare Census of the Panjab, Report, 1891, p. 118.
3 See above, p. 12.
See Bombay Gazetteer, vol. XXI, p. 185 ; PNQ, vol. II, paras ,
404, 964.
SHTC, p. 262.
VOWS 45
houses andall castes. Russell says that they beg only from
Hindus . Crooke , on the other hand, said that they would
not take food from lower castes, from whose hands respectable
Hindus would not take food. Sherring says that they eat
flesh.TessitoriandCrookefreport that Kanphatas accept
food other than beef and pork. Moshan Fani reported that
they ate beef and pork , and that they killed and ate men .
The practice evidently varies. In Käthiāwārs there are no
restrictions on food and they will eat with any strangers who
care to join them .
Their food consists of millets, rice, vegetables, fruits, fowls,
goat's flesh, mutton, fish, beef and pork. But not every one
accepts all these articles of diet. By some the cow is con
sidered sacred and the pig unclean. At Dhinodhar the
chief food consists of millet and pulse. And these commoner
foods of the people in general are the usual articles of diet.
One of the marks of the sect is the practice of charity.
This is followed in Nepal, in the United Provinces, in the
Panjab and at Dhinodhar and in other places inthe west. It
is said that Dharamnāth began the practice at Dhinodhar in
reaction to the neglect with which he was treated in Kacch .?
Begging was undertaken to secure means for feeding the
sickand the suffering of every caste. Then , grants of land
were made to the monasteries with this purpose in view .
At present their income is used inentertaining strangers of
all castes and creeds. At Dhinodhar two meals a day are
served to all who come. High caste visitors receive their
food uncooked ; but low caste persons are served in the
large dining hall, and Musalmāns and degraded castes in the
garden . Special caldrons are provided for preparing the
food. At Gorakhmandi, in Kātħiāwār, when the meals are
ready, a servant of the abbot goes out and calls twice in a low
voice: Whoever is hungry , come. The abbot's table is
2
1 RTCCP , vol. III, p. 252. * CTC , vol. III, p. 158.
• SHTC , p. 262.
• CTC, vol. III.p, 158; ERE , vol. XII, p. 834.
5 Dabistan , vol.II, p. 129 . 7
• Bombay Gazetteer, vol. VIII, p. 155. · See legend below .
• See IA , vol. VII, p . 51 .
• Compare Bombay Gazetteer, vol. III, p. 86 .
46 GORAKHNĀTH AND THE KANPHATA YOGIS
spread.'1 The ordinary food served is millet and red pulse.
On special days, in August, Gokal Atham , and at Nāurātri,
in October, rice and lapsi (wheat flour and molasses cooked
in butter), and opium are distributed.2 Oman reported
that the throngs of men , women and children going to Țilla
to the great festivals, are supplied with accommodation , food
and coverings there. At Țilla they pride themselves on their
practice of charity.
Gorakhnāthis are under a vow of celibacy. At Dhinodhar
the rule is strictly enforced. It was reported in 1880,4 that
women were not allowed to enter the precincts of the
monastery. In 1924, the author saw women doing menial
work of various kinds there; but there was no reason to
believe that the rule of celibacy was broken through their
presence. At Devi Pātan and at Gorakhpur the rule is
enforced that Aughars and Yogis are not allowed to marry.
And probably at most monasteries of the Gorakhnāthis
celibacy is enforced . At the matha in Benares, however, the
residents were (1924) married men who had their wives with
them . And Kāśināth , who attended the temple of Kal
Bhäirom ( in Benares), lived in his own house in the city.
It is possible that the rule of celibacy does not require
absolute continence for, to cite one exception, Yogis acknow
ledge the practice of śākta rites. It is difficult to state
just how far the rule of continence is enforced. The
reputation of Yogis is not above reproach . Buchanan reported
that though they were not permitted to marry, they were at
liberty to communicate with whatever woman they pleased.5
Celibates are sometimes called mathadāris, i.e. those who live
in a monastery .
Reportsfrom various areas show that marriage is common
amongst Kānphatas ,' and Census returns confirm this . The
so -called secular Yogis are numerous. In some instances
Brāhmans are employed to perform their marriage cere
1 Bombay Gazetteer, vol. VIII, pp. 155, 156 , 446 f.

2 Bombay Gazetteer, vol. V, p . 86 . 3 OMAS, pp . 264 , 265 .
* IA , vol. VII, p. 51 . 5 Martin , vol . II , pp . 484, 485 .
& Bombay Gazetteer, vol. VIII, p. 185.
? E.g. Bombay Gazetteer, vol. XXI, p. 185. 8 See pp . 4 ff.
VOWS 47
monies. Even in monasteries of repute the practice has been

known. Buchanan, before 1838, reported married Yogis
living and teaching in the matha at Gorakhpur .
At Gorakhmandi, both celibates (mathadārīs) and house
holders (gharbārīs) are found. Married Yogis are called also
Bindi-nägi, samyogi and grhasta. In the Himālayas many
householders are found, and in some instances the pūjāri
rights at their temples are kept in the family, being handed
down from father to son .
While the regulation that Yogīs who marry are not allowed
to live in a monastery is not universally enforced, still, in
many places grhastas are allowed neither to live at nor to eat
in the monastery. At Tulsipur a well -known gſhasta had his
house , where (1924) he lived with his wife , adjoining the
grounds of themonastery at Devi Pātan. Yogīs who marry
are held in contempt byothers, and, in some instances have
to pay a fine before they are permitted to smoke with
celibates . Married Yogis continue to wear the ear-rings, the
sacred thread, the clothes and other articles of the sect, and
they may continue to practise Yoga.
In marriage, Yogis hold to the caste from which they have
come, in choosinga wife, and avoid marriage in the same
sub -sect.
In Almora there are householders of the Dharamnāth and
Satnāth sub -sects. No rules require sons of grhastas to
become Yogis, but this happens; and such instances were
discovered by the author in NainiTāl and Almora. In the
latter case a second son became a Yogi in order to secure his
father's rights and property in a temple and a house belong
ing to the family , the eldest son being a munshi in the
Cantonment in Almora. The third son was an Aughar.
Householders engage in secular employments. În Almora
are to be found milkmen , tailors and agriculturalists. In
various parts of India Yogis are engaged in weaving, culti
vation, in peddling, as soldiers, andas money-lenders . In
1 Martin, vol. II, p. 484.
? Bombay Gazetteer, vol. VIII, p. 155.
3 RTCP , vol. II, p. 410.
* See Tessitori, ÉRE ,vol. XII, p. 834.
the Simla Hills, Yogis burn the dead , and for every corpse
receive four annas in money together with a plate of brass and
a woollen or cotton cloth . They also receive grain at each
harvest.
The Siva Samhitā allows success to householders. The
last three verses of that work read: Therefore the Yoga
should be performed by master Yogis according to the pres
cribed rules. He who is satisfied with whatever he receives,
self -controlled and unattached ( to household affairs), even
though he be an householder, is released through the practice
of Yoga. Success for the masterful householders, who are
attached to the practices of the Yoga, must arise by means of
japa. Therefore, let the householder exert himself. Estab
lished in the house, with ample household , having renounced
attachment and engaged in Yoga practice secretly ,the house
holder sees (increasingly) the wonderful marks of success,
and , having carried out my instructions, should enjoy (bliss ).
Womenwho have been initiated into the sect are numerous.1
Those who are wives of Yogis are of two classes, those who
are themselves Yogīnīs and those who are not. Both classes
are common . In Kumaon and in Garhwāl, in 1924, the
author saw women of both classes. Women may be initiated
before or after their marriage. A woman who, before her
marriage, has had her ears split is not married by the usual
Hindu rites; the marriage in such cases being by purchase,
a formal agreement having the sanction of the sub - sect. A
feast is always given. On the other hand , the marriage of a
woman , before she has been initiated, is by the usual Hindu
ceremony (śādī). At Kāma, in Kumaon , in 1924 , the mahant
said that such a woman could not be initiated . From
Rāwalpindi female Yogis are reported.
A number of castes trace their origin to Yogis. The
records,however, are not always clear as to whether the Yogis
reported trace their origin to Gorakhnathis.?
In the Simla Hills, Yogis form a sort of occupational caste,
1 For an account of women who have been initiated into the sect
as widowssee above, p.34.
. For the origin of Yogi castes see J. N. Farquhar's paper, ' The
Fighting Ascetics of India.'
VOWS 49
as just stated , burning the bodies of the dead and receiving

perquisites for the service. From the fact that they
certain
take offerings made at death, Kanets and higher castes will
not drink with them . They wear ear -rings,but rank below
Känphatas .
The Nāthas in the higher hills, where the worship of Siva
is prevalent, correspond very closely to the Yogis of the
plains. They practise little asceticism , but grow vegetables
and perform certain semi- sacerdotal functions, taking the
place of the acrāj (a class of Brāhmans) of the plains in the
funeral ceremonies of Kanets and receive the clothes of the
dead . They consecrate new houses and purify them when
they have been defiled. They are a true caste. One or more
in nearly every Nātha household has his ears pierced in honour
of Sivaand is called Känphatanāth . They are unclean and
uncanny.
In the Panjab, secular Yogis are called Rāwal. They make
their living by begging, fortune-telling, singing and similar
means; they were originally, probably , Yogīs. The
Samyog of the Panjab is a true caste. In Kulu they are
Nāthas; in Ambāia, Jogi Pādha ; in Nābha, they are teachers
of the children of Hindus; in Laharu they are of the Jāțu
tribe, part being secular, part celibate. Among them widow
marriage is practised . The Saṁyog of Ambāla has twelve
sections. ( The Barahnāth sub -group.)3 In the Karnāl they
are Hindus. They receive offerings made to impure gods,
and form the lowest of all castes; they practise witchcraft
and divination and are musicians. ' In Kāngra there
are two groups , theAndarlā who are both_Darşanīs and
Aughars and the Bāhirlā, all Aughars . These connect
with Gorakhnāth through a legend concerning the sons
of Macchendranāth . Once Gorakhnāth gave the boys cach
a goat to be sacrificed at a place where no one could
1 RTCP, vol. II, p. 399 n.; vol. III, p. 165.
* RTCP, vol. II, p. 389.
* Some of the names are Ai, Dhaj, Sahaj, Hāit, Kanthar, Pāgal,
Pāśupanthi, Rāwal. The third isapparently a remnant of a Vāişņavite
movement.
• RTCP, vol. II, p. 389.
• For sub-divisions see Rose, RTCP, vol. II, pp. 402, 403.
see them. One actually performed the sacrifice ; but the
other reported that he could find no place where either man
or bird or sun or moon would not be a witness. Gorakh
nāth praised him and placed him close to himself, while
the first was expelled from his presence. Thus arose the
appellations ‘ Andarlā ' and ' Bāhirlā .' Both of these divisions
observe the usual Hindu customs, except that at death
ceremonies the Bāhirlā give Brāhmans food but do not
feast them ; and at funerals blow a nād instead of a conch.
Of the Darşanis some go clothed ; others, unclothed , use
ashes. The Nangas eat flesh and drink liquor, while the
others do not.
The Yogi castes of the Central Provincesl rank as Hindus
of the menial group , from whom no good Hindu would
take either food or water. They accept cooked food from
respectable castes; permit the marriage of widows, using their
own priests in the ceremonies; allow divorce and follow the
social customs of the cultivating castes of the locality. They
are divided into sub - sects which are determined according to
occupation or profession, as follows: Barwa or Gārpagāri who
ward off hail storms from the standing crops; Maņihāri,
pedlars who travel about to bazaars, selling various small
articles such as hand mirrors, spangles and dyeing powder,
coral beads, imitation jewelry, pens, pencils and other
articles, securing pearls and coral from Bombay to sell
in the villages; Rītabikanāth, who prepare and sell soap -nut;
Patbina, who make hempen thread for gunny bags used in
carrying grain on bullocks; and Ladāimăr, who hunt jackals
and sell and eat their flesh.3
Reports on the Yogi castes of Bengal, who , as do those of
Assam also , trace their origin to Känphatas, are quite
extensive. Buchanan traces the origin of this group in
Bengal to one of two causes : either they belonged to the
priesthood of the country during the reign of Gopicand, or ,
1 RTCCP, vol . III, pp . 252, 253.

2 Thosewho are not Kānphatas employ Brāhmans.
3 RTCCP , vol. III, pp . 252, 253.
* District Gazetteer of Eastern Bengaland Assam , 1910, p. 41 .
5 Martin , vol. III, p. 408.
VOWS 51
they were Sūdras dedicated to the religious life , degraded by
Sankara, who came with the Pālas from western India.
Buchanan reportsa tradition in North -eastern Bengal to the
effect that the Yogis were formerly pupils of the great
Sankara, and that they took to drinking and were degraded.
The legend of Gopicand gives evidence pointing in this
direction. For the Yogi, Hāļi by name, who figures in that
story was a sweeper (Pom ) by caste. In Rangpur, Buchanan
found low -caste Yogis who were itinerant bards, who sang
songs of Gopicand,who were descendants of the priesthood
of the time of Gopicand . The same writer reported two
divisions of Yogis who did not intermarry. One were the
Helayas, weavers and cultivators. Their women dyed thread
and retailed turmeric, capsicum and other seasonings. The
other division were the Theyayas, idle beggars who burned
shells for lime. Some of these were cultivators. Both
groups were eaters of impure food and drunkards who
buried their dead . They were said to have been disgraced
by Sankara. They were illiterate. Elsewhere,5 Buchanan
wrote that in eastern Bengal therewas a caste of Yogis who
were weavers, lime burners, unskilled labourers, beggars and
wandering singers. Some of them ae now engaged in
agriculture, some are goldsmiths, and some are found in the
subordinate grades of Government service. In Rangpur they
sing the cyclic songs of Gopicand.
According to Risley there are in Eastern Bengal two
sub -castes of Yogīs, the Māsyas and the Ekadasis. Between
these two sections no marriages are arranged , and they do not
accept cooked food from each other. But they drink from
each other's water vessels. Their division is based upon
differences in their funeral rites. The period of mourning
1 Martin, vol. III,pp. 408, 536.

2 JASBe, vol. XLVII, Pt. 1, pp. 139 ff.
3 Martin, vol. III, p. 408. Martin, vol. III, pp. 535, 536.
5 Martin, vol. III, pp. 408, 534. cf. Hunter, StatisticalAccount
of Bengal, vol. I, p . 69.
6 RTCB, vol. I, pp. 355–61. Māsya Jogis belong to South
Bikrāmpur, Tipperah andNookhale; Ekadasisto NorthBikrāmpur
and Dacca. Those of Tipperah number some 68,000. See also,
District Gazetteer, Eastern Bengal, Webster, 1910, p. 26.
52 GORAKHN
ATH AND THE KANPHATA YOGIS
for one group is thirty days (māsa ), for the other, eleven
(ekadasa ) days. The division is based upon the further fact
that some live upon an island and others upon the mainland.1
The cultivating members of the caste form a distinct group
called Hālwa Jugi. It is said that they were out- casted for
abandoning the traditional occupation of weaving. There
are legends accounting for the origin of these castes. The
Māsyas were born from the unions of eight Siddhas with
eight Saktis created by Mahādeo. Another legend makes the
Māsyas descendants of unions between Sannyāsīs from
Benares and Vāiśya women. Again it issaid that these Yogis
are descendants of pupils of Nāthas ( Yogis) and Brāhman
widows, the latter being of the Nātha group, the former of
the Siva gotra ( family, stock ).
Ekadasīs are descendants of Sannyāsīs from Benares and
Brāhman women, or descendants of pupils of Nāthas ( Yogis)
and Brāhman widows. The legends in both cases seein to
be the same and to point to the Yogi-origin of the caste.
Both groups bury their dead, the lips of the corpse being
touched with fire by the son , or grandson. Both worship
female ancestors at weddings, perform ancestral worship in
their homes , wear the sacred thread, and read the Vedas.
These Yogis are weavers by caste, but are now taking up
agriculture, lime- burning, goldsmith's work and subordinate
grades in Government service.
According to Crooke the Māsya Yogis, of the United
Provinces, are found chiefly in Brindaban, Mathūra and
Gokul; and their principal places of pilgrimage are Benares,
Gāya and Sītākund in Chittagong.
The family of Dalāl Bazaar in the Koakhali district in
Eastern Bengal, is now considered as the head of their race.
In the middle of the eighteenth century Braja Ballabh Rāi, a
Jogi, of this family was a broker ( dalāl) and his brother Rādha
Ballabh Rāi was appraiser ( jashandār) of the English factory
of Carpata on the Meghan River. The son of the former so
proved a man of business that the Company, in 1765 ,
1 The Sandip division live on the island of Sandip ; the Bhuluānāth
division on themainland . This is a local distinction .
2 ERE ,vol. II, p. 494, article ‘ Bengal.'
VOWS 53
bestowed on himthe title and rank of Rāja and gave him a

rent - free estate still in the family.1
The Dharmaghari Jugis of Western Bengal are looked down
upon by others. They 'worship Dharma, Sitalā and other
aboriginal deities. They are beggars. They trace their
origin to Siddhas. Some of their sub - caste names are
Matsyendra, Gorkșa and BỊbhāirab. The first two of these
names are significant in pointing to relationships with
Gorakhnāthis. These Jugis practise infant marriage, employ
ing a caste member as priest; and allow neither the marriage
of widows nor divorce. They worship Siva for the most
part, Vişņu to some extent. Some are Sāktas. They practise
samādh -burial. Their social position is low . In 1881 the
Jugis in Bengal numbered more than 350,000.
În the Nizām's Dominions: two divisions of the Gorakh
nāthis are found, the Davre and the Rāvals. Both were
originally recruits from Marātha Kunbis, but now form
independent castes. The Davre, who are of the Navanāth
sect, derive their name from the drum (dabara) which they
use in singing the hymns of Bhāirava. They are also known
as Kumar Bharadi, from the name of a dance which they
perform at the commencement of the marriage ceremony of
their Kunbi (an agricultural caste) disciples. They admit
only married Kunbis and others of higher caste. Therecruits
are mostly children, dedicated by parents to Bhāirava in
fulfilment of vows. The initiation of the boy (or girl) takes
place in the temple of Bhāirava at Sonāri, at about the ages
of twelve. The lobes of the ears are split and brass rings are
worn . The division consists of three exogamous sections.
Marriage is usually early, widow remarriage is allowed,
polygamy is practised and divorce is permissible. Brāh
mans officiateat their weddings. Their gurus are Känphata
Yogis. They are buried in a sitting posture facing east, and
arecarried to the grave in a cloth bag. The procession is
accompanied by musicians. The body is smeared with ashes
of cowdung; and bel leaves and flowers are offered. Water
is poured into the mouth . Gāñja, tobacco, spirits and the
1 RTCB, vol. I , p. 356. 2 RTCB, vol . I , p. 357.
3 SCTND, vol. I, pp. 278 ff.
54 GORAKHNĀTH AND THE KĀNPHAȚA YOGIS
food of the kind the deceased was fond of are placed inthe
grave. The chief mourner first throws in earth, and offer
ings of bel leaves and flowers three times and the grave is
then filled up. Upon return to the home of the deceased, the
mourners chew nimleaves, wash their mouths and then go to
their own homes. Davres rank just below Marātha Kunbis.
They eat fish , fowl or mutton and drink spirits. There are
mendicants amongst them .
The Rāval Jogi (Rāul,Sivjogi, Kaniālanāth Rāval) are very
numerous, and like the other branch of the Gorakhnāthis,
recruit mostly from Marātha Kunbis, but from Mālis, Rājputs
and others as well.
For the ceremony of initiation a square of limestonepowder
is traced on the ground and about it are placed nine burning
lamps made of wheat flour. The novice, after having bathed ,
takes a seat in the square , on a low wooden stool, and has
his head shaved. His body is then covered with ashes of
cowdung. A sacred thread of black wool consisting of nine
threads and a rosary of one hundred and eightrudrākṣa beads
are hung about his neck. His guru gives him a trident, a
piece of cloth and an alms bag , and whispers in his ear a
mantra. Ear -rings of conch shells are inserted. Their social
customs resemble closely those of the Davre. The notable
exception is the funeral rites. While following the practices
already described , they dress the body in ochre - coloured
clothes and burn camphor and incense before it. Four men
carry the body, while a fifth holds his scalp lock. At the
grave salt is thrown over the body. After the grave is filled
up a mound is raised . A member of the funeral party stands
over the mound, blows a conch and recites mantras for the
benefit of the deceased. With the last syllable of the verse,
each member of the party throws ahandful of earth on the
mound and then all return home. They mark their foreheads
with ashes of cowdung. No śrāddha is performed. On the
third and eleventh days a garland is hung from the roof of
the house and over the water pot and a dough lamp is fed
with ghi. A goat is killed and offered and a feast is held .
They worship souls of ancestors on Nāgpañcami.
Both groups worshipBhāirom and other Hindu gods, attend
the Hindu festivals, follow Macchendranāth and Gorakhnāth
VOWS 55
and use the trident and the linga. They keep images of
deceased ancestors . They rank below Kunbis . Only low ,
unclean castes will accept food cooked by Rāvals. Theyaccept
kacca food from Kunbis, eat flesh , except beef and pork ,
and drink spirits. They are mendicants, but some are
cultivators, weavers and tailors.
In Bombay! the Yogīs, also called Nāthas, have two
divisions; the Gujarāt Jogis, who are ascetics ; and the
Marātha Jogīs, including Karnātaka and Kanāra Jogis, who
are both regular and secular. The secular groups are husband
men and labourers. Some breed buffaloes and dogs, while
others make and sell black stone vessels. The Marāthas
have twelve endogamous divisions, Balgār, Berak, Bhorpi,
Bombāri, Dawarji, Jogār, Ker, Kindri, Kurub , Mendār and
Murād. These twelve clans are named each after one of
the twelve orders said to have been founded by Gorakhnāth ,
and no marriages between members of the sub - castes
are permitted. Widow marriage is allowed. Polygamy is
practised. They bury their dead, mourning for twelve days;
otherwise they do not differ much in customs from those
of the surrounding cultivating castes. They eat goats,sheep ,
hares, deer, wild pig and fowls and use spirituous liquors,
smoke gāñja and eat opium . Boys are initiated at the age
of twelve years. They are a wandering class, who carry
their huts, made of matting set on bamboo poles, and goods
from camp to camp on ponies and buffaloes . The mendress
in ochre -coloured clothes, wear large, thick ear -rings of ivory,
clay, bone, or fish -scale in the lobes of their ears and use
rosaries of rudrākṣa beads. Their women wear petticoats and
bodices and braid their hair, allowing it to hang down their
back. Their favourite song is the legend of Gopicand.2
Their chief gods are Gorakhnāth and Matsyendranāth. They
practise sorcery and witchcraft.
Nātha Gosavis of Sāvantvādi ( Kārkān) are allied to the
Kānphatas. They slit the ear, wear pewter ear -rings and call
upon Sri Gorakh in connection with the blood sacrifice at
weddings.
1 ETCB, vol . II , pp. 103 ff.
? Bombay Gazetteer,vol. VIII, pp . 456, 457.
3 Bombay Gazetteer, vol. X, p. 419 and n. 1 .
56 GORAKHNATH AND THE KĀNPHAȚA YOGIS
Householders of certain villages in the Poona district
wander from place to place carrying their huts and goods on
ponies and buffaloes. They eat fish and the flesh of sheep,
goats, hares, deer, wild pig and fowls, drink liquor and eat
opium . Theywearlarge thick ivory, clay, bone or fish - scale
rings in the lobes of their ears, put on rudrākṣa rosaries, and
sing songs of Gopicand. They bury their dead and exhibit
other traits pointing to Gorakhnāth. Their chief gods are
Matsyendranāth
Gorakhnāth and .
In Belgaon , wives of Yogīs wear a short -sleeved bodice
and a cloth the corner of which is not passed back between
the legs, a gold nose ring, a necklace of glass or of metal
beads,a small, central goldbrooch, and three sorts of ear- rings.
While their husbands are living with them they have red lead
in the parting of their hair and wear glass bangles and a
lucky necklace. They are clean but lazy. These Yogis are
really a caste, bound together by a social organization through
which disputes are settled. Besides begging, they are engaged
in cultivation, in which they are skilled. Their women help
in sowing and weeding. They raise buffaloes and dogs.?
In Berăr the Nāthas comprise eighteen divisions, of which
the recognized or regular sub- sects are Audhut, Kānphatiya
and Gorakhnāth. Among the heterodox are Udāsi, Kalbeli
and Bharadi. They know seven other divisions, each identical
with a Hindu deity, known as the nine Nāthas, Navanāthas.
They trace their origin to Adināth through Gorakhnāth and
Matsyendranāth. Gorakhnāthis are considered of a higher
order than the Kānphațiyas, for at a feast given by Gorakh
nāth and Matsyendranāth each guest was given what he
desired. The chosen dishes wereall produced through the
miraculous powers of the two Yogis. Kānipā asked for
cooked snakes and scorpions and was promptly hooted from
the feast. (But Kānphatiya is not derived from Kānipā.)
Kānphațiyas split the lobe of the ear, Gorakhnāthis the
cartilege. The marriage ceremonies of Gșhastas resemble
those of neighbouring Hindus. The marriage dowry is one
1 Bombay Gazetteer, vol. XXI, p. 185.
? Bombay Gazetteer , vol. XXI, p. 155.
3 See Kitts, Census Report, Berår, 1881, pp. 58 ff.
VOWS 57
and one-fourth rupees. The married Yogis are called samjogi,
the celibates Yogi, or Jogi. They eke out their living by weav
ing coarse cloth ,nawar, and blankets. They carry a bunch of
peacock feathers with which they make magic passes over the
sick, and act as fortune -tellers and makers of charms. Others
keep on exhibition small performing bulls. The householders
are followers of Gorakhnath and Matsyendranāth. Their chief
objects ofworship at the Sivrātri arethe carans of those two
saints. The Bharadis perform a ceremony in honour of Devi
in which they beat drums and remain awake all night, hence
their name. These Nathās recruit from all castes.
Thurston reports as Yogis for South India, jugglers and
beggars, mostly householders, who sell beads and keep pigs.
They are snake charmers, who have no restriction as regards
food, and cultivators, scavengers, robbers and destroyers
of dogs. They keep widows in concubinage. Some of their
women are professional tattooers. Like those in Berār, they
wander about, carrying on donkeys the materials for their
rude huts which they set up on the outskirts of the villages.
They account for their condition as resulting from a curse
that was imposed because of some slighting remarks made
regarding Pârvati's breasts. These Yogis claim superiority to
Mālas and Mādigās. The caste is divided into exogamous
sects. They will eat crocodile, field rats and cats. They carry
a bag containing snakes. The Pāmula ( the word means
' snake ') is a Jogi.
In their betrothal ceremony, a small sum of money and a
pig are given to the bride's party. The pig is killed and a
feast held, with much consumption of liquor . In the marriage
ceremony the Kangnas, which are tied by the maternal uncles
to the wrists of the bride and groom , are made of human hair
and to them are attached leaves of the Alangium Lamarckii
and Strychnos Nux Vomica. On the way to thebride's hut for
the ceremony of the marriage, the groom's party is stopped
by a rope or a bamboo screen, which is held by relatives of
the bride and others. After a short struggle, money is paid
and the company proceeds. The marriage badge, a string of
black beads,is tied around the bride's neck, the bride and
1 TTCSI, vol . II, pp. 494 ff.
groom sometimes sitting on a pestle and mortar. Rice is
thrown over them and they are carried beneath the marriage
booth on the shoulders of their maternal uncles.
Widows may remarry up to seven times.
At puberty a girl is secluded in a hut made by her
brother or her husband ; and, on the last day of her isolation ,
her clothes and the hut are burned. The dead are buried,
the corpse being carried to the grave wrapped in cloth .
Before it is lowered into the grave all throw rice over the
eyes and a man of a different sect places four annas in the
mouth. Fire is also carried to the grave by the son and food
is left there. Some place a chicken and a small portion of
salt in the armpit of the corpse.
The Jogi Puruşal is a recently formed caste that speaks
Marathi and Tulu. Their head monastery is at Kadiri but
they haveseveral other establishments. The individuals of
the caste are disciples of the various mathas, and worship
Bhāirom and Gorakhnāth . There are both celibates and
householders amongst them . The former wear rings of
rhinoceros horn or of clay. The householders do not split
the ears but put pieces of clay over the cartilege where it is
usually split in initiation. They use the sacred thread to
which is attached a whistle of brass, or of copper, or of silver.
The whistle is used when the worshipper offers prayer to
Bhāirom . Brāhmans are employed for their marriages . The
dead are buried in a sitting posture and a funeral feast is
held on the twelfth day, a Brāhman priest officiating. Food
is offered to crows and gifts are made to Brāhmans. The
purificatory rites for the deceased initiate of Bhāirava
(Bhāirom ) include worship (pūjā) at the grave each day
from the third to the twelfth day. Some of these Jogis are
mendicants, others follow menial occupations, serving as
coolies, peons and the like.
Bhaddaſia Yogis and Nandi Jogis in the west of the
United Provinces, work as tailors and silk -spinners, and
have several gotras with Rājput names (e.g. Chāuhān ,Kucch
wāha, Gahlot). There is also a caste known as Domjogi
1 TTCSI, vol. II , p. 500 .
: Often Musulmans. CTC, vol. III, p. 59.
3 CTC , vol. III, p. 61 .
VOWS 59
who are beggars. The Thārus, who live below the Nepalese
hills, are divided into clans, one of which is known as Jogi.
The tale goes that a Jogi once kept a Țhāru woman as
his mistress . Their descendants are known as Jogi- Țhāru.
They bury their dead , using a samadh. There is a group
in Gorakhpur known as Kānphata Ratannāth (Rathināth ).
Rathināth is worshipped by the Jogi- Țhārus.1
Another interesting group of Jogīs, who trace their origin
to Gorakhnāth are the Sepalas. The following descriptionof
them is based upon a visit to one of their camps in the rainy
season of 1924: The Yogis, or Jogis, who were encamped on
the open plain , were protected from the weather by very
poor, thin tents of country -made cloth . These shelters were
pyramidal in shape, and were erected something like
American Indian wigwams. The edges of thetents were about
two feet from the ground, and the space below the edges was
open on all sides. Furniture was scanty, and, altogether,
conditions were of poverty. About the camp were a large
number of donkeys, the Sepalas deriving most of their income
from the sale of these animals. These Jogis keep fowls and
dogs also.
But it is as snake charmers thatthey are of special interest.
They go about in the cities and villages in the neighbourhood
of their camps taking their snakes with them . These they
charm with the music of their queer, gourd pipes ( bīn ). One
of the first things that the Jogis did, when the visitors
reached their camp, was to show their snakes. They brought
out their round, flat baskets, took off the covers and prodded
the snakes with their fingers to drive them out. They had a
good many black cobras, all very large and splendid speci
mens. One had been caught only the day before in the
jungle. Soon after snakes are captured theyare drugged and
their fangs are removed. The men showed snakes of other
kinds as well, one of a large variety, well marked , and another
‘two headed ' snake. This, they assert, has a head at either
end of its body, one of which it uses one year, and the other
the next. Some of the customs of these Jogis are of interest.
1 Knowles, The Gospel in Gonda, p. 213 ; CTC, vol. IV, pp. 386,
399.
H
60 GORAKHNAT AND THE KANPHAȚA YOGIS
They wear in their ears very large rings. These are set in
the lower part of the ears, contrary to the practice of the
Gorakhnāthis, and the holes for the rings are made with a
large needle. All sorts of rings are worn, but the ones most
valued are made of the bone of a certain ' snake found in the
hills,' the sālu sāṁp. They make offerings to Gorakhnāth at
the time of the piercing of the ears . These Jogis wear all
sorts of beads, but especially the rudrākṣa, and the small,
white ones obtained at Hing Lāj. These latter they purchase
in Hindustan, rather than undertake the long and difficult
journey to the west. They do not wear a sacred thread ; they
allow their beards to grow long, twist them in two coils and
wind the ends around their ears, much as Sikhs of the Panjab
do ; they wear their hair in a knot and over it wind a turban
in a peculiar way, so that it looks as if it were going to topple
over forward . They do not practise Yoga. Like other Yogīs,
they bury their dead , placing the body in a sitting posture.
They claim to worship Gorakhnath , and are disciples of
Kānipā, or Kānipão, whose teacher was Jālandharipā.i It is
said , however, that Kānipā was the son of Kinwār, who
caught the fish from which Matsyendranāth was born . They
are, as the above description indicates, householders, keeping
their families with them in camp. While Yogis of this class
seem to be included among ' the criminal tribes, who are
under constant police surveillance, this particular group had,
evidently, earned aa good reputation; for, although they had
many notes from officials showing that they had been under
observation in the past, they were
then free to go where they
pleased. It is claimed that these Jogīs do not thieve. Their
papers showed that they are great travellers and that they had
been over many parts of India . Some of the gotras, family
names , of the Sepalas are Gādaſia , Tänk, Phenkra , Linak,
Cāuhān, Tahliwāl, Athwāl, Sohtra and Bāṁna. They rank
lower than Hindu Yogis because they will take food from
Musalmāns, and eat the flesh of the jackal. At Devi Pātan it
was said that Sepalas eat snakes. These Jogis are an unclean
and ignorant people despised by almost every class of
1 See RTCP , vol. II, p. 405.
a E.g. so the Yogis in Almora asserted .
VOWS 61
Indians, but feared and dreaded by many. Sepalas are some

times, as “Kānipāos,' reckoned as "halfpanth' of the
Gorakhnāthis.1
It is of interest to compare descriptions of the Sepalas with
those of castes of Yogis in Bombay, Berār and the Nizam's
Dominions and in the south where many hints of relation
ship appear. In the account of the feastgiven by Gorakhnāth
and Matsyendranāth, which determined the rank of sub - sect
castes in Berār, Kānipā, whose disciples the Sepalas claim to
be, asked, it will be remembered , for cooked snakes and
scorpions, and was promptly hooted from the assembly.
1 See RTCP, vol. II , p. 409.
CHAPTER FOUR
DIVISIONS OF THE ORDER
The problem of the sub -sects of the Kānphatas and of the

relation of their founders to Gorakhnāth is a difficult one to
solve. Traditionally there are twelve sub -sects, each organized
by a disciple of Gorakhnāth. But,while some of these sub
sects were formed soon after the death of Gorakhnāth , still
others were later brought into line with the general scheme
of the order. One, at least, of the sub-sects is often considered
as but a half division and in some places is denied even such
a place of respectability. But this sub -sect claims descent from
Gorakhnāth . The whole number of sub -sects named in the
various lists far exceeds twelve; some names , however, are
not those of major divisions, but of schools , or of individual
gurus with a following, but belonging to some more compre
hensive group
The author, after compiling the various lists, and collecting
names of sub-sects from all available sources, visited Țilla
and Amritsar in December, 1924, where he discussed the
whole matter with the mahant, Pīr Kalla Nāth , of Țilla. This
mahant, who is generally held to be at the head of all the
Kānphatas, together with a few other Yogis, went over the
list of names, making frequent reference to his records. The
results of this conference are included in the following
account of the sub-divisions of the Gorakhnāthīs. Reference
to the names arranged in the tables attached to this chapter
will show that not all of the sub -sects of the order are
traceable to Gorakhnāth himself. Jālandharpā (Jālandha
ripā) was made by Adināth, while Kānipa and perhaps
Bhartſhari were disciples of Jālandhar. Furthermore, Mat
1 See comparative Table A at the end of this chapter.
DIVISIONS OF THE ORDER 63
syendranāth madesome disciples, besides Gorakhnāth, who in

turn , made disciples and formed sub - sects ; and Gorakhnāth
was associated with Matsyendranāth in making others. The
paramparās show , further, that either Gorakhnāth and
Matsyendranāth were closely related in the formation of the
sect of Kānphatas, or that Gorakhnāth was greater than his
teacher; for all the tradition bears the clearer impress of the
former. In Chart D, at the end of this chapter, the order is
traced back to Śakti. This would agree with the teaching of
the Yogic doctrine of the sect and is, apparently, a matter
of theory .
Before making a final analysis of the lists, it may be well
to record a tradition, reminiscent of the earlier Saivite sects,
which they relate at Țilla. There were formerly eighteen
panths of Siva and twelve of Gorakhnāth. These two groups
fought each other; and, as a result, twelve of the former and
six of the latter were destroyed . The remaining twelve
panths ofthe two sects constitute the order of the Kānphatas,
or Gorakhnāthis. Those which were derived from Siva are:
(1 ) Kantharnāth of Bhūj, in Kacch ; (2) Pāgalnāth of Peshāwar
and Rohtak; (3) Rāwal of Afghanistān ; ( 4) Pankh ; (5) Ban of
Mārwār ; (6) Gopāl , or Rām ke.
Those of Gorakhnāth which survived are : ( 1 ) Hethnāth ;
(2) Colināth of the Ai-panth of Devi Bimla ( Bombay); (3)
Candnāth , Kaplāni; ( 4 ) Bairāg, Ratadhonda Mārwār, Ratan
nāth ; (5) Pāonāth , of jāipur, of whom Jālandharpā, Kānipão
and Gopicand ; (6) Dhajjanāth (Mahābir) whose members are
all foreigners. This tradition most probably suggests a new
alignment of Sāivite sects under the influence of the great
Gorakhnath , in which many older Sāivite panths disappeared.
The Yogi at Puri,with his club, is reminiscent of the Laku
lisas and the tradition from Ţilla holds that the Satnāth is
related to the Pank, one of the older sects of Śiva.
The principal panths, or sub -sects of the order may be
described as follows:
1. Satnāth. This division is reported in nearly all of the
lists. It is related to the Pank, the fourth of the sects surviv
ing from the Siva panths. They have a gaddi at Puri and other
1 Told to the author in December, 1924.
establishments at Bhewa, Thānesar and Karnāl. According
to the mahant at Purī, the patch -work cap, coat and quilt
are a mark of this sub-sect. From this line sprang the
Dharamnāthis ; and Garībnāth, who accompanied Dharam
nāth toKacch, was of this division. This panth is said to
follow Brahmā.
2. Rāmnāth (Rām ke), sometimes wrongly identified with
Rāmcandra. This sub-sect is related to the Siva group called
Gopāl. It traces its origin to Santokhnāth, who did not
himself form a panth. Their chief gaddi is at Delhi. Das
Gopālnāthīs are reported from Jodhpur.
3. Dharamnāth . This sub -division traces its origin to
Rāja Dharam who became a Yogi of the line of Satnāth .
Their headquarters are on the Godāvari; and they have a
famous and important monastery at Dhinodhar in Kacch .
Dharamnāth is also said to have been a disciple of Matsyendra
nāth, and is counted as one of the nine Nāthas. But the
previous statement is in closer accord with traditions con
cerning him .
4. Lakşmannāth. Lakşmannāth succeeded Gorakhnāth
at Țilla. This panth has two divisions, or schools, Natesri
and Daryā. The distinctive characteristics of these two are
that the former reside on the hill at Țilla, while the latter
live on the plains. Daryā is also considered as a separate
panth having its origin at Tilla. The other sub - sect is known
as Natesrī in Amritsar, and as Darbārī Țilla Bal Gondal in
Hoshiārpur. This is the Heth , or Hethnāth , panth of the
original Gorakhnāthis. To this division belong the Hāith of
the Ambāla and Jhelum districts and Bāljāti of the Karnāl.
Rāñjha belonged to Natesri. The Jāfir Pirs (see below ) follow
Rāñjha.
5. Daryānāth . Although now a separate panth, this divi
sion belongs to the Heth panth of the original Gorakhnāthīs.
Members of this panth are found all through North India and
the Panjab. Many are found in Sind.2 Beyond the Indus
this division has establishments atMakhad ,Kohāt and Quetta.
Their sacred seat is at Uderolāl in Sind, where is found the
1 IA , vol . VII , p. 47.
? Aitken , Gazetteer of the Province of Sind, Part A, p. 164.
tomb of an infant who transformed himself into an armed
horseman and emerged from the Indus to rebuke the Muslim
Mahammad Yusuf of Tațța. He is known also as Uderolāl,
Dulanlal, Amarlal, Zinda Pir and Daryā Shāh. He is also
called Shekh Tāhir at Uderolāl and Khwāja Khizr at Sukkur.
At his temple in Uderolāl a lamp is kept burning perpetually
and at the new moon he is worshipped at the river , or at a
canal or by water, with rice, sugar-candy, spices, fruit and
lighted lamps. He left the world by disappearing into the
ground. There was a dispute between Hindus and Muslims
as to the disposal of his body by cremation or burial. He
reappeared and commanded them to use the two methods.
Consequently, there are both a tomb and a temple at the place.
About 50,000 attend the annual religious feast at Uderolāl.
6. Gangānāth. This sub-sect was founded by Gangānāth ,
who followed Kapalmuni. From this division some trace the
Kāyanāthis. There is some connection with the Ratannāth
sub -division, reported under the next number.
7. Bairāg (Bharthari, Bāirāg Catri). This is the fourth
of the original panths of Gorakhnāth . It traces its origin to
Bharthari who was initiated by Jālandharipā ; but who is said
to have been a discipleof Gorakhnāth.1
He is said to have abdicated the throne of Ujjāinto become
a Yogi. One tradition makes him the son of Rāja Bhoj.
Although he was initiated by Jālandharipā, he is said to have
been adisciple of Gorakhnāth ; and the Aipanthis of Hardwār
say that he was initiated by Gorakhnāth. His chief associates
were of the Kaplāni panth, also sprung from Jālandharipā's
sub - sect. Another tradition affirms thatthe panth is traced to
Māināth , an orphan who was brought up by the Meos and
who later became a disciple of Gorakhnath.2
An important name in this division of the Gorakhnāthis is
that of Premnāth , who is sometimes said to have founded a
panth.
Another famous disciple of Bhartſhari was Ratannāth of
Peshāwar. Beyond the frontier, and in Peshāwar, these
followers of Ratannāth do not wear the mudrā. To account for
1 Gazetteer of the Province of Sind, vol. II, p. 56.
5
this it is reported that once at Țilla when Ratannāth was
taken to task for not having ear-rings he opened his breast and
showed them in his heart . Once his rings were taken away
from him as a punishment for some offence, and he showed
them in his mouth. Musalmāns revere him . Ratannāth is
famous for having created a boy out of the dirt of his body.
This boy was afterwards known as Kāyanāth , and as Qaim ud
Din . When Kāyanāth died , both Musalmāns and Hindus
claimed his body; but it disappeared, only the clothes
remaining. Hindus built a samādh for him, and Musalmāns a
tomb. Another group of Yogis related to Ratannāth is the
Mekhla Dhāri. In Ambāla theywear a tarāgi. In Nābha there
are secularYogis who tracetheir origin to Ratannāth . They
belong to the Puniya gotra (a Jāt gotra ). The founder of this
group ofhouseholderswas Māināth. After he had become a
Yogi, the Jāțs compelled him to marry a girl of the juggler
Yogis. The Bharat in Dera Gazi Khanbelong to this division .
Ratannāthis are counted as Daryānāthis as well. There are
shrines connected with the name of Ratannāth in Kābul and
Jalālābād. Even Musalmāns believe in the powers of these
Yogis.
8. Rāwal or Nāgnāth . This is the third of the original
Śiva group. The Rāwals, who are the most important of the
Musalman Yogīs , are great wanderers. In the western
districts of the Panjab “ they are occultists and quacks.'
There are two main groups of them : (1) the Madia, said to
have been founded by Gorakhnāth ; and (2 ) the Gal who are
referred to Siva and who are known both as Pāgalpanthis
and as Rāwal Galla. Those of the second division are found
in Peshāwar, and the Bohar monastery in Rohtak belongs to
them . The chief seat of the Rāwals is at Rāwalpindi, and
members of the panthare found in Hajāro and in Afghanistan .
Not all recognize the Rāwals as one of the twelve sects of the
Gorakhnāthis, although they are widely reported as such.
According to one account they form ' half' of one of the
twelve orders, the other half being the Pärasnäthis. Rāwals
are also Kaphlāin. Rāwals are found in the Nizām's
Dominions.
1 See Table A.
9. Jalandharipā. These belong to the Pāonāth panth, the

fifth of the original Gorakhnāthis. But the paramparās
agree that Jālandharipā belongs to an earlier branch of
the sect. He was the founder of the ' Pa' panths as over
against the ' Nāth ' panths. Pā is Tibetan for wāla,
and illustrates Eastern influence within the Kānphatas. In
some Gorakhnāthī lists are included, within this division,
Kanipā and Gopcand. The Pāpnāth,also known as Pānāth,
are said tobe аa sub-division ofhJālandharipā and followers of
Mahādeo (Siva ). Jālandharnat (and Kämphnāth ) are some
times identified with the Aughar, while Gorakhnāth and
Matsyendranāth are known as Kānphatas. The sphere of
activity of the former was Bengal and Bihar, that of the latter
two was the United Provinces and the Panjab.3
This panth has an establishment at Jāipur.
10. Aipanth . This panth is related to Colināth of the
original Gorakhnāthi group,4 and is connected with both
Bhushtai and Karkāi, disciples of Gorakhnath . Karkāināth
is also known as Kanaknāth and Kankhnāth . The followers
of the two Yogis lastnamed are said to belong to schools of
the Hethnāth . The Aipanthis of Hardwār say that they were
followers of Pir Pārasnāth , and that they separated from
them through the worship of Aidevi. They trace their origin
back to a female disciple of Gorakhnāth , now known as
Bimlā Devi. They explain this by saying that ‘ Ai ' means
“ Māi ' (Mother, Goddess). They used to use ‘ āi ' instead of
' nāth's in their names , but five generations after Narmāiji
they resumed the name of nāth.' Māināthis probably sprang
from this group . Five generations after Narmāijī, who him
self lived several generations after Gorakhnāth, came Mast
näth, and from his time the members of this panth have been
called " Nāthas .' Narmāiji was born in Khot, now in Jind
State. As a disciple of Gorakhnāth , then, Mastnāth cannot
be considered as a contemporary of the great Yogi. Followers
i See Tables B and D.
2 Census Report, Panjab, 1891 , p. 117 ; CTC , vol. III, p. 59.
3 Census Report, Panjab, 1891, p. 114, note i.
Coli is, according to Swātmārāma, member twenty - one after
Gorakhnāth .
5 RTCP, vol . II, p. 404 .
68 GORAKH AND THE KANPHAȚ YOGIS
NA A
of Mastnäth are notTH
very respectable, and only recently have
they been recognized by the rest of the order. They carry a
crooked stick which theyuse as an arm crutch.1
The Bāwās are of the Aipanth through Mastnāth .
The Aipanth was included in the twelve when the order
of Kānphatas was organized . This would suggest that the
order of Gorakhnāthis was consolidated a considerable time
after the death of Gorakhnāth .
The story is told that once, when Mastnāth was engaged
in meditation ( jog ), one of his disciples who came before
him wearing only a loin -cloth, was cursed with the necessity
of remaining naked forever. For this reason the followers of
this unfortunate Yogi are called ' Nāgas .' There are two
divisions of the followers of Mastnāth : ( 1) the Baſi Dargāh,
who avoid flesh and liquor and (2) the Chhoți Dargāh, who
indulge in both . The latter group was founded by a Camār,
a disciple of Mastnāth . Menials of this panth are called
Camarwā .: The chief monastery of this panth, at Bohar in
Rohtak , was founded by Narmāijī. There are no idols at this
place. The Aipanthis have a large and important establish
ment at Hardwār. Other seats of the Aināthīs are found at
Ranpat, Madhata and Camār, in the Panjab. The Aipanth is
mentioned in the Dabistan (vol. II , p . 128).
11. Kaplāni. This division, included in the Candnäth
sub -sect of the old order of Gorakhnāthis, traces its origin to
Kapalmuni, a disciple of Gorakhnāth, and was founded by
Ajāipāl. This panth is also called Kapil,or Kapil Deo ke.
A group belonging to this sub -sect is the Nīmnāthī, also
called Gaphlāni, or Khiskāi. But see (5) below .
The' headquarters of the panth are at Gangā Sāgar .
12. Dhajjanāth. This panth, the sixth of the old Gorakh
năthi list, is associated with the name of Mahābir (Hanu
mān). At Tilla, and in two of the lists, this is counted
as one of the twelve sub -sects. The statements that the
members of this sub-sect carry a flag, and that some of them
1 Census of Panjab, Report, 1891, p . 116 .
. So reported by the Aipanthis of Hardwär.
3 RTCP, vol. II,p. 403 and note.
• So a Yogi at Nāini Tāl declared.
are found at Peshāwar and Ambāla are not accepted at Țilla.

It is asserted that they are to be found in Ceylon .
13. Kānipā. While Jālandharipā was confined in the
well at Ujjāin , from which he was finally rescued through
the help of Gorakhnāth and Matsyendranāth, his disciple,
Kānipā occupied his teacher's place as mahant. He after
wards founded a panth. From this line came Gopicand
(Candra) otherwise known as Siddh Sangari, who became
one of the eighty - four Siddhas. Gopicand is sometimes
given as the name of a panth ; and Gopicand is considered
also as a disciple both of Kānipā and of Jalandharipā.
From Siddh Sangari is traced the Spādhā of Bengal,
keepers of snakes. One of this group initiated Ismael,
founder of a panth . The Kälbeliyas are said to be his
disciples.
To this line belong, also, the Sepalas, who keep snakes
Some of this division wear the rings as do the Kānphatas,
others wear them in the lobes of the ears.
Strictly speaking, the Kānipā are not considered as one of
the twelve panths, but as a half sub -sect. Even this statement
is not universally accepted.
A tradition traces the Bämärg sect ( the ' Left-Hand ' sect)
to Kānipā. It is of interest at this point to note that the
development of erotic elements in Sakti worship was in
Bengal and Assam . The list of names given by Sen is:
Minanāth, Gorakhnāth, Hādipā, Kalupa . Hādīpā was the
teacher of the mother of Gopicand. Jālandharipā is also
known as Hāļi or Hādipā. This list belongs to eastern
Bengal. Another name apparently belonging to this cycle is
Kālepā (Karipā, or exactlyKänipā ).
Both Jalandharipā and Kānipă are placed in the Pāonāth
divisionbrought down from theGorakhnāthīs. Some identify
the Jālandharipā and the Kānipā.
Two of the original panths of Śiva are not accounted for
in the above enumeration, the Ban of Mārwār and the
Kantharnāth of Bhūj. The latter is mentioned in a descrip
1 PNQ , vol. II, para . 279. 2 See chap. nine .
See above,pp. 59 ff. · RTCP, vol. I, p. 329.
History ofBengali Language and Literature, p. 28 .
tion of Yogi establishments, but the connection of the
Kaộtharnāthis with recognized sub -divisions is not clear.
A number of names remain to be considered; but they are
not of wide enough significance to warrant their inclusion
in the larger divisions of the Kānphatas. In all probability
they represent minor divisions within the more important
groups or the names of important personages or alternate
names of some already recorded . They are as follows:
( 1 ) The Hāņdi Pharang ( Bharang, Sarangnāth, Hāņdi
Bhirang, Cand Bharang [?]) The explanation ofthis name is
given in the following legend. Sakkarnāth , disciple of
Gorakhnāth, in his wanderings, came to a land ruled by a low
caste rāja , who seized him and ordered him to cause a rain
of sugar, on pain of torture. Sakkarnāth performed the
miracle and then buried the rāja alive. Twelve years later
the Yogi returned and found the king a skeleton , but restored
him tolife and made him his disciple and cook. (Another
version of thestory states that the rāja was struck blind, and
that after twelve years Sakkarnāth restored his sight.) The
rāja, however, was not reformed as the result of his punish
ment. One day he took out some of the pulse he was cooking
and tasted it. Bhāirom chanced to appear that day in person
and refused the food . The reason was discovered and the
rāja was punished by having the pot ( handī) hung about his
neck. He was obliged to wander the livelong day, getting
foud out of the pot. His punishment lasted four years, after
which he was pardoned , but his followers still bear the
name, Hāņdi Bharang. A most interesting version of this
story is toldat Trimbak. At that place Yogīs show a stone
samadh, said to be that of Aurangzeb . The legend is that
Aurangzeb became a disciple of Gorakhnath , but that the
other Yogis refused to eat with him ; so he buried himself
alive. After twelve years he came out of his tomb as
Mſtaknāth (Lord of Death ). He was only a skeleton when
he came forth , but after his reappearance flesh came upon
his bones. Afterwards, Gorakhnath ordered him to cook
food for the Yogis present. He did so, but, when the food
was ready, he tasted it to see if it were properly seasoned.
1 See p. 110. ? See RTCP, vol. II, pp. 395, 396 .
Thefood was declared unclean and the pot was hung over his
head . Therefore, he is called Siddha Hāņdi Pharang Näth .
He went off to Poona, where to this day this sect reside, at
Hāņdi Parang Nätha.
Sakkarnāth had no disciples, so, on his deathbed, he called
a Musalmān, Jāfir by name, made him his disciple, and
advised him to take only uncircumcised Muslims into his
following. These Yogis are employed as Hindu cooks, and
belong to the Santnāth sect. The order today recognizes
only Musalmāns and they do not eat with other Yogis.
At Țilla it was stated that these Yogis are not counted as
one of the twelve panths.
Cānd Bharangis are said to be found in the west, near
Dwāraka. And, as stated above, members of this sub-division
are found in Poona.
(2) The Jāfir Pirs are Musalmāns. They are well known
in the Panjab. Although they are Kānphatas, Hindu Yogis
do not eat with them . They are followers of Rāñjha and
disciples of Bālkeswarnāth . These Yogis are not counted as
one of the twelve sects. Some trace them to Santoknāth , who
is Vişņu. The Pir Jogis, who are also Musalmāns, perhaps of
the same panth, will eat the food of other Yogis, but others
will not eat their food . At Țilla it was affirmed that these
Yogis are not found at Siālkot.
( 3) Mānnāth (Mānmanthi, Mānāthi). To this line belongs
Arjannāga, or Arjannanga (Pangalnāth (tl) who is now
Kảilās as a Siddha. There is an establishment belonging to
this sub -sect at Jawālamukhi. These Yogis trace their origin
to Rāja Rasālū whose follower Mānānth was. They are found
in Peshāwar and Jhelum .
( 4) Aghori (Ghori). It is possible that there are some
Aghoris among the Yogis. There are none at Țilla, but the
Yogis of that place said that sometimes the recently -buried
corpse of a child might be dug up and eaten by Jogis of this
group. It is acknowledged that an occasional Kānphata be
longs to this panth. It was reported repeatedly by Yogīs and at
different places, that an occasional Aughar becomes an Aghori.?
1 See RTCP, vol. II , p. 408 .
2 Hughes, Gazetteerof the Province of Sind ( 1876 ) says that the
Aughar is a Yogi. Henry Balfour, F. Anth . Inst.of Gt. Br . and
(5) Nimnāth and Pārasnāth. These two persons were sons
of Matsyendranāth, begat, according to one tradition , in
Ceylon. They were slain and afterwards restored to life by
Gorakhnath. Later, they were initiated by their father and
then founded new sects . They are Jains. However, there
are groups under both names that are includedin Yogipanths.
The Nimnāthis who are distinct from the Pārasnāthis, are
also called Gaphāin (Gaphlāni) or Khiskāi. The Sartoras,
Nimnāthis, always wear a cloth over the mouth and take the
utmost precautions against the destruction of life. They are
wanderers and receive_food_cooked by others. They use a
cilam , not a huqqa. The Pārasnāth Pūj sub -division are
celibates, but they live in houses . The interesting legend
concerning these two persons is as follows. After Matsyendra
nāth leftthe queen in Ceylon taking with him his two sons,
because Gorakhnāth had called him to his senses, they fell un
der the anger of the latter, and he put them to death and hung
their skins on a tree . Later, for the sake of their father , he
restored them to life. Some time afterwards, the boys were
sent to a village to beg. They were ordered by a man to drag
Ireland, vol. XXVI ( 1897 ), pp. 340 ff.,hascollected data on the Aghori
under the title, LifeHistoryof an Aghori Fakir, in which he supplies
the information which follows. They trace their origin to the
Gorakhpanth and Gorakhnāth . The movement was started by
Motināth . There are three divisions of them : Oghar, Sarbhungi
and Ghure. The Oghar is the branch to which the faqir (whose
history is recorded ) belonged. All persons are eligible for admission
to the sect. Ogharnāth used a fresh skull, from which he had eaten
the flesh , as a drinking bowl. The faqir (Kallu Singh) claimed that
'some members of the orderate human flesh and were then able to make
it live again. He did not claim these and other magical powers him
self. In general the Aghori eat the flesh of all dead animals except
the horse, and the foodof any sect or caste. Any skull will do for a
begging bowl. ( But the ghoulish practiceswhich this man describes
were known long before the time of Gorakhnāth . See chapter ten ).
1 There are other hints at Jain connections. The Jains have a
temple near Pāe Dhūni (Paidhoni) which shelters an idol of Ghoraji
nāth , decked with gems.-S. M. Edwards ,Bombay City Gazetteer,
vol. 1,p . 177. Paidhoni is the seat of the Kānphatas in old Bombay.
The books on Bombay refer to a certain place inthe old city as Pãe
Dhoni and explain the name as meaning « The -Place-of-Feet -Wash
ing .' It is correct, however, to say that thename of this localityis
derived from that of a famous establishment of a sect of the Yogis.
away a dead calf, before he would give them alms. They did
as he requested, and in return hegave them food . By the
time that they had reached their teacher the food had turned
to blood and worms. Then Matsyendranāth cursed the
village. The sons later separated and formed new panths, the
Pūj and the Sartora,with which other Yogis have no concern .
In a variant to this story Gorakhnathgoes with the boys
to beg alms at a merchant's(bania ) shop, and they are made
to take away a dead calf. When Gorakhnāth sees the food
transformed, he catches them by the hand, takes them to the
merchant's house, and there puts them to death . Thereupon
all the merchants complain that he has polluted all their
sacrifices by this murder; and he retorts that they had polluted
his disciples. He agrees, however, to restore the twoboys to
life if the merchants will henceforth worship him and no
other. They agree and Gorakhnāth left Pārasnāth , one of the
two boys, with the merchants, and the Jains deem him an
incarnation of God.2
(6) Kaņpharnāth (Kanthaờnāth ). Some say that this group
trace their origin to Gorakhnáth , others to Ganesa . In
Ambāla they are an endogamous panth of householders . At
Kāņķhkot they worship Ganeśa and Kanthaạnāth, using the
latter name while telling their beads. Here Kanthaờnāth is
worshipped twice a day. His followers take the vow of
celibacy. In almost all of their customs they resemble the
Dhinodhar Kānphatas. However, in the west Kanthaờnāthis
often marry; but the fathers do not eat with their children
until their ears have been split and other dedicatory rites
have been performed .
Other names, for which no relationship can yet be assigned
are, Kāiknāth ; Pāyalnāth; Udāināth, identified with Pasupati,
probably one who preceded the founding of the order,
second of the Nine Nāthas, founder of the panth of Yogis ;?
Arayapanthi of Bor Bosan near Kābā Pir, Thânesar; Revnāth ;
Tājnāth; Filnāth ; Sarpatnāth ( Carpatnāth , Carpat, or Darpat
1 See RTCP, vol . II , pp. 394, 395. 2 See Table D.
3 RTCP, vol. II , p. 406. 4 Bombay Gazetteer, vol. V, p. 88.
5 Bombay Gazetteer, vol. V, p. 88, note.
7
6 RTCP, vol. II, p . 395, note. 7 See RTCP, vol . II, p. 393.
näth) tenth from Gorakhnāth in Svātmārāma's list; Gāinināth ,
teacher of Jñāneśvar; Narañjannāth ; Barañjogi; Adhnāth,
Adhināth (?); Pāpank ; Kāmdhaj; Kaśyapa ; Ardhanāri ;
Nayari; Amaranāth ; Kambhidās; Tarnaknāth ; Abhapanthi,
of whom Abhangnāth is mentioned in the Tahqiqāti Chisthi.1
The Pathsana of Karnāl and the Patsiana of Jind are a
school of Yogis.
A number of ascetic movements refer their origin to
Gorakhnath. One of these is traced to Sarangnāth or
Śringnāth, who reached the height of his powerafter the
death of the great guru . His panth is sometimes called the
Bāwājī kā panth. He introduced new rules and made his
disciples bore their ears and insert ear -rings of wood . After
his death ten sects were founded , all growing out of his
order. They are the ( 1) Girināth, (2 ) Pūrināma, (3) Sāṁsia,
( 4) Militant Nāgas, (5) Ajāipāl, (6 ) Gwālibāsada , (7) Ismāil
Jogis, (8) Agamnāth, (9) Nimnāth and (10) Jālandharnāth.
There must be some confusion in this list, or there are
duplicate names in this and the panths of the Kānphatas.
Numbers five, six, seven , nine and ten have been discussed
already. Of the others the author has seen members of the
first only. At Kedārnāth , just outside of the town of Dwāra
hāt, in Kumāon, there is asmall temple of Bhāirom . This is
situated below the gate of the main temple and the pūjārī at
the shrine was a woman of the panth. These Yogis marry.
They do not split their ears. The famous witch, Nona
Camāri, belonged to the panth of Ismāil Jogis.3
Lal Padristare not Goraknāthis, although they are often
found in close association with them. They are followers of
Dattatreya, who was eminent in the practice of Yoga and who
is held in high esteem by Yogis. Heis considered bysome to
have been an incarnation of Krşņa. In the Dabistan, he is
described in a contest of Yogic power with Gorakhnāth .
Dattatreya was probably a deified Brāhman of the tenth
1 RTCP, vol. II , p. 404 . 2 See p . 70, above.
3 See the Chamars, pp. 26, 27, 179, 183, 185 for notes on Nona
Chamāri.
* This is also a general term for Yogi, or ascetic, referring to the
" yellow'robe.
5 Wi, pp . 205, 240 . 6 vol. II , p. 140.
century , to whom the famous story of the testing of the virtue
of the wife of Atri has been attached . His shrines are
scattered here and there in the districts about Poona , and
in one place his image has three heads to represent the Hindu
Triad . He was an Aghori.
CHART B
PARAMPARĀ : as given by Pāngārkar, based on Nāmdev :
ĀDINĀTH
( First Guru )
1
MACCHENDAR JALANDHAR
( = Vişnu, says Kitts) ( = Siva, says Kitts )
GORAKHNĀTH KANIPĀ MĀINVATI

( Mother of
GAININĀTH Gopicand )
NIVķTTINĀTH
JÑANEŠVAR } Brothers
1 Hindu Religious Year, pp. 98 , 163,165, 168, 175 ; MWB, p. 267.

2 His appearance to Eknāth is described in Eknāth as translated by
Abbott, pp. 18 ff .
3 MWB, p. 267.
CHART C
PARAMPARẢ of Bahina Bãi. ( See Dr. Abbott's translation, p. 1.)
ADINĀTH (Śiva) ( taught the Yoga to )
PĀRVATI
MATSYENDRA (who heard it as Śiva taught it to Pārvati)
to
GORAKHNĀTH
to
GAHINI
to
NIVŔTȚINĀTH (while N. was
t
a child but yet a Yogi)
o
DNYANESHVARA
to
SATCHIDĀNANDA
further on
VISHVAMBHARA
to
RAGHAVA ( Chaitanya )
to
KESHAYA CHAITANYA
to
BABĀJI CHAITANYA
to
TUKOBĀ ( Tukārām )
to
BAHIŅĀ BAI (b. 1628 ; d. 1700)
CHART D
PARAMPARĀ
SAKTI
SIVA
UDE
(Second of the nineNāthas, founder of
the panth of the Jogis)
RUDRAGAN
JALANDHAR
(who was an evil spirit, restored
to reason and initiated )
MATSYENDRA JALANDHARI (Pā)"
GORAKH- PANGAL NIMNĀTH PÄRAS

ΝΑΤΗ or SIVTORA NATHPŪJ
ARJANNANGA
(RAWAL) sons of Matsyendra
and both Jains
(MANNĀTH )
BARTRINĀTH KĀNIPĀ 13
(Bāirāg) son of RĀJA Boj? 1
[Counts as one of the original SIDDHSAN
panths of Gorakhnāth ] GARI
KAPAL- KARKAI BHUSH- SAKKAR- SATNĀTH SAN- LAKSHMAN

MUNI 1 TĀL NĀTH 1 TOKNĀTH NĀTH
COLI 1 DHARM (NATESRI)
NATH (HANDOI NĀTH
PHARANG) (DARYA)
ĀIPANTH10
AJĀIPAL GANGĀNĀTH RĀMNĀTH (JAFIR PIRs )
KAPLĀNIN
The figures refer to the order in text. The twelfth (Dhajjanāth )
is not accounted for.
1 RTC vol. II, p. 393 with modifications.
CHAPTER FIVE
SACRED PLACES
KĀNPHAȚAS visit the usual places of pilgrimage such as
Prayāg (Tribeni), Benares ( Kāsi), Ajudhya ( Ayodhya ), the
source of the Godāvarī (Trimbak), Dwāraka, Hardwār,
Badrināth , Kedārnāth, Brindaban, Pushkar, Rāmeśvar in the
south, Darjeeling in the north - east, Nepāl and Assam ,
Amarnāth in Kashmir, and Hing Lāj in the west. They
visit certain shrines of Sakti and temples of Siva and
Bhāirom. Their own particular shrines and monasteries are
widely scattered over India .
It is best to study their places of special interest by areas ;
e.g. those in the Himālayas, in the United Provinces, in the
Panjab, in Rājputāna, in Western India and elsewhere.
In a monastery at CHANGCHILING , in Sikkim , there is a
black, complex image one of the three forms of which, the
more gaudily robed ,represents Gorakhnāth.2
At GORKHA in Western Nepāl, is found the cave temple
of Gorakhnāth . It is the sacred hearth of the Gurkha race .'
Landon describes it as ' a little, crude sanctuary hidden in a
cavern to which access is almost impossibleexcept on hands
and knees — the shrine of Gorakhnāth . Here beneath an
overhanging stream , housed in the natural recesses of the
rock and with little adornment beyond the ceremonial
tridents, flags, halberds,trumpets, and other insignia of all
such places of Worship, is the image of the god .?! The cave
1 Kamru Kanaccha [? ]is it Kāmarūpa ?
2 Temple, Hyderabad, Kashmir, Sikkim and Nepāl, vol . II, p. 212.
3 For a picture ofthis temple, see Landon, Nepál, vol. I, p. 66 .
It is reproducedas the frontispiece in this volume.
* ibid ., vol. II, p. 26.
SACRED PLACES 79
and the town get their names from Gorakhnāth who is said
to have residedthere. Hence the national name of Gurkhas.1
About Kāthmāņdu centre a number of interesting places
and shrines associated with the names Matsyendranāth and
Gorakhnath . The word Kathmāņdu stands for ' Kath
Mandir ,' or ' Temple of Wood ,' a shrine built about 1600
A.D. , by Lakşmi in honour of Gorakhnāth.2
At BĀGMATI,about three miles from Patan ( Kāțhmāņdu ),
there is a temple of Matsyendranāth which is recognized by
Gorakhnäthis. There is also here a temple of Siva Pasupa
tināth which appertains to the Kānphatas . It is said that
pilgrims to this place are never again born asa lower animal.
The Nepalese Saivite temples of Sambhunāth , Pasupatināth
and others belong to the same sphere of interest as that of
Matsyendranāth . At Kistipur there is a temple of Bhairab
and at Käthmāndu one for Kāl Bhairab.
At the temple and monastery of Ratannāth at SAWĀRI Koſ,
' Cangra Tāng Pahār ,' is an image, or stone, which is sup
posed to contain the spirit of Gorakhnāth. The Kānphatas
of this place have an intimate relation to those of Devi Pātan,
the monastery at the latter place being under the authority
of the former.?
In the Kumaun and Garhwal Hills Kānphatas are found
at various shrines of Bhāirom . Such places of worship are
often connected with the residences of particular Yogis.
At SRI NAGAR, in Garhwāl, Gorakhnath is worshipped as an
incarnation of Siva, and there is an establishment of Kān
1 See article, " Tribes, Clans and Castes of Nepal,' by Capt. E.

Vansittart, JASBe, vol. LXIII (1894) pp. 213 ff.
2 The Gurkhas, p . 25.
3 See Oldfieid, Sketches from Nepal, vol. II , pp. 325, 326 ; IA ,
vol. IX , p. 169, note.For descriptions of these temples and placessee
also Kirkpatrick, Kingdom of Nepal, chap. vi and pp. 188 ff. For
pictures and descriptionsee also Landon ,Nepal.
* Oldfield , Sketches from Nepal, vol. I , p. 89., vol. II , p. 247 ;
BHCS, p. 403. For description see also IA , vol. IX, p. 166, note ;
and Levi, Le Nepāl.
5 See Asiatic Researches, vol. XVI, p. 471, note.
* See Landon's volumes on Nepál. His pictures of the various
temples are most excellent.
See below , p. 95.
phatas at that place. At this town the author (1924 ) found
nothing of consequence. There were a few gțhastas scattered
about in the neighbourhood . Below Śrī Nagar there is a
cavern dedicated to Gorakhnāth, which contains his image,
gilded . The figure is about six inches high. The yoni-linga
is also found in the cave, and in front is a temple of Bhāirom .
The pūjāri there claims that the cave usedto be an important
temple of Gorakhnāth ; but that it was filled with river -sand
during the Gohnā Lake flood of 1894 ; and that, although it
was dug out later, it has ceased to attract as much attention as
formerly. The shrine consists of three recesses in the rock.
It is evidently neglected by pilgrims. The panth is Rām ke.
In NĀINI TĀL , at the temple of Nandi Devi, where there
is also a temple of Bhāirom , Řānphatas are sometimes found.
A Yogi there in September, 1924, whose name was Sing
hārnāth , was of the Kaplāni panth. He claimed to have been
born in a family of grhastha Yogis.
In ALMORA, ' above the temple of Nandi Devi, is the
residence of a gļhastha Yogi of the Dharamnāth panth.
Attached to his residence is a small temple of Bhāirom.
The Yogi, Devnāth by name, who (1924 ) was pūjāri at this
place, also served in the samecapacity atthe adjoining large
temple to Mahādeo. This temple of Bhāirom is a small,
square building with a low , flat roof, surmounted by a small
pinnacle, such as is common in these hills. The building
contains a number of trisules and images of Ganesa and
Bhagavati.
Another Yogi, Rāmnāth of the Dharamnāth panth, has a
house and shop in the bazaar, to which is attached a temple
of Bhāirom . The place is two or three hundred years old.
The temple contains an image of Bolanāth , the head only,
1 Aitkin , vol. II , p. 808.
2 * One of the rājas of Almora, in the lower Himālaya, had two
sons, one of whom fell intoevil ways, and when he was disinherited
his younger brother, Gyān Chand, succeeded . Many years after, the
elder brother appeared in the guise of a religious mendicant and
Gyan Chand procured a gardener to slay him and his pregnant
Brāhmanimistress. The deadman becameaBhūt orevil spirit, and
is now worshipped as Bholanāth, ' innocent lord ,' a title of Siva, of
whom , by and by, he will become a manifestation . His mistress and
SACRED PLACES 81
with a similar image of Bhāirom by its side, and an image of
Ganeša. These and many trisules painted red, as are the
images, rest on a platform . Here also are a conch shell and
the usual brass lamps. Many flowers are offered before the
images. In the temple are found also a fan of peacock
feathers, a yak -tail brush , several conch shells and a sāligrām .
In the veranda is the usual temple bell. The building, which
is not very large, has a flat roof and is surmounted by a
pinnacle. By the side of the temple, at the right, are two
ancientsamādhs,both square ,with pyramidal tops,surmounted
by the yoni-linga symbol. They date from the reign of the
Chand Rājas. Behind the temple and to the left are two very
old, low samādhs, on which the yoni section only, of the
symbol, remains.
Near the Dāk Bungalow , in Almora, is another private
establishment. The temple contains small images, about a
foot high, of Bhāirom and Pārvati, carved in a slab of stone,
and one of similar size of Gorakhnath ; the latter exhibiting
the large ear-rings greatly exaggerated . The temple contains
the usual collection of objects. One linga is arranged with a
water jar above it so thatwater may fall continually upon it.
The jar was empty. Here the father, though still alive, has
been superseded by his son, also a Yogi, as pūjāri. These
Yogis are of the Satnāth sect. The endowment consists of
one village.
KĀMA, a village not far from Dwārahāt, is the seat of the
pir of the Almora district. His name was (1924) Pir Gopi
nāth, and he belonged to the Dharamnāth panth. The village
in which he lives is the property of the sect. The temple,
which is in the house of the pir, is dedicated to Nāgnāth.
The pūjāri is a brother of the pir. A section of the village is
occupied by the families, not Yogis, who cultivate the fields.
The tradition at Kāma is that when the Gorkhālīs conquered
Almora they built thefort and levelled the parade ground at
the town of Almora. This was done on thesite occupied by
her unborn child also became bhūts and are particularly dangerous
to gardeners. A small iron trident, the emblem of Siva, represents
him , and it is placed in the corners of the peasants' huts to guard
them against any sudden calamity .'-- Crooke, Religion and Folklore of
Northern India , p. 160 .
6
the monastery and cemetery of the Gorakhnathis. In the
process of levelling, many of the graves of the Yogis were
destroyed and many ear-rings and other emblems of the 'sect
were unearthed. A new cemetery was provided outside the
town for the Yogis, and their establishment was moved to the
royal village of Kāma.
HARDWĂR has a number of places belonging to the Gorakh
nāthis. A cave, or subterranean passage , is associated with the
Kānphatas.
The establishment of the Aipanthis is large and, apparently,
wealthy.
The monastery of the Daryāpānth has some ten or twelve
Yogis in residence. In 1924 , the mahant was a minor in
charge of a guardian. The author saw a large gathering of
many classes of ascetics at this establishment, who had come
to a distribution of gifts and food by a rich man, on the full
moon of December.
The members of the Twelve - Panth organization have an
establishment with good buildings in Hardwār .?
In the jungles about RIŞIKESH (Hrşikeśa, Lord of the Senses)
on the Ganges, above Hardwăr, where Rāma underwent
penance to wipe out the sin of having slain Rāvaņa, adepts
are supposed to live as hermits.
Among the lesser places of interest in the United Provinces
may be mentioned the shrine of the Bhartpharis in the fort at
CHŪNĀR.3
There is a small, evidently decaying establishment of the
Gorakhnāthīs at ALLAHĀBĀD. It consists of two temples of
Bhāirom , one of Mahādeo, a small monastery and one samadh.
During the rainy season of 1924 there were one Rāwalpanthi
and one Bhartſpanthi in residence. The monastery is subject
to Gorakhpur.
The old town of Jhausi, opposite Allahābād on the Ganges,
preserves an old tradition concerning Gorakhnāth, and Nevil
says that Rāja Harbong of that place owed his downfall to
1 But the Gurkhas revere Gorakhnāth .

2 See chap. two for an accountof this organization .
3 CTC, vol III , p. 60. It is said that the saintspends part of each
day there and the remainder of his time at Benares.
SACRED PLACES 83
the Yogi and his teacher. An older account states that the
kingdom was in great disorder. Harbang had ordered that
both valuable and ordinary articles should be sold at the
same price. " This induced the great Gorukhnāth when on
his travels to take up his abodefor a time at Harbongpur,
although his teacher, Muchhander, counselled retreat. Not
many days after their arrival a murderer was to be executed
but escaped, whereupon the rāja, in a rage, ordered that the
two largest menin the crowd should be hung in the place of
the criminal. The two largest men happened to be Gorukh
nāth and Muchhandernāth ; who took counsel together, and ,
when brought to the gallows, quarrelled for precedence.
The rāja, struck with the strangeness of this proceeding,
inquired the cause, and was informed by Muchhander that
they had ascertained from books and learned paņạits that
whoever should first be hanged that day wouldgo immedi
ately to Paradise. “ If that be the cause,” said the rāja, “ the
fate is too good for either of you . I'll hang first, if you
please," and he was hanged at his own request. The
devotees, shocked at the atrocities which took place in
Harbongpur after his death , reduced it to ruins.'
Important monasteries and shrines of the Gorakbnāthīs
are situated in Gorakhpur, Tulsipur and Benares. Those at
the two former places are in a flourishing condition ; but the
Känphatas of Benares seem to be losing ground.
Three places in BENARES areconnected with the name of
the Gorakhnathis; the famous Läth of Bhāirom , the temple
of Käl Bhāirom and Gorakhnāth kā Țilla .
At the Staff, or Lāth, of_Bhāirom , Kānphatas used to
officiate as priests of Siva. The Lāh is no longer in the
possession of the Yogis, having been sold about sixty years
ago. The report is that the mahant kept a mālin (a woman
of the gardener caste) and was addicted togambling. Through
his loss of character, and debt, he had finally to dispose of the
shrine. Worship at the place is now in the hands of a widow
who does not belong to the sect. The Lāțh is situated in the
Adampura ward in the northern part of the city. It consists
of a huge, copper -covered stone linga, painted red . It is
about eight feet high and about two and one half feet in
diameter, is situated on a large, high , stone platform and is
ATH ND HE ANPHATA OGIS
84 GORAKHN A T K Y
surrounded by a wall. Eight small platforms surround the
linga. To the south of themain platform is a tank. On the
west of the Lāth is a small, red bull. The copper -covered
shaft which constitutes the linga is the portion of a broken
Asokan pillar which remains above ground. The pillar was
thrown down during the riot of 1809. This linga is visited
by Yogis, especiallyat the Puran Māsa of BadanSudi.
The temple of Kāl Bhäirom in the city is an important
place of meeting for Yogis, and is a famous shrine.
The third place of interest is the old Gorakhnāth kā Țilla,
situated nearthe municipal gardens in the city. This place
was built by Rāja Mān of Jodhpur , and was well endowed.
But, along with the Lāth of Bhāirom, the endowments were
nearly all lost through gambling and profligacy, and there
now belong to it but afew inferior Yogis s , ome married .
The pūjāri in 1924 was Bastināth . The whole establishment,
which is on a hill,or elevation , fully one story high, is reached
by a flight of steps and is surrounded by rooms on all four
sides. Below the level of the platform on two sides are
houses or rooms. The principal temple faces east. The plat
form is made of stone slabs.
The temple, with its veranda, is built of red sandstone. In
the room of the veranda there is a bell. In the temple
veranda, which is surmounted by a dome, octagonal in shape,
is a bell. And on each side of the veranda are four fluted
pillars. The two next to the temple doors are painted white.
The temple itself is squarewith a composite pyramidal roof
surmounted by a trident. On the wall on both sides of the
door are pictures, that on the left being of a woman , that on
the right of Siva as aYogi, with the big ear-rings. Over the
door are an image of Ganesa and tridents painted red . In the
inset of the wall on each side of the door is a picture of
Bhāirom , that on the left being of White Bhāirom , that on the
right of Black Bhāirom . Both have large ear-rings. Inside of
1 Smith, ERE , vol. II, p . 466 ; Crooke, ERE, vol. VI, p. 701 ;
Nevill, Benares, p. 253 ; Wilkins, Modern Hinduism , p. 94 ; Mukerji,
Asoka, p. 85.
c. 1748 or 1803 (?). Or by Rāja Mān Sinh, of Gwālior, who died
in 1518 ?
SACRED PLACES 85
the temple, on the platform , are ten conch shells of various
sizes, besides the caran of Jālandharnāth. Behind this is a
picture of Kāli. The platform in the temple is three feet high.
There are also on theplatform a fan of peacock feathers and
a red cushion with white beads upon it. In front of the
platform are two tall horns of bronze and a small brass stand
supporting brass bells, small stone lingas and sālagrāmas, and
a stone from the Narbada with a caran painted upon it. A
peacock -feather fan is found in a niche in the wall on the
left, and a lamp similarly on the right. There is also a lamp
on a tall, wooden stand.
Built against the temple on the north side is a small shrine
containing the yoni-linga. It is about four feet high , including
the spire . On the south side is a somewhat larger shrine,
about ten feet high, dedicated to Siva.
Behind the temple are quarters in which a single gļhasta
Yogi lives. South of the temple is the well, and beyond that,
the kitchen . In the row of rooms to the north of the temple
is the dhūnī, under a veranda.
On the platform of the temple, at the south -east, close to
the temple is a sthān of Bhāirom with trisules , and a small
image in relief on a stone slab , painted red .
On the front, or eastern border of the platform are four
small shrines of red sandstone. The one at the south -east
corner is a samādh containing the yoni-linga. A bell is hung
in the roof. The next shrine contains the caran of Gorakhnāth.
There is a bell in the roof. In the third is a bull and a yoni
linga. There is a bell in the roof. Fourth , in the north -east
corner, is a samādh containing a yoni-linga and a black linga
on a stone slab with a snake over it. The roofs of the corner
shrines are dome-shaped, of the other two, pyramid
shaped .
North -east of the principal temple, but down a flight of
steps, is a temple of Mahādeo. It has a flat roof.
There is a samādh in the street outside the boundaries of
the monastery .
The whole elevated area is faced with stone slabs and is
substantial.
The number of Yogis in the establishments in Benares is
decreasing. Formerly they were powerful and respected . In
1884, they numbered 159, of whom 63 were women . They
had two akhāṣās, one at Gorakhnāth kā Țilla (in Benares),
>
and one at Kal Bhāirom . They owned the Kāl Bhāirom

temple also. Their present low estate is due to disinteg
rating conditions which were allowed to creep in amongst
them .3
The most important centre of the Kānphatas in the United
Provinces is at GORAKHPUR," a city named after the shrine of
Gorakhnath . It was to this place, as they say , in the Tretā
age, that Gorakhnāth came from the Panjab.
The shrine is old . The first temple is said to havebeen
built there in the Tretā age and it was dedicated to Siva.?
Tradition has it that Gorakhnāth found there an old shrine
of Gorakşa, a deity of great renown in Nepāl, and made it
famous.8 Popular report puts the founding of the city by
Gorakhnāth in A.D. 1400. It is also said that when Gorakh
nāth came to this place he found only a tank, Mānsorāwar, in
a jungle with fine trees all about it. He remained there a
long time. It is possible that both the name and the fame of
Gorakhnath may be traced to this place.
It is claimed by some that Gorakhnāth was buried in
Gorakhpur.' Others say that he was buried in the Panjab .
Still others insist that he never died , but that he is now living
with Siddhas and Nāthas on Mount Kāilāsa .
The original shrine was converted into a mosque by Ala
ud -Din ( 1296–1316 ). Then a shrine was built in a nearby
place by Gorakhnāthīs. Aurangzeb ( 1659–1707 ) converted
this also into a mosque. Afterwards, on the present site, a
1 Fisher andHewett,Statistical, Descriptiveand Historical Account
of the North -Western Provinces of India, vol. XIV , Pt. I ( Benares),
p. 56 .
• Nevill, District Gazetteer, Benares, p. 93.
3 Information basedupon a letter from the Tahsildār of Benares,
datedNovember 25 , 1924.
• Wi, p. 215 ; Nevill, District Gazetteer, Gorakhpur, p. 239 ;
FORL , p . 347.
5 Compare , Imperial Gazetteer, vol. XII, p.. 342.
& Wi, p. 215. BIC , vol. II, p. 1,235.
8 Alexander, Statistical, Descriptive and Historical Account of the
North -West Provinces of India, Gorakhpur, p. 371 .
• Tessitori, ERE, vol. XII, p. 835.
SACRED PLACES 87
third shrine was built by Buddhnāth . According to tradi

tion ,Gorakhnāth himself gave the specifications. The present
buildings were erected about A.D. 1800. The shrine has
recently been enlarged . In the summer of 1924 , the roof of
the shrine was raised. Photographsshow it both as it appear
ed before the alterations, and as it is today.
The present site occupies an area of about five acres .
There are, besides the grounds containing the shrine, two
gardens and a cattle- shed (gão -śāla ). The shrine is situated
west of the city of Gorakhpur, in Purāņa Gorakhpur, north
of the railway
The place of chief interest at this holy site is the shrine
of Gorakhnāth. This_is a rectangular building with a
veranda allaround it. The parapet, both around the veranda
and around the flat roof (before the alterations were made)
of the main structure, is finished in open work. The
veranda supports are rounded, double pillars with rounded
arches, scalloped. The whole building is whitewashed and
is decorated in colours . The plinth , which rises about two
feet above the ground, has a front of fifty - one and one -half
feet and a depth of thirty -eight feet. The veranda is about
eight and one -half feet wide. The shrine faces east. It is
not a tomb. It contains the gaddi of Gorakhnāth on which
rests his caran. This is covered with flowers daily. Beside
the gaddi are peacock - feathered staves wound with red and
white cloth , and hand bells. There is generally a group of
Thākurs at the right of the gaddi. The lamp at the right has
been burning for a long time, they say since Gorakhnath's
day. There is no linga in the shrine. In the veranda are the
usual temple bells.
On thewest face of the shrine is an image of Kāli.
In front of the shrine and at the right of the door is a
linga, painted red . Stuck up in a line on each side of this
and clustered around it are tridents, the arms of Bhāirom ,
whose station , as guardian of the shrine, is here. The
tridents are paintedred. Many tridents are buried beneath
the platform . They were offerings to Bhāirom . Behind this
1 Wi, p. 215.
armoury of tridents is the block of wood where goats are
sacrificed.
Worship is conducted at the shrine three times a day.
During the midday worship, to the beating of drums and
the ringing of the temple bells, the pūjāri circumambulates
the shrine, walking in the veranda, with his right side to
wards the inner shrine. He then opens the door and the
worship is completed before the caran .
There is a large number of buildings in the enclosure that
contains the shrine of Gorakhnāth . They are all in good
repair, attesting the prosperity of the monastery. North of
the shrine is a temple of Mahādeo. Directly east of this is a
thatched shed housing the dhūni of Gorakhnath . East of
this is a temple of Pasupati containing a four-faced linga ;
and still further east is a temple of Hanumān ; and then a
large pipal tree with a platform built around it. North - east
of the main enclosure is a temple of Hath Devi, a sakti
shrine, in front of which, under a tree , is a platform where
the hair of the first shaving ceremony of infants is offered.
Directly in front of the shrine of Ġorakhnāth is a covered
samādh with a linga in it ; and in front of this a platform ,
having three lingas and a covered linga, all samadhs. Still
further east is a square building, with coloured pictures on its
walls, containing three samādhs, each having a linga. The
pictures on the walls are of both Saivite and Vaişņavite
significance; Krsna and the gopis and the hooded serpent
are represented.
At the south -east corner of the main shrine is a stone
platform , or throne, where mahants are made '; and where
they sit in state once a year, at the time of the Dasehra
Festival, to receive offerings.
Further to the south -east of the shrine in another samādh,
with a lingal in it ; still further east is a temple to Mahādeo;
then comes a decorated building containing a samādh; and
beyond this, eastward , the samādh of Gambirnāth .
South of the shrine, on the southern boundary of the area,
is the monastery .
Behind the shrine, in the south - west corner of the enclosure,
1 As in each instance above this is the usual yoni- linga .
SACRED PLACES 89
is the stable. In the rear of the shrine is another samādh ;

and the whole area north -west of the shrine is taken up with
samadhs, some of which are of masonry work, four being
covered, but most of which are rounded mounds of earth
covered with a plaster of cow-dung and clay.
Just outside of the grounds, to the south - east, is a huge,
recumbent figure of Bhimsen .
West of the compound which encloses the shrine of
Gorakhnāth is a large garden with a residence in it. There
is also on the south side of the compound a garden with
a resident in it. During the litigation, which began in
the summer of 1924, concerning the succession to the gaddi
these residences were occupied by rival claimants to the
pir -ship .
Worship is performed on some of the samādhs in the
evening, when lamps are lighted and incense is burnt,
The monastery is important, since its establishment is
traced back to Gorakhnath. Pāngārkar says that Gorakhnath
placed his guru bhāi, a fellow teacher, in charge of Gorakhpur.
There are connected with the establishment about one
hundred Yogis and a few Aughars. This is the headquarters
of the sect in the United Provinces. The mahant is chosen
by vote after the nomination of the previous pir has been
announced .
At present all the residents of the monastery are celibates.
Martin reported that several teachers living in the establish
ment were married and that they lived there with their
families. In his day, the prayers of the mahants were
considered especially efficient in restoring children to health .
This belief still prevails. The Yogis now use a large
nummulite, obtained at Nagar Thatha, in Sind, to insure
easy delivery to women . The ' white stones' are washed in
water and the liquid is then given to the women to drink.2
Martin reported that inmates of the monastery acted as sages
for a few Sūdras in the worship of Siva.
The endowment of the establishment at Gorakhpur consists
1 Sri fñānesvaramahārāja Carita, p . 60 .
? Themahant, in 1924, presented theauthor with a ' white stone,'
or nummulite, which he had used for this purpose .
of eight villages together with parts of others. Their grounds
and their villages are held rent-free.
There is still another important establishment of the
Gorakhnäthis in the United Provinces.
The Devi Pātan temple, and the monastery adjoining it,
both under the control of the Kānphata Yogis, are situated
on a small hill close to the town of TULSIPUR, in the Balrāmpur
State. It is not far from the foothills of the Himālayas and
the borders of Nepāl.
The site of the temple of Devi Pātan is one of the fifty -one!
pithas, or places celebrated as spots on which the dismem
bered limbs of Durgā ( Sati) were scattered . When Vişņu
cut her to pieces, andher dismembered body wasstrewn over
the world , as Siva, distracted , carried her body about, her
right hand fell at this place and sank into the ground . The
word, Pātan, refers to this event, for the word is derived from
the Sanskrit pât, from the root pat, meaning to fall, to sink.
Pātāla, from the same derivation, is the name of the regions
under the earth, the lower regions. The word also means a
hole in the earth. Pātāla is the abode of the Nāgas or dragons.
The Devi Pātan is also called Pātaleśvari. Another legend
makes this the place where Sitā disappeared into the earth .
After Rāma hadrescued her from Rāvana, she was accused of
unfaithfulness. Her purity and fidelity were attested by the
1 Some of thepithās are as follows (see Sen's Sați, pp. 104, 105) :
Devi Pātan, where her right hand fell.
Valley of Jawālamukhi, where her tongue fell.
Sugandha in South Bengal, her nose fell.
Labhpur, her lips fell.
Janasthāna in theDeccan , her cheeks fell.
Hing Lāj in the West, her forehead (crown of her head) fell.
Benares, her ear drops fell.
Ujjāin , her elbow fell.
KämākhyāinAssam ,her organs of generationfell.
Calcutta (Kālighāt), her great toe ( left foot) fell.
Faljur (JaintiaParganas), her left legfell.
Somewhere in 'Sylhet (or Kashmir ?) ' her neck fell.
Ukule Ghāt ( or Kālighāt ?), her fingers fell.
: For the story read Sati, A Mythical Story, etc., (1916 ) by
C. D. Sen. There are many accounts of this event in the litera
ture of India. More exactly the members were scattered over Assam
and Bengal.
SACRED PLACES 91
ordeal of fire. She then returned to Ayodhya with Rāma.
Later, at the clamour of the crowd , Rāma sent her into exile
under the old accusation . There, in the hermitage of Vālmiki,
she bore two sonsto Rāma. They grew up in the forest and
there learned the Rāmāyana, the epic of Rāma's deeds, which
Vālmiki had composed . Years after he had exiled Sita, Rāma
performed the great horse sacrifice. During theceremonies,
hermit youths recited this poem , over a period of twenty - five
days, in the presence of Rāma and his court. At last Rāma
recognized the youths as his sons. He, therefore, sent for
Sitā , asking her to re-affirm her innocence and to return to
the palace . She came before the great assembly, where with
clasped hands, bending low her face, and speaking in a voice
choked with sobs, she said : “ As I, even inmind, have never
thought of any other than Rāma, so may Mādhavi, the God
dess of the Earth, grant me a hiding place. Thereupon,
suddenly cleaving the earth , a divine throne of marvellous
beauty rose up, borne by resplendent dragons on their heads;
and, seated on it, the Goddess of the Earth, raising Sītā with
her arm , said to her, “ Welcome to thee !” and placed her by
her side. And as the queen, seated on her throne, descended
to Rasātala, a continuous shower of flowers fell down from
heaven on her head.'1
The hillock on which the temple stands is a very ancient
religious site, undoubtedly one of the oldest seats of Sāivite
worship in northern India . The oldest cycle of legends
referring to the place relate to characters of the Mahābhārata,
especially to Karna. A shrine to‘Rāja Karan ' still exists on
the slope of the hill. Another group of legends refers to the
dishonouring of Devi at the hands of a rāja of the Panjab .
After her body had been dismembered, her right hand fell at
this spot and sank into the ground. In this story there is,
evidently, a confusion of the older story, about the dis
1 Quoted in Griffith , The Rāmāyāna of Valmiki, vol. V , p. 326,
from Ē. B. Cowell in Academy, No. 43,but using the word Rasātala
(Receptacle of the Waters ) for Hades. The word rendered ' dragon '
is 'nāga.' It may be of interest to note that Janaka, father of Sitā, is
spoken of as a master Yogi and as a man intimately connected with
the origin of Yoga. See Bhakta Mālā .
? See Gazetteer of Oudh, 1877, pp. 367–70.
92 GORAKHNĀTH AND THE KÁNPHAȚA YOGIS
membering of the Devi's body, and later elements, possibly
Musalmān. A temple was erected here by Ratannāth, a
disciple third in descent from Gorakhnāth . The site is still
under the authority of the monastery Ratannāth at Sawārikot
in the Nepalese Hills.
In the time of Aurangzeb , or in the fifteenth century as
some say , the temple was despoiled by a Musalmān officer.
The avenging of the death of this soldier is the basis of the
legend explaining the practice of spilling the blood of
suckling pigs on the grave of a Musalmān,near the site of
the temple of Devi Pātan . It is said that two temple guards,
Sumer Dhar and Mūl Cand, brought the despoilerto his
death .
The site of the temple is extensive, and the elevation on
which it stands was once occupied by a fort. Tradition
connects this with the name of Rāja Karan, Karna of the
Mahābhārata . There are here also an ancient temple and a
very old well.
The two places of interest, both of which are objects of
attention at the annual fair, or mela , held toward the end of
the spring season , are the temple of Devi Patan, with its
monastery, and the grave of the Musalmān referred to above.
The present temple , is, in a general way, built around the
older building said to have been erected by Ratannāth . And
on a block of red sandstone enclosed in the present edifice is
aninscription containing the name of Gorakhnāth.1
The core of the temple is of red sandstone. It is probably a
portion of the older temple. It may be seen from the door
way, and at various places in the shrine. But the present
temple which is built around the older one is white. The
spire is of white marble , surmounted by a gilded umbrella,
The temple faces east. It is rectangular in shape, and the
central shrine is surrounded by a wide veranda . In front of
the temple is a broad platform of stone. The interior is dark,
there being no windows and only one door, which is small
and made of brass. Within is an image of Devi, painted
red, before which offerings, including the heads of sacrificed
goats, are made.
1 See Nevill, District Gazetteer, Gonda, subject ‘ Devi Patan .'
SACRED PLACES 93
In the west face of the temple is an image of Bal Devi, the
goddess who grants children. Here the hair of the first shav
ing of a child's head is offered. And it was here that, in
1924, the young prince of Balrāmpur was brought. Before
the goddess, his head was shaved, and the hair was then
offered to her. On the walls about the image, as in similar
shrines and in other placesgenerally, small figures resembling
children are drawn in black. These pictures are drawn,
ceremonially, by women desiring children ; or, in cases where
all of a mother's children are girls, in the hope that she may
obtain a son. Some of the figures are ornate.
art
大
In the veranda on either side of the door of the temple are
the large kettle drums which are used in the daily worship .
Several large bells are hung in the veranda.
In front of the temple, on the stone platform , is the block
where goats are sacrificed ;1 and a pit where a hom , or fire, is
kept burning on special occasions. On the edge of this plat
form are two large, stone lions, facing the temple. At the left,
but behind these, is a long rack on which are hung temple
bells, six in number, some of considerable age. Behind the
bells, to the east, is a shed used for rest and as an eating place.
At the north -east corner is a spot sacred to Nāgnāth . On it
are a small image of a hooded serpent, a fragment only, and
some other bits of broken images . Worship is conducted
here, especially at the Nāgpañcami festival.
Close to the temple on the east and south , and scattered
Knowles, Gospel in Gonda, p. 116, says that the priests who
sacrifice the goats and buffaloes are Yogis of Ţhāru origin. Thārus
are a jungle people living in the forests on the borders of Nepāl.
They areparticularly clever in using the cleaver with which the heads
of animals for sacrifice are severed at a single stroke.
over the site at various distances, are numerous samādhs or
tombs of Yogis. Some are old and out of repair. Over most
of these graves aremasonry platforms surmounted by the
yoni-lingasymbol. These verynumerous graves attest the age
and importance of the monastery.
On the east side of the temple, beyond the shed , is a huge
pipal tree with a platform around it. On its south side is a
small, raised platform sacred to Kāl Bhāirom , with a large
number of tridents ( trisul) beside it. Close by this shrineis
the small, domed structure called Rāja Karan's building, and
containing an image of that ancient hero.
Still further east is a temple of Sital Mātā, the goddess of
smallpox, of which the Yogīs are pūjāris. Beyond this temple
are more samādhs. Beyond this is an old temple to Mahādeo
or Siva.
On the north side of the main temple is a stake where
buffaloes are sacrificed. Towards the north, a long flight of
steps leads down to an ancient tank.
The monastery is situated north -east of the temple, and
some of its buildings are close up to the temple site. There
are between thirty -five and fortyYogis in residence as a usual
thing. The dhūni, or Yogi's fire, is housed north - east of the
temple, in a portion of the monastery. The Government
Forest Department makes an annual grant of 250 wagon -loads
of wood for this dhūnī.
South of the temple site a road leads through a bazaar to
the grave of the Musalmān. In front of the tomb , under a
tree, is an oval stone on which pilgrims dash out thebrains of
suckling pigs and then carry the bleeding animals into the
tomb tolet the blood drip on the Musalmān's grave. The pigs
for this purpose are purchased in the bazaar near the tomb.
Hindus of caste, even Brāhmans, it is said, perform this rite.
Near the tomb is a platform in which a broken stone is set
erect. This is the place of Hulikā Devī, the goddess of the
Holi. The pujārīs of the goddess are Yogis. In fact, in all the
places of worship round about the temple of Devi Pātan, as
well as in the temple itself, the pūjārīs are Gorakhnāthīs.
There are samadhs in this neighbourhood also.
1 His name was Mirza.
SACRED PLACES 95
There is an approach to the main temple from the east by
a low flight of steps.
Great interestat Devi Pātan centers around the annual mela,
or religious fair, which occurs early in April. Then the
desecration of the tomb of the Musalmān is carried on with
feverish haste by many people. Suckling pigs are purchased ,
carried to the tank at the north of the temple, and dipped
three times in the water. The worshipper then receives a ţikā
or mark, from a priest, and carries the pig to the round stone
in front of the tomb, going around the site of the temple,not
crossing the temple area. At the round stone the act described
above is performed, and the bleeding pig is carried into the
tomb. However, the mela is not the only occasion when pigs
are thus sacrificed , for it is a regular practice at the tomb.
The mela is an occasion of special worship at the temple,
The sides of the stairway on the east are lined with stalls in
which are sold the sweets and flowers which make up the
simple offerings to Devi. Besides these, offerings of cocoanuts
goats and buffaloes are made. It was reported that in 1871 ,
20 buffaloes, 250 goats and 250 pigs were sacrificed daily
during the fair.1
Across the small stream to the west of the temple site is
the large bazaar where horses and other animals are brought
for sale. This fair is especially noted for the Nepalese ponies
that are brought to the market. On the east of the temple
hill is laid out a large, temporary bazaar where wares of all
kinds, from beads and trinkets to pots and cloth , are sold .
The usual holiday group of merry - go -rounds, 'ferris' wheels,
snake-charmers,and other entertainers is found at the fair.
The rājas of Balrampur are patrons of the fair and of the
temple. The State levies a tax on all sales in both bazaars .
As many as 75,000 , even 100,000, attend the fair.2
The annual fair at Devi Pātan opens with thearrival of
the pir, or abbot, from the monastery of the Kānphata Yogis
1 Gazetteer of Oudh, vol. I, p. 370. Knowles, Gospel in Gonda,
p. 173, estimated that 22,000 animals were sacrificed there in 1886.
It was calculated that one animal a minute was sacrificed from
sunrise to sunset every day for a week .'
: Nevill, District Gazetteer, Gonda, p. 193 ; Gazetteer of Oudh,
vol. I, p. 370.
at Sawārikot,or Dāng Cangra, in Nepal. This place is sixty
miles from the temple.1 At the Ratannāth monastery each
year a mahant, or pir, is chosen , who with the pir chosen the
previous year, goes in procession in Devi Pātan . The former
goes in front,carrying a stone linga, said to contain the spirit
of Gorakhnath . Attendants carry a large, red umbrella, with
a handle covered with sheet-silver, silvermaces, tridents with
flags, a kettle- drum covered with a red cloth , and yak -tail
fans. A long peculiarly -shaped horn is also carried in the
procession . The pir stops from time to time to receive the
offerings that the crowd have to make. At such times the
stone linga is garlanded again and again . All along the way
the people cast offerings ofall sorts in their path, and the pirs
are under a constant bombardment of sweets. It is considered
fortunate to secure bits of the offerings that have been made.
Consequently there is a great scramble for the offerings, as
well as to make them. Chickens, sweets , flowers and other
articles are presented ,' and then carried away as possessing
special sanctity and magic powers, by those who have
brought them .
On the outskirts of Tulsipur, about a mile from the
temple, the procession is met , in the early morning of the
firstday of the mela, by a company of soldiers and amilitary
band belonging to the State ofBalrāmpur, and a little farther
on by a company of village watchmen, in uniform . Besides
the escort, a large crowd follows the visiting pīrs.
At the foot of the steps leading to the temple from the
east, the visitors are met by the local mahant, or abbot, of
Devi Pātan , and the pirs and their attendants are conducted
to the temple and are seated on the platform on its eastern
side. Their arrival is greeted with the blowing of horns, the
ringing of bells and the beating of drums. The visiting
company remains four days. Each evening of their stay
an elaborate ceremony is performed when prasād, food offered
to the pirs, is distributed. This exercise is preceded by
the regular beating of drums and the ringing of bells for
about half an hour. During this ceremony , the two pīrs
sit opposite to each other, on the eastern platform , the
1 These bits of information are based upon local statements.
SACRED PLACES 97
recently appointed one having charge of the stone linga from

Sawārikot. The umbrella , the maces, the tridents and the
horn are in use. The constantly changing crowd casts a
continuous shower of sweets on the carpet where the pirs and
attendants are sitting. The chief pir wears a two -handled
knife in his girdle (a symbol of distinction) and carries a
carved bamboo staff in his hand. All about the temple are
Kori-Camārs playing musical instruments ( sarangi) and beat
ing drums. These are temple attendants. There are many
men about, dressed as women, who carry trays and beg.
In the veranda of the temple, worshippers make the circuit
of the shrine, going with their right hand next the temple.
Men and women, in the excitement of the crowd, become
' possessed' by the Devi, called Bhagavati, anddance, clap
their hands and ' prophesy ' what should be offered to the
goddess. Whatever is thus suggested is presented to her.
But the temple is not without worshippers at other times.
Worship is carried on with great regularity on the temple
site. Very early in the morning and again in the evening a
simple service is held when a visit is paid to each samādh in
the place. In the morning, after bathing, the pūjāri offers
Ganges water, sandalwood , rice, bel leaves , flowers and milk
at each grave. He may add sweets and burn incense. In the
eveningmilk is offered, with incense and sweets, and a lamp
is lighted.
In connection with the noon - time worship of Bhāirom, the
guardian of the temple, the pūjārī, goes around theplatform
and shrine of the god, his right hand towards it. Then after
pouring out water, he offersto the god a plate heaped with
rice, afterwards throwing the food to dogs. (Bhāirom is
accompanied by a black dog).
The eveningworship andprasād at the temple is preceded
by the regularbeatingof thekettle - drums and the ringing of
the temple bells for about half an hour. The temple doors
are then thrown open and the offerings are made.
The monastery at Devi Pātan has been famous for its
adepts in the Hatha Yoga. It owns, besides its own site,
nine villages which are tax- free. It has a considerable
income from offerings. The mahant, in 1924, was Harināth
of the Bāirāg Panth to which the Ratannāth pīrs belong.
7
CHAPTER SIX
SACRED PLACES ( Concluded )
TURNING now to the north -west, the temple of AMARNĀTH ,

in Kashmir, is to be noted. Yogis visit the shrine of their
master which is situated in a cave. Formerly all danced before
Siva, here, naked . Women now wear a single garment. Siva
is here represented by a linga which is a blockof ice.
Besides the important monastery at Gorakh Țilla, there are
a good many places in the Panjab connected with the
Gorakhnāthīs. GORAKHŞETRA, or Gorkhatội, in Peshāwar was
once a haunt of Kānphata Yogis and is mentioned by Bāber
and Abūl Fazal. Traditionally this is the place where
Gorakhnāth lived in the Satya Yuga. In the north -west the
chief saint of the Kānphatas is Ratannāth of Peshāwar.
These Yogis do not wear the rings in their ears because they
claim to wear them in their hearts.
There are Yogi shrines at Kohāt, Jalālābād and Kābul.
SIĀLKOT is famous as the home of Puran Bhagat, the well
known disciple of Gorakhnāth . The well where Puran was
found by that Yogi is situated two miles north of the Canton
ment. A legend connected with the place relates how a
Khatrāni woman, while bathing in the Aik river,waswooed by
Bāsak Nāg ( the King of Serpents), and bore a son , Sālavahan,
who rose to be a man of great power and wealth , and who,
through the assistance of the serpent (Nāg) became a king. To
Śālavahan were born two sons who became Yogīs, theolder of
whom was Puran Bhagat, on whose account the well is still
1 Martin, vol. II, p. 484; BHCS, p. 403.
See Sialkot Gazetteer,1904. Also Archeological Report, vol. II,
pp . 21, 22 ; vol. XIV , pp. 44-47. The whole story is given in chap.
nine.
SACRED PLACES 99
famous. The well is noted for its very cold water and its healing
qualities. Hindu women go there to bathe, in order to be
cured of barrenness; especially on Sunday and on the new
moon , do they come from all parts of the Panjab for this
purpose.
In Gūgā's temple at SULTĀNPUR, which belongs to the
Chamārs, Gūgā and his wazīt are mounted on horses, Gogri
on a mare , but Narsimh, Kāila Bir and Gorakhnāth are on
foot.2
At BATRA there is a comparatively new shrine to Gūgā,
erected by one who had obtained a son in his old age. Beside
it is a shrine to Gorakhnāth, facing east.
There is a shrine of Birāg Lok near PALAMPUR with a legend
connected with Gorakhnāth. The founder of the shrine, when
a boy, once, while herding cattle, met a gosāin (said to be
Gorakhnāth himself) who told him never to disclose the fact
of their friendship , else he would no longer remain in his
palace. Keeping the secret, however, made him ill, and so ,
at last he told his parents about the gosäin. They gave him
sattu for the holy man . But , when about to cook it, the
boy complained that he had no water, whereupon the gosāin
touched the ground with his gaja (iron staff ) and a spring
appeared, which still exists. The gosāindid not eat thefood,
saying that his hunger was satisfied by its savour. The boy
then caught the holy man by the arm , upon which the latter
struck him with his hand and turned him into stone. A few
days later a Bhat Brāhman became possessed and saw all that
had occurred. Then a temple was erected and the spot called
Birāg (Gosāin ) Lok (corrupted from ' alop ,' ' disappearance ')
As Birāg Lok had been a herdsman, he became peculiarly the
guru of cattle and now fulfils vows made regarding cattle.
A fair is held at the shrine on Har the third. He-goats and
corn are offered. An image of Gorakhnāth was placed in the
temple in Sikh times. This is a Siddh temple. There are
1 Based on a report by A. H.Daula (June 22,1925) which he made
after hearing Ganga Ram Parshad, B.A., LL.B., President of the
Arya Samāj of Sialkot, read from an account in Hindi. Forwarded
to the author by Dr. H. D. Griswold .
2 RTCP , vol. I , p. 183.
3 IA , 1963, p. 378 and note ; RTCP, vol. I, p. 246.
in it three images - of Gūgā, of Gorgi and of Guru Gorakh
nāth - each about three feet high and mounted.
The Ai-panth monastery at the Takşala Gate in LAHORE is
a rambling place. It contains a few samādhs and a temple to
Siva. In front of this temple is a large, rounded slab ofstone
painted black , which contains an image of Kāl Bhāirom,
painted black,with a large trident. The mahant of this place
is the pūjāri of the temple. He was the only Yogi present at
the time of the author's visit (December 10, 1924). The
compound of the monastery is used as a sort of sārái (cara
vanserai). The Yogi's ear -rings were of crystal.
At AMRITSAR, at the temple of Bhāirom , at Durgiāna, there
is an image of Bhāirom and a large cubical platform , about
five feet high, painted red , with a cloth over it, in which is a
niche and a lamp. Beside this there is a temple of Siva. It
is a place of meeting for the group known as the twelve
Panths. It was here that the author had his audience with
the pir of Țilla.
Near LĀDWA, in the Ambāla district, there are places
where two shrines are found close by each other, the one on
the right and the other on the leftof that ofGūgā, the one
on the left being dedicated to Gorakhnāth. The explanation
of this is that Gūgā was the disciple of Gorakhnāth.
At BOHAR, in Rohtak, there is a fine block of buildings
which belongs to Yogis who follow Mastnāth . An annual
fair of a disreputable character is held there. In the
Tārīkh -i- Sher Shāhi (date about 1579) there is mention of
Bālnāth of the Yogis near the fort of Rohtas.
There is, at KIRĀNA, a famous monastery with a large
landed endowment.. The residents are Aughars, and their
chief is called pir. They wear an ochre -coloured turban
over which is placed a network of black thread covered with
gold. The pir, when once elected , may never again descend
1 RTCP, vol. I , p. 188.

? See chap . nine.
3 IA , vol. XXVI (1897), p. 84, referring to Ibbetson's Karnāl
Settlement Report.
* Elliot, History of India, etc., vol. IV, p. 301 .
5 Census Report, Panjab, 1891, p. 116.
SACRED PLACES 101
the hill on which the establishment is situated. This
monastery was moved from Ţilla under circumstances related
below .
The most famous establishment of the Kānphatas in the
Panjab , and in fact in all India, is at GORAKH TILLA .
Tilla, or Gorakh Țilla ,3 is situated about twenty -five miles
north -west of Jhelum , on the highest point of an isolated
line of hills in the Salt Range, at an elevation of 3,242 feet.
The hill is rugged and difficult to ascend. There isasteep,
almost perpendicular, cliff on one side of it. This is
accounted for by the following legend. Lakşmannāth , the Jogi
of Tilla, was once visited by Siddhvacārnāth (Bharthari),
and was unable at the moment to provide food for his guest.
So Bhartphari carried off part of the hill toKirāna Bar,
threw it down, and founded a new monastery. This explains
the steep ascent at Țilla. The view from the monastery is
a very fine one. In ordinary weather the snows of the
Himalayas make a splendid sight. Nearby and below are the
remains of decaying hills; and the course of the Jhelum is
plainly seen.
The old buildings at Țilla were destroyed by Shah Durrani
in 1748, and the establishment was rebuilt by Rāja Mān (of
Jodhpur ?)
Țilla is one of the oldest religious sites in northern India ,
and its use for religious purposes antedates by millenniums
the coming of Gorakhnāth . Tradition affirms that Gorakh
nāth settled there in the Tretā Yuga, after Rāmcandra, and
adopted Bālnāth as his disciple.? The place was once known
as Țilla Bālnāth, a name derived from a temple on the sum
mit dedicated to the sun as Bālnāth. It was here that
1 Census Report, Panjab , 1891, p. 116.
2A good picture of Tilla is to be found in OMAS, opposite
p. 266 . On Țilla see Census Report, Panjab, 1891, pp. 115 ff;
OMAS, pp. 264 ff.
3 Also known as Jogi Țilla , Țilla Gorakhnāth .
• Census Report, Panjab, 1891, p . 117.
5 Jhelum District Gazetteer,1904, p. 34 .
6 Census Report, Panjab, 1891, p. 117. ? RTCP, vol. I , p . 389.
8 Ain -i- Akbari, vol. II, p. 315, note 1. Cunningham ( Ancient
Geographyof India, p. 164)considered this name, Bālnāth, older than
the time of Alexander ; but this may be doubted.
Bālnāth underwent his penance, and it was from him that
Bhartphari learned the practice of austerities. The samādh
of Bhartphari is at Țillal and the cave there is named after
him . The monastery is now in charge of the Lakşman , or
Daryā, or Hethnāth panth of the sect, and they have dis
ciples beyond the Afghan frontier.
It is undoubtedly true that Gorakh Țilla, or Jogi Țilla,
was one of the first centres of the Kānphata Yogis. Panjab
legends make repeated reference to the place as one of the
stations to which Gorakhnāth often retired. In the story of
the marriage of Vālmīk's daughter reference is made to Tilla.
' In the pond where a Brāhman at the Kumbh Mela was
cured ofleprosy, Gorakhnāth will bathe, who will make his
temple on Tilla." From a remote period all other centres
of the Kānphatas in the Panjab have been under Țilla. At
Gorakhpur, Yogis stated that Ţilla is now the chief seat of the
sect. The pir of Țilla is the head of all the Gorakhnāthis.
(But the committee of the Twelve Panths seem to have
some superior supervisory power. See chapter two .)
The establishment is situated on the top of the hill and is
enclosed by a wall. One of the principal temples in the
main enclosure is to Hanumān . The elevated portion to the
west, within the enclosed wall, contains samadhs in three
corners anda temple of Siva to the east of the centre of the
platform . In front of this and at the north is the caran of
Lakşman. By itself, in the platform , north -west of the temple,
is a large trident. North of the temple is a small shrine of
Bhāirom , and just to the east of this is an old tree under
which is a niche markingthe place where Gorakhnāth used
to sit. They say that Țilla will stand as long as this tree
lives. On the lower level to the east, within the walls, are
the storerooms and the residence of the mahant and some
other Yogis. Attached to the main enclosure is a cow shed,
and to the south -west of it are alarge tank and some very old
samādhs, mostly in ruins. There is a great number of
1 Jhelum Gazetteer, 1904, p . 35.

· E.g., Temple, Nos.13, 20; vol. II, pp. 275, 375, 429, 549, 551 ,
554, 555, 557, 559, 566 ; Synn, p. 51 .
3 IA, 1907, pp. 23 , 24.
SACRED PLACES 103
samādhs about. A stone slab at this place marks the spot

where Rāñjha used to sit and where he was initiated after
he was driven away from the home of Hir. Gorakhnāth
pierced his ears. Thirty or forty Yogis are usually in resi
dence. At the time of the author's visit to Tilla (December,
1924) the mahant and many of the Yogis were at Amritsar
in the interests of the monastery atthat place. For there had
been a serious disturbance in the city and a number of Yogis
were under arrest. The mahant had gone to effect a settlement.
A special mela is held at Țilla in March .
The monastery is in possession of a deed granted by Akbar
confirming earlier grants . The endowmentsare now reduced
to one village, owing to serious charges brought some time
ago againstone of the mahants. The Aughars of Kirāna
are more wealthy.
At Sargoda, about four miles distant, there is a branch of
the Țilla monastery .
Several places in Sindh, and one shrine beyond the western
boundary of India , are of interest in the study of the Yogis,
although they do not belong to the Kānphatas. These are
Nagar Thatha,Pir Arr, Koteswar and Hing Lāj.
NAGAR THAȚHA (Nangar Tata) is situated about seventy
miles from Karāchi, on a plateau in the Makli Hills, over
looking the Indus. The town, which covers a very large
area, was the ancient capital of Sind. It is now a famous
Musalmān burial ground. It was noted for its scarves and
waist-cloths of mixed silk and cotton and of silk and gold , and
for its famous educational institutions. The importance of the
place for the Gorakhnāthis is that beads which they greatly
prize are obtained there. The plateau around Thatha is
strewn thick with pebbles and nodular lumps ofhard, yellow
limestone which are sometimes quite speckled with little
1 See Jhelum District Gazetteer, 1904, p. 35 .
: Census Report, Panjab, 1891, p. 117.
.: A note on this place will be found under the description of
Dhinodar. See p. 118, below .
See ImperialGazetteer of India,vol. XXIII,pp.254 ff.; Gazetteer
of the Province of Sind , KarachiDistrict, 1919 ; Burton , Scinde, or the
Unhappy Valley ( 1851 ); Burton, Sind Revisited ( 1877); Hughes, A
Gazetteer of the Province of Sindh .
nummulites. These become detached , and lie on the ground
in such quantities that it has become a trade to collect and
string them for sale to pilgrims on their way to Hing Lāj.
They are called thumra.i The two rosaries of white beads
which are made from these nummulites differ chiefly in the
size of the ' stones' of which they are composed . That of the
smaller beads is called Hing Lāj ka thumrā ; theother,made
of slightly larger beads, Ašāpūri. The beads of the former
are said to be petrified grains of the larger millet, the latter
of the smaller millet, or of rice. The former rosary is more
commonly worn, and is, evidently, the more prized. It consists
of 500 or 1,000 beads. Like other pilgrims, Yogis purchase
these beads at Nagar Thatha, and, upon reaching Hing Lāj
offer them to the goddess . The thumrā is then put on .
When the pilgrim reaches Asāpūría Devi's shrine at Nagar
Thatha on his return journey, he offers the other rosary to her
and then puts it on .
The Yogis explain the presence of the substance out of
which the beads are made and their reason for prizing them
by the following legends. Siva and Parvati, ontheir way to
Hing Lāj, stopped in the jungles of Asāpūrī. There Šiva
asked his consort to prepare him a dish of khichri, cooked
millet and rice, while he went away into the jungle. Siva
then drew around her and her cooking place a magic circle of
ashes, explaining to her that a giant ( asura) would in his
absence come tomolest her ; but that she would be perfectly
safe so long as she remained within the circle, since the
demon would be burnt to ashes should he venture to
cross the magic line. Siva then left with her his trident and
went into the jungle. While he was away, the giant
came and Pārvati slew him with the trident. The demon's
blood ran all about the place, defiling everything, includ
ing the fire place and the food which she was preparing.
Soon afterwards Siva returned. From his body the demon
immediately appealed to Siva for release, or mukti. Siva
granted the request and the demon's spirit ascended to Kailās,
1 Gazetteer of the Province of Sind, Karachi District. See also
chap . one.
Ašāpūrnā, ‘ She who fulfils desires .'
SACRED PLACES 105
Siva's heaven . The giant's body became dust and this is still
used as incense powder. Seeing how everything had been
defiled by the giant's blood, Siva ordered Parvati to throw
the food away . The grains of the khichri turned into the
stones ' out of which the beads for the famous rosaries are
made.
These nummulites are also thought of as petrified grain
which the creator left on earth to remind him of his
creation1
The efficacy of the thumrā is attested by the following tale.
During their fourteen years' exile, Rāma and Sitā wandered
into the neighbourhood ofĀsāpūrī. There Sītā begged Rāma
to go to Siva and beg for a thumrā. Rāma's sinof having
killed a Brāhman (Rāvaņa) was forgiven when he offered the
rosary to Hing Lāj Devi.
The sacrednessof Asāpūri is due to the fact that Rāmcandra ,
on his way to Hing Lāj, left his staff at her shrine.
Another legend records that formerly at Nagar Thatha
Musalman faqirs in large numbers persecuted the followers
of the Hindu faith. One day the Devi appeared to the Hindus
riding on a lion and slew the faqirs. She then went on to
Hing Lāj and made that place her abode. For this reason
Yogis visit both Nagar Thatha and Hing Lāj.
In these legends well-known elements of the Siva-Pārvati
mythology are united with the pilgrimage of the divine Yogi,
Siva, to ancient shrines. It is noteworthy that Vaişņavite
elements mingle freely in these stories.
HING LĀJ , the last holy place of the Hindus towards the
west, is visited by Gorakħnāthis. They consider that a
pilgrimage to this place is necessary for all who wish to
perfect themselves and to become adepts in Yoga .
Hing Lāj is situated on the Makrān coast, about eighty
miles from the mouth of the Indus, and some twelve miles
from the sea. The shrine stands below a peak of the same
1 Barnes, Travels in Bokhara, vol. I, p. 29.

2 See RTCP, vol. II, p . 398; Barnes,Travels in Bokhara , 1834 ,
vol. III; Masson, Narrative of Various Journeys in Baluchistan, Afgha
nistan, the Panjab and Kohat, 1844 .
name, on the banks of the Hingol River, in the Las Bela
State . The river breaks through the mountains in a gorge,
about two hundred yards wide between cliffs, about a thousand
feet high . Above the gorge the country is rich and wild.
Below the gorge the river is called Aghor . Masson reported,
in 1844 , that he saw figures of the sun and moon hewn on the
rocks in an inaccessible place.3
Hing Lāj is one of thefifty-one pithas," or places celebrated
as spots where the dissevered limbs of Sati were scattered .
Here the crown of her head fell. The shrine is dedicated to
the terrific Agni Devi, of Hing Lāj,6 known also as the Hinj
Lāj Devi, Hinguda Devi, and the Red Goddess. She is
known as Bībi Nāni by Musalmāns and as Pārvati, Kāli or
Mātā by Hindus.? Bībi Nāni is celebrated from the Ganges
to the Euphrates and is probably the Chaldean Nāna who
was very old, dating perhaps a thousand years before
Abraham .' She is probably Nanaia of the Persians and Bac
trians . Hing Lāj is the best known place of pilgrimage
in Baluchistan . The Devi is the family goddess of many
tribes in western India. Even in Mirzapur, in the United
Provinces, she is worshipped by Kharwārs.10 She is known
and revered throughout India.
The shrine, which is of the vāmacāra or cakrapūja type,
has long been in the hands of Musalmāns and formerly
the woman in charge of the place made Muslims of all
Hindu pilgrims who went there. The attendant who did
Eighty miles, Imperial Gazetteer of India , vol. XIII, p. 143 ; 150

miles ,Postan's India .
*Hart, An Account of a Journey from Karāchi to Hing Lāj, etc.,
2
1840.
3
3 Narrative, vol. IV, p. 391 .
* See above, chap. five, under ‘ Devi Pātan .'
5 Sen , Sati, says ' forehead .'
67 Tod, vol. III, p. 1,511.
Imperial Gazetteer of India ,vol. XIII, p. 82.
8 Holdich, India,p . 45; Holdich, The Gates of India, pp. 162–3.
His account of the Mekrān is onpp. 295 ff.
Masson, Narrative, vol. IV, p. 390. At Lagash there was a
Goddess Nina and her daughter Ninmar c. 3000 B.C. Baikie, The
Life of the Ancient East ,p . 200.
10 Crooke, ERE , vol. VI , p. 716.
SACRED PLACES 107
this was Caņņāla Māi. Her descendants claim to be so

intimate with the goddess as to play chess with her.
Pilgrims to the shrine follow the Karāchi-Miāni-Hing Lāj
road along the Makrān coast. The distance is one hundred
and fifty miles, but the way is so difficult that the journey
occupies twenty - four days. Pilgrims go from Karāchi in
bands of from forty to fifty, each conducted by a Brāhman
known as agua. At Karāchi he obtains a pass for the party.
This is shown at Miāni where fees are collected by a bhārti,
or hereditary examiner, from all except devotees and
unmarried girls. In all, on the journey, there are fifteen places
where offerings are made, all of which go to the agua.
Each pilgrim takes with him a stick of oleander, sometimes
mountedwith gold or silver; and each must choose adharam
bhāi, or ' brother by duty or faith .' This relationship is made
binding at Kharinadi where each takes the other's used took
stick. Upon reaching Hing Lāj, they offer their beads to the
goddess and then exchange them .
Widows, and women with their children and husbands
make this pilgrimage .?
Goldsmid, who visited Hing Lāj in 1861 , while following
the river, saw a place of sacrifice, a hollow in the hill, sacred
to the goddess, smeared with the blood of animals offered to
her; and rocks decorated with sectarian marks , in red. From
this place up to the temple, about one -fourth of a mile, the
stones under foot were smeared with blood .
The shrine itself lies in a verdant valley surrounded by
mountains. Far below is the abode of Nāni, a castellated,
mud edifice with a rude wooden door. A flight of steps leads
down a deep, semi-circular cleft through which pilgrims creep
on all fours to reach the building. To enter this is a test of
chastity, for the sin-laden cannot so enter. The shrine is a
level, mud surface upon which a lamp is kept burning.
1 This name, ‘ Mother Caņņāla ,' is very interesting. A Caņņāla is
the lowest of the outcaste Hindus.
* The author has seen, e.g. at Almora, women belonging to the
sect, both widows and married women, who had brought rosaries
from Hing Lāj and who had the brand -marks of Koteswar on their
arms. See chap . two.
3 Crooke, EŘE, vol. VI, p. 715 .
There is here a dhūni of Gorakhnāth , Gorakhji ki dhūni.
Into a tank , Alāil Kund, those who can swim jump from an
overhanging rock. A cocoanut and a piece of red -cloth are
offered. A cocoanut cast into the water will exhibit the nature
of the pilgrim's career. If, when the cocoanut is thrown into
the tank, the water bubbles up, the pilgrim is assured that his
life has been and will continue to be pure. If no bubbles
appear, he will have to do penance to remove his sins.1
Close to the shrine is a well, said to be of unfathomable
depth , from which pilgrims carry away water. Hāji Abdula
Nabi describes the well as follows. The water ‘rises up at
times with a bubbling noise, discoloured like a river fresh
swollen after rain , and carrying mud in suspension . The
Hindu pilgrims, when this takes place, throw in betel-nuts,
cloves , cardamoms and cocoanuts. Should there be delay in
the rising, pilgrims in the most abject manner will call on
Mātā to give them a sight of herself, exhorting each other to
reveal their sins and inwardly repent. When the water rises,
they salaam with both hands joined, and throw in their
offerings, which , after some time, on a second rise, are
brought back again , where they are collected and formed into
large cakes which they bake near the spot.'?
Near the village of Khajūrī is a pit, or hollow , where the
brother of HingLāj Devi, on being pressed by Gabars and
Zoroastrians, sank into the ground . A spring gushed forth ,
caused by the brother, who is called Gāib Pir (i.e. disappear
ed) by Musalmāns and Mahādeo by Hindus.
There is a legend which deserves record at this juncture.
While Siva was at Asāpūri, Hing Lāj Devi, in the form of a
fly, settled in his hair. When heand Pārvati, after wandering
in search of Devi for twelve years, could not find her, Siva,
in rage, determined to disappear into the ground, to go to
Pātāla . Thereupon the Devi came out of his hair, and,
appearing in her proper form , said , ' Why be angry ? I am
with you .' The hollow in the ground marks the pit into
which Śiva was about to disappear. Here a sound, ‘ Bam ,
bam,' is frequently heard. Those pilgrims who hear it are
1 Barnes, Travels, vol.III, p. 33.
Crooke, ERE , vol. VI , p . 716.
SACRED PLACES 109
assured of being freed from sins ; but those who do not hear
it, are thought to be great sinners, and are urged by atten
dants and others to confess their sins, their companions even
offering to share them . Then the sound comes again.1
Boons are often granted by the Devi. Ugra Prabhu,
grandsonof Näin Pāl, who obtained the kingdom of Mārwār
in A.D. 470, made a pilgrimage to Hing Lāj. The goddess
was so pleased with the severity of his penance that she
caused to ascend from the foundation of the shrine the sword
with which he conquered the southern countries. Another,
Rāna Hamir , who had a leprous spot on his hand, made the
pilgrimage to Hing Lāj and obtained a cure.3
On the return journey from Hing Lāj, pilgrims stop at a
temple of Mahādeo (Siva) at KOTEŚWAR ( Grove of Siva ').
This is a celebrated and ancient Tīrtha, which, at one time,
lay on the borders of India. It is situated in Sind, not far
from Karāchi, on the Lakpāt River, ten or twelve miles from
its bar or entrance. At this place a peculiar stone, of the size
of a shilling, resembling a worn down linga is found in vast
numbers. Does this explain the meaning of ' Koteswar ' ?
Here Gorakhnāthis are branded on the upper part of the
right fore-arm with the yoni-linga, emblem of Siva - Sakti.
The reason for this practice is that on this pilgrimage Yogis
pass beyond the confines of India, and that the shrine at
Hing Lāj is in the keeping of Musalmāns. Hence pilgrims
must be reconstituted Hindus when they return to India.
In a legend explaining the practice it is related that there was
formerly at Hing Lāj a Musalmāni who was able to tell by
magic when Yogis were among the pilgrims coming to the
shrine, and that she could by the same means recognize them
when they reached the place. She used to mark their
foreheads with a ţika, thus making them Musalmāns. Con
sequently, on their way back from the shrine, they stopped
1 These accounts may involve some confusion concerning the
well,the
2
pitand the tank.
2 Tod, vol. II, p . 934. 3 Tod, vol. III, p. 1,656 .
4 See Capt. McMurdo , article, ‘Dissertation on the River Indus, '
FRAS, 1834, pp . 20-40. Koteswar was the seaport of Lakpāt. See
General G. Le Grand Jacob, C.B. in Transactions of the Bombay Geo
graphical Society, 1862, article nine.
at Koteswar and received there the brand mark of Mahādeva,
as proof that he had remade them Hindus. The practice
continues. The brandmark is as follows:
The stories centring around Nagar Thatha, Hing Lāj and

Koteswar show that Western India hadits very ancient holy
places, as old as those in the Himālayas and at Benares: and
that early contacts were common between India and Western
Asia, through some of them , notably Hing Lāj. They also
make it plain that Muslims in due time took possession of the
holy places, but that pilgrimages continue as of old.
Gorakhnāthis lost Koteswar to the Atīts in the sixteenth
century.
There are three sees of the Kānphatas in Kacch , in Vāgad,
at Bhūj, and at Dhinodhar. That at the latter place is the
most important.
The monastery of Kanthaạnāth at MANPHARA, near Kanth
kot, in Vāgad , traces its origin , says Khakhar to Kaņķhkot
about A.D. 844. But the monastery is not old . Yogis at this
place call themselves Kaņķhaờnāthis. They are celibates
and depraved. But some of their members are allowed
to marry.4 Their power in Kacch was broken about three
hundred years ago . Descendants of the Yogis of this place
became herdsmen. Kanthadnāthis worship Ganesa and Kan
ſhadnāth, repeating the latter's namein telling their beads.
Kaņķhadnāth is worshipped twice a day. The arrangements
at the monastery for charity are quite like those at Dhinodhar,
but on a much reduced scale . A legend tells how Rão
Bharmilji, with his army, was once entertained at this place,
Udekāņth, who later was made head of the monastery
providing food for the host from one small dish. Another
1 Bombay Gazetteer, vol. V, p. 86 .

2 Bombay Gazetteer, vol . V, p. 85.
»
3 Bombay Gazetteer, vol. V, pp. 87,88.

4 Khakhar, p. 12. 5 IA,vol. VII, p. 53.
SACRED PLACES 111
legend tells howthe angry Kanthaờnāth frustrated the plans

of theSammachiefs in their efforts to build a fortress (in
A.D. 1300) on Kaņķhkot Hill. The ascetic was in possession
of the hill and did not care to be dispossessed. As fast as
the chiefs built the walls he threw them down, through the
exercise of his powers of magic. He was pacified, eventually,
and the fort was completed and named after him.?
The Kānphatas of Sivarāmāņdap, in BHỮJ, who are now
independent of Dhinodhar, were established, in 1749, by Rão
Desalji, who gave land to a Yogi of Dhinodhar. These
monks were later replaced by Sevanāth Srinagar, whose line
still continues. They are of the sect of śāntināth and wor
shippers of Sakti.
The monasteryat DHINODHAR)is one of the most important
centres of the Kānphatas in Western India. Difficult of
access, it issituated at the base of a lofty hill, surrounded by
jungle, on the edge of the Rān, twenty -seven miles north -west
of Bhūj. Some of the shrines belonging to the establishment
are found upon the top of the hill.
Dhinodhar means 'holder of patience and refers to the
ability of the hill to bear the weight of the sin and penance
of Dharamnāth .
In approaching the place from Aral, a branch of the
monastery, the first five miles of the journey to Dhinodhar are,
for the most part, over fairly level sand, covered sparsely with
thorn and cactus. The last mile, leading to the summit of the
hill, is very steep. The hill has an elevation of 1,268 feet, and
part of the ascent is upon its almost perpendicular side. Here
there is a flight of 638 stone steps. The ascent is unshaded.
1 Bombay Gazetteer, vol. V, p. 88 ; IA , vol. VII, p. 53.
2 Bombay Gazetteer, vol . V, p . 87.
3 See JRAS, 1839, pp. 268–71; IA , 1878, pp. 47 ff; Khakhar
Report on the Architectural, and Archeological Remains in the Province
of Kachh .
*The authorvisited the pir of Dhinodhar at Āral, March 29, 1924 .
He was received in audience and was seated on the gaddi beside the
pir. All his questionswere courteously answered, and the Yogīs were
most friendly. A guide was sent with the author to Dhinodhar, and
instructions weregiven to provide whatever the visitor should require.
With him were the Reverend Musa Karshan of Ranpur in Kathia
wār, and Mr. Faqir Chand Lallu Bai of Bhūj.
The top of the hill presented in 1924 ) quite a different
appearance from that described by Khakhar ( 1879). There
was then upon the hill a temple, about six feet high and five
and three -fourths feet square, with a Musalmān dome,
dedicated to Dharamnāth. The entrance was small and there
was no door. The temple marked the spot where Dharamnāth
performed his famous penance; and within it was found the
stone, in the hollow of which he rested his head during the
twelve years that he stood upon his head there. This stone
was an object of worship and was covered with red lead and
ghi. Thetemple contained also a marble statue of the saint,
about three feet high, wearing the ear-rings of the sect.
Besides, there were three small lingas and some brass and
stone idols in the shrine. A light has been kept burning
there since Dharamnāth's time. The temple faced east. Close
by was a dhūni, or Yogi's fire, which had been kept burning
since the time of the saint.1
Since then the temple has been enlarged and a veranda has
been built on the front. The roof is now bordered with a
saw -toothed parapet. The main , large dome is over the
temple proper . In front of this is is a medium - sized
dome, and in front of this, in a line across the veranda,
are three small domes . The plinth of the temple with the
veranda measures 13 ft. by 261 ft. That of the veranda being
13 ft. square. The inside of the temple is 8 ft. square. In
the centre of the floor is a square of white marble upon
which is the caran of Dharamnāth . This square is bordered
with black marble. At the left, in front of the caran , is an
incense lamp. On the left of the marble square are five
lingas, a Gāuri- Sankar image and the stone on which
Dharamnāth rested his head. It is not covered with red lead
and ghi. On the right of the caran are a bell, two drinking
vessels of muslin pattern and a shell. Behind the caran are
three fairly large conch shells. Over the caran in the ceiling,
a curtain is stretched horizontally. Over the door of the
temple and on the front pillars of the veranda large tridents
are drawn in red lead.
To the left of the temple is a low building in which a
1 Compare Bombay Gazetteer, vol. V, p. 86.
SACRED PLACES 113
dhūni is kept burning perpetually. This building, too , is

decorated with tridents painted in red lead .
Between the temple and the shed which contains the dhūni
is a small platform , 3 ft. 10 ins. by 3 ft. 7 ins. upon which ,
in yellow stone, is the caran of Jotnāth.
İn a line in front, and to the right of the temple, extend a
series of small one-room temples, each square with a
saw -tooth parapet on the top and surmounted with a domed
roof with a cone-shaped ornament on the top. All these
temples have large red tridents painted on them . In order,
looking east, these temples are to Bāl Bhāirom , Vişnu
Bhāirom , Kāl Bhāirom , and Hing Lāj Devi. Each con
tains a small slab set up at the back with the image of the
appropriate god or goddess engraved upon it and painted
red. Still further to the east stands a slightly larger temple
to Siva with a linga inside, painted red . This temple also
has a domed roof.
Further to the east, a little in front of the temple of
Dharamnāth , but at a slightly lower level, a slab of stone is
set up and painted red . It is for Bhāirom .
Directly in front of the temple of Dharamnāth , but at a
lower level, is a dharamśāla, or rest house. This long, narrow
building faces north . It is decorated with Vaişņavite
images of Krşņa, Rādha, the Gopis and others. In the
middle of the front face of the dharamśāla, and above the
level of the doors, is a head of Jogeśvar, with the large
ear -rings, painted red.
North -east of the dharamśāla is a cook house.
All of the structures are in good repair and are substantial.
They are said to have been built about thirty years ago.
The older temple was built in 1821.1 The buildings on the
top of the hill were in the charge of an Aughar. The officient
was a native of Agra. He conducted worship at the temple
twice a day, blowing a conch three times , and making simple
offerings. Besides this, he attended to the dhūni. For the
greater part of the year he had to carry water for all purposes
from Aral.
1 TA , vol. VII, p. 51 .
8
Just below the summit of the hill, and to the right, is a
tank which is filled with water during the monsoon.
The descent to the monastery leads down through a very
narrow and precipitous gorge, full of rocks of all sizes, the
course of a mad mountain stream during the rains. In
places, the rocky sides of the ravine are covered with white
spots which give point to the story that the hill became
leprous when a portion ofit brokeaway under the weight
of Dharamnāth's sins. The gorge separates the broken
portion of the hill from that on which Dharamnāth finally
performed his penance. This ravine and the white spots are
pointed out as evidences of the truth of the legend concern
ing the saint.
An hour's descent leads to the level of the jungle. Then
the monastery, which lies on the eastern side of the hill,
comes into view . The path passes close to a temple of
Hing Lāj Devi, a place of pilgrimage for some who are not
resolute enough to journey to her shrine on the Makrān
coast .
At the monastery , which marks the place where Dharam
nāth lighted his dhūni, when he came down from the hill
after he had performed his penance, fewer changes have
been made than at the top of the hill. The grounds of the
monastery are enclosed by a wall, in some places in dis
repair. Part of the wall is loopholed after the fashion of old
Indian forts. Most of the buildings within the wall are in
splendid repair and give evidence of the prosperity of the
establishment.
Besides dharamśālas and residential quarters, the chief
places of interest are the temple, or shrine, of Dharamnāth ,
the samādhs and the kitchens.
The temple of Dharamnāth is now quite a pretentious
building, on an elevated platform , with a surrounding wall
and an elaborate gateway from which a stairway leads to the
shrine. The entrance was built in 1899. The temple proper
is rectangular in shape, with slightly sloping walls, havinga
domed roof and a saw -toothed parapet, and facing east. It
contains a small, marble statue of the saint, about 15 ins.
high , wearing the large ear-rings. There are a few small
lingas, some brass idols, a trident, a bell and a lamp in
SACRED PLACES 115
the shrine. The platform is of white marble bordered with
black. The wallsand floors are tiled in squares of black and
white marble with small yellow blocks at the angles of the
black and white squares. In one corner of the shrine is a fan
of peacock feathers. In a niche in the wall is a large lamp
bowl, which is fed with ghi, in which, it is claimed , a wick
has been kept burning since the timeof Dharamnāth . To
the left of the image is a horse , the mount of Rāwa Pir, and
beside it another. In front of the image is a five -bowled
lamp for worship and a box. Drums and bells are provided
in the temple.
There are sixteen samādhs, tombs of pīrs, in the enclosure.
Some represent two , some four pirs by as many yoni-lingas.
These phallic symbols are painted red. The samādhs are
rectangular in shape and have domed roofs.
Among the most interesting features of the monastery are
the kitchens, for the place is noted for its practice of charity,
and all who come to the monastery are fed . One of the
kitchens contains a dhūnī which has been burning since
the days of Dharamnāth. On each side of this fire are
four huge caldrons resting in stands. They are about five
feet from the ground. They are named Gangā, Jumnā,
Sarasvati and Bhagirathi. They are very old and it is said
that they were brought to Dhinodhar by Dharamnāth. They
are now used only once a year, for the cookingof the
food to be given in charity at the annual mela on Nāurātri,
in October. The caldrons are objects of worship. In the
kitchen opposite to this are two very large copper caldrons
which are used on alternate days for cooking food at all other
times. Adjoining this kitchen is the store room . It contains
an image of Rāwa Pir mounted on a horse. This image,
which is painted red,is an object of worship. The room
contains three large mills for grinding grain .
The monastery, which has aboutsixty Yogis and a few
Aughars in residence , is presided over bya pīr. The present
1 A special feast is given on Gokal Atham in August, but it is not
certain that these caldrons are used at that time.
. In 1838twelve were reported in residence. Khakhar reported
about fifty .
incumbent ( 1924) has a special disciple, a boy of about nine
years, for whom he shows great affection.
Life at themonastery is for the most part regular and
uneventful. The morning and evening worship ; such study
and teaching as may be, apparently not very much; and the
daily givingin charity of food to all who come, make up the
day.
The Yogis are strict celibates. Some of them are young.
One boy ofabout seventeen (1924), a Kānphata, was very rest
less,and they were contemplating lettinghim leave theplace.
The healthy appearance of the Yogis, the good condition
of the buildings and the general cleanliness of the place
indicate a high state of prosperity. The monastery owns
about twenty villages and has an income of about one
hundred thousand rupees a year, of which the Rāo of Kacch
appropriates twenty - five per cent. Various members of the
establishment spend fully eight months of the year in the
villages looking after the revenues of the monastery.
There are branches of the monastery at Aral, at Mathal and
at Baladhiya.
Dharamnāthis belong to the Satnāth sect of the Panjab and
Nepāl . Their founder was a disciple of Gorakhnath .
The power of the Yogis of this place was broken in the
sixteenth century, when they lost Koteswar and Ajāipal to the
Atits.
The fame of Dhinodhar rests on the story of the penance
of Dharamnāth. The legend is as follows:4 Dharamnāth
came from Peshāwar to Kāțhiāwār, and thence to Kacch, in
search of a suitable place to perform penance. He had with
hima friend, Saranāth and a disciple, Garībnāth . He first
lighted his dhūni and set up his abode under a tree near the
palace of a chief at Ryām . This palace was about two miles
north of Māņdavi, in Southern Kacch, a place called Pațţan.5
He then sent Garibnāth out to beg. The people of the place
1 Postans ( 1839) made a similar statement.

2 IA , vol. VII, p. 51 . 3 See also IA, vol. VII, p. 50.
• See JRAS, 1839, pp. 268–71 ; IA , vol. VII, pp. 48, 49. The
account as given to the author5 in 1924 was substantially as reported
by earlier visitors. 5 Postans, JRAS, 1839, p . 268.
SACRED PLACES 117
were very hard -hearted , and no one, except an old woman of
the carpenter caste, gave alms. Garībnāth did not report the
short-comings of the people to his master, but sold wood in
the town and bought grain. The old woman cooked for
Dharamnāth. Thus twelve years were passed in penance.
Then Dharamnāth discovered by accident how he had been
treated by the people and how Garībnāth and the old woman
had suffered for him . In hot anger he upset his alms-bowl
and cursed the people, saying, "Be buried all the Pattan
cities.' So all the cities in Kacch bearing this name were
swallowed up, with their inhabitants. Only the old woman
escaped .
On account of this rash deed Dharamnāth determined
upon a second penance. So he sought a place that would
bear the weight of his sins. He chose Dhinodhar, but a
portion of the hill split off under his weight, and sides oft e
fissure became leprous in spots. He finally decided that he
could ascend Dhinodhar if he went up the hill with his back
to it. In this way he reached the summit. He then stood on
his head there for twelve years, resting on a conical ball of
hard stone. Garībnāth and the woman , Cāran Deval, served
him . This penance so shook the seat of Indra that a council
of thegods, Nāthas and Siddhas was held to determine what
should be done. It was decided that they should go and ask
Dharamnāth to bring his penance to anend. He toldthem
that, when he stood upright, which ever way he should look
first all things would be consumed by fire - cities and towns
would become ruins and would be abandoned and cultivated
lands would become barren and desolate . Garībnāth , after
consultation , asked Dharamnāth to look first toward the
north -west. He did so and the sea dried up leaving only the
present Rān.
The company, with Dharamnāth , then descended the hill.
On the waydown they decided to have bhang. As no water
was to be found, Pir Pathāo struck his dagger into the hillside
and a spring burst forth. At the foot of the hill, to the east,
Dharamnāth lighted his dhūni, and there a monastery was
established . Dharamnāth then disappeared.
1 Or, on a pan leaf. JRAS, 1839, p. 268.

There is a tradition which states that he was reborn from
a blisteron the hand of Cāran Deval. He was then known as
Rāwal Pír. Under this name he has a temple on the coast
east of Māņdavi.
But it seems that Dhinodhar was a famous place when
Dharamnāth took up his abode there. He came to Kacch
from Peshāwar about 1382.1 Still earlier it was known to Pir
Pathāo whose death is said to have taken place in 1209.
The story is connected with the manner in which Pir Pathāo
gained possession of the cave at Pīr Arr, in Sind. This he
achieved with the assistance of Gorakhnāth. A sādhu ,
Dayanāth , lived in this cave . The account of the amazing
things that this man did in the presence of Gorakhnāth,
who came to the help of Pir Pathāo, contains elements
that appeared later in the story of Dharamnāth. When
Gorakhnāth came to Pir Arr, in Sind, Dayanāth learned
of it by supernatural sight. He became very angry and
threw the hill into the sky and set it on fire by a breath.
Then he departed to Dhinodhar Hill in Kacch . Pir Pathāo
went to Gorakhnāth and reproached him , saying, ' You are
sitting here while Dayanāth has set the hill on fire and
bolted .' The guru looked and saw that a fire was indeed
burning between heaven and earth . But, as he was looking,
the fire was extinguished and the hill dropped and cracked
in two. Guru Gorakhnāth then perceived that Dayanāth
was praying on Dhinodhar Hill, standing on his head on
a betel-nut, and knew that after twelve months of austerity
in this position, he could by breathing thrice blast all
Sind. Thereupon Gorakhnath extended his hand, although
no one could observe this action, and seizing Dayanāth
by the ear , brought him back to Pir Arr. He then said to
Dayanāth, ' Don't trouble the people. I promise you this
blessing, that you and your successors shall never lack good
horses and white clothes.' He then made him his disciple,
split his ear, put an ivory ornament in it, and, placing a
turban made of black thread on his head, sent him back to
Dhinodhar.2
* IA, vol VII, p. 50.

• The whole legend is recorded in chap. nine.
SACRED PLACES 119
Near DHAMADKĀ there is a well which is named after the
famous Yogi.
There are several places in Kāțhiāwār which are associated
with the name of Gorakhnāth.
Upon the sacred height at GIRMĀR there are many temples
in ruins. The hill consists of five principal peaks, the
highest of which , with an altitude of 3,666 feet, is associated
with the name of Gorakhnāth . Above the shrine of Ambā
Mātā there is another, three feet square , dedicated to the
great disciple of Matsyendranāth. It is said that Pārvati, in
search of Siva, dwelt at Girnār, and that she continued to
sing the praises of her Lord, until, at this spot, he finally
showed himself to her. In the Sind legends Girnār is
represented as a noted place of resort and a favourite haunt
ofGorakhnāth .
Nine miles east of Pātan and six miles west of Prāchikund ,
is GORAKHMADHI, also named after the great saint. The place
is situated on the Sārasvati River and is one of the most
important in the west. Here, in a cave, deep underground,
are three images of Gorakhnath and one of Matsyendranāth .
Gorakhnāth (the guru of Rukmībāi, consort of Krşņa) is the
deity of the monastery at this place. In 1884, there were
about forty monks in residence. All were celibates, except
the Bāwā, or pir, who is allowed to marry to keep up the
succession. If he has no son , he may adopt from among his
flock. He was called Nāthji. Here all things are held in
common. Some of the monks follow secular callings, some
are land owners, and the head of the establishment possesses
large estates. Great licence in food, drink and women is
allowed. Food is distributed twice a day. Monks eat with
sannyāsīs and provide the food out of the revenues of the
monastery . Many sannyāsis make the pilgrimage to this
1 Khakhar ,p. 4.
* Bombay Gazetteer,vol.VIII , p. 441; RāsMālā, vol. I, pp. 7, 154.
Tod's Western India; JASBe, vol. VII, p. 865. Lieut. M. Kittoe,
article, ‘ Notes on a journey to Girnar, etc.'
3 Archæological Survey , 1879. Kājhiāwār and Kacch, pp. 155,
175 .
• Bombay Gazetteer, vol. VIII, pp . 154-56, 446 ; Khakhar, p.
place. Atits, or Gosains, are the officients at the Siva and
Devi temples .
Traditionally, Gorakhnāth lived in the neighbourhood of
Dwāraka in the Dvāpara Yuga and he is supposed to have
lived somewhere in Käthiāwār, ' three months' journey west
of Gorakhpur in the Kali Yuga . "
There are several places in Western India where Gorakh
nāth is revered. On the top of TURANMAL Hill,aа tableland
long and narrow , with an elevation of from 3,300 to 4,000
feet, and having an area of about sixteen square miles,
situated in the Sātpurā range of hills, in the Khandesh
District of the Bombay Presidency, are a fine artificial lake
and the remains of many temples locally ascribed to the saint,
Gorakhnāth.3
About three- quarters of a mile south -east of SHIRĀLĀ in
the Sātāra District, is a grove called Gorakhnāth or more
correctly Gorakşanāth after the presidingdeity. The grove
consists chiefly of fine old tamarinds. The image of the
presiding deity of the grove is a large stone, like a mill-stone,
placed on the north side of a gigantic old tamarind of the
species known as Gorakhamli . The bark of this tree is
scarred everywhere in every direction by natural lines and
cracks. These are supposed to be characters written by the
deity in an unknown tongue; and every Kānphata devotee
who comes to worship here gets his name written on the
tree, whether he announces it or not. It is of interest to note
that Gorakhnāth, the patron deity of the grove , is tending to
rank as a manifestation of Siva.
There are hills north of AHMADĀBĀD , in the Deccan , called
Gorakhnāth.5
In THĀNA, at Ganeśpuri, are several hot springs, in the
bed of the river, one of which is called Gorakhmacchindar.
The water is very hot. And two old hill forts in Thāna are
: Martin, vol. II, p. 484.
Bombay Gazetteer, vol. XXIV , p . 66.
• Bombay Gazetteer, vol. XIX , p . 587; also Religion and Folklore
of Northern India (1926 ), p. 403. Imlī, the sour tamarind .
• Bombay Gazetteer, vol. VII, p. 5.
• Bombay Gazetteer, vol. XIII, p. 16.
SACRED PLACES 121
called Gorakhgad and Macchindragad." In the neighbouring

caves are signs of ancientresidences.
There is at TRIMBAK , eighteen miles from Nāsik , a monas
tery of the Bāirāg panth of the Känphatas. This establish
ment is situated at the foot of the hills and possesses some
fields and considerable grass land. The resident monk
claimed that the land was granted to the monastery by ' the
Peshwa .' The building itself is roomy but unsubstantially
built. On the large, stone platform , which faces the monastery,
isa huge, three-sectionedstone, painted red and representing
Bhäirom . ' Eyes' of silver are inset in the figure. The place
is decorated with trisules and flags. Red paint is everywhere.
On three sides of the platform are samādhs one of which is
said to have contained the body of Aurangzeb, the last great
Moghul. At the time of the author's visit, the establish
ment contained three or four Aughars, one Kanphata,
Narbadnāth ,and a wandering Rāwal . One of the Aughars
was a woman . High upon the hillside, in a cave, close to the
source of the Godāvari,is a stone image of Gorakhnāth, about
fifteen inches high.5
Rose says thatthe chief seat of the Dharamnäthis is on the
Godāvari. Morris ( 1876) said that the source of the Godā
vari was at Trimbak, on a hill approached by 690 stone
steps flanked by a low stone wall. “ At the top is a stone plat
form , built at the foot of the rock out of which, drop by
drop, issues the water of the stream , and an image under a
canopy has been so placed that the water trickles through its
mouth into a reservoir.' This is the source of the Ganges as
well,” the channel being underground. ( But 'Ganges' is a
name applied to many sacred streams.)
Professor A. V. Williams Jackson describes a visit to the
cave of Bharthari at old UJJĀIN . In the inner cave or hall
1 Bombay Gazetteer, vol. XIV , p. 101 .
2 " Three -eyed .' See Imperial Gazetteer, 1908, vol. XXIV , p. 49.
8 See p. 70 . 4 December 21 , 1924.
• Bombay Presidency Gazetteer, Näsik, 1893, vol. XVI, p. 654 .
& RTCP, vol. II, p. 396 .
? Henry Morris, A Descriptive and Historical Account of the
Godavery Distrist, pp .2, 6.
| JAOS, vol. XXIII, pp. 313 ff.
is to be found a figure, or picture, of Gorakhnāth with
Gopicand on his left . Nearby, in the underground vault, is
the caran of Matsyendranāth . An opening in the roof of the
cavern is said to lead ultimately to Benares.
At Pāe Dhūni, a very old religious centre in the city of
BOMBAY, there is a cramped establishment of the Kānphata
Yogīs. It is used by all twelveof the panths and is one of
the four monasteries under the Matha at Nasik. The mahant,
in 1924, was Maharāj Bhithuti Nāth of the Bāirāg division
of the order . The mahants , here, are chosen at the Kumbh
Mela and for twelve years. At Pāe Dhūni there is a caran
(pãe), a dhūni, and a temple of Bhāirom , all under the control
of the Kanphata Yogis.
The famous temple of EKLIŃGAJI, in Rājputāna, bears im
portant relations both toBappa and to the Kānphata Yogis.1
It is situated twelve or fourteen miles north of Udāipur, in
a narrow defile of the mountains. Across the mouth of the
gorge, to the north of the temple, is a gateway with a crown
ing wall extending along the heights on either side. From
the gateway to the temple, the walls of the gorge on both
sidesare perpendicular. To the south , and above the temple
is a lake. The entrance to the temple, on the south , is a
massive portal, built at the western extremity of the great
dam which confines the waters of the lake. The shrine is
sacred to Mahādeo (Siva ), the tutelary divinity of the
Rājpūts . Siva is worshipped here as Eklingaji and as Isvar
Chāumukhi ( the Four -faced Lord ). The image of Isvar
Chāumukhi is of black marble . The temple itself is of white
marble, large, well -proportioned, open - vaulted, supported
by columns and surmounted with a pyramidal pinacle, or
sekhra. Outside of the temple and immediately in front of
the four- faced image, is a cast bronze bull of natural size,
well executed . Within the quadrangle are miniature shrines
containing some of the minor deities. The high priest of the
temple is a Gosāin , celibate. The office is continued by
1 BHCS, p. 403 . 2 Tod, vol. II , p. 299 .
3 JAS By, vol . XXII, p. 151 .
• Tod ., vol. I, p. xxxvi; vol.II , p. 598 .
5 Imperial Gazetteer, vol. XXIV , p. 104.
• Tod, vol. II , p. 600 .
SACRED PLACES 123
adopting disciples. The Gosāins wear a crescent symbol of
Siva on their forehead, braid their hair and bind it about the
head, put ashes on their bodies and wear garments coloured
with ochre. They live in monasteries, and are addicted to
drugs and liquors . They can muster many Känphata Yogīs.
Brāhmans, Rājpūts and even Gūjars may belong to the order.
Some of the Gosains follow secular employments and are
wealthy and some are soldiers. They bury their dead in a
sittingposture and erect a conically -formed tumuli over them.
The Rājas of Mewār, Udāipur, are diwāns, or vice-regents of
Siva, and, when visiting the temple, supersede the high priest
in his duties and perform the ceremonies.3 The Yogi at Nāsik
said that the priests of the temple are now Lingāyats .
Two interesting shrines of the Kānphatas inBengal are at
MAHANAD in the Hoogly District and at the Cantonment of
DUM DUM near Calcutta . The latter place is called Gorakh
Bansuri, or Gorakhbansi. The establishment at this place,
though small, is of considerable interest. The buildings are
not large. The grounds contain many samādhs. In the
principal temple there is a large image of Gorakhnāth, wear
ing yellow robes, and having the split ears and the ear-rings
of his sect, greatly exaggerated. In the centre of the main
site of the establishment is a large cement platform set with
mosaics, in the south -east corner of which is a large red
samādh ., North of the platform is the temple of Gorakhnāth .
It is in shape like the ordinary temples of Bengal, with the
characteristically arched dome. On the opposite side of the
platform is a temple of Mahādeo. To the west is the small
monastery with the quarters of the pir. North-west of the
platform is the dhūnī, under a shed. To the east of the
temple of Gorakhnāth is a small platform for Bhāirom, with
a group oftrisules painted red .East of the platform , and at
the north is a small shrine to Kāli; and beyond this is the
place ' of Manasā ," over which is a tall palm . To this
1 Tod , vol. II , p. 601. 2 Tod, vol. II , p. 601.
3 Tod, vol. I, p. xxxvi; Imperial Gazetteer, vol. XXIV , p. 104.
* BHCS, p.403.
5 Manası, sister of a Vāsuki ( Bāsak ), the King of Serpents, is the
Queen ofSnakes and protects her devotees from reptiles. See W. J.
Wilkins, Hindu Mythology , p . 395 .
palm are attached small bits of rag in which pebbles
are tied . These register vows. After the completion of the
vow , the pebbles are offered to Gorakhnāth . A flight of
steps leads down to a tank at the east. The samādhs lie in the
cemetery at somedistance to the south -west. The establish
ment has but little endowment, and there are but three or
four Yogis and a varying small number of Aughars in
residence. The mahant had travelled but little, and was not
well informed . He was of the Kaplāni sect and his name was
Lachmannāth. There was then at the placel a Yogi of the
Kapalmuni panth, Sankarnāth by name, from Ganga Sāgar.
In the city of Puri (Jagannāth Puri) is a gaddi,or seat, of
the Satnāth sect of the Kānphatas.2 The establishment shows
some signs of age. The grounds are fairly large, but the
buildings are small and the temple has a thatched roof. In
the front of the latter is a pillarsurmounted by an image of
Garuda. Another temple, also with a thatched roof, contains
an image of Bhāirom with three heads and one leg. There
is a shrine also to Alaknāth . There are a few samādhs, one
with a long wooden linga over it. The mahant wore a patch
work coat and cap, which he said were distinctive of the
Satnāth sect. He carried a'club ,' made of straw and covered
with cloth , called sudarşan , and had wristlets and armlets of
copper from Kedārnāth and of iron from Badrināth . His
ear -rings were of copper and were cylindrical. His name was
Nardhårināth .
1 August, 1924 .
: The authorvisited the place in November, 1924.
CHAPTER SEVEN
RELIGION AND SUPERSTITION

Not only do Gorakhnāthis recognize and worship the
greater and lesser gods of theHindu Pantheon; but also they
follow the popular forms of Hindu belief, having concern for
saints and other spirit powers , especially those that are evil;
practising magic, exorcism , witchcraft and some primitive
medicine; giving attention to lucky and unlucky daysł; and
followingthe superstitions of the populace.
Some Yogis do not eat fish because Matsyendranāth was
born from a fish ; while others do not observe the taboo.2
Some hold the red dāl (māsūr) taboo because it resembles
drops ofblood. Carrots and turnips are eschewed for prudish
reasons.3
An interesting device for detecting good and bad omens
has to do with breathing. " To have both nostrils free and to
be breathing through them at the same time is not good, and
one should not begin any business in this condition. If one
is breathing onlythrough the right nostril, the left being
closed , the condition is propitious for the following actions:
to eat and drink, for digestion will be rapid ; to fight; to
bathe; to study and read ; to ride on a horse; to work at
one's livelihood. A sick man should take medicine while he
is breathing only through his right nostril. To be
breathing through the left nostril is propitious for the
following undertakings: to lay the foundations of a house,
and to take up residence in a new house; to put on new
1 Bombay Gazetteer, vol. XXI,p . 185.
Matsya means ' fish .' The saint's other name, Mina, also means
fish .'
8
• NING, vol. I, para. 117.
clothes; to sow seed ; to do service or to found a village ; to
make any purchase. The Yogis practice the art of breathing
in this manner by stopping up the right and left nostril
alternately with cotton wool and breathing through the other.
If a man comes to a Brāhman to ask him whether some
business or undertaking will succeed, the Brāhman breathes
through his nostrils on to his hand ; if the breath comes
through the right nostril, the omen is favourable and the
answer is ' yes'; if through the left nostril, the omen is
unfavourable and the answer is ' no'.1
" There are many points in connection with regulation of
breath which we nowadays class among superstitions, since
we have lost the rationale. Thus it is said that one's
undertakings will all prove successful if he commences them
when he respires through his right nostril. Similarly, if
you start from your hometo visit a friend, and wish to know
whether you will find him or not at home, examine your
breath ; if it flows through the right nostril, you will see him ,
otherwise not. There are others who could tell the hour of
the day from the motion of their breath. It is said, that in
every healthy person the breath ( technically known as sura)
changes from one nostril to the other at well- established
regular intervals, and thus from its being right- or left -sided ,
those2 practised in it can approximately say the hour of the
day .'
Rose quotes from the ' Hāuz -ul-Hayāt (Well of Knowledge) ,
which says that, if a man closes his eyes, ears and nostrils, he
cannot take cold ; that the right nostril is called the sun ,and
the left the moon ; that from the former he breathes heat, and
from the latter cold air.'3 Here is undoubtedly an evidence
of the influence of Yoga doctrine on Islam .
' It is an established custom amongst the Yogis that, when
malady overpowers them , they bury themselves alive. They
are wont also, with open eyes, to force their looks towards
1 E. V. Russell and Hira Lal, The Tribes and Castes of the Central
Provinces of India, vol. III, p. 247. Quoted by permision of the
Macmillan Company, Publishers.
RaiBahadurSris Chandra Basu ,TheSacred Booksof the Hindus,
vol. XV, Pt. 4, p. 44 f. 3 Rose,The Darvishes, p. 382.
RELIGION AND SUPERSTITION 127
the middle of their eyebrows, until so looking they perceive
the figure of a man ; if this should appear without hands,
feet or any member, for each case they have determined that
the boundaries of their existence would be within so many
years , months or days. When they see the figure without a
head, they know that there certainly remains very little of
their life ; on that account, having seen the prognostic, they
bury themselves.'1
For the horrible rite of divination by the use of a full -time
fætus see below , chapter eight.
In the cure of disease Yogis make use of exorcism . In
Almora, for instance, the drum , dancing and medicines are
not used in the process ; but it is performed in the name of
Bhāirom or of Gorakhnāth. The cimța ( firetongs), which are
of iron ; branches of the nim tree and of the jatela tree ; and
the hān morcal, or fan of peacock feathers , are used , along
with spells, to drive out disease or evil spirits. The article
employed is moved over the body of the afflicted personsoas
to ' sweep ' out the disease, or the spirit causing the trouble.
The ' sweeping' is done from the head toward the feet. The
practice is applied to snake bite as well as to other afflictions.
Morning and evening are auspicious times for the practice
of exorcism .
Kānphatas have a considerable reputation in the practice
of medicine. Their method is in part that of exorcism and
in part the use of magic, of charms and of drugs.
À certain Yogi at Almora claimed ( 1924) that he was
widely employed to heal the sick, and that he had wrought
cureswhere doctors, even Western doctors, had failed. He
cited in particular a case where he claimed that he had cured
a paralytic woman . He did not discuss his method.
Various substances are applied or administered formedici
nal effect. Ashes , with a spell pronounced over them , are
used as a ţikā, made with the thumb on the forehead , to effect
the cure of illness or barrenness, or to protect from the evil
eye. In the legends are related many instances of the use of
ashes for magical effects.3 Powdered rhinoceros skin is
1 Dabistan vol. II, pp. 138, 9.
2
· SHTC , p. 262. 3 See chap. nine.
GORAKHNATH AND THE KANPHATA YOGIS
dusted into wounds as a healing substance. The use of ashes
from the dhūni is described in the study of the legends about
Goraknāth . Yogis at Gorakhpur wash a large nummulite,
obtained in Sind, in water and administer the solution to
women to insure easy delivery. The Yogis at Gorakhpur
have long had a reputation for pronouncing spells which are
speciallyefficacious in restoring children tohealth.1
Yogis make and sell charms of various kinds; some are
given to children as a protection against the evil eye. As the
descriptions, especially in chapter one show , Kānphatas
make a considerable use of amulets themselves. Many of
' these are of the usual form , box -shaped or cylindrical, made of
copper or some other metal, often of silver, and worn on the
arm or hung from the neck . In the receptacle are placed a
variety of objects.
The ear-ring carries with it special protection and vouch
safes success in all undertakings. And the thread (kangna ),
worn about thewrist, or on the upper arm , serves a protective
purpose. Ornaments hung from the neck and worn on the
fingers may perform a similar office. A silver tooth - pick
attached to the sacredthread serves to ward off the evil eye.
In some parts of the Konkan the swastika is used as a
symbol of Siva.3
Quite in keeping with the claims to supernatural power ,
which skill the Yoga is supposed to confer, is the popular
belief that Yogis work in magic. And the practice is
carried on.
In Gujarāt drought was attributed to Indra and a sorcerer
was called in who made offerings to Mātāji (the Mother
Goddess), in potsherds representing human skulls out of
which the Yoginis ( female demons), her attendants, delight to
eat. The offerings were carried outside the city and set down
beyond the east gate, in a circle already prepared, and the
food was then given to outcastes and to dogs .
In various parts of the country Yogis have a reputation
1 Buchanan reported this many years ago. Martin, vol. II, p. 484.
2 E.g., so they say at Srinagar. See section on Ear-rings.
3 Enthoven , Follkore of Bombay,p . 45 .
4 Rās Māla, vol. II , p. 321 ( Rawlinson's Edition ).
for being able to control hailstorms and rain . In Sialkot
the Yogi who is able to check a hailstorm or to divert it into
waste land is called rathbanā . These are well known at
Țilla. In the Central Provinces he is called gārpagāri.
Wool being a protective, the Yogi uses itfor his sacred
thread, for kangnas, and often in his head covering. When
Gorakhnāth wished to draw Puran from the well in Siālkot,
he sought a thread spun by an unmarried virgin.2
Instances of the practice of the black art are reported.
Near Patānkot, zasi būti, a herb , is mixed with the ashes
of an unmarried Hindu and given to an enemy in order to
bewitch him. The effect of this potion can be overcome
only by the incantations of another Yogi. For the phase of
the practice of black magic covering the control of spirits
through ceremonies over a corpse see below under “ Vāma
Left-hand ſāktas, with the intention of killing an
enemy, make an image of flour and clay, stick razors into
the breast, navel and throat; and pegs into its eyes, hands and
feet. A fire sacrifice is made with meat; and an image of
Bhāirava or of Durgā holding a trident is placed so that the
weapon pierces the breast of the image, and death is invoked
on the person whose destruction is intended.4
The subject of the possession and of the exercise of super
natural powers for which Yogīs are famous all over the world,
will be considered in a following chapter.
The use of blood is evidenced on every hand, in red ochre
smeared on images and symbols, in the tikā, and in actual
offerings. A survival of blood used magically, reduced to
blood drawn from the tongue or little fingerof the worshipper,
1 RTCP, vol. II, p. 398. See Census Report, Berār, 1881 , p. 58.
· Temple, vol. II, p. 432.
* The Jogis flew thence and went straight to the land of Kārū .
Seeing thevirgins spinning they demanded a thread .
Spake a beldame of a hundred years : "I tell you truth,
The spinning wheel was made in the Golden Age; the skein and
ropes in the Silver Age ;
The thread was drawn in the Third Age and went up into heaven .”
If ye be the disciples of a saint, bring down the thread .'
3 RTCP, vol. I, quoting NINO, vol. I, para. 117.
• CTC, vol. I, p. 137.
9
is suggested in the case where Gorakhnāth drew water from
his finger when he restored Mahitā and Silā Dāi to life.
It was believed that Sāktas formerly ate portions of the
flesh and drank the blood of the victims sacrificed at their
secret orgies. Undoubtedly there is involved here the idea
of magic. The practices described under Kämākhyā, below
suggest customs which have passed there and in Orissa by
less than a century.
Bhattacharya says that Kāmārs, blacksmiths, are Sakti
worshippers and that they are usually employed in slaughter
ing animals used in sacrifice to the bloodthirsty gods and
goddesses that receive the adoration of Sāktas.
In connection with the sacrifice of the rhinoceros, most
Gurkhas offer libations of blood after entering its disembowel
led body. On ordinary Śrādh ' days the libation of water and
milk is poured from a cup carved from its horn. Its urine
is considered antiseptic, and is hung ina vessel at the princi
pal door as a charm against ghosts ,evil spirits and disease.5
Many objects are held sacred , or are regarded almost as
fetishes, because of their associations, or through the sanctity
of the substances from which they are made, or to which
they are related. Ear-rings, made of earth (and of other
substances); the four ancient caldrons at Dhinodhar; and
numerous dhūnis, particularly those at Pāi Dhūni, Gorakhpur
and Dhinodhar may serve as examples.
The Ganges, especially , and other rivers such as the
Godāvari are held sacred by them , as by all Hindus. At
Deoprayāg, in the Himalayas, where the Bhāgirathi and the
Alaknanda join to form the Ganges, the former, the swifter
stream , is said to be sixteen annas pure and the other but
fifteen annas. This is an ancient important site.
At the Sivarāmāņdap temple the statue of a bronze horse
man , Nakaland (the coming incarnation of Vişņu ), is worship
ped ; and at Dhinodhar the mount of Rāwa Pir.
1 Temp., vol. I, p. 362. 2 Modern India and theIndians,p. 64 .
3 See Modern India and the Indians, p. 65. * HCS, p. 243.
5 Landon , Nepal, vol. I, p. 292, quoting H. H. General Kaiser
Sham Sher Jang Bahādar.
* So reported at Tilla. Bombay Gazetteer, vol. V, p. 87.
regarded as sacred . Moreover, Rām Candra had a shield of
rhinoceros hide. Besides, the animal is closely associated
with mud ,and so rings of the horn of the animal are buried
with the body of a Yogi,although rings of metal or of
precious stones are not . Kirkpatrick reported the forests on
the southern slopes of Nepāl to be greatly infested with
rhinoceroses.
The black buck is revered, and its horn and skin are used
by Yogis. A story which explains this fact is as follows:
King Bhartphari, while out hunting, came upon a herd of
seventy hinds and one stag. He was unable to kill the stag ;
and, finally, one of the hinds asked him to kill her. But he
said that as a man of the warrior caste he could not do so .
She then asked thestag to receive the king's arrow . As the stag
fell, he said , 'Give my feet to the thief, that he may escape
with his life; my horns to the Yogi, that he may use them as
his whistle (nād ); my skin to the ascetic, that he may worship
upon it ; my eyes to a fair woman, that she may be called
mirga nāinī (having eyes like a deer); and eat my flesh thyself.'
It is said that Bhartſhari soon
a afterwards met Gorakhnāth
who accused him of having killed one of his disciples.
BhartȚhari replied that if he had , then Gorakhnāth could
restore him to life. Thereupon Gorakhnāth threw some earth
upon the stag, thereby restoring him to life.
Reference is made to legends in which the name and the
deeds of Goraknāth are associated with serpents , especially
the rain or water- controlling serpents (nāga ) of Nepal.
Notice is taken , also of the story of the great war for the
extermination of serpents (nāga) under the leadership of
Janmegi. In the story of Gūgā, serpents and Gorakhnāth
1 This story was told at Sri Nagar, in the Himalayas. See above .
2 The rhinoceros was declared to be sacred by Aśoka, in one of his
Pillar Edicts. See Radhakumud Modkeji, Asoka, p. 181. In Manu
(3 : 271 , 272) the rhinoceros is one of the animals whose meat satisfies
the manes for an endless time when offered at the Śrāddha. The
story referred toabove confirmsthis. It is hermits' food universally
On the Indian rhinoceros see EB,13th ed ., vol. II, p . 771 ; vol . XVI,
p. 976 ; vol. XXIII, p . 243. The horn is a mass of hairs cemented
together by cells. See also JAOS, vol. LI (1931 ), pp. 276 ff.
3 AnAccount of the Kingdomof Nepāl (1793) p. 19.
• RTCP, vol. II, pp. 403, 404 . - See chap. nine.
An interesting incident in tree-worship is reported in the
north -west. On the fifteenth and eleventh of Phāgun, Kān
phatas, like villagers of the Panjab , worship the āñolā tree, or
phyllanthus emblica. This tree is the emblic myrobolus
representation of the fruit of which is used for the finial of
Buddhist temples. Its worship is now connected with that
of Siva. Brāhmans will not take the offerings. The people
circumambulate the tree from left to right, pour libations, eat
the leaves and make offerings, which are taken by Kānphata
Yogis .
Some Nāthas worship the pāduka of Gorakhnāth and of
Matsyendranāth on the Sivrātri. Their carans are regularly
worshipped .
Many animals are held sacred , or are in some way given
special attention by Goraknāthis . Like all Hindus, they
worship the cow . There are special taboos against fish . ? Of
special interest to the Yogis are the rhinoceros, the black
buck, dogs and snakes.
The rhinoceros receives considerable attention. The rulers
of Nepāl and others who come to look at those held in
captivity for example at Calcutta, always worship them . In
their worship of the sun, Yogis wear a ring of rhinoceros
horn on the second finger of the right hand; and in other
forms of worship this same practice obtains. Some who do
not wear the cuțiya, use a ring of rhinoceros horn when
making an oblation of water. Ear-rings of rhinoceros horn
are very much prized. One explanation why men hold the
rhinoceros sacred is that the animal bows its head slowly like
an elephant; and the latter animal is sacred to Ganesa, son of
Siva. Still another reason is that Siva ordered rings of
rhinoceros horn to be worn . The body and legs of the
rhinoceros are offered to Gorakhnāth . It is further said that
the Pāņdavas once killed a rhinoceros and used its skin as a
vessel in which to offer water to the sun . Hence the animal is
1 RTCP, vol. I, p. 238. The ānolā ( sk. āmalaka) is an object of
worship as the Birham birich (Brahm tree ): ' He who in October eats
beneath the ānolā tree to Heaven will surely go with all his family.'
Quoted from Fallon, Hindustani-English Dictionary, p. 168.
2 See above, p. 125.
both play an important part.1 Yogis celebrate the Nāgpañcami

festival. Images and pictures of serpents are found about
their shrines and monasteries. The Sepalas are snake
charmers. Besides these, there are other Kānphatas who
exhibit snakes at melas; and there is a group or tribe, called
Kor Mantar, who are Känphatas, but who live in the jungles
and are not often seen, who eat snakes. Furthermore, there
is the relation between Siva and serpents, which lends some
significance to the fact that these Yogis trace their line of
teachers back to the great god of destruction . Siva is
represented with a cobra, or other snakes, in his hand , about
his neck or twisted in his hair. But here the significance is
not so much of the worship of theserpent, as that of terror,
or fear, aroused because of Siva's sinister character, the
serpent serving as a weapon. Associated with the linga, the
significance of the snake may be partly that of worship . In
the wall of the steep stairway leading down to the Nāg
Kuam , or Serpent-Well, in Benares, is a sculptured three
headed serpent, and on the floor a serpent is represented
crawling towards the linga. Both Nāg and the well are wor
shipped . The only time during the year that the well is
visited for religious purposes is on the Nāgpañcami, when
1 IA, vol. II , p. 124. See chapter dealing with legends. It is of
interest to note that the Great Šālavāhana was a Nāga. Tod , vol. I,
p. 82. See the legends about Puran Bhagat.
2 Reported at Tilla.
3 See Tree and Serpent Worship, p. 69. Compare CR , 1897, pp.
50 ff.
4 The Sacred City of the Hindus, p. 89 .
5 The Sacred City of the Hindus, p. 220. This well, which bears
marks of considerable antiquity ,is situated in the north -western part
of the city, and is dedicated to the Nāgarāja, Ananta or Seșa, who is
believed to have incarnated himself in Patañjali, the famous
grammarian and author of the Mahābhāsha. Onthat account the
grammarians of the city gather on thespot to discuss grammar on
the fifth of the bright half of the month Srāvan. This is the date of
the Nāgapañcani or Festival of the Nāgas. On this occasion common
folk, too, repair to the ancient well and make their offerings, the
average attendance being estimated at 4,000 persons.
Four flights of steps, numbering altogether forty steps, lead
down to a large circular well which is considerably inscription
below the
level of the street. There is a stone slab with a Nāgari
women visit the well on one day and men on the next.
Worshippers bathe in the well. Respectable people do not
tarry there. The well is recognized as a place of pilgrimage,
Karkotak Nāg Tirth. In Benares Siva is worshipped as
Nāgeswar, Lord of Serpents; and in the United Provinces and
in the Himālayas as Rikheśvar, Lord of Serpents (Nāgas).
Snakes are the servants of Rāja Bāsuk, with whom Gūgā
had dealings. One legend makes Gūgā's bride the daughter
of Bāšaknāg. The Rāja has a temple at Priyāg ( Prayāg) which
is a place of pilgrimage, especially at the time of the Nāg
pañcami. A saying connected with Gūgā may be of interest.
It is a good thing for a Hindu to listen to the tale of Gūggā
at night during the Diwāli festival as a means of preventing
snakes entering houses .'
Serpents are associated with Bhāirom . Images of Devi
and Nāga are often found side by side.5
Nāgas are beneficently inclined and are connected with water
and the giving of rain, or when angry with sending hail.
“ The same idea seems to underlie the following legend
which is current in Nepāl. In the days of King Guņakām ,
so the story goes, the country of Nepāl was visited by a
terrible faminewhich lasted for seven years. Since all prayers
were vain, the king had recourse to the great magician , Sänti
kāra. This master, while using the proper incantations, drew
a magical eight- petalled lotus-flower, which he filled with
gold and powdered pearls. Then he made therein the effigies
of the nine great Nāgas, and by his spells induced them to
occupy their proper places. Varuna, white of complexion ,
wearing a sevenfold, jewelled nāga -hood, and carrying a lotus
and a jewel in his hands, took his position in the centre ;
let into the wall. The pūjārī declares that the well gives access to
Pātāla, or the nether world , the abode of snakes. A snake image is
said to exist inside the well, below the water level. Besides, there are
snake stones let into the well. See Indian Serpent Lore, pp. 267, 288.
1 Ibid.,p. 220. Karkotak Nāg was the Serpent King of Nepālwho
dweltin the lake, Nāgavāsa. See also Landon, Nepāl, vol. I, p. 182.
He is of the royal house of Kashmir .
2 ERE, article, ' Serpent Worship ,' vol. XI, pp .415, 418. But see
above, p. 82. SIA, vol. II, p. 124.
5
* PNG, vol. IV , para. 178. 5 IA, vol. II, p. 124.
and in the temples through pūjāris of the sect. The morning

and evening worship consists of the ringing of bells, the
beating of drums, the circumambulation of the shrine and the
offering of food which is then distributed in the form of
prasād.
The worship of Dharamnāth is not so widespread as is
that of his predecessor, his chief centre being at Dhinodhar,
where his shrine is at the top of the hill. A temple containing
his image is found in the compound of the monastery at the
foot of the hill.1 The service of worship is held twice a day.
The image is washed and worshipped and flowers and leaves
are offered. Incense and ghi are burned and a light (arti) is
waved amidst the sounds of bells, gongs and drums, and the
worshippers prostrate themselves before the image.
Other noted Yogis of the sect receive reverent attention
and gurus and mahants are recipients of offerings, the food
placed before them being distributed as prasād .
The services of worship are in the hands of special officers,
or pūjāris. These persons are found at all the principal
shrines and seats of the sect.
Besides this, Gorakhnāthis serve as pūjārīs, or officiants,
at various temples, especially tothose of Bhāirom and Sakti,
and at some temples of Siva. In Benares they serve as
priests of Kāl Bhāirom , and in the Himālayas, e.g. Almora,
they are in possession of many temples of Bhāirom, where
they conduct worship. Some of these places of worship , as
already stated , are inpossession of women of the sect. All of
the temples of Bhāirom, except those where Khasiyas serve,
are in their hands. In the Panjab and in Northern India
these Yogis often act as priests for the village gods. In the
Himālayas they serve as priests of the lower Sakti worship
and of the village gods. They also act as pūjārīs at some
shrines of Hulikā and of Sitalā Mātā. At Kurukşetra, in the
south -west of Rām Rāi, there is a temple of Kapilā Yakşa,
1 Compare BombayGazetteer, vol. V, p .87.
2 Wi, p. 217. 3 SHTC , p . 262 ; Wi, p . 217.
4 Atkinson, Himalayan Gazetteer, vol . II, p.
p 865 .
5 ERE, vol. XII, p. 835 ; Martin , vol . III, p . 336 ; CTC, vol. III ,
P. 1.
• CTC , vol. III , p. 159.
the door-keeper of which was a Kānphata Yogi. Gorakh
nāthis are also in charge of the temples and shrines at the
centres of their organization , temples of Siva, Bhāirom , Devi
and others. Buchanan reported at Gorakhpur Kanphatas who
were serving Sudras in their worship of Siva.2 At Dhinodhar
the pir takes charge of the annual sacrifice at the top of the
hill on the Nāurātri (Śivrātri).
The ritual of worship is that of the ordinary type. An
example may suffice. At Devi Pātan , at the noon -day offering
to Bhāirom , the pūjāri, taking in his hand a small dish heaped
with cooked rice, walks around the shrine, or platform , his
right hand towards it, pouring water as he goes. He next
places the dish of rice before the platform , and then throws
the food out for the dogs. At the same place the evening
worship is begun by the beating of the kettle drums and the
ringing of thetemple bells. After this has gone on for about
half an hour, the temple doors are opened,and the offerings
to the Devi are made in the usual way.
The offerings used in worship in temples and at samādhs
are those commonly given to Siva (Mahādeo) such as flowers,
bilva leaves, dhatura, water, uncooked rice, sweets and cam
phor. Cocoanuts, cooked food, leaves of thick bread (rot) and
incense are also presented to the gods and saints. Offerings
of food are consumed by the worshippers. Before mahants
and the chief gurus food and sweets areoffered and consumed
as prasād. In procession at the annual mela at Tulsipur all
sorts of things, including food, sweets, and chickens are
presented before the pir and carried away as holy,or left in
his path. The Trisul, usually of iron , sometimes of bamboo,
nearly always painted red , is commonly offered to Bhāirom .
At the right of the approach to the door of the shrine at
Gorakhpur, there is avery large collection of such weapons,
and the space below the platform is said to be filled upwith
them .
The blood sacrifice is common. Animal sacrifices include,
in Nepāl, buffaloes and goats, and an occasional rhinoceros.
In many places, as in Nepāl and at Devi Pātan , slaughter is
1 1A , 1894, p. 300, Archæological Survey of India, vol. XIV, p. 86.
2 Martin, vol. II, pp. 484, 485.
142 GORAKHNATH AND THE KĀNPHATA YOGIS
autumnal equinox ). At Dhinodhar the pir takes charge of
the annual sacrifice which is performed on the top of the
hill. This is the only time during the year when he makes
the ascent. During this festival a special offering in charity
is made at the monastery, the food being cooked in the four
famous caldrons that date from the time of Dharamnāth.1
This is also an important occasion at Kāmākhyā and at
Gorakhpur. The great festival at Țilla takes place at this
time, when throngs of men, women and children make the
difficult ascent and are supplied with accommodation, food
and coverings while there. For here, as at other places, the
Yogis pride themselves on their liberality.
Gorakhnāthīs recognize also the feasts of Sivrātri.3 The
thirteenth of the light half of each lunar month is sacred to
Siva, and he is worshipped at sunset, a fast being kept until
the stars appear. However, it is the dark thirteenth of each
month that is called Sivrātri and that is devoted to the
worship of Siva the terrible. The Sivrātri of Māgh ( some
say Phālguņa),Mahāśivrātri, is the chief day of the year for
his worship. A very famous legend explains why this is so ,
why worship at this time is of absolute value.4 A hunter, a
man of bad character, going out to hunt one day, which
happened to be Māgha krsnathirteenth (thethirteenth of the
dark half of the month of Māgh ), passed a Siva temple,
and saw a number of people worshipping the linga, sing
ing, calling out 'Siva , Siva,' etc. Mockingly the hunter
imitated their cries, and without his knowledge or desire, the
very utterance of the god's name on that holy day removed
some of his sins. He killed nothing that day , and had to
keep an involuntary fast. As night came on , through fear of
wild beasts , he climbed into a tree, which happened to be a
1 See p. 115 ; and IA, vol. VII, p. 51 .
2 Rose, RTCP, vol. I,p. 289, says that the fair is not attended by
many now , on accountof the difficulties of the road, but that Yogis
make an effort to visit the cave at Tilla.
3 See Murdock, Hindu and Muhammadan Festivals; Wilson , Reli
gion of the Hindus, vol. II , pp . 201 ff, 395 ; Underhill, The Hindu
Religious Year, pp .93 ff; as well as the works of Monier -Williams,
Mukerji and others.
4 Told by Underhill, Hindu Religious Year, p. 93, from the Skanda
Purāņa and Siva Purāņa. The story has been reported many times.
carried on on a large scale. At Devi Pātan the sacrifice of
suckling pigs is made close to the temple. At Dhinodhar two
buffaloes,oneof which is given by the Rão of Kacch and the
other bythe Yogis, are sacrificed to Bhāirom on the Nāurātri
of Dasehra. At Gorakhpur, at the same festival, even
Hinduised Musalmāns sacrifice animals at the shrine. On
2
the question of human sacrifice see the description of
Kāmākhyā. Gorakhnāth and Bhimsen are said to have
substituted the sacrifice of buffaloes for that of human beings.
An interesting ceremony is that in which a drop of blood
from the little finger or from the tip of the tongue is offered
to Bhāirom . This is done by one who does not eat flesh, or
who does not care to offer animal sacrifice. Again , it is said
that if no goat is provided for the worship of Bhāirom at
Kālrātri,the pūjāri must offer some of his own blood , or he
must offer what Bhāirom requests, speaking through a
worshipper who drinks the blood.
In former times, at Dhinodhar, when trouble threatened .
Yogīs used to commit trāga, sacrificing one of their own
number, so that the guilt of his blood might fall upon the
oppressor's
In the lefthead .
hand worship of Sakti the sacrifice takes the
form of the five tattvas, or realities ' - wine, flesh , fish ,
parched grain and sexual intercourse.5
Some attention should be given to the religious festivals of
the Hindus with special reference to Yogis.
Besides the melas and festivals connected with special
shrines, such as that at Devi Pātan, and described above,
and the great melas at the sacred places of Hindustan, the
Kānphatas celebrate the sacred seasons belonging to the
worship of Siva. Among these is the Nāurātri of Dasehra.
This is the celebration of the nine nights (and ten days) of
the light half of the lunar month Aśvina (the time of the
1 See account in chap. five.
· Alexander, Statistical Description and Historical Account of the
North -WesternProvinces of India ,Gorakhpur,p . 365.
3 Martin, vol. III, p. 38. Or the eating of buffaloes in the place
of human sacrifice.
4 Bombay Gazetteer, vol. V , p. 87.
5 See next chapter, under the description of Sakti.
Ananta, dark blue, in the east; Padmaka, with his five hoods
and of the colour of a lotus -stalk , in the south ; Takshaka
saffron -coloured and nine-hooded , in the west; Väsuki,
greenish with seven serpent heads, in the north ; Sankhapāla,
yellowish, in the south -west; Kulika, white coloured and
provided with thirty hoods, in the north -west ; Mahāpadma,
gold - coloured , in the north -east. Only Karkotaka, who was
portrayed in blue colour like a human being with a snake
tail, remained absent, as he was ashamed of his deformity
and would rather expose himself to the deadly influence of
the spells than appear in person .
' On the advice of Santikāra, the king himself went to
secure the help of the obstinate Nāga and, notwithstanding
his remonstrances, forcibly dragged him along by the hair.
When the nine great Nāgas hadthus been brought together
Sāntikāra worshipped them and besought them to reveal unto
him a remedy against the drought. Then they told him that
he should painttheir images with the blood of Nāgas, and
for the purpose they offered him their own blood . As soon as
the wizard had followed their instructions the sky darkened .
Clouds overcast the celestial vault, and heavy rain began to
pour down. This is the rite known as Nāga -sādhanāwhich
has been resorted to ever since when the country was
threatened with famine. The remedy, M. Levi says, “ has lost
nothing of its credit and is practised in Nepāl up to the
present day.” ' 1
Vogel says that worship is seldom devoted to live serpents,
but usually to gods or saints who are considered able to give
protection from snake bite.
Dogs, especially black dogs, are associated with Bhāirom
and are venerated.3
To Yogis who haunt the jungles are attributed power over
wild beasts and you may hear in any Indian village of Yogis
to whom the cruel beasts (e.g. tiger, leopard)are as lap -dogs;
J. P. Vogel, Indian Serpent-Lore of The Nagas in Hindu Legend
and Art, pp. 226 , 27. See description of the festival of Matsyendra
nāth in Nepāl, below .
2 Indian Serpent-Lore , p. 268.
3 See Underhill, The Hindu Religious Year, p. 117. See also
descriptions of Bhāirom , below .
136 GORAKHNĀTH AND THE KĀNPHATA YOGIS
and stories where a rāja, out hunting, endangered by a mad
wild elephant or a ferocious tiger is saved by theappearance
at the critical moment of the Yogi, who orders the obedient
beast away.'1 It is believed that Yogis live in the jungles
surrounded by tigers and ride on them .
The spirits of Yogis are worshipped at the samadhs. For
example. the Aipanthis of Rohtak offer, at noon, food on all
samādhs and set a lamp of ghi at each one. The food is then
distributed . Such worship takes place over the graves of
Yogis at all monasteries. While making offerings of food
and water to their sainted dead , Yogis make use of the
pavitſi.
Besides, Gorakhnāthis worship nine Nāthas and eighty - four
Siddhas. Nāthas are religious leaders, or gurus, or guides,
who derive their names from Adinātha, or Siva. Śiva himself
iscalled a Nātha. While the word nātha is a synonym for
Hindu Yogi , and while it is a sect name of the Kānphatas ,
still, in this connection it refers to the nine great, or deified
and immortal teachers of the sect, of whom Gorakhnāth is
sometimes called the chief. They now live far back in the
holy Himālayas. Their names are : Gorakhnātha (the chief
Nätha ), Matsyendranātha, Carpațnātha, Mangalnātha, Ghugo
nātha, Gopinātha, Prāņnātha , Sūratnatha and Cambanātha.
They are not related tothe divisions of the order. In another
list nine Nāthas are named , each of whom is identified with
a Hindu god. These are: 1. Aumgkār Adinātha (Lord of
Lords), Siva; 2. Shelnātha (Lord of the Arrow Shaft), Krsna
or Rāma Candra; 3. Santoknātha ( Lord of Gratification );
4. Acalacambhunātha ( Lord of Wondrous Immortality),
Hanumān or Lakşman ; 5. Gajbali Gajkāņķhnātha (Lord of
the Elephant's Strength and Neck ), Ganesa Gajkarna
(Elephant-Eared); 6. Prajnātha, or Udainātha ( Lord of the
People), Pārvati; 7. Māyārūpi Macchendranātha (The Won
drous Form ), Guru of Gorakhnātha; 8. Gathepiņde Ricaya
kari, or Naranthar, Sambhujāiti Guru Gorakhnātha; 9.
1 Man and Beast of India ,pp. 355 ff. See Hunter, Statistical Account
of 2Bengal, vol. I , p . 119.
RTCP, vol. II , p . 389. 3 Compare OMAS, P. 185.
* Temp., vol. I, p . 358, note. 5 OMAS, p. 186. BHCS, p. 404 .
6 Panjab Census, Report, 1891 , p. 115 .
Gyansarūpe, or Purakh Siddh Caurañjwenātha, or Puran

Bhagat. Still another list is given by Kitts : Omkārināth,
Vişņu ; Samtokanāth, Vişņu ; Gajboli, Gajāna, Hanumān ;
Acaleśvar, Ganpati; Udayanātha, Surya ; Pārvati Prem ,
Mahādeo ; Santhanātha, Brahmā; Gyāniji Siddhacewarangi,
Jaggannāth ; Māyārūpi, Matsya. The Nāthas are also the
guardian spirits of the Himālayan peaks.
The Siddhas ' are famous saints, of exceptional purity of
life, who have attained to a semi- divine existence throughthe
practice of Yoga. They are supposed to be living in the
fastnesses of the Himālayas. In the Nānak Sākhi an account
is given of Nānak's visit to their retreat. There he finds, in
the residence of Mahādeva, Gorakhnāth , Bhartſhari and others
in company with these perfect Yogis. At another time
Nának met, at Gorakhhatri, eighty- four Siddhas who per
formed miracles and wonders before him . One made a
deer- skin fly in the air, another caused a stone to move about,
a third gave forth fire and a fourth caused a wall to run about.
Later, he and Gorakhnātha talked together there.? Siddhas
are referred to in Macauliffe .8
Besides the chief Siddhas there are others who are sup
posed to be still upon the earth .
It is a well-known belief that the Nāthas and the Siddhas
follow Gorakhnāth in his wanderings, and that the path of
this journey may be traced by the small 9trees bearing sugar
candy which spring up wherever they go .
There is, besides, a class of spirits, or beings, Siddhis,
whom legends connect with Gorakhnath. Generally they
plague mankind. There are, however, celas who know the
mind of their Siddhis and who can avert their anger, for a
consideration.10 Siddhis have special worshippers whose dis
tinctive emblem is a silver singhi or cylindrical ornament,
1 RTCP, vol. II, p. 397 . 2 Census Berar, Report, 1881, p. 59.
3 RTCP, vol. II, pp. 397, 398.
4 See ERE, vol. II, p. 94. A partial list them is given in
Wi, p . 214, note 2.
Tr. , p. xl. 6 Tr., p. xlii.. ? Tr., pp. xlii, xliii, xliv.
& Mac ., vol. I, p . 41.
• RTCP, vol. II, p. 396 .
10 Census of the Panjab, 1891 , p. 115 .
worn on a thread round the neck.1 Villagers consider the
Siddhis as demons who have received their power from
Gorakhnāth . In the lower Himālayas of the Panjab, in
Ambāla, and Hoshiyārpur, Siddhis are worshipped in the
form of stones, under various names . There are several that
are known by name: Ghāzidās has a considerable reputation
near Una ; and Cānu , said to have been a Camār ( Camārs
feast on goats and sing songs to him on certain occasions);1
and Kāla Pir worshipped in the low hills and throughout the
eastern districts of the Panjab , and, more particularly as
Kāla Mahār by the Sindhu Jāts as their forebear.2 Sindus
of Khot in Jind and Khātis and Lohārs worship him there.
His samadh at Khot is in charge of an Aipanth Yogi.
Gorakṣa is sometimes considered as a name of Siva, and
Gorakhnāth is often looked upon as a manifestation of the
dread god, and as such receives worship in some Śāivite
temples. He is worshipped also in temples of his own. At
Gorakhpur, where his gaddi is situated , his caran occupies
the place of worship inthe temple. His caran is an object
of worship in Kāțhiāwār also.3 Images of Gorakhnāth are
found in many places; for example, at Gorakhmandi, in
various places in the Himālayas, both in Garhwal and
Kumaun, and at Trimbak : 5 and he is represented by a very
large, realistic image in the shrine at Gorakh Bansuri.
Furthermore, at some shrines of Gūgā his images, or shrines,
are to be found, and also in some temples of Bhāirom . Each
year a stone linga is carried in procession from Dang Cangra
to Devi Pātan , and is worshipped on the way and for a period
of four days at the latter place because it is supposed to con
tain the spirit of Gorakhnāth . He is a household god
among the Kānphatas of Belgaum .? The Gurkhas of the hills
worship him in a special place in their houses, where lamps,
flowers, sweetmeats and bel leaves make up the offerings;
1 OMAS, p. 186, quoted from the Panjab Census, Report, 1891,
p. 115.
2
This is the singnād .
? RTCP, vol. II , p. 397.
* Bombay Gazetteer, vol. VIII, p . 155 .
• Bombay Gazetteer, vol. VIII, pp. 446, 447. 5 See chap. six.
* For details of these references, see chap . five.
? Bombay Gazetteer, vol. XXI, p. 185 .
bel tree (the wood -apple, sacred to Siva ), but was unable to
sleep, owing to the cold , thus keeping an involuntary vigil.
Not only so, but, shivering and shaking, he dislodged a
number of bel leaves, which fell, together with moisture,
from the tree on a stone Siva linga beneath, thereby offering,
involuntarily, bel leaves and cool water to the god. The
cumulative merit of all these involuntary acts not only released
him from past sins, but caused his reception into Siva's
abode of Kailāsa.
According to this tradition , the celebration marks the day
when Siva first manifested himself, as a marvellous and
interminable linga, to Brahmā and Vişņu.
The establishment of the festival is attributed to Siva him
self. The worship of Sivrātri is open to all classes, even to
Candālas and women, the use of mantras, except Om , being
permitted to them .
The fast for the Sivrātri lasts for twenty -four hours. The
worshipper abstains from food and drink during the day. At
every third hour during the nightthe linga must be worship
ped with offerings of flowers, dhatura, ketiki ( Sk. Ketaka,
Pandanus odoratissimus, used only at this time), and bel leaves.
It must be bathed in succession with milk , curds, ghi and
honey ; and with water from the Ganges ; or water from some
other running stream is poured over it. Gesticulations are
prescribed and prayers are addressed to various subordinate
divinities connected with Siva. On the morning of the four
teenth the worshipper must bathe, and after anointing
himself with sesamum oil, worship the linga with mantras,
with the recitation of the 1,008 names of Siva, offering 1,000
or 108 bel leaves. At the conclusion of worship the priest
recites the story related on the preceding page.
In addition, Kānphatas stay awake all night, singing songs
in honour of Gorakhnáth , and worship the feet both of
Gorakhnāth and Matsyendranāth .
On this night a flagis said to ascend the face of the cliff at
Tilla, from the bottom to the top, by the help of an unseen
hand.5
1 fśāna Samhita . 2 For details see Wi, vol . II, pp. 213 ff.
3 RTCCP, vol. III, p. 252. 4 Census Report, Berār, 1881, p. 60 .
5 Census Report, Panjab, 1891, p. 117.
The worship of Sakti is involved in this festival.
Vāmacāris keep, besides the Mahārātri, the night of Kāla
rātri (of Krişnajanmāstami), the Mahārātri, or Kālisaturdasi,
of the fourteenth of the second half of Asvina, and the
Dāruņīrātri kept on the day before the Holi festival (the
fifteenth day of the first half of Phālguna ). Moreover, nine
nights in each of the months, Aśvina, Cāitra, Pāușa and
Aşadha are observed as holy. Ceremonies performed on any
of these nights must of necessity confer superhuman power
on the worshipper.
The observances of Sivrātri expiate all sin, secure the
attainment of all desires during life, and union with Siva, or
final 'release, after death . The liberal Akbar was initiated into
the secrets of the Yogis, and on the Sivrātri ate and drank
with them , expecting to prolong his life fourfold thereby.
He wore his hair in their fashion, and anticipated the
liberation of his soul by the fontanelle, as they teach.1
The festival of Sivrātri is a comparatively modern cele
bration.2
Kāl Bhāirom is worshipped, as a manifestation of Siva, on
the dark eighth of the lunar month , particularly on that of
Kārttikā, which is considered his birthday. At his temple at
Bhudargad, a mela is held on the first ten days of the dark
half of Māgha. At Devgad he has a temple where, it is
believed, allsickness due to evil spirits may be cured . Fairs
are held thereon the Mahāśivrātri and on the eleventh to
the fifteenth of the light half of Kārttikā.
At a temple of Bhairavanāth at Sonāri a fair is held from
the eighth to the fifteenth of Cāitra.
At Kāthmāņdu in Nepāl there is a procession at this
time.3
Connected with the name of Matsyendranāthº is the
annual festival, the most popular of all festivals, at the capital
1 Wi, vol. II, p. 395.
2 See Underhill, The Hindu Religious Year, pp. 96, 117, 131 , 151 ,
164, 174 for further references .
3 See chap. ' Legends '; and Levi, LeNepāl. vol. II, pp. 44 ff.
4 See Landon, Nepal, for description and some good pictures. See
also for these festivals , Kirkpatrick, Kingdom of Nepāl, pp. 192, 194,
195 .
of Nepāl. This ceremony brings in the rains of the spring.

Matsyendranāth came into Nepāl to release the Nāgas
whose confinement by Gorakhnāth had brought on a twelve
years' drought. It is believed that without Matsyendra's
influence the heavens would still withhold the rains. This
procession of Matsyendranāth marks the solemn opening of
the religious year. It has become the annual fête of the land.
The object of veneration at this festival is a small image of
Matsyendranāth , an idol about three feet high , paintedred .
It is evidently very old . During the whole period of the
celebration a company of soldiers, under the command of a
sardār, accompanies the idol.
On the first day of Vāiśākhavadi,1 the Nikhus of Pātan take
the idol from the temple and carry it in procession to the
south of the town, to the exact spot where, under a tree,
Narendra Deva and his company halted on their return from
Kāpõtal with the pot in which Matsyendranāth, in the form
of a bee, was confined . There the idol is placed upon a
stone platform , undressed , and bathed , except the head
which they are not permitted to touch. This is the ‘ Bath of
Matsyendranāth.' The sword of the king, equivalent to the
sceptre of Nepāl, is then presented to the god ; and the idol
is brought back to its temple, painted and dressed.
On the eighth day the idol is exposed to the sun . The
Nikhus, who are Saivites, then make the idol over to the
Banras.
On the twelfth and thirteenth the Banras perform the ten
ceremonies, beginning with the conception of Matsyendra
nāth, introducing the god as an infant to be born in the
regular ranks of society.
On the first of Vāiśākhiếudi the procession of the cars
begins. Two cars are provided ; one, very large, in the
eastern outskirts of Pātan, near the Căitaya of Asoka , the
other, a smaller car , in Patan itself, in the court of the temple
of Matsyendranāth. The larger car carries, on a platform of
1 The dark half of Vāiśākha, an auspicious month corresponding
to April-May.
2 Monks of Nepalese Buddhism , who are not celibate.
3 Landon, Nepal, vol. I, p. 209, note 2. At the northern stupa
of Asoka, the wheels of the car are kept.
10
wood , a chapel, square, plated with gilt, which has around it
a footpath permitting circumambulation. The roof of the
chapel supports a pyramid of lattice work interlaced with
ribbons. On the top of the pyramid , twenty or twenty -five
metres high , is set a gilded image of Vajrasattva, which is
crowned with a bouquet of leaves. Landon says that the
superstructure of the car is raised to some sixty feet, being
renewed annually ; that this 'sky -piercing car' is about
twenty-five feet broadand that in olddays no house in Pātan
was allowed to be taller than the spire of the car of Mac
chendranāth . The four wheels of the car have for ornaments
eyes of Bhāirava. Fastened to the axles is a long, light pole
which is bent back to the front, and which bears on its
extreme end a head of Bhāirava. The second car is not a
reproduction of the other, but a distinctive one on which is
placed the small red image. It is drawn by the crowd. The
route is divided into three stages at each of which there takes
place a regular programme of sacrifices and offerings. The
most important stage is the last, at the fountain of gold, the
grove of Narendra . All the Newār population of Pātan takes
part in the fête, and the king, followed by the prime minister
and the nobles, all mounted on elephants, joins the procession.
The cars are turned to the right of the grove, and are kept
there for two nights. At another station, a short distance away,
the cars are halted for from ten to twenty days, waiting for a
propitious time for the Gūdri Yātrā. When the astrologers
have discovered a favourable day, the procession moves onand
the cars are drawn to the parade grounds at the north - east of
the village. There they remain for three nights awaiting the
great day of the festival, the day when the idol is undressed
before the people. All are eager to take part in this ceremony .
The Banras in full dress, clothed in red robes, their heads
freshly shaved, lean the small car against the larger one.
They take from its sacred niche the holy image and remove,
piece by piece, its tinsel-spangled garments. It is the shirt
which all wish to see, and the priests show it solemnly to the
crowd . The people bow, worship and prostrate themselves
before it.
1 Landon , Nepal, vol. I , p. 210.
After this ceremony, the image is free to leave Pätan . The
undressed idol is transferred, under a shower of flowers and
offerings, to a sort of holy ark, which the Banras carry on
their shoulders. As the procession passes Bāgmati, flowers
are strewn in the way and fireworks are set off. Bāgmati is
the old Amarapura, the place where one of the bearers of the
pot, which contained Matsyendranath, barked like a dog,
when the company was returning from Kāpõtal.
The image is kept for about six monthsat Bāgmati. It is
then returned to Pātan .
On every twelfth year Matsyendra refuses to travel in the
usual manner. Consequently , at Bāgmati, a car is made, on
which it is possible both to carry and bring back the god.
In this instance the procession goes right across the uneven
fields, through furrows, streams and gullies, avoiding the
roads.
One of the most recent descriptions of this festival,
reported by eye-witnesses, is as follows:
The Machendrajātra is divided into three portions. Firstly,
the bathing of the image of the god near Narendra Deva's
tree in Pātan ; secondly, the parading of the image in a car
through the streets of Pātan ; and thirdly, the unrobing of
the image and exhibition of his shirt to the people. The
image is taken out of the temple of Macchendra at Patan and ,
in the presence of a large crowd, is bathed and carefully
washed on the stone platform beneath the sacred tree. After
this, he is carried back with much pomp to the temple, and
there painted and got ready for his appearance at the princi
pal ceremony. Seventeen days after the bathing ceremony ,
the image is dragged through the main streets , and on this
occasion there are two cars, each consisting of a square
chamber, covered with copper -gilt plates in the case of the
larger and with thatch in the case of the smaller. These are
placed on rough wagons, some six or seven feet high, and in
the larger one is placed the image of the god. The cars are
dragged, by means of ropes, by about onehundred and fifty
men, and the whole circuit of about a mile and a quarter is
performed in three stages , at the end of which a halt is made
at some previously appointed spot, where sacrifices are
performed and great feasting takes place. The third stage
includes the circuit of Narendra Deva's tree , and at this
place the cars stand for two whole nights. After this they
proceed to an open space near the city, called Puriya Tāl,
where they remain for another ten to twenty days, awaiting
the auspicious day for them to be dragged to the parade
grounds for the disrobing ofthe image. On the day of the
disrobing about six Banras, dressed in red and with shaven
heads, bring the small car to the side of the large one. The
Banras then proceed to undress the image as he sits in his
car, taking off his clothes piece by piece until they come to
the shirt. This is then held aloft for all to see and worship ,
after which this also is packed away in a box. The Banras
now take the unclothed image out of its shrine and place it in
the smaller car which is now borne in triumph to Bhungmatti,
a spot near Pātan where Narendra Deva halted during his
return from pilgrimage, where it remains for six months. ' 1
The religious year which opens with the procession of
Matsyendranath , of Pātan , closes with the festival of Little
Matsyendra at Kāthamāņdu . This second is quite different
from the former festival. The image of Little Matsydendra
is not red , but white. It does not represent Padmapāņi, but
Samantabhadra. The origin of the fête goes back to the
fifteenth century, and isexplained as follows. Some potters,
while digging for potter's clay, exhumed a statue which dated
from the reign of Guņakāmadeva, and which was none other
than Sāmu Matsyendra. The king had the image repaired
and built for it a temple. In the seventeenth century
Partāpa Mālla establishedin honourof this god a car festival,
which continues down to today. Barring accidents, it lasts
four days, from the eighth to the eleventh of Cāitraśudi.
Only Newārs celebrate this festival. But the ninth is aa day
of general celebration , because on that day the Gurkhas
observe a Hindu festival in honour of Rāma.
The festival of the Nāgpañcami, on the fifth lunar day of
1 The Gurkhas, pp. 174-5.
2 For a fullaccount of these festivals see Levi,Le Nepāl, vol. II,
pp. 44 ff.; 59 f. and Landon, Nepāl,vol.I , pp. 212 ff.
3 The festival of Rāma navami. But, ordinarily, at least in Tibet,
Avalokiteśvara is painted white. What is the relationship ? See
Frankle, Antiquities of India and Tibet, vol . I, p. 94.
the light half of Srāvana, in the rainy season , is observed by

Kānphatas. The black cobra is venerated, and the Yogis
engage in conversation about snakes and exhibit them , some
evencarrying them about. Figures of serpents and birds are
painted on the walls ofhouses. Seven days before the festival
a mixture of wheat, grām and pulse is steeped in water; and
on the morning of the Nāgpañcami, a wisp of grass is tied up
in the form of a snake, dipped in the liquor, and placed with
honey and sweetmeats before pictures of serpents. A fast is
kept from noon on the fourth of Srāvaņa, and the worshipper
bathes at dawn on the fifth. Either an earthen image of a
cobra, or a picture, must be worshipped. Saucers of milk are
placed near known or suspected snake -holes as offerings.
People abstain from digging,plowing, or otherwise disturbing
the earth, whereby snakes might be injured. Women abstain
from grinding, pounding rice, even from slicing vegetables.
On the fifth , feasts are held and presents are made.
The pageant of Gūgā known as the Chapi Mela, is celebrat
ed at this time. The charī is sometimes carried by Yogis,
who sing songs in his honour and beg.
At Sirālā, a centre of snake worship, where there is a
temple of Gorakhnāth , a fair is held on Nāgpañcami, when
snakes are caught and worshipped , afterwards being set free.
Where there is a special shrine (sthān ) for serpents, as at
Devi Pātan , it is utilized for this occasion.
Reference has already been made to the mela at the Serpent
Well in Benares, during this festival.
1 E.g. in Almora. Devi Pātan reported this also .
2 See The Chamārs, p. 151 f. In some places Musalmān Yogis
carry Gūgā's Charī. IĀ, vol. XXVI, p . 84.
3 Underhill, The Hindu Religious Year, p. 174. See also above,
under ' Serpent-worship .'
CHAPTER EIGHT
THE PANTHEON
Yogisare essentially Śāivites. The range of their interests

and of their historical connections includes, however , other
elements. In the first place, Vişņu is not without attention.
The images on the face of the Dharamśāla on the top of
Dhinodhar serve as an illustration . Hanumān and Rām
Chandrahave their shrines at certain monasteries, such as
that at Tilla, and both , together with aspects of Vāişņavism ,
and even Vişņu himself, are assimilated to certain divisions
of the Gorakhnāthis and are constantly noted in the legends.
The image of Garuda is found in the establishment at Puri.
Hanuman is represented in certain forms of the ţikā. The
rudrākṣa of ten faces symbolizes the ten avatāras of Vişņu.
Many of the Vaişņavite Bhaktas of Western India trace their
doctrines through Gorakhnāth. At Gorakhpur the decora
tions on the samādhs and shrines contain many Vaişņavite
symbols and images. According to the Siva Samhitā the
chanting of the name of Vişnu is necessary in Yoga practices
when the attention is directed to the cakras .?
Buddhist elements and contacts are numerous. Not only
is the Tāntra - Yoga system , which the Yogis follow , a mixture
of late Buddhism with Brahmanistic elements, but also the
history of the Kānphatas shows many Buddhist marks. In
Bengal, Matsyendranāth, Gorakhnāth , Hāļi and others are
claimed as Buddhist saints. According to Bengal traditions
Gorakhnāth was originally a Buddhist by the name of
1 See chapters on ' Sacred Places ' ; and also tables of the divisions
of the Goraknāthis in the appendix to chapter four, and their
Paramparās in Abbott's books.
2 3. 35 .
THE PANTHEON 151
Ramaņavajra belonging to the Vajrayāna. He became a

convert to Śāivism ,took the new name,and became thegreat
protagonist of the latter cult. These men were related also
to the Dharma movement. One of the Yogi castes of Bengal
is still known as the Dharmagiri Yogi. Sākya, one of the
godlings of the death ceremonies, mentioned on page forty
two, points in the same direction . In Nepāl, Matsyendranath
is identified with Avalokitesvara, and his annual festival there
swings around an ancient Buddhist image (Levi). A book in
tenth- century character Bengali is attributed to him. It is
not a Buddhist work. Furthermore, the struggle between
movements, indicated at the beginning of Chapter Four may
point to this period. Sankara was a great protagonist of
Sāivism in the east. The struggle which he inaugurated was
continued for centuries before Buddhism was overcome, yet
elements of it persist and continue in modern forms of
Tāntric Hinduism. Ramifications of the sect of the Kārı
phatas in the north -west and beyond the borders of India,
point to Buddhist influences.
Jāin contacts are not wanting; and the sons of Matsyendra
nāth , Nimnāth and Pārasnāthpūj are both Jāin saints. A Jāin
temple near Pāe Dhūni in Bombay city shelters an idol of
Ghorajināth , bedecked with gems.
The Islamic contacts with the organization are evidenced
in the modern possession of such shrines as that at Hing
1 Consult Sen , p . 28; Or., especially the Introduction ; Tāranāth ;
The Art of the Pal Empire, by French, which illustrates this period,
especially Vajrayāna. The stages of Buddhist development in
Bengal from about the seventh century of our era were : Mantra
yāna, which substituted invocations for Dhāranis, in the use of
short words and letters in invoking the spirits of the Buddha and
the Bodhisāts; Vajrayāna, in which was a mixture of mystical philo
sophy and sensuality with theworship of Nirātma Devi, the Formless
Void into whose embrace the devotee, bent on bodhi lept, there
enjoying something like the pleasures of the senses, and finally
disappearing; andKālacakrayāna, through which deliverance from
the wheel of destruction was achieved. These Buddhist elements
were absorbed into the Nāthamārga. This form of religion arose
outside of Buddhism . Matsyendranātha was a Nātha. Tradition
shows him carrying his sectarianism into Nepāl, and Gorakhnāth as
his disciple. Of the Great Nāthas, Gorakhnath was the only heretic
( from Buddhism).
Lāj by Muslims and in the worship conducted at the tomb
of the Muslim at Devi Pātan . Here, at four o'clock in the
morning, and at six in the evening, milk, rice, incense and a
lamp are placed. There are groups of Musalmān Yogis.
These notices are merely suggestive , not exhaustive.
The chief concern of the Yogis is, however, with Siva and
the Saivite faith . In the symbols everywhere in evidence at
their sacred places, in the legends and in ceremony, Siva and
his consort are always to the front. The festivals at numerous
establishments of the Kānphatas are peculiarly Śāivite. And
at Dhinodar, to cite one example, the head of the monastery
repeats a hymn in Siva's honor on the second of every
month.1 Or, it might be said that his Sakti is paramount.
In this account of Siva, attention is confined to such
aspects of his history, character, and activities as are pertinent
tothe beliefs and practices of the Yogis.
While the beneficent aspects of his character are persistently
emphasized, his name being the expression of his auspicious
character,and while he is an object of devotion by his follow
ers , still, Siva's other and sinister aspects , in which he appears
as extremely irascible in temper and as easily aroused to
deeds of violence, are conspicuous; and his fierce, wild charac
ter is never lost sight of. It is Śiva the destroyer, the terrible,
at the same timereproducer, or recreator, who is constantly
worshipped. These characteristics are brought to the fore
!
in the great part that Bhāirom (Bhāirava ) playsin the worship
of the Kānphatas and in the place thatthe yoni-linga and the
adoration of Sakti occupy in their cult. Moreover, Siva is
the ascetic par excellence, the chief of the Yogīs, Yogesvar.
Indeed , it is Siva who revealed to Pārvati the secret doctrine
of the Yoga, and it was because a certain Matsyendranāth,
in the form of a fish , overheard Siva as he expounded the
teaching,that theGorakhnāthīs are now in possession of this
secret of Siva. (Pārvati went to sleep while Šiva was expoun
ding the doctrine.) And it is he who has taught by example
that the attainment of bliss is by voluntary torture of the flesh,
by the subjugation of the turbulent passions, and by undis
turbed meditation. In the cult both meditation and physical
THE PANTHEON 153
discipline are emphasized , while even licence of every kind is

made to serve in the attainment of samādhi. Their Hatha
Yoga includes the use of dhāutiand certain secret practices
as well as the practice of the śrīcakra and other vānacāra rites,
and of the use of drugs, all aiming at rapport with the mystic,
superhuman, creative forces ofthe universe. Thus, both
Siva and his consort are inseparably involved in the cult and
its traditions.
Siva, Mahādeva, as the great ascetic, appears quite naked,
with one face, with matted hair, ash -besmeared, sitting in
profound meditation under a banyan tree, or under a canopy
formed of hooded serpents, or in a remote mountain retreat,
passionless, motionless, immovable, rooted to the spot for
millions of years. In the Purānas he is depicted as a
mendicant dressed in a tiger's skin, with matted locks and
with snakes serving as ribbons and apron strings. He
carries a trident. His half -shut eyes, are watery, and his
garb and demeanour suggest a person under the influence of
wine and narcotics . Dakşa's description of Siva is as
follows . He roams about in dreadful cemeteries, attended by
hosts of goblins and spirits, like a mad man , naked , with
dishevelled hair, laughing, weeping, bathed in the ashes of
funeral piles, wearing a garland ofskulls and ornaments of
human bones, insane, beloved of the insane, the lord of
beings whose nature is essentially darkness. In another pass
age he is described as bearing the linga desired by devotees,
ashes, a staff, a tuft of hair, an antelope's skin and a digit of
the moon , his body shining like an evening cloud . He has
great powers of concentration, and once , when disturbed , by
the fire of his third eye he burned Kāma to ashes. He is
called Bēlānāth , Lord of Forgetfulness, and as such wanders
about in abstraction, drowsy with drugs, or sinks in medita
tion.' ' Bom, Bom ,' is a cry meaning " forgetfulness.'5
1 See Brahmanism and Hinduism , chap. four.
2 BCHS, p. 367 .
3 Quoted from theMahābhārata by Atkinson in The Himalayan
Districts, vol. II, p. 722.
Here belongs the whole history of the site, Kāmrūp, and the
goddess Kāmākyā. See below , pp . 166 ff.
5 Bengali ReligiousLyrics, Sākta, pp. 16, 42.
In like character he appears in the Great Epic . There we
have the typical Yogi, intent on the attainment of ecstatic
and magical powers through self -torture and self - induced
vacuity , apathy and trance, accompanied by intervals of
morbid nervous and cerebral exaltation. Another description
of Śiva will intensify the picture. ' He wears an ornament
of serpents made of leather; has a third eye painted with
soap -stone on his forehead ; holds a trident in his fist ;
carries a cunningly designed lute ; has a mass of braids piled
like a diadem on his head ; puts on a black cloth like an
elephant's skin ; daubs his body with ashes ; and has a
garland of skulls hanging about his neck . With this descrip
tion are associated awful rites of black magic. Barth says:
From the outset, and more than any other Hindu religion ,
Sāivism has pandered to ascetic fanaticism . No other has
exhibited so many horrible and revolting observances, or has
worn with so much ostentation the badge, often singular
enough, of devotion.'4 These descriptions lend signifi
cance to the study of the Sāivite cults that preceded that
of the Kānphatas and of which these later Yogis are the
descendents.
In besmearing his body with ashes,Siva relates himself to
goblins and all the horrors of the cemetery. And in this
practice the later ghastly and ghoulish aspects of asceticism
come into view. Such sects as the Kāpākika5 which were the
precursors of the Gorakhnāthis, and the Aghoris made much
use of some of these elements.
With Siva is associated the bull , and the phallic element in
his worship is always present. The samādhs of the Yogis are
surmounted by the yoni-linga; these emblems are symbolized
in the singnād and the păvitri of their sacred thread ; the
brand mark which Yogis receive at Koteśvar is a representa
tion of these same figures; and, of course , every temple of
their sect contains these symbols. The worship of the linga
1 E.g. , 12, 328 ; 8, 23.
: Compare Gough, Philosophy of the Upanishads, pp. 18, 19.
3 Hemavijaya's Kathāratnākāra, Story 133, rendered by Bloom
field ,JAOS, vol. XLIV, p. 209.
- Religions of India, p. 214.
5 See chap . ten.
THE PANTHEON 155
is very old in India, and it is probable that it owes its origin

to aboriginal sources. It is possible that this worship, like
that of Śiva himself, in some of his aspects, found its way into
Brāhmanic culture slowly at first. At any rate, early references
to phallic worship are few . There are two in the Rig Veda
(7 , 21, 5 ; 10, 99, 3), if such be the meaning of śiśna. The term
is one of reproach and descriptive of non -Aryans. In later
times , Sāyaṇa remarked that those who sported with the siśna
were unchaste. The Rāmāyaṇa does not know the linga ?
but in the Didactic Epic it, like Siva himself, is fairly well
known.3
Siva ' is not the name of a god either in the Rig- or in the
Atharva - Veda, but the word, which means 'auspicious,'4 is
used to describe Rudra. As a god, Siva does not appear
before 200 B.C.
Rudra, of the Vedic pantheon , is quite un-Aryan in his
character, but he exhibits some characteristics which are of
interest in this study, both from the point of view of the
physician , of one manipulating the storms, and of his horrible
and terrible acts. In the Rig Veda5 he is intelligent; bountiful;
a healer of cattle, kine, men and children ; a dispenser of heal
ing remedies; a granter of prosperity. He is ruddy in colour.
Withal, he is strong, impetuous and crooked, and he injures
vengefully; he is described as having braided hair and as the
unshorn ascetic; he is fierce, purifying, rain-dispensing ;& he
is the father of the storm gods (Maruts )," the wielder of the
thunderbolt, the bow and arrow ; he is renowned as youthful,
mounted on his chariot, and like a wild beast, destructive,
fierce, a terrible and manslaying god ; he is the roaring god of
Iconography, Indian, vol. II , pt. 1 , p. 55 ; Muir, Sanskrit Texts,
vol. IV, p . 345. The earliest known representations of the linga areof
the firstcentury: (1) from Bhīļā, now in the Lucknow museum ; (2)
at Gudimallam in North Arcot. See ERE, vol. XI, p. 92. See also
Marshall, vol. I , pp. 58 ff. There seems to have been a counterpart
of Siva in the ancient Indus civilization.
: ORLI, p. 48.
°4 E.g., 8, 33 : 45 ; 7, 200-1, 93-96, 202, 203 ; 13, 14 : 233 f .
Rig Veda, 1,64 : 8.
51, 143 : 1-11 . Compare 1 , 114.
6 1 , 64 : 2 .
? 1 , 85 : 1 , etc.
.
the monsoon , of the lightning in its destructive function.1 In
the Satarudriya2 the god's one hundred aspects are set forth.
The older characteristics, already enumerated, are repeated
and his terrible, cruel, fierce nature is emphasized. He is
blue-necked. A sinister phase of his character is brought
out in that he is a patron of robbers, rogues, pilferers and
murderers, and the guardian of roads. Withal he is auspicious
( siva ). If in the Rig Veda he is malevolent, in the later
Vedas he is more fierce and terrible . It is in the Yajur Veda
that Rudra is first called Iśvara and Mahādeva, and that he
begins toappear as Sankara and Siva as well. In the Atharva
Veda and in the Brāhamanas Rudra is called the Lord of
Animals, Pasupati.5 In the Atharva Veda his wide -mouthed,
howling dogs, who swallow their prey unchewed, are
mentioned . He gives consumption and poison and is the
destructive lightning. In the Upanişads he takes on the
characters of creator and sage and is described pantheistically .
In the Atharva Šīras Rudra is set forth in similar fashion ;
is identified with Gāuri, Umā, Vişņu, Brahmā, and Maheśvara,
and is spoken of as immortal, imperishable, the creator ,
sustainer and destroyer.
His epithet, Pasupati, brings to view his character as sparing cattle,
as significant of his beneficent aspects. As the Lord of the open
fields, he is Lord of the cattle which roam in them. Also he was the
god that held sway over regions away from home, over fields,
wildernesses, cemeteries, mountains, old trees and rivers. Whenever a
man came to anything which inspired awe and terror, Rudra was the
god thought of and prayed to to protect. . . . In Rudra -Šāivism the
sentimentof fear is at the bottom , however concealed itmay have
become in certain developments of it, and this sentiment it is that
1 The references are (besides those quoted ): 1, 122 : 1 ; 2, 33 : 1-15;

3, 2 : 5 ; 4, 3 : 1; 5, 41: 2 ; 5, 42: 11 ; 5 , 59 : 8 ; 5 , 60 : 5 ; 5, 28 : 7 ; 6,
66 .: 3 ; 6, 74 : 1 ff; 7 , 10 : 4 ; 7 , 35 : 6 ; 7, 40 : 5 ; 7, 46 : 1 , 2 ; 7 , 56 : 1 ;
7, 58 : 5 ; 8, 13: 20 ; 8, 20:17 ; 8, 29: 5 ; 8, 61 :: 3 ; 10 , 64 : 8 ; 10, 66 : 3;
10, 92 : 5 ; 10, 93 : 7 ; 10, 125 : 6 ; 10, 126 : 5 ; 10 , 126 : 1 ; 10, 169: 1 .
2 Vājasaneyi samhitā , 16, 1-66 .
3 E.g., verses 2, 3 , 41.
4 See references in Macdonell's Vedic Mythology.
5 A root Śāivite sect of the Yogīs arethePāśupațas .
6 11 , 2. ? 11 , 2 : 26. 8 ſvet. Up., 3, 1 ff.
•9 Vaisnavism , Saivism , etc., p. 102.
THE PANTHEON 157
has worked itself out in the formation of the various Rudra -Sāiva
systems of later times.1
In the Rāmāyana, Rudra is called Mahādeva and Siva, as
inthe Didactic Epic. He curses Kāma;º receives Umā from
Himāvat;3 his cunnubial life with her is described ;' and he
catches Gangā as she falls from heaven .
With the Didactic Epic Rudra has become Mahādeva, or
Siva; and Siva meets with growing recognition as the equal
of Brahmā and Vişņu , is worshipped by Kțişņa6 and even
transcends the gods.? One of his female devotees thus
describes him (Mahādeva, Siva ; 9)
He assumes manyforms of gods (as Brahmā, Vişņu, Indra, Rudra)
and of men, of goblins, demons, barbarians, tame and wild beasts,
birds, reptiles, fishes, with many varieties of human disguises etc.
He is the soul of all the worlds, all-pervading, residing in the heart
of all creatures, knowing all desires. He carries a discus, a trident,
a club, a sword,and an axe . He has a girdle of serpents, ear -rings of
serpents, a sacrificial cord of serpents, an outer garment of serpents'
skins. He laughs, sings, dances charmingly, and plays various musical
instruments. He leaps, gapes, weeps, makes others weep ; speaks like
a mad man or a drunkard, as well as in sweet tones . He laughs terri
fically. He is both visible and invisible, on the altar, on the sacrificial
post, in the fire, a boy, an old man , a youth . He dallies with the
daughters and the wives of the Kişis, with erect hair, obscene
appearance , naked, with excited look . He is one -faced, two-faced,
three -faced, many- faced.
All through the Anušāsanaparva, Mahādeva is exalted and
his old character as the terrible is emphasized. Even the
gods, at the sound of the twang of his bow , are afraid.
Again Rudra ( Siva) burns up the three cities ( Tripura) of
the Asuras,10 in the heaven of gold, in the atmosphere of silver
on the earth of black iron . These he destroyed with a single
arrow with one half of the strength of the gods.11 He eats
1 Vaişnavism , Saivism , etc., p. 106.
2 I , 12: 10 ff. 31, 36 : 20. 4 I, 37 : 5 ff. 5 I. 43: 48 .
6 Vanaparva, 1 , 513-1,656 ; Dronaparva, 2,838 ff; 2,862 ff.
? Anušāsanaparva, 588 ff; 839 H.
8 Anušāsanaparva, verses 731ff.,742 f., 745, 746, 748, 749, 751, 742.
Quoted from Muir, Sanskrit Texts, vol. IV, p. 160.
• Ingenti membro virili proeditus.
10 Karnaparva , 1,402 ff. Compare the story of Dharamnāth and
the destruction of cities in Kacch .
11 Karnaparva, 1,433 ff.
flesh, blood, marrow , and is fiery and fierce. He frequents
cemeteries, performs awful rites there, and is very terrible.
Kings offer human sacrifice to him and make such offerings
as are now made in his temples. He is the chief of Bhūtas
( Demons) and he is served by Bhūtas, and Pisācas, and is
called Bhāirava .
Siva is, then, the terrible Rudra, whose qualities are thus
preserved.
Still, there is evidence that Siva had not fully attained to
equality with the other gods when the Epics were being
rewritten .” He evidently gained his position of equality partly
by bullying the gods. One of the most famous stories about
him is concerned with the sacrifice of Dakşa.3 To this
sacrifice Siva was the only one of the gods not invited. In
the same epic he is represented as having a contest with
Kțişņa4 after which no difference is discernible between
Vişņu and him . Kșişņa acknowledges his greatness and
receives eight boons from bothe Mahādeva andUmā.
In the Linga Purana is found the description of the famous
appearance of the linga whose extremities neither Vişņu nor
Brahmā was able to reach.
Śiva evidently owes his origin, in part at least, to the north ,
to the mountains.?
One or two other acts attributed to Śiva need to be re
corded . His third eye is of great significance. The story of
the burning of Kāma has been mentioned . When Umā put
her hand over his eyes, the whole world became dark and
lifeless. Suddenly the gloom is dispelled by a great flame
which burst from Mahadeva's forehead , in which a third eye,
luminous as the sun, was formed. By the fire of this eye the
mountain was scorched and everything upon it consumed .
But, when Umā stood in a submissive attitude before him he
restored the Himālaya to its former condition.
Sabhāparva,626. See Sabhāparva, 653, 861 ff.

? Rāmāyaṇa, V, 89 : 6 ff.
3 śāntiparva, 13,265 , 10,226-58, 10,275 ff.; Rāmāyaṇa, I , 66, 7, ff.
4 Harivanía, 10,648. 5 Harivañía, 10,660 #.
6 Anusāsanaparva, 1,023 ff.
7
See Gough, Philosophy of the Upanishads, p. 18.
8* Anušāsanaparva, 6,355 ff.
THE PANTHEON 159
The Epics show Siva also as the sage, the philosopher.

Siva is often depicted wearing the ear-rings of the Kān
phatas?
Thus the descriptions of Siva (and Rudra) exhibit, both
as to form and practice, certain beliefs of the Yogis.
Siva now dwells on Kāilāsa ,2 beyond the Himālayas.
There he has in his company Pārvati and a considerable
following , including the Gaņas, the Nāthas and the Siddhas.
This is his abode.
References in other chapters show that Siva is variously
worshipped under such names as Pasupati and Sambhunāth ,
whose votaries in Nepāl offer sacrifices of blood . Yogis in
their worship give special attention however, to Bhāirava, or
Bhāirom , and to Sakti, and this worship is often both
intemperate and licentious. It is to Bhāirava, as the embodi
ment, in human form , of the most terrible aspect of Siva ,
that the Kānphatas, as did the sects that preceded them , give
special reverence. Bhāirom is worshipped both by Yogis and
by Śāktas . He has fromeight to twelve forms, but he is best
known as Kāl Bhāirom . Particularly, in North India he is
represented with a dog ; in middle India as a snake-girdled
drummer or by a red stone. He is often pictured with eight
arms, with a garland of skulls, with ear-rings and armletsof
1 See e.g., the carved linga at the temple of Paraśurāmeśvara in
North Arcot. See chap. eleven. See also Wi, p. 212, note 1 ,
where it is stated that images depict Siva with the greatrings.
2 See Vanaparva, 15,801.
3 In his terrible form he is said to have frightened even Akbar, as
he appeared before that great Moghul.
* A group of ascetics allied to the Jogis, who are special devotees
of Bhāirom , besmear themselves with vermilion and oil , go about
the bazaars begging and singing his praises, striking themselves with
whips. Crooke,Popular Religion and Folklore,p. 97.
5 * The Census Report of the North -Western Provinces & Oudh, 1891,
p. 207, gives the following names : Kāl Bhāiron , Bhūt Bhāiron , Nand
Bhāiron (Nand = happiness ), Suth Bhāiron , Batuk Bhāiron . ( Tradi
tion says that Batukanāth , a Kāpālika, was a follower of Sankara ).
Dawson, Classical Dictionary of Hindu Mythology, etc. , p. 45, gives
the eight names as follows : Asitānga (black -limbed ), Sanhāra
(destruction ), Ruru (a dog), Kāla (black ), Krodha (anger), Tāmra
cūļā (red - crested ), Candra cūņā (moon-crested), Mahã ( great). He is
also known as Kapāla, Rudra, Bhishaņa. Un-matta, Kupati, Bāl
Bhāiron (Bāl = child) and Lath Bhāiron (Lath = club).
snakes, with a serpent coiled around his head, in his hands
a sword and a bowl of blood . As worshipped by Kunbi
cultivators of the Deccan, he is represented as a man stand
ing, in one hand a trident, in the other a drum shaped like
an hour - glass, while he is encircled by a serpent. He lives
in an unhewn stone smeared with oil and vermilion.1
His name, Bhūt Bhāirom , Lord - of -Malignant Ghosts,
intensifies his aspect of terror. He is identified with
Kapālin, who creates and destroys. His sign of authority is
the trident. Again , Bhāirom carries a club and a black
bottle and is accompanied by a black dog, or rides on a dog .
When he uses a dog as a vehicle he is called śvāśva (' He
whom the dog serves as a horse '). He plays a considerable
part in legend as a great eater. Siva is approached through
him, and he commands the demon hosts as the lieutenant of
Śiva. He is the guardian, or door -keeper, of Siva's temple,
particularly as Kål (black) Bhāirom . În Benares he is the
guardian of all the templesof Siva, and is known as the Kotwāl
(police officer) of that city. In the hills of Kumaun and
Garhwāl the popular worship of Bhāirom is in the hands of
the Yogīsa and the principal place of worship is at Kedār.3
In Gorakhpur his station is marked by massed triſules about
a red masonry mound in front of theveranda and to the left
of the main door of the shrine of Gorakhnāth . In the
monastery at Puri, Bhāirom is represented with three heads
and one legand his image is protected by a roof of straw .
Images of Bhāirom are to be found at the establishments at
the Takşila Gate, Lahore, and at Amritsar. In Trimbak he
is represented by huge stones painted red and having eyes of
silver. In many places triśules of bamboo or of iron , large
and painted red , mark his station, and huge pictures of
triệules, painted red are often in evidence.
In thePanjab he is identified (but this has been questioned )
with the godling of the homestead. He receives offerings of
grain , and animals are sacrificed to him . Liquor is poured
out to him. He wards off disease and death and protects both
1 Crooke, in ERE, vol. V, p. 10. See p. 121, above.
2 Atkinson, The Himalayan Districts, vol. II, p . 808 .
3 Atkinson, The Himalayan Districts, vol. II, p. 770. This is the
famous Kedār in Garhwal .
THE PANTHEON 161
men and cattle. Some worship him for the gift of children.1
Since it is believed that Mother Earth is his consort , he
symbolizes fertility. Young girls of the Dhimār, or water
carrier caste, used to be married to him at Basdāda in Rewāri.
They always died soon afterwards, so the practice was
discontinued . The Mallāh boatmen of Agra used to marry
theirdaughters to him. This was because the god once saved
a sinking boat. Afterwards the family used to marry one of
their girls to him and leave her at his shrine where she
survived less than a year; so now a doll made of dough is
formally wedded to him.2
In the Panjab every important town has a shrine of
Bhāirom . He is worshipped on Sundays and Tuesdays with
offerings of urd cakes, flesh,milk, spirits, flowers and sweet
meats (laddu) and the offerings are consumed by the
worshippers.3 At Devi Pātan the noonday offering is a saucer
heaped with cooked rice, which is placed before Bhāirom's
platform , after water has been poured all around it. The
rice is then thrown to dogs. In Benares images of dogs, made
of sugar candy, are offered to him . Those who die at his chief
temple at Benares believe that they undergo expiatory punish
ment known as Bhāiravī-yātanā, and thenproceed immediately
to final bliss. These persons are known as Rudrapiśāca
( Rudra's spirits ). Other men, on dying, fall into Yama's
hands and have to return to the earth in successive births.
He has many worshippers in Benares and in the adjoining
districts. Hopkin's rather final statement is that his adherents
are ignorant peasants and dissolute beggars . Sārangihār
Yogis beg in the name of Bhāirava.
This god seems to be of Dravidian , or aboriginal, origin,
and to have been inherited from the Kāpālikas and others of
the same sectarian strain . In the famous Prabodhacandrodaya,
a Kāpālika controls Bhāirava.
1 Briggs, The Chamars, p .156.
2 Popular Religion and Folklore, p. 246.
3 CTC , vol. III , pp. 157, 158.
• Hopkins, in ERE , vol. II, pp . 538, 539.
5 Crooke in ERE, vol. I , p. 10.
6 Crooke, Popular Religion and Folklore of Northern India (ed.
1926 ) contains much material on Bhāirom, which has been freely
used .
11
1

As worshippers of the consorts of Siva, Yogis are ſāktas.
A study of the sacred places of the Kānphatas and of their
traditions makes plain this aspect of their cult.
Śakti means ' force and, consequently, the divine power
or mysterious force of creation is personified in the Goddess.
This creative energy is personified also in goddesses and
nymphs of every order and in every woman , as well as in the
females of every beast. All females are of the same source
and order.
Śākta worship is always related to the adoration of the
phallus, which is in every instance associated with the vulva
in symbol.1
It is said that since children bear neither the marks of
Brahmā (the lotus) nor of Vişņu (the discus) nor of Indra
( the thunderbolt), but are marked either with the male or the
female organs, therefore offspring is derived from Mahādeva.
So all are markedeither with the organ of Devi (Umā) or
that of Mahādeva .?
Turning then to the worship of Sakti, it is to be noted
that Devi, in her more general character, is Ambā , the
mother -goddess, the great power of nature and mother of the
universe (Jaganmātā, Jagadambā), mighty, mysterious force.
Sakti has two functions, ( 1) to direct and control the working
of the natural appetites and passions, whether for the support
of the body by eating or drinking, or for the propagation of
living organisms through sexual cohabitation , and (2) to
direct and control the acquisition of supernatural faculties
( siddhi) whether for man's own individual exaltation , or for
the annihilation of his opponents .
Back of this conception of Sakti lies the emergence of
self- consciousness in the One Being. In this Universal
Reality there appears a double nature as soon as self- cons
ciousness is born, a nature partly male, partly female. As the
word (Ardhanāri) indicates, the female aspect of the duality is
the more significant. In this duality the female aspect is
1 See Sir John Marshall on Sāktism in the ancient Indus civiliza

tion. Marshall, vol. I, pp. 52 ff. See above, pp. 154, 155 .
2 Anušāsanaparva, 822 ff.
3 Brahmanism and Hinduism , pp. 185, 186.
THE PANTHEON 163
looked upon as the active energy or substance through which

creation takes place. It is in this aspect ofReality that the
goddess becomes the object of devotion. This idea is very
old. In the Rig Veda ( 10, 129 : 4) the statement is made :
Desire entered the One in the beginning:
Itwas the earliest seed , of thought the product.
The sages searching in their hearts with wisdom ,
Found out the bond of being in non - being.
Creative force was there, and fertile power:

Below was energy , above was impulse.
The notion that the universe proceeds from the female
principle brought into union with the male is developed in
the description of the parenthood of Dyaus-Prithivi. The
Rig Veda has also its female deities, such as Aditi, mother of
gods, and Uśas. Early the idea appears that the one being,
unhappy alone, divided itself, becoming male and female,
and that through these, human beings and other forms of life
arose. The idea appears also in Manu“and in the Purānas.5
These two, male and female, are identified with the puruşa
and prākṣitī of the Sāmkhya system . The goddess is mūla
prakritī and māyā ,motherof gods and men . In mediæval
Indian sculpture, Siva is represented as ardhanārī, a form in
which his left side is female and his right male.? A present
day representation of this view is the yoni-linga symbol.
In the Tantras the association of male and female functions
is carried out in great detail. The pairs as aspects of the one
appear in less and less subtle form asthe evolution of the world
proceeds. In each level there is both their potential and
their actual activity. And the Sakti as the formative, creative
principle is the receptacle of the seed ( bindu) of Siva. So
also in all the cakras appears this duality. Through Siva and
Sakti a bindu (drop) is formed which develops into a female
1 Macdonell, Hymns from the Rig Veda, p. 19.
2 Rig Veda, 10, 110 : 9 ; 3 , 3:11; 1 , 155 : 3.
3 Śat. Brh ., 14 , 4 , 2 , 4 , etc.; BỊh. Up ., 1 , 4, 3, etc.; Chănd . Up .,
6, 2 : 3 . 4 1 , 5 , etc.; 1 , 32.
5 E.g., Vişņu Purāņa, 1, 7 : f
6 f.
6 See Prakriti Kanda of the Brahma Vāivratha Purāņa.
? See for example, the caves of Elephanta, eighth century A.D.
element, Nāda (sound), containing in itself the names of all
things to be created. With Bindu and Nāda are associated
male and female elements so that a substance Kāma -Kāla is
formed from which creation ensues. This is their manifes
tation .
The Sākta system is more closely associated with Siva, in
practice and interest, than with either Brahmā or Vişņu. The
emphasis on Sakti is strongest in the Tantras' where force is
personified as a female deity and where the wives of Siva
receive undue attention to the neglect of Siva himself. Today
Sāktism is essentially a branch of Sāivism . And this form
of Hinduism looks to the consort of Siva for its exemplifica
tion . Devi is often confused with his consort, and the word
Devi ' must be viewed both as the name of the divine
goddess and as that of the wife ( as Umā, Pārvati, etc.), of the
dread god.
In Sakti all of the characteristics of Siva are intensified.
Since he has his two colours, so she has her white half and her
black half. And each of these aspects has its personification.
In her milder character she is known as Umā, Gāurī, Pārvati,
Jaganmātā, Bhavāni. In her fiercer character she is Durgā,
Kāli, Syāmā, Cāņdi, Bhāiravi, Kālikā.3 Other names are
employed, e.g. , Mahābhavānī is prominent in creation , Mahā
bhairavi in destruction .
Umā is the gracious consort of Siva. She is known as
early as the Kena Upanisadº and the Taittirīya Āranyaka .
She is often known as the daughter of Daksa and again as the
daughter ofHimāvat ( the Himālayas). As the active power, or
energy, of Siva, she assumed a body in order that she might
1 The Tantras, which are viewed as the direct revelation of Siva
to Pārvati, are later than the better known elements of the religious
literature of India. They deal with esoteric and erotic elements of
Śākta worship , opening their way to all persons regardless of caste
and sect. These works are concerned with Yoga and with the coiled
or sleeping goddess (Kundalini). They are spoken of as the Fifth
Veda. See chap. thirteen .
2 Brahmanism and Hinduism , p. 181 .
3 Dawson , Classical Dictionary, etc., p . 87 .
4 3 : 12. As early as fourth century s.c. 5 10 : 1 , 150.
6 E.g., Rāmāyaṇa 1: 66, 7ff.; Sāntiparva, 10,226-58; Bhagavata
Purāna, 4 : Sections 2-7.
THE PANTHEON 165
be united with him in due form . In the account of
the sacrifice of Daksa it is related how Umā died of
mortification because Siva, her consort, was not only not
invited, but was ridiculed. As having died then , she is called
Sati.1 She was reborn in the familyof Himăvat, and is thus
called Pārvati (Daughter-of-the-Mountain ) . Siva and Pārvati
are described as living together on Kailāsa, and as either
making love to each other or as engaged in deep philosophical
discourse.
Pārvati was of very dark complexion, and on this account
a quarrel arose between herself and Siva. But she took to
severe penance the result of which was that she was changed
to a light, golden colour, whence her name Gāuri ('white').3
The conventionalized pattern on Indian prints is of the foot
of Gāuri .
She is sometimes identified with Ambā.
Turning now to the more formidable aspects of Śakti, there
are several names to consider.
Durgā, the Unapproachable,' is Siva's consort in the
aspect of warrior. Her name is derived from that of the
demon whom she slew . She is sometimes identified with
1 Compare Bhagavad Purāņa 4 : Sections 2–7. Mention has been
made of the dismembermentof his body by Vişņu. The little book
Sati by D. C. Sen tells the same story .
2 Thus also in the Bhagavataand Vișnu Purāņas. Umā is known
to the Rāmāyaṇa ; e.g. , 1, 36. In the Harivamsa she is one of the
daughters of Mena and the wife of the austereMahadeva. Also in the
Anušāsana, 997 ff ., Umā (and in verses 837-41 Pārvati) is known .
These references are to but a few of the passages that might be cited.
3 Mentioned in theAtharva Šīras (age of the Didactic Epic).
4 Underhill, The Hindu Religious Year, p. 51 .
ng
ra
Û 80G
EVOLUTION OF SYMBOLIC REPRESENTATION OF
GAURI's FOOT - PRINT
Pārvati. One of Durga's chief forms is that of the four -armed
Kāli, who thirsts forblood, preferably that of human beings,
although in these days, she has to be satisfied with that of
animals. She is mostterrible of aspect, garlanded with heads
of demons, gorged in blood, with skulls about her blood
besmeared throat, having dead bodies for ear -rings, carrying
two dead bodies in her hands, and inhabitant of burning
grounds ( for the dead ). Kāli is the most terrible aspect of
Durgā and Sakti, excepting perhaps that of Bhāiravi. In the
Bhišmaparva sheis Kāpāli. "By the Kāpālikas and the Kālā
mukhas her fierce spirit was appeased both by animal and by
human sacrifices. Durgā represents the destructive forces of
the world .
There are other forms of Sakti, essentially of her darker
aspect, to which reference has been made. Of these the first
to be mentioned is Kāmākhyā, a local name for Durgā, chiefly
because her shrine in Assam seems to have been the head
quarters of the Tāntric worship, the place of its origin and
that from which it spread into Nepal and Tibet. She is
especially connected with the Vajrāyana. It is said that the
Assamese shrine was the headquarters of the Vāişņava sect
of the Mahāpuruşias.?
The following account of Kāmākhyā and her shrine is
essentially that given by Eliot, but with some additional
notes. The chief sanctuary of Śāktism is at Kāmākhyā (or
Kāmākṣā) on a hill which stands on the banks of the
Brāhmapūtra, about two miles below Gāuhāti, in the Kāmarūp
District of Assam . The place is mentioned in the Padma
Purāņa. The Kāmarūpa kingdom was of some antiquity,4
being mentioned in the Mahābhārata . Copper plates of these
1 ERE, vol. II , pp. 479-501 ; Wi, p. 29; Gait, History of Assam ,
p. 57.
? Eliot, Hinduism and Brahmanism , vol. II, pp. 280, 289. See also
Imperial Gazetteer ( 1886 ), vol. VII, p. 349, and Gait,History of Assam .
Mahāpuruşias are a Vāişņavite sect of Upper Assam ; disciples of
Sankaradeva ( b . 1449 ), not of the Cāitanya, Rādhā-Kțişņa type, but
of thatof the Bhagavad Gitā. See Social History ofKāmarūpa by
N. N.Vasu , vol. II, pp. 115 ff.
3 Hinduism and Brahmanism , vol. II, pp. 286 ff.
* Hiuen Tsiang visitedKing Bhāskara Varman in the first half of
the seventh century. See Gait, History of Assam , p. 30.
THE PANTHEON 167
kings, dated in the ninth , tenth , eleventh and twelth centuries
areknown. The hill on which the shrine stands, also known
as Kāmagiri and as Nīlācal, marks the spot where the organs
of generation of Sati fell when her body was dismembered
by Vişņu. It is, therefore, one of the famous pithas. Besides,
this is supposed to be in the country where Kāma, who had
been reduced to ashes by the fierce glance of Siva, recovered
his natural form (Kāmarūpa ).1 The temples at this place have
been rebuilt several times; and, in the eighteenth century,
were munificently endowedby an Ahom king, and placed
under the management of a Brāhman from Nadia in Bengal,
with reversion to his descendants who bear the title of
Pārbatiya Gosāins. Considerable estates are still assigned
to their upkeep. There are ten shrines on the hill, dedicated
to various forms of the Sakti. The situation is magnificent,
commanding an extensive prospect over the Brāhmaputra
and the plains on either bank, but none of the buildings are
of much architectural merit. The largest and best is that
dedicated to Kāmākhyā herself, the goddess of sexual desire.
It is of the style usual in Northern India, an unlighted shrine
surmounted by a dome, and approached by a rather ample
vestibule, which is also imperfectly lighted . An inscription
has been preserved recording the restoration of the temple
about 1550, but only the present basement dates from that
time, most of the structure being recent. Europeans may not
enter the shrine, but an image of the goddess may be seen
from the side door. In the depths of the shrine issaid to be
a cleft in the rock, adored asthe yoni of Sakti. In front of
the temple are two posts to which each day at noon a goat is
tied ,and decapitated. Below the principal shrine is a temple
of Bhāiravi. The spot attracts a considerable number of
pilgrims from Bengal, and a wealthy devotee once built a
villa on the hill and paid visits to it for the purpose of taking
part in the rites . The most esteemed scriptures of the sect are
Yoni Tantra, Mahānirvāna Tantra, and the Kālika Purāņa.
Kāmākhyā is worshipped both by love and by sacrifice . The
rites of the five M's are frequently performed here. The
horrible side of worship is attested by the fact that Aghoris
i Gait, History of Assam, pp. 11, 12. ? See pp. 172 ff.
are often found in the temple. Furthermore, Kāmākhyā
requires sacrifices of blood. Human sacrifices were offered
to her down to quite recent times. In 1832 Government
put a stop to the practice. It is not denied that such
sacrifices would be offered there now if the law allowed .
She requires the sacrifice of a man without blemish . At the
dedication of the temple in 1565 the heads of 140 men were
offered to her on salvers made of copper. There used to be
a class of persons called Bhogis whowere voluntary victims
to the goddess . From the time that they announced that the
goddess had called them they were treated as privileged charac
ters and could do whatever they desired . Every woman was
at their command. But they wereput to death and offered at
the annual festival. The Kālika Purāna devotes a chapter to
rules covering the performance of the human sacrifice. It
: C. J. Lyall, Jr. Soc. of Arts, vol. LI, pp. 612–31.
: ERE, vol. II, p . 134.
Gait, History of Assam , second edition, p. 58.
• Bhogis were dedicated to Ai, a goddess at Kāmarūpa. Gait,
History of Assam , p. 58. CfAi panthi.
5 The following account is from Asiatic Researches,vol. V,pp. 371
ff. andis based upon the Rudhirādhyāya(“ The Sanguinary Chapter ')
there translated .
Śiva says that the proper sacrifices include cattle, the rhinoceros,
men , and blood drawn from theofferer's own body. The second has
nine months value,while that of the third satisfies the goddess for a
thousand years. The flesh of the rhinoceros pleases her for five
hundred years, while the sacrifice of three men satisfiesher for
100,000 years . The goddess is Kāmākhyā, Cāņdekaor Bhāiravi.
The head of the human victim goes to the second. Human blood
should be offered in an earthen or in a metallic vessel. Females,
except human , are not to be offered . For human sacrifice the consent
of the prince is necessary . Human heads and blood should be
presented on the right side with eyes averted. On the day preceding
the sacrifice , the preparations include the use of mantras, and the
touching of the head with the sacrificial axe . In thesacrifice the head
of the victim should fall just right - there are good and bad omens
connected with the facialexpressions and sounds which arise.
If the face smile, the indication is prosperity and long life. If it
speak, whatever it sayswill come to pass, should the sound be ‘ hoont,'
the prince will die. Should phlegm issue from the mouth, the
sacrificer will die . Should the name of a deity be uttered , the sacri
ficer will obtain wealth. At the time of presenting the blood, should
the victim void fæces or urine, or turn about, certain death awaits the
sacrificer. The sacrificer must take some of the blood between his
THE PANTHEON 169
states that they should not be performed by the first three

castes, which is perhaps a way of saying that though they may
be performed by non -Aryans under Brāhmanic auspices, they
form no part of the Aryan religion . But they are recom
mended to princes and ministers and should not be performed
without the consent of princes. The ritual bears little
resemblance to Vedic sacrifices, and the essence of the cere
mony is the presentation to the goddess of the victim's severed
head in a vessel of gold, silver, copper, brass or wood , but
not of iron . The axe with which the decapitation is to be
performed is solemnly consecrated to Kāli and the victim is
worshipped before immolation . The sacrificer thinks of
Brahmā and the other gods as being present in the victim's
body and then prays to him directly as being all the gods in
one. " When this has been done,' says Siva, who is represented
as himself revealing these rules, the victim is even as myself.'
This identification ofthe human victim with the god has many
analogies elsewhere, particularly amongst the Khonds. Added
to these horrible and abominable acts of the Vāmacāra rites
and the bloody sacrifice is the reported practice of divination
by the examination of a child cut out of a pregnant woman
at full time.1
Other forms of the Sakti need less description here. The
temple and the worship of Hing Lāj Devi has been referred
to already.
AsāpūrāDevī, or Mātā, has been mentioned in connection
with the white beads which pilgrims visiting Hing Lāj wear.
She is the fulfiller of desire and is widely known. Images of
her are found in the temple at Hing Lāj, at Chāul, in the
Kolāba District of Bombay, and at Madh, about fifty miles
north -west of Bhūj, and she has a temple at Koteśvar. She
is the household goddess of the Rao of Kacch, and the image
in the temple there is a rock , about six feet high and six feet
broad at the base, painted red. She grants children.
thumb and third finger and discharge it towards the south -west, on
the ground. The human victim must be twenty - five years old . In
some cases an image may be substituted. And there may be magic
substitution of a human enemy. The sacrificer's own blood must be
drawn above the navel. A burning wick on the Aesh may be used as
sacrifice. ... 1 History of Assam , p. 58.
There was a sect known as Āsāpūrīs, the sect of
Mekhapanthis.
Theworship of a young girl is exemplified in Bālasundari,
Tipurāsundari, Tipurākumāri. She is one of the Mahāvidyas .
The worship of a girl of sixteen is common in Malabār. In
the Himālayas she is worshipped for the protection of
children as well as to obtain them . In Almora a Yogi took
the author to see the temple of this goddess. Tipură Devi
has a shrine on the top of Dunagiri, near Dwarahāt, which is
under the care of Giri Jogis, asis the temple of Kedār (in
Dwārahāt ). An old woman of the Gīri Jogis resided (1924)
at the latter place, and the shrine at the top of the hill is in
charge of a member of the same family. No flesh is offered
there. As is sometimes done in prayer before the gods in
India, barren women stand the whole night before Tipurā,
holding the right hand clasped over the left and a one-wicked
lamp in the right hand. The lamp is kept burning all through
thenight. The goddess will remove their reproach.
After a bath in the morning, persons in Almora cffer
flowers before the goddess as a protection against false
accusation. The Yogi attempts to identify the self with
Tipurasundari by thinking of himself as a woman. Tipura
sundari is the goddess in view in the sensual worship of
Sakti.
Bhāiravis and Nāyakas are represented in Vāmacāra rites,
where the men impersonate Bhāirava. The Nāyakas, eight in
number, are mistresses, not necessarily mothers. With them is
connected no other idea than that of illegitimatesexuallove.3
In the Chandrodaya ,4 Mātā Bhāiravi is described as follows:
Her aspect is horrible, her ear-rings are human skulls; thunder
bolts are shot from her eyes ; her fingers are deformed by hair which
is the colour of pale yellow flame; and she rolls her tongue between
her tusks, being like the moon in her phases.
1 These are ten in number and are the sources of the goddess's
highest knowledge, i.e., knowledge which confers preternatural
powers.
2 See Vaisnavism , Saivism , etc. , p . 146 .
3 They are Balini, Kāmeśvari, Vimalā, Aruņā, Medini, Jayini,
Sarvesvari, Kāuleśī. See Monier-Williams, Brahmanism and Hinduism ,
p. 188. To this list should be added Lalati.
* Taylor's translation, p. 47.
THE PANTHEON 171
The Mātris are also recognized. At Dhinodhar, Mātā

( Ambā ) has her song of praise (stotra) sung on the seventh of
each month.1 Khakhar reported that they ( i.e., at Dhinodhar)
worship Siva, following the ritual of Mātā."22
Yoginīs, sometimes eight in number, are fairies or sorcer
esses created by and attending on Durgā. At other times
they are looked upon as mere forms of Durgā, sixty to eighty
five in number, and capable of increase to the number of
10,000,000. They are terrific in form , malignant in
disposition, possessing magical powers. Like the Dākiņis,
who are fiends of most repulsive habits, and who are impish
servants of Kāli, the Yoginis are perpetrators of all mischief.
Both the Sākinis and Dākiņis play a considerable part in the
symbolic representations of the cakras of the Hatha Yoga.
Descriptions of Kundalini will be found in the chapters
expounding the Gorakşašataka. She is the coiled , or sleeping,
goddess whose awakening is the object of the Hatha Yoga
as practised by the Kānphatas.
Of the remaining goddesses, Bimbā or Mumbā, specially
worshipped in Bombay and in the vicinity of that city,should
be mentioned . She may be Vimalā of the Nāyakas (?)
The worship of the Yogis includes both aspects of Sakti
ritual, that of the right-hand path which follows the Purānas
and does not display undue preference for the erotic ele
ments , and that of the left-hand path (Vāmacāra ), which
follows the Tantras. The right-hand worship does not
contemplate impure practice, although bloody sacrifices and
the cruel beating of animals to death with the fists is not con
sidered ' impure . Many rites connected with the Durgāpūja
border on Vāmacāra. Left -hand worship is not in good repute
and is not readily acknowledged by worshippers . All forms
of the Vāmacāra (left-hand practice) require the useof all
or some of the five makāras. The predecessors of the Yogis,
the Pāśupatas, the Kālāmukhas and the Kāpālikas were
Vāmacāras . The Durgāpūja and the Cakrāpūja are among
the chief elements of the worship. Bloody, horrible and
erotic elements are to the front.
1 Bombay Gazetteer, vol . VII , p. 51 , ? p. 10.
3 See BÉCS, pp. 409 ff. 4 Śakti and Śākta, p. 89.
Känphatas, who worship both the linga and the yoni, hold
that restraint of the passions is unnecessary for the attainment
of samādhi. They worship the female herself as the entire
manifestation of the male. Consequently much attention
is given to Vāmacāra rites, rituals of the left side, or female
side, of the undivided Supreme. These rites centre around
the cakra and are the cakrapūja, the worship of the holy
circle. Mystic ends are sought through concentration of the
mind on Devi as sitting in the lapof Siva in the Lotus
Garden ; by the worship of a picture of the female organ
drawn in the centre of a figure representing nine such, the
Śricakra of ten ; or by the worship of a living, beautiful
woman ; or in secret forms of intercourse where there are no
distinctions of caste, in the Bhāiravīcakſa .
This worship is much more widespread than might be
inferred from the practice of the Yogis. While left-hand
rites are carried out in secret, Bengal and the Himālayan
region are greatly affected by them and their influence is felt
much farther afield. From at least the third or fourth century
A.D. , these horrible and obscene rites have been practised.
In the hills the Yogis follow the Tāntrika ritual which is
distinguished for its licentiousness. They eat flesh , drink
wine and indulge in the orgies of the left-hand sect. The
practices are more widespread in Garhwāl than in Kumaun.3
Knowledge of the practice is admitted by Yogis, in the plains
as well as in the mountains. In this form of Hinduism is
offered to women the so -called homage of sexual love and
carnal passion and by yielding free course to all the grosser
appetities, wholly regardless of social rules and restrictions,
the worshippers of the female form ( Sakti) in nature seek to
gratify the goddess representing that power, and through her
aid to acquire supernatural faculties and even ultimately
union with the Supreme Being. For the initiate the union
of male and female in worship is that of the bi- sexual form
1 CTC , vol. III, p. 159. Compare theposture of Yab-yum ,below .
2 See Vaişnavism , Saivism , etc., p. 146 f, where the matter is more
fully stated . The Bhāiravi-and the Tattva -cakras are described in
The Serpent Power, pp. 175 ff., 181 ff.
3 Aitkinson, The Himalayan Districts, vol. II, p. 865.
4 Brahmanism and Hinduism ,p. 190 .
THE PANTHEON 173
of Isvara. In that aspect Siva and Sakti unite and, as

ardhanārīśvara live in the enjoyment of perfect joy in the
body of the kulasādhaka.'1
Of this worship the cakrapūjāis an essential element,and
its description is necessary. At their chief ceremony a circle
is formed, composed of men and women, without respect of
caste or relationship. Five M's (makāras)are required - wine
(madya ), flesh (māṁsa ), fish (matsya), parched or fried grain
mudra) and sexual union (maithuna). The object of the
worshippers is not merely to break through the restraints of
caste and to give themselves up to licentious practices, but, as
just stated, to acquire magical and mystical powers and the
sense of unison with the Supreme through the thrill sup
posed to accrue from this sort of utter abandonment of self.
Ward's account of this ceremony is as follows.3
Theperson who wishes to perform this ceremony must first, in
the night, choose a woman as the object of worship . If the person
be a Daksinacārī (right-hand practice ), he must take his own wife;
and if a Vāmacārī, the daughter of a dancer, a kupalee, a washerman ,
a barber, a chudalu or of a Musulman or a prostitute; and place her
on a seat or mat ; and then bring boiled fish, fried peas, rice,
spirituous liquors, sweetmeats, flowers and other offerings; which, as
well as the female,must be purified by the repeating of incantations.
To this succeeds the worship of the guardian deity; and , after this,
that of the female, who sits naked. . . . As the objectof the worship
is a living person ,she partakes of theofferings, even of the spirituous
liquors; and of the flesh, though it be that of the cow . The refuse
is eaten by the persons present, however different their castes; nor
must anyone refuse to partake of the offerings. The spirituous
liquors must be drunk by measure ; and the company while eating
must put food into each others mouths . The priest then - in the
presence of all - behaves toward the female in a manner which
decency forbids to be mentioned ; after which the persons present
repeat many times the name of some god, performing actions utterly
abominable; and here this most diabolical business closes.
Wilson gives in a footnote on pages 258 and 259 of his Reli
gious Sectsof the Hindus, aa translation from a section of the
1 Principles of Tantra, vol. I, pp. 51–52.
2 ‘ Wine, Alesh, fish , mudrā and māithuna, are the five - fold
Makāra, which takes away all sin. ' Madyam māmsañca matsyañca
mudrā māithunamevaca makārapañcakañcãiva mahāpātakanāśanam .
(Quoted and translated , Wi., p . 256, n . 1. )
* View of the History, Literature and Religion of the Hindus, vol. I,
pp. 247, 248.
Rudra Yamala, which corresponds to Ward's description. And
Aitkinson ' remarks that the descriptions given by Ward and
Wilson fairly represent the practices in the mountains. And
he adds that each step in the service is accompanied by its
appropriate mantra in imitation of those used in the five -fold
offerings of the regular sacrifice. In the great service of the
Sricakra the worshippers, male and female, are placed in a
circle around the officiating priest as representatives of the
Bhāiravas and Bhāiravīs. The priest then brings in the
naked woman to whom offerings are made as the living
representative of Sakti , and the ceremony ends in orgies
which may be better imagined than described . It is not
therefore astonishing that temple priests are, as a rule, a
degraded, impure class, cloaking debauchery and the indul
gence in wine, women and flesh under the name of religion.
In some instances the breast - clothes of the women are
drawn as lots to determine how the participants shall
pair. This is known as coli-mārg ( coli = breast cloth ). To
these practices all classes are admitted and they are practised
mostly in a mixed society. Garhwāl is more frequented by
pilgrims and wandering religious mendicants, and this is
given as a reason for the more frequent public exhibition of
their ceremonies there. In Kumaun the custom exists, but
it is generally observed in secret, and none but the initiated
are admitted even to the public ceremonies. For the private
ceremony the worshipper may take a dancing girl, a prostitute,
a female devotee, a washerwoman or a barber's wife, and
seating her before him, go through the various rites and
partake with her of the five -fold makāra.2
Ward stated that the practices of the left-hand were then
on the increase . The practices are clearly in vogue still, as
reported above from the author's more recent inquiries.
The system of the ſāktas inculcates an exclusive adoration
of Siva's wife as the source of every kind of supernatural
faculty and mystic craft. When the object of the ceremony
1 The Himalayan Districts, etc., vol. II, p. 866 .
2 Sovereignmistress ofKula, he who knows Kula, the five Kula
tattvas, and Kula worship is liberated while yet living. (Tantra of
the Great Liberation , VII , 111.)
3 View of History, etc. , (1817) vol. I, p. 248.,
THE PANTHEON 175
is to get control of impure spirits, a dead body is necessary.

The adept who, alone, at midnight, in a cemetery, or a place
where bodies are burnt or buried, seats himself upon a corpse,
makes the usual offerings, without fear, makes the Bhūtas,
the Yoginis and other male and female goblins his slaves.2
This is the Sava Sadhan.
The relation of the Sakti worship to the Hatha Yoga is
very intimate. Magical powers may be acquired through
discipline of Yoga or by the worship of Sakti, or by the use
of Yoga to control Sakti.
But there are means besides those already described by
which the goddess may be propitiated , and which form part
of the cultof the Yogis. These are the use of mantras, bījas,
yantras, kavachas, nyāsas and mudrās.
Mantras, although they be texts taken from the Rig-, Yajur
or Atharva-Vedas, are really spells or charms which, if pro
perly uttered and repeated, possess in themselves mystical
powers for good or ill. The gāyatrī, as well as its metre, is
employed by Yogis. They also make use of syllables and
single sounds. Mantras find their place in initiation cere
monies, and in the practice of Yoga.
Bijas are letters or syllables invented to denote the root
(mūla) or essential part of mantras, or the name of some
deity to whom they may be addressed, or some part of the
body over which the deity presides. Bījas are essentially
mantras. Thus, the fifty letters of the alphabet are distributed
over the petals of the lotuses or cakras of the body. The fifty
letters are thought of as young maidens. The syllable OŃ
AUM , (pranava, omkāra ) may serve to illustrate the use of
bija (and mantra) by Yogis.
The origin of thesyllable is unknown, but it is probably in
some way connected with the intonation of the sacrificial
1 The belief is that those who undertake but fail to go through
the performance to the end become insane from that moment. Con
sequently, from this fear as well as from that arising for the demon
haunted cemetery, the ceremony is most dreadful. See BHCS,
p. 412.
2 Wi., p. 257.
3 Letters possess supernatural qualities and attributes as repre
senting eternal sound.
4 Mĩacdonald , CR, vol. CXV , p. 58.
mantras .' It is alluded to as early as the Taittirīya Samhitā.
Its asservative use appears in the Brāhmaṇas; it is also connect
ed with the sacrifice. Its use as a mystical symbol embodying
the essence of the Vedas and of the Universe is known as
early as the Brāhmanas, where it is assimilated to the three
Vedas, to the words Bhūh, Bhuvah and Swar, to Agni, Vāyu
and Aditya, and to earth ,atmosphere and air. The use of the
syllable develops steadily. In the Upanişads, meditation upon
it takes the place of the study of the Vedas, and it becomes a
symbol of the Brahma. In later Brāhmaṇas its use is
developed and its magical values stressed . It becomes the
means by which the seeker for Brahma can attain union with
the Brahma; consequently for this purpose, little value is set
upon knowledge of the scriptures, but the study of the
syllable takes the place of study of the Vedas. In ritual use
it stands between human and divine utterance. In the Sūtras
ascetics use OM as an object of meditation ,as the root of the
tree of the Veda and its essence, and by this means become
united with the Brahma. In the Yoga praxis it has purificatory
powers. In forms of Yoga it is brought into connection with
Isvara and under the name praňava is said to express him .
Reflection upon OŃ removes obstacles and is an aid to right
knowledge. Popularly, it is assimilated to various triads
including that of Brahmā-Vişnu -Siva. For instance, it is
enjoined upon Yogis to repeat OM; that, taking a suitable
posture (āsana), they should repeat OM 20,736,000 times in
silence and meditate upon it daily after deep inspirations ;3
and that they should repeat it audibly, also, 12,000 times.
According to the Siva Samhitā, the bija mantra as a whole is
om - āim -klim - strim .
Yantras are mystic diagrams, often combinations of trian
gular figures, supposed to possess occult power. Each goddess
worshipped by the Sāktas has a yantra, sometimes placed in
the centre of a lotus diagram . They are regarded as effective
1 For an explanation of the origin of some of the mantras, see
Bhattacharyya,Sādhanamālā, Introduction, p. 72 f.
2 This statement is based upon Keith'sarticle in ERE, vol. IX,
pp. 490 ff. See Bloomfield in JAOS, vol . XIV, p. cl .
3 RTCCP, vol . XXXI, p. 246. See discussions under Breathing,
below .
THE PANTHEON 177
asmantras,and in combination with them are mostpowerful.

These also are found in the drawings of the cakras. Yogis have
mystic diagrams, representing the four elephants supporting
the four corners of the earth , printed and painted on calico.T
The triangle standing on its apex represents the yoni ;
and two triangles superimposed, as in the seal of David,
symbolize the yoni-linga. In some of the cakras ( see Chapter
Fifteen ) both the single and the double triangles are used as
just described . Sir John Woodroffe, in his article on the
Indian Magna Mater,' publishes a drawing in colours of the
Sri Yantra,showing four male imposed upon five female
triangles. The four represent evolved or limited aspects of
conscious power ; the five denote the five vital functions, the
five senses of knowledge, the five senses of action, the five
subtle and the five gross forms of matter . The superimposi
tion of the four upon the five shows the union of Siva and
Sakti. The triangles untied make a figure with eight lotus
petals. These are surrounded by a lotus of sixteen petals
and in turn by a field of yellow and a ' fence ' with four
' gates .' By the intersections of the triangles nine circles
(cakra) are described : a central point bindu - cakra of bliss ; a
white inverted triangle ; eight red triangles; ten blue triangles;
ten red triangles; fourteen blue triangles; eight red triangles;
sixteen blue triangles; and the yellow surround. Each cakra
has its own name, and in each are a number of lesser deities
presiding over forms of mind, life and bodyand their special
functions. The worshipper of the Yantra seeks union with the
Mother of the Universe in her several forms, as mind and
matter, and their devatas, as a step to Yoga union with her as
she is in herself, the Universe. Thus, the world is lifted to the
divine plane in the consciousness of the worshipper himself;
and the Yantra is transformed in his consciousness from a
material object of lines into a mental state of union with the
Universe, its divinities and Supreme Deity . There follows
auto -realization as Mindless -Consciousness. Thus the Śrī
Yantra is the Universe and its Causal Powers of various
aspects ; and the worshipper realizes himself as a Sri Yantra .
1 Man and Beast in India, p. 215.

2 Indian Acts and Letters, vol. II (1926).
12
Kavacas are amulets used as protection against evil
influences or to obtain some desired end. They consist of
stone , a piece of paper or metal leaf, with mantra and yantra
upon them . They are worn around the neck, breast,arms or
loins. Their special use isin time of pestilence or epidemics.
A further use is to propitiate a goddess or to induce certain
bodily conditions favourable to production of male offspring.
Nyāsa is the assignment mentally of various parts of the
body to the protection of tutelary presiding deities, with the
imposition of the hands, or fingers, and the repetition of texts
and mystical words and the use of symbols.2
Mudrās are the interwinings of the fingers with occult
meaning, and certain postures or contortions of the body or
of parts of it.
All of these elements of the Sākta system are found in the
doctrines and practices of the Yogis, and are described or
implied in their manuals.3
1 See also under 'Charms.'
2 In the illustrations in The Serpent Power may be found the
graphic representation of the four devices described above. While
these elements in the system of the Yogis might have been discussed
among the topics in the preceding chapter, it seemed best to append
them to the account of the godswithwhose manipulation they are
associated. See also other works of the author of The SerpentPower.
3 See chapters on the Hatha Yoga below , e.g., the exposition of the
Gorakṣaśataka.
CHAPTER NINE
LEGEND
FROM medieval times onward, Gorakhnāth (Goraksa

Nātha) is the well- known wonder -worker and master Yogi of
northern and western India ; and he, and members of his
order, are celebrated in legend and song in countless villages.
From Nepāl to Rājputāna, from the Panjab to Bengal, from
Sind to the Deccan,tradition and folklore are full of allusions
to Gorakhnāth and recount his wonderful deeds. He is the
famous saint and worker of miracles; the founder and out
standing teacher of the Sāivite sect of ascetics, practicers of
the Hatha Yoga, who are vulgarly called Kānphatas; the
great teacher of the Sāivite faith, the Brāhmanical opponent
of the Vāişņava reformers of northern India of the school of
Rāmānanda ; 2 the patron saint and tutelary of the state of
Gorakşa, whose royal house now rules in Nepāl ;4 and, finally,
1 BHCS, p . 403.
2 Gr. ERE, vol. VI, p . 329. ' He appears to have been the Brāh
manical opponent of the free -thinking reformers of mediæval India ,
headed by Rāmānanda, Kabir and others who flourished in the
fourteenth and fifteenth centuries .' Temp., vol. I, pp. 127 ff. This
opinionis based upon the view that Gorakhnāth was a contemporary
of Kabir. But Gorakhnāth belongs to an earlier time. See chap.
eleven .
3 Gr. ERE, vol. VI, p. 329 ; Buchanan in Martin, The History,
Antiquities,Topography and Statistics ofEastern India, vol. III, pp.
387, 535 ; Kirkpatrick, Kingdom ofNepāl, p. 192.
Levi, LeNepāl, vol. I, p . 352. Vincent Smith , Catalogue of the
Coins in the Indian Museum ,Calcutta, including the Cabinetof theAsiatic
Society of Bengal, vol . I, pp. 289-93, records the following : A silver
coin of Pșthvi Nārāyaṇa (A.D. 1768–74); date on obverse 1691 Śāka;
reverse, central circle enclosing legend, Sri SriBhavāni; marginal
legend, each character in an ornament, Sri Sri Sri Gorakhnāth . A
silver coin of Pratāpa Simha ( A.D. 1794–97 ); obverse, date ſāka 1697 =
A.D. 1775); reverse, central circle enclosing legend Sri Sri Guheśvari;
marginal legend, Sri Sri Sri Gorakhnatha . Four silvercoins ofRāna
the rival, and eventually victor over Matsyendranāth , the
ancient Buddhist protector of Nepāl.
Bahādar (A.D. 1777–99); coins of 1787 and 1790 = Śāka 1709 and
1712 ; reverse central circle enclosing dagger with wreath , and
the legend Śri Bhavāni; marginal legend in ornaments Sri Sri
Gorakhnātha. One gold and two silver coins of Girvān , Yuddha
Vikrama (A.D. 1799–1816 ); obverse date, 1724 Sāka = A.D. 1802,
1730 ſāka = A.D. 1808, 1737 Sāka = A.D. 1815 ; reverse, central circle
enclosing sword or dagger with wreath and the legend Sri Sri Sri
Bhavāni; marginal legend in ornaments, Sri Śrī Sri Gorakhnātha.
Four silver coins of Rājendra Vikrama (A.D. 1816-47); dates on
obverse 1738, 1742, 1745 and 1746, Sāka = A.D. 1816, 1820, 1823
and 1824 ; reverse, central circle enclosing dagger with wreath and
the legend Śri Bhavānī; marginal legend in ornaments Sri Sri Sri
Gorakhnātha. Two gold coins, of Surendra Vikrama A.D. 1847;
date on obverse, 1794 Śāka = A.D. 1842 ; reverse central circle
enclosinglegend Sri Sri Sri Bhavānī;marginal legend in ornaments
Śrī Gorakhnātha. And six silver coins; obverse dates Sāka 1771,
1773, 1775, 1780, 1780 and 1794 = A.D. 1849, 1851 , 1853, 1858 , 1858,
and 1872 ; reverse ŚrīŚri Sri Bhavāniandas on others Sri Sri Sri
Gorakhnatha. One silver coin of Pșthvi Vira Vikrama; obverse,
date 1806 Śāka = A.D. 1884 ; reverse, central circle enclosing dagger
with wreath and legend,SriBhavāni, and marginal legend in orna
ments, Śrī Śrī Sri Gorakhnātha .
The following coins are describedin The Supplementary Catalogue
of the Coins in theIndianMuseum , Calcutta, Non -Muhammadan Series,
by Pandit B.B. Bidyabinod, pp. 75-78: aa silver coin of about 1771,
of Pșthvi Nārāyana, of the Gorakhati Dynasty (A.D. 1768–74 ); reverse
marginal legend Sri Sri Gorakhnātha. A silver coin of PratápaSimha
(A.D. 1774–77); reverse outer legendSriSri Sri Gorakhnātha. A
silver coin of Rāna Bahādur (A.D. 1777–99); reverse marginal legend
in compartments Sri Sri Sri Gorashanātha. Five silver coins of
Girvān Yuddha Vikrama, (A.D. 1799–1816 ) ; reverse marginal legend
in compartments Sri Sri Sri Gorashanatha, dates 1902, 1811,1811,
1812, 1809. Six silver coins of Rājendra Vikrama ( A.D. 1816-47);
reversemarginal legend in compartments Sri Sri Sri Goraşhanātha,
dates 1816, 1819 , 1820, 1828, 1846 , 1826 .
The writer has seen recent coins (Samvat 1974) of Sri Sri
Tribhavāni Bir Vikram Sahadeva Bahādur which have on the reverse
the legend Sri Sri Sri Gorakhnāthji enclosing the legend Sri
Bhavānī. The armorial bearings of the kings of Nepāl include
the pāduka (footprints) of Sri- 108 -Gorakhnāth, the guardian deity
of Gorakha whence the kings came. Gorakhnāth's name is preced
ed by six Śri's, those of kings and others by fewer. See Landon's
Nepal, vol. I, p . 233 and note 1. Kirkpatrick, Kingdom of Nepal,
p . 218 mentions a coin bearing on one side ' Śri Śrī Šri Goorkhnāth,
Sri Bharvani.'
1 See below . Matsyendranāth is identified with Avalokiteśvara
LEGEND 181
It is claimed that his followers, who were originally Bu
ddhists, became Sāivites, on the fall of the Sena dynasty in
Nepāl, towards the end of the twelfth century , for the purpose
of gaining political power by pleasing their heretical rulers.
On the other hand, it is said that he brought about the over
throw of the Newārs by the Gorkhas; and that he gave them
the land , having proved his power by a twelve years' period
of meditation during which no rain fell.3 It was then that
Matsyendra (Macchendar) was called from Sangaldip (Ceylon)
to break Gorakşa's long mental concentration .
In Buddhist Tibetan tradition , he is described as a
magician .
A bit of record strangely states that he was the foster
father and the teacher ofMuhammad ;5 and another fragment
reports him as having taught Gūgā the Muslim creed. In
Sind he is known as Dātar Jāmil Shāh.
Gorakhnāth has long since been deified, and, in popular
religion , is considered a representative, even an embodiment,
of Siva . His name is also given to Siva. He is the creator.8
In the dice -throwing ordeal in the Rasālū legend he is
petitioned as a god. In the story of Hir and Rāñjha he is
worshipped with a platter of milk and rice.10 And he is
invoked elsewhere as a god . "
According to some, his name implies his origin ; because the
formless creator from the sweat of his own breast created
in Nepāl . One tradition shows him entering the country from
Assam , another from Ceylon . But both of these traditions could
indicate non -Buddhist origins. Still, Buddhist Tāntrism is older
than the Hindu form and hails from eastern India.
1 Gr. ERE, vol. VI, p. 329.
2 Tessitori, ERE, vol. XII, p. 834.
3 Told to the author at Gorakhpur, 14 November, 1924 .
4 Levi , Le Nepāl, vol. I , p. 355 .
5 Dabistan,vol.II, p.129. He is called Bābā Rin Hāji.
6 Temp, vol . III, p . 299.
Dabistan, vol.II, p . 128; Gr.ERE, vol . VI , p . 329 ; also BHCS,
p . 403; Panjab Census Report, 1891 , p. 114 .
8 Mac,. vol. I, pp. 173, 174.
9 Temp, vol. I, pp. 245, 314.
10 Temp, vol. II, p. 508.
11 E.g., Temp, vol. I, pp. 314, 425 ff.
Gorakhnāth. In 'Ghor-nāth ,' 'ghor' means ' filth.'1 More
definitely, his name Gorakhşanātha may mean ' Lord of
Cattle' or ' Lord of Gorakşa,' thus suggesting Siva on the
one hand and Nepāl on the other. Oldfieldsays that the
country of Gorakṣa derives its name from Gorakhnāth, an
eminent saint who resided in a cave which still exists in the
hill on which the city of Gorkha is built. According to
another tradition , Gorakhnāth found an old shrine of Gorkha,
an ancient deity, made the place famous, took the name of
the diety of the shrine and gave the name to the city of
Gorakhpur. ( This must really refer to Gorkha in Nepāl.)
Thereference to Gorakhnāth, already made, as having been
created from the sweat of the creator's breast, may be linked
with other statements . In the Panjab a legend is current to
the effect that Gorakhnāth was born of dung and was found
by Matsyendranāth who made him a disciple. From Nepāle
comes the story that Siva after he had recited the Yoga
doctrine to Pārvati, standing on the sea shore ,? while Matsy
endra (in the form of a fish ) was listening, gave something to
a woman to eat, with a promise that she would obtain a son.
The woman did not eat the substance, but cast it upon a
dung-hill. Twelve years later, Matsyendra passed by the same
spot and asked to see the child. He heard what the woman
had done and asked her to search in the dung heap. She
there discovered a boy of twelve years. That boy was named
Gorakhnāth . Matsyendranāth became his spiritual master
and he served as a dutiful disciple.
There are variants of these stories. In the Tah - qiqat- i
Chishti, it is related that a devotee of Siva, desiring offspring,
1 See RTCP, vol. II, p. 390. But ghor may mean ' intense,'
' terrific ,' ' fearful, and refer to his austerities .
* Compare Pasupati, a name of Siva.
: Gr. ÊRE, vol. VI, p. 328.
• Sketchesfrom Nepal, vol.II, p. 189.
5 RTCP, vol. II , p. 390.
6 Levi, Le Nepāl, vol. I, pp. 351 , 352.
? It may be of interest to note that at Dah Pārbatiya, in Assam , in
a window in an old bricktemple ofSiva, there is a male, four- armed
figure,holding in one left hand a damru, the peculiar small drum of
Siva.' Below the window there is a representation of the waves of the
sea . The Sivais of the form Lakulisa. The work is probably of the
fifth or sixth century. Archeological Survey of India , 1924–5, p. 99.
LEGEND 183
received , at Pārvati's intercession , ashes from Siva's dhūni.
The devotee's wife was to swallow them . Shedid not, but
threw them upon a dung-hill. Eventually a child was found
there who was taken to Siva, and, by him ,named Gorakhnath .
Another version of this legend relates that, when Gorakh
nāth was seeking a teacher,he offered a loaf of bread on a
pipal leaf at the seashore. A fish swallowed the offering and,
twelve years later, gave a child in return . Śiva named this
child Matsyendra, and he afterwards became Gorakhnath's
guru , or spiritual teacher.
Another story has it that Gorakhnath was a son of Siva by
a cow ,1
The estimation in which the people hold the deeds and
powers of Gorakhnāth may be formed from a study of the
more famous of the innumerable traditions and legends
describing him and his disciples.
Many of the legends, someof which have been recorded by
Temple, Legends of the Punjab; by Synnerton, Romantic Tales
of the Punjab; by Grierson , The Story of Manikchandra and in
The Adi Granth, are sung even today by Goraknāthis, and by
other wandering singers as well, through the villages of the
land. Amongst the most famous of them are thoseof Zahra,
or Gūgā Pir, Puran Bhagat and his brother Rāja Rasālū ,
Gopicand, Hir and Rāñjha and Rāni Pinglā.
Gūgā, or Zahra Pir3 was a Rājput who finally became a
Musalmān . His birth and the wonderful deeds which he was
able to perform were dependent upon the good offices of the
saint, Gorakhnāth, who gave him his name and whose
1 RTCP , vol. II, p. 391. And Gorakhnāth fathered Matsyendra

by a fish . These are etymological explanations.
· Compare Temp,vol. II, p. 21 .
8 Briggs , Chamārs, pp. 151, 152, 170, 171 ; Temp., Nos. 6 , 52 ;
Indian Antiquary, 1895 , p. 47; 1897, p . 84 ; OCCS , p. 67; S.P.G.
Quarterly, 1910 ; Indian Witness, Feb. 21, 1911. PNO, vol. I, para
3; Crooke, Popular Religion and Folklore of Northern India, vol .I,
pp . 211, 213 ; Archælogical Survey of India , 1878–79, vol. XIV ;
JASBe, vol . XVI, pt. 1, pp. 139 ff .; Elliot, Memoirs on the History,
Folklore and Distribution of the Races of the North -Western Provinces
of India, vol. I, p . 255; Tod (Crooke), vol. II, pp. 843, 1,027; vol. III ,
p. 1,450. See Rose, RTCP, vol . I, pp. 171-92 for comprehensive
review of the materials on Gūgā.
disciple he finally became. He is now worshipped as a snake
godling, as one who has power over snakes and saves his
followers from snake-bite. He grants boons, especially to
barren women. Gūgā finally disappeared, together with his
horse, in the bowels of the earth .” He is especially revered
by low castes,among whom sweepers and leather workers are
prominent. In many places in the Panjab there are shrines
connected with his worship, and these are often adjacent to
shrines of Gorakhnāth .
Among the most famous heroes of the Panjab are Puran
Bhagat and his half-brother Rasālū.2 Puran , the elder, was
betrayed by his father's younger queen, and was cast into a
dry well todie. He suffered also the loss of his hands and
feet. After twelve years he was rescued and healed by
Gorakhnāth . Through powers which he obtained by auster
ities, Puran was able to grant his former betrayer, Queen
Lunan, a boon and she bore a son named Rasālū . The
exploits of this latter prince form a large body of legends.
Rasālū’s was a checkered life, full of love, adventure and
intrigue. Puran became a Yogi, a follower of Gorakhnāth .
Rasālū finally became a Gorakhnāthi, and an ardent disciple
of the great Yogi. Even Rasālū's parrot considered Gorakh
nāth as his guru(teacher )!
A current legend concerning Puran Bhagat_is as follows:
A Khatrāni woman, when bathing in the Aik river, was
wooed by a serpent called Bāsak Nāg. She conceived and bore
a son who was named Sulivān. He rose to be a man of great
power and wealth , and, through the assistance of the serpent,
was made a king. His fame became so great that even
Vikramāditya visited him at Siālkot. Sulivān refused to go
to meet his royal visitor and a severe battle was fought in
consequence, in which Vikramaditya lost his life. Rāja
Sulivān had two sons, Puran and Rasālū. Puran became a
1 Temp., vol. III, p. 296.
Puran Bhagat, Swynn, pp. 230 ff., 51 ff.; Temp., No. 34, and in
others also ; Rāja Rasālū, Swynn, pp. 51–151 ; Temp., vol. I, pp. 1ff.;
243 ff.
3 Puran Bhagat is called also Gyān Sarūpa, Purakhsiddh, Chāurañ
jwenāth and Chāurangināth . RTCP, vol. I, p. 125. Details of the
stories of Puran Bhagat vary greatly. Temp., vol. II, pp. 375, 403 ;
Steele, Tales of the Panjāb, p. 235. • Temp., vol. I, p. 242.
LEGEND 185
faqir. Rāja Sulivān had two queens, theolder of whom was the
mother of Puran. The other queen, who was much younger,
was barren. When Puran became a man , this younger queen
made improper proposals to him. He refused to yield to her
and she, consequently, brought false charges against him.
These the king confirmed. Puran was then put to death,
his hands and feet being cut off, and his body was thrown
into a well in Kārol, a village five miles from Siālkot. ( The
village is at present called Puranwāla .) After some days a
Yogi, who came for water, found the body in the well. Having
learned, upon inquiry, the story of Puran's temptation and
death , he pronounced a charm (mantra ) over the body and
Puran was brought back to life, and his hands and feet
restored. Puran became a Kānphata Yogi. This well is still
known as Puran's well.1
Several stories of Gopicand are available; among them
one from the Panjab , one from Bengal , and another from
Sind. The second is told under the title “ The Song of
Manikcandra,' although Manikcandra's son , Gopicand, is the
hero of the song. The stories recite the struggle and the
difficulties that lay between Gopicand and his attainment of
sainthood, or, in other words, tell of his renunciation of his
throne and his choice of the life of a Yogi.
Hir and Rāñjha are the chief characters of a romantic story
famous in the Panjab.5 Rāñjha,an indulged son , had to leave
home after his father's death. He finally met Hir and hired
himself out as a herdsman to her father. A long love intrigue
led to scandal. Hir was finally married to another man.
Rāñjha then became a faqir, joining the band of Gorakhnāthi
Yogis at Tilla .
1 The Hindu version of this accountwasread by L. Gangā Rām ,
B.A. , LL.B., to Alfred M. Daula in 1925. The statement was sent to
the author by Dr. H. D. Griswold , from Lahore. See also Sialkot
Gazetteer, 1921, p. 14.
2 Temp., vol . II , No. 18.
3 JAŚBe, ( 1887) vol. XLVII, pt. 1. , pp. 135 ff.
Supplied by Mr. G. E. L. Carter, Collector of Bandra, through
Dr. J.J. Modi. There is reference to this famous story in Buchanan,
vol. III , p. 407 f.
SIA, 1921 , Supplement; Swynn ., No. 1 ; Temp., vol. II, No. 38
OMAS, pp. 266, 268. 6 Temp., vol. II, p . 546 .
Rāñjha discovered the residence of Hir and took up his
abode on the river bank opposite her. He used to visit her
taking with him savoury dishes of flesh food. On one occasion,
unable to secure game, he prepared a portion of his own
flesh . But Hir was suspicious of the food and the expression
of her doubts led to his confession . Thereupon she resolved
to meet him at his place of abode. She used to cross the
river on a float of earthen pots . Her female attendants ,
discovering this, substituted, one night, pots of unbaked clay.
As Hir reached mid - stream , the pots dissolved and she sank
in the river. But Rāñjha heard her cry and swam out to her.
They disappeared together.
The following descriptions of Gorakhnāth and of Yogis of
his order, based upon these and other familiar tales, exhibit a
popular view of the Kānphatas. The references are sugges
tive, not exhaustive.
By reason of his perfection in ascetic practices, or Yoga,
Gorakhnāth was supposed to have attained to superhuman
powers. So great were these that he was even called a greater
than Siva.1 În speaking of Goraknāth , his disciples say to
Puran :
He is beloved of God and his worship has been accepted by the
Almighty. You can ask what you please of him .
In the legend of Manikcand, Gorakhnath is described as
a vidyādhāra (* carrying occult knowledge') 3 a kind of
supernatural being dwelling in the Himālayas,attending upon
Siva and possessing magical powers. He is not only super
humanly wise, but also very powerful." In a contest with
Rāñjha over the stolen conch Gorakhnāth calls himself a great
magician, and boasts of power exceeding that of the seventy
saints combined.5
Gorakhnāth exercised great powers over nature. He gave
Mayanā (Gopicand legend) a boon that she would not sink
in water.? He turned the water ofa well into gold and then
into crystal.8 In Mewar they still treasure a sword of the
1 JASBe, vol. XLVII, pt. 1, p. 139. 2 Swynn ., p. 33.
* JASBe, vol. XLVII, p . 208. * E.g. Temp., vol. II, No. 18,
the Legend of Gopicand; Temp., vol . II, p . 243.
57 Temp., vol. II , p. 551 . * See also , below .
JASBe, vol. XLVII, p. 210. 8 RTCP, vol. II, 394 note.
LEGEND 187
hero , Bappa, which is said to have been presented to him by
Gorakhnāth, who pronounced over it an incarnation , thereby
making it possible for Bappa to sever rocks with it. When
Gorakhnāth and his company came into the royal garden at
Siālkot (where Puran Bhagat was imprisoned in the well)
everything became green , and the lakes were filled with
water . And at another time when he came into a dried -up
garden, he scattered ashes on it, and it began to bloom .
His having caused a twelve years drought in Nepāl has
become famous. Again, he caused the very wallsand all the
instruments of a certain place to chant: ‘ Awake, Macchendra,
Gorakhnāth has come.' * At Śīrālā in the Sātāra District in
the Bombay Presidency there is a gigantic tamarind tree
whose origin was a stick which Gorakhnath stuck in the
ground .? In Kāngra the Kumhārs (potters) say that their
wheel sprang from the earning of the saint Gorakhnāth ,
which he gave them.8
Once he took the form of a fly in order to avoid guards
on the border of a certain king's country; at another time
he changed himself into iron , and again into a frog.10 He
transformed certain of his disciples so that half of their
bodies became gold and the other half iron.11 He turned
himself into aleper before Vāchal.12 The disciples who were
sent by Gorakhnāth to Kārū13 to get the thread with which to
draw Puran from the well, were turned by magic into bullocks.
This was reported to him and he took ashes from his bag,
charmed them and tossed them into the air. Thereupon the
1 Crooke, Things Indian, p. 25.
· Steele, Tales of thePanjab, p. 235.
35 Temp., vol. II, p. 376 . • RTCP , vol. I, pp. 179–80.
Wright, History of Nepāl, pp.: 140-4; Levi, Le Nepāl,,vol. I,
p. 348 . • RTCP, vol. II, p. 394.
? The Hindu Religious Year, p. 174.
8 NINQ , vol. III, . p .54. Quoted by Crooke, Religion and Folklore
of Northern India (ed. 1926), p. 331 . • RTCP, vol. II, p. 394.
10 Dabistan, vol. II, pp. 139 ff.
11 IA, 1906 , p. 21 .
12 Cunningham , Archæological Survey of India , Reports, vol. XIV ,
p. 81 .
13 Temp., vol. I, p. 180 , suggests that Kārū may be Kāmārūp.
Chariyāl* (Sariyál) wife of Gūgā was thedaughter of Sañja of
Kāmārūp in Assam . She is still worshipped at a shrine near Gauhāti.
bullocks came to him and he patted them and changed them
back into men. In return , being angry , he dried up all the
wells, bringing their water into the one near 'himself. When
the women came, all together, at his request to draw water,
he took charmed ashes and, in the name of Matsyendranāth,
turned the women into asses .
Long ears, small hoofs (had they, and ) grazed on the dung heaps .
When their husbands came and appealed to him, he
restored them to their human form . Reference has already
been made to his having Puran's hands and feet restored
after he had taken him from the well.2
Gorakhnāth left his body asleep on his mat, and descended
to the under -world of thegod of snakes and there obtained
the magic incense for Bachal.
There are in the legends interesting accounts of his restor
ing people to life.. In the Bhartharinirveda of Harihara
( Act. II) Bhaſthari made test of his queen , by sending a false
report of his death. She became sati and the king was
distracted. He received news that Gorakhnāth had power to
relieve sorrow . The great Yogi came to visit him, and, seeing
the situation, broke his bowl and wept over it, treating it
with the same despair and sorrow that the king expressed
over the body of the dead queen. Bhartřihari offered the
Yogi a better bowl, and Gorakhnāth promised to restore the
queen to life. When she stood before him alive, the king
refused to embrace her, since, in his despair, he had re
nounced the world, and heresolved to remain faithful to his
vow. A second version of the story contains other details.
It is as follows. The last Chandravati Rāja of the Parmārs
was Hūn. One day, while he was out hunting, he saw a
Pārdhi, while hunting, killed by a cobra. The wife of the
hunter, finding him, placed his body on the funeral pyre ,
and, after feeding the fire with portions of her flesh, became
1 Temp., vol. II, p. 438 .
2 Also see Steele, Tales of thePanjāb, p. 235.
3Cunningham , Archæological Surveyof India, Reports, vol. XIV ,
p. 82.
* JAOS,vol. XXV, pp. 197-230 . L. D. Gray, The Bhartrharinir
veda of Harihara.
LEGEND 189
sati. Impressed with this sight, Hūn decided to test his

queen , the Rāni Pringlā. So he related to her the whole
occurrence. She, the daughter of Somachandra , replied
that even on news of the death of her consort, she would
become sati. Later, Hūn, on an expedition sent word of
his own death. Although her Asso Pal , plant revealed to
her that the king was alive, she decided to prove her faith
fulness by dying and being burned . Hūn , anxious about
his message, hastened home, arriving in time to see the
funeral fire. He wandered around the pyre for days refusing
to be comforted . Gorakhnāth, happening at the place, asked
the king why such mourning and received the reply that it
was because of love for RāniPinglā. Thereupon Gorakhnāth
dropped his begging bowland, as it broke, began to weep in
imitation of Hūn. The king reminded the Yogi that his loss
was not irreparable as was the loss of the queen . Then
Gorakhnāth said that he could restore the Räni to life. He
sprinkled water overthe ashes of the funeralpyre and twenty
five queens exactly like Pinglā appeared. When he sprinkled
water over them a second time, only Pinglā remained . But,
since Hūn had already decided to become a Yogi, he refused
to receive her. More water was sprinkled and the queen ,
casting a reproachful look at Hūn, disappeared. The king
then became a Yogi.
It is reported that Gorakhnāth destroyed the two sons of
Matsyendranath, in the presence of a Bania and afterwards
restored them to life.4
In one of the Rasālū legends, that hero is described as
trying to seduce the wife of his prime minister, Mahitā. In
the end there was great trouble. The minister refused to
believe his wife, Sīlā Dāi, innocent, turned ascetic and finally
died. Then Silā Dāi became sati. Rasālū burned himself on
1 Datatreya, her guru, had given her a seed, which, as a plant,
would tell her whether her husband were dead or alive.
? Another version states that when King Bhartſhari declared that
there never could be another queen such as Rāni Pinglā had been ,
Gorakhnāth showed him a hundred like her. RTCP , vol. II , p. 404.
3 Major J. W. Watson, article, ' The Story of Rāni Pinglā, IA ,
1873, p. 215 f.
RTCP, vol. II , p. 395 note. The story has already been narrated.
the pyre with both of them . Through the curiosity of Pārvati,

Siva was led to go into the garden , where they had been
cremated , to see what had happened. And then Gorakhnāth
asked for the restoration of all three. Siva sprinkled the pyre
with water drawn from his finger and they were restored to
life. Then Silā Dāï and Mahitā were again married ,
Gorakhnāth starting the marriage procession.
Gopicand's sister was restored to life by the saint
Gorakhnāth.3
In another legend it is said that Gorakhnath killed the two
sons of Macchendra, hung their skins on a tree, and then, after
his inquiry about them , restored them to life.
By casting some earth on his body, Gorakhnāth restored to
life a disciple, who in the form of a stag, had been shot by
Bharthari .
Mayanā, Manikcand's widow , though with child, was
forced to perform sati but was miraculously preserved
through the intervention of Gorakhnāth .
On the other hand, the great Yogi is represented as creating
persons. In the contest with Jālandharnāth (Gopicand legend)
Gorakhnāth turned horse dung into locusts, or dung and a
blanket, or abundle of grass,and then into a human body and
infused it with life. This man , who claimed Gopicand, was
burned to ashes seven times and to be restored by Gorakhnāth .?
Moreover, like many other great ascetics he wasable to grant
children to barren women. Vāchal (Gūgā legend) received a
son , Gūgāby name, and Kāchal (Gūgā legend)two sons by
favour of Gorakhnāth ,' and Mayanā, widow of Manikcand, as
a boon , obtained a son eighteen months after her husband's
death ,10 the explanation being that he was given as a seven
months' old foetus and hisprolonged confinement in his
mother's womb was due to his exceeding glory.
1 Temp., vol. I, p. 361 . 2 Temp., vol. I, p. 362, ' The water
of life .'
3
3 JASBe, vol. LV, p. 38.
4 RTCP, vol. II, p. 394. This has been related above.
5 RTCP, vol. II, p. 404. 6 JASBe, vol. XLVII , pp. 143, 210.
? RTCP, vol. II, p . 395. 8 Temp., vol. I, pp. 142 , 139,
• Kānipão, a senior disciple, advised Vāchel togo to Gorakhnāth ;
RTCP , vol . I, p. 177 .
10 JASBe, vol. XLVII, pp. 142, 208.
LEGEND 191
Instances may be given to show Gorakhnāth as a great

healer. In his youth he was forced to resort to magic to
restore his own handsand feet which his stepmother had
barbarously cut off. He restored hands and feet to Puran
Bhagat after the latter had lived helplessly in the dry well for
tweve years. This he did by the sprinkling of water and
prayer. He also restored Puran's sight, by going to Indra
and obtaining help.4
Another evidence of Gorakhnath's magic powers was in
his insight. He was able to discern at a glance that Puran
Bhagat was innocent.5 Fairies (pari) visited Puran in the
well and were sent by him to Gorakhnāth with news, and
then the Yogi took steps to save ‘ my Puran .' Still, Gorakh
nāth's powers of discernment were sometimes limited. In
the Dabistan is the record of a contest of power between
Gorakhnāth and a sannyāsī, Datateri, in which Gorakhnāth
disappeared in the water in the shape of a frog. But the
sannyāsi was able to find him and bring him forth. Then
Datateri concealed himself in the water and Gorakhnāth in
spite of all his searching could not discover him, for he had
become water, and water cannot be distinguished from
water.'6
Again Gorakhnāth exercised such power that King Jewar,
intending to slay Vāchal with his sword, was unable to draw
it from its scabbard .?
An interesting aspect of the exercise of power is through
the use of the Yogi's name. Thus Chariyāl (Gūgā legend )
was healed of snake bite.8 And Gūgā, using the name ,
played on his flute and the sleeping king of snakes was
awakened, and all his hosts with him . Then Tātig Nāg went
to find out who was playing. Gūgā told him that it was he,
1 Steele, Tales of the Panjab, p. 235. Tāranāth in his History of

Buddhism inIndia, p . 323, refers to this incident.
2 Steele, Tales of the Panjab, p . 235.
3 Swynn ., pp . 51, 230 ; Temp.,vol. I, pp. 2, 430 ff.
• Temp., vol. II , No. 34.
5 Temp., vol . II, p. 429.
6 Diabistan, vol. II , p. 140.
? Temp ., No. 6.
8 Temp., No. 6.
the son of Rāja Jewar, and then summoned the snakes to help
him to win a bride from Assam (Kāmarūp). And Gūgā,
along with TātigNāg , was conveyed to thatcountry, miracu
lously, through Gorakhnāth's powers.? And, attacked by his
half-brothers in the forest, Gūgā was able to defend himself
against their murderous assault.3
Moreover, Gorakhnāth was able to exercise power over
long distances. Thus he helped Gūgā to win at dice, and
Rasālū likewise. Appealed to by Gūgā from his mother's
womb, Goraknāth so ordered events that Gūgā was born in
his mother's father's palace.5
In like manner Gorakhnāth exercised such great power on
behalf of his disciples that he proved himself superior to
other Yogis. In the Tuhfāt-ul-Karam it is recorded how
Gopicand (Pir Pathāo )? of Pir Arr, in Sind, gained possession
of the cave in the hill there, which was held by Dayanāth.
Gopicand brought Gorakhnāth from Girnār to help him .
Dayanāth was a man of superior powers. He had a stable
basket which used of itself to clean the stables and keep alight
sufficient fires for the 125,000 faqirs who used to live on this
hill. He also had a bullock which used to fetch water from the
river filling his pakhal (water bag) himself. His beggar's bowl
used to collectand bring alms from Samahi, by itself, and
from it the 125,000 faqirs maintained themselves. He had a
rag - rope and a cudgel, and if he wanted anyone bound and
beaten, he said to the rope, ‘ Bind that man ,' and to the cudgel,
‘ Beat him.' As soon as he would say these words the rope
would bind the man and the stick would beat him. But when
Gorakhnāth came into the neighbourhood, all these wonders
ceased . Then Dayanāth knew that it was because of the
greater power of Gorakhnāth. Thereupon he (Dayanāth)
1 Temp., vol . I , pp. 178, 179, 180.

2 Temp., vol. I. p. 192.
3 Temp., No. 6.
4 Temp., vol . I , p. 243 .
5 Temp., No. 6. Otherwise his mother would have been in disgrace.
6 Reported by Mr. G. E. L. Carter, I.C.S.
? On the road beyond Karāchi is an old building in ruins, called
' Peer Putta ' by Muslims and ' Gopee Chand Rāja' by Hindus.
Hart, Journey, p. 136.
LEGEND 193
got angry and threw the hill into the sky, and, setting it on
fire by a breath, departed to Dhinodhar hill in Kacch. Pír
Pathão went to Guru Gorakhnath and reproached him , saying,
You are sitting here while Dayanāth has set the hill on fire and
cleared .
The guru lookedand saw that a fire was indeed burning
between heaven and earth . Even while he (Gorakhnāth ) look
ed,through the power of his glance the fire was extinguished
and the hill dropped and cracked in two. Gorakhnāth then
perceived that Dayanāth was praying at Dhinodhar hill,
standing on his head on a betel-nut, and knew that after
twelve months' prayer in this position he could by breathing
thrice blast all Sind. Thereupon he extended his hand (to
Kacch ), though no one else could observe this action, and,
seizing Dayanāth by the ear, brought him back to Sind . The
guru said to Dayanāth,
Don't trouble the people. I promise you this blessing, that you
and your successors shall never lack good horses and white clothes.
He then made Dayanāth his disciple, cutting his ears and
putting ornaments in them ; and placing a black thread
turban on his head, sent him back to Dhinodhar. Then
Gorakhnāth and Pir Pathāo came to this hill with their murīds
( disciples ). As soon as they reached it, it began to tremble,
whereupon Gorakhnāth commanded :
Drive a tent-peg and if that goes into the ground it will show that
we can stay here; otherwise it must be that the hill is not intended
for us and we must go away .
The peg was driven into the ground (although the place
consists of solid rock) and Pir Pathāo took possession of the
cave in the hill.
Another incident showing Gorakhnāth's power is that in
which he sent an invisible army to the help of Gūgā against
Prithavi Rāj.3
In the Panjab legend of śāntināth, Goraknāth overcomes
1 Dayanāth and the number 12 remind us of Dharmnāth and that
twelve years' penance. But this number runs through many legends.
2 Note the turban of sheeps -wool thread worn by the mahant of
Kāma.
8 RTCP, vol. I, p. 181 .
13
Jālandharanāth of whom Gopicand was afraid . The story
relates that at this time there was a great gathering of faqirs
in Gopicand's city (which was in Bengal) to which came
Gorakhnāth . To avoid this crowd Jālandharanāth retired to
the bottom of a well and covered himself with horse dung.
All efforts at removing this were unavailing because the dung
removed by day replaced itself by night. FinallyMenavanti,
Gopicand's mother, asked that Jālandharanāth be brought
forth from the well ; but Macchendranath pointed out how
dangerous this would be for Gopicand ,since Jālandharanāth
would kill him with the mere sound of his voice. However,
Macchendranāth said ,
Let three images (mūrti) be made, one of iron, one of silver and
one of gold, and I will so arrange that the strength of Jālandhara
nāth's wrath will be averted .
The images were made and Gopicand was ordered to
approa the well and summon Jālandharanāth . At the sound
of his voice, Jālandharanāth cursed him and bade him die,
but only the iron image was destroyed. Again Gopicand
called to Jālandharanāth and this time the silver image was
destroyed. On the third summons the gold image was
shattered. When Gopicand called the fourthtime Jālandhara
nāth, realizing that there was a greater Yogi than himself
present outside, came up out of the well.
It is said that when Bhimsen , one of the heroes of the
Mahābhārata ,2 lay benumbed with cold on the snow - covered
Himālayas, Gorakhnāth revived him and made him king over
the country stretching from the sources of the Ganges to
Bhūtán . A similar4 tradition has it that, during Yudhis
thara's journey through the Himālayas to heaven, his brethren
fell behind and perished one by one. Only Bhimsen survived.
He was saved by Gorakhnāth and made king of Nepāl.5
See also Temple, vol. II , p . 23. The story of this contest with
Jālandharanāth
2
istold in legend no . 18.
2 Martin, The History, Antiquities, Topography and Statistics of
Eastern India, vol . III , pp . 38, 39, suggests that this was not a
Pāndava but a contemporary of Prithvi Rāj, one of Belkoth near the
Kosi, a powerful chief.
Cooke, Popular Religion and Folk - Lore of Northern India, vol. I,
p. 91 .
Gr., ERE ., vol. VI , p. 329. JASBe., 1878, p. 138.
LEGEND 195
An interesting aspect of his power over nature is found in

legends which relate Gorakhnath with serpent powers and
functions. The whole cycle of Gūgā legends illustrates the
first; and the various stories told about his control of the
serpents in Nepal, and the consequent failing of the rains,
illustrate the second.
Gūgā received his power over serpents, through disciple
ship, from Gorakhnāth, and he learned the art of charming
snakes likewise from his great guru . Gūgā restored to life
the bullocks that had beenbitten by serpents while they were
conveying his mother, Bāchal (Vācal), to her royal lord's (his
father's) court.2 Gūgā, in the name of Gorakhnāth , in the
forest, played on his flute, and the serpents danced about him ,
although Bāsuk, their king, became angry. Then Tātīg Nāg
(nāg = serpent) in the form of a Brāhman, was sent to
Assam . The snake asked Gorakhnāth's aid and succeeded in
securing Rāja Sañja's daughter, Chariyāl, for Gūgā. She was
bitten by a snake and healed through the powerof the name
of the Gorakhnath.3 Rāñjha, another disciple, under pretence
of curing snake bite, obtained access to Hir. In the story
of Nirmal Dāi, the Nāga princess who was married to Parāg
( Parikșit) and on whose account the war of extermination
of serpents was carried on, Nāg Tātīg finally slew Parāg.5
When Parāg's posthumous son , Janmegi, attained the age of
twelve he began to reign ; and, finding out the cause of his
father's death, sought the life of Tātīg. Tātīg in going to
kill Parāg besought the aid of Macchendranāth (Matsyendra
nāth ) and ' remembered Gorakhnath .' In seeking to escape
Janmegi, Tātig appealed for help in turn to ascetics, to Siva,
to Macchendranath and to Gorakhnath in vain ; but he finally
escaped by meditation on Kțişņa.
The Nepalese legend in its various developments is of
considerable interest. Here another example of Gorakhnāth's
1 1A, 1882, p. 35.
2 Temp ., vol. I , p . 154.
3 Temp ., no. 6 .
• Temp., vol. II , pp. 560–63.
5 Temp., vol. I, pp. 499–500. See JRAS, 1899, p . 313 ; 1891,
p. 378. This is a famous story ; its historical significance is not clear.
6 Temp., vol. I, p. 528 .
power over nature is found, in his causing a twelve -years'
drought in Nepal. The story goesl that Gorakhnāth once
visited Nepāl. Because he was not received with sufficient
respect, he took the clouds, fastened them in one of his
bundles and sat on them , remaining motionless, in meditation,
for twelve years . During that time there was no rain in
Nepāl. Finally, it chanced that Matsyendranāth passed by,
and Gorakhnāth , unreflecting, arose , out of respect for his
guru . The clouds escaped thereupon and the drought was
broken.2
The illumination of the story , just related , is found in the
following, in which his wish to have an interview with
Matsyendranāth , who was in an inaccessible part of the
mountains, supplies the motive. Gorakhnāth resorted to the
device of confining the nine serpents who gave the rain,
thereby causing a twelve-years' drought. At last Macchendra
nāth was obliged to come to Gorakhnāth to secure the
release of the serpents and the return of rain. Another
version of the Nepalese legend4 relates how Gorakhnāth
attracted the nine Nāgas into a hillock, and sat down upon
it, the twelve years' drought following. The people finally
appealed to their king, who in turn sought Avalokitesvara
(Matsyendranāth ) who lived in the Kāpõtal mountain . The
rāja's old father's prayers were necessary for success. So he
was called from retirement and the matter was talked over by
the king and his father with a venerable teacher. Worship of
a goddess (Jagāmbara Gñānaďākini, one of the Saktis) resulted
in the release of oneof the Nāgas. Taking this serpent with
them they made the long and terrible pilgrimage toKāpētal.5
After a long time, Macchendranāth was sufficiently aroused
from his meditation to realize that Gorakhnāth , in Nepal,
wanted to see him, and was making trouble. Thereupon, he
1 Levi, Le Nepal, vol. I , pp. 352–57.

: See also Oldfield, Sketches from Nepāl,vol. II, pp , 325–26.
3 Crooke, Popular Religion and Folk - Lore of Northern India, vol.
II , pp. 129-30 .
* Wright,History of Nepāl, pp. 140-44.
• Kāpõtal lies beyond Kämarūp,in the Eastern Himālayas (Levi,
Le Nepal, vol., I, p. 353). But, the place is evidently Kāmarūpaitself.
See Kirkpatrick'saccount ( 1793), Kingdom of Nepal, p. 190 f .
LEGEND 197
decided to go in person to release the Nāgas. Macchendra

näth, in the form of a bee, was conveyed into Nepāl in an
earthen pot and the drought was brought to an end.
Another version of the legends omits the confinement of
the snakes and attributes the drought to Gorakhnāth's power
of concentration . Gorakhnāth , an eminent saint, a disciple
of Macchendranāth, visited Nepāl. While there he did not
receive reverent enough attention. He, therefore, sat im
movable for twelve years on a mound, south of Debi Pātan.
A long drought ensued. It was felt that the only relief
was to get Gorakhnath to move . Consequently the king
of Bhatgaon and an achārya (a teacher) made a pilgrimage
to Kāpõtal mountain where Macchendranāth resided, and,
after much trouble, persuaded him to come to Nepāl. When
Macchendranāth arrived in Nepāl, Gorakhnāth constrained
by reverence for his spiritual superior, abandoned his posture
and went to pay his respects. Thereupon rain fell copiously.3
It may be of interest to refer to the influence which
Gorakhnāth was able to exercise over divine beings. This is
illustrated by his persuading Brahmā, the ' God of Fate ,' to
change Vāchal's destiny in order to grant her a son (Gūgā
legend ) . Previously Bhagvān had refused the request, but
Gorakhnāth hung from a tree, head downwards, swinging
over a fire, until the smoke of his burning flesh attractedthe
notice of the god , who then granted Gorakhnāth's prayer.
To Gūgā'swedding he brought a divine company.
The occult powers of the Yogi are further revealed in his
use of innocence tests and ordeals.
In one version of the story of Puran Bhagat5 Gorakh
nāth tests Puran's innocence by drawing him from the well
by a thread spun by an unmarried virgin, using it in the
name of Macchendranāth. His innocence was proved by
a further test of boiling oil. However, the king, Puran's
1 Oldfield , Sketches from Nepāl, vol. II, pp. 325–26 .
2 The Gurkhas, p. 173 .
3 This account seems to combine elements of two stories related
above.
4 ' Legends of Gūgā ,' IA , 1895, p. 51 .
5 Temp., vol. II, no . 34.
6 Temp., vol. II, p. 433.
father, refused to believe this evidence and accepted the
story told by his young queen , Lunan, claiming that Gorakh
nāth , by magic, had saved Puran . Consequently, Puran was
punished with the loss of hands, feet and sight, and was cast
intoa dry well.
When Mahitā accused Silā Dai, his wife, of intrigue with
Rasālū, the name of Gorakhnāth was called and she was
proved innocent by dice. In another ordeal by boiling oil she
was likewise proved innocent. But Mahitā, insisting that
Gorakhnath had worked a charm to save her, straightway
became a Yogi, i.e., turned celibate.
His superhuman powers found expression in other ways ;
for Gorakhnāth was able to do terrible things, and people
were in fear of him and his curses. He sent a terrifying
dream to Jewar (Gūgā legend) who then sent for Bāchala
his queen, whom he had driven from his palace. When he
found Puran Bhagat in the well, the great Yogi threatened to
sink the well to hell should Puran turn to be a wicked man,
or an evil spirit.3 And he threatened Rāñjha that he would
cause the earth to sink and the Chenāb river to dry up,
should the conch not be restored.4
Through prayer to Gorakhnath, Gūgā was able to shoot
an arrowinto a Brāhmani's pitcher and she was drenched.
She had refused to give him water.5
In the legends of Gopicand , Gorakhnāth contested the
power and the place of his rival, Jalandharnāth, and sent a
follower to break the cooking pots of his opponents,to break
their boxes and ' to blow them away.' He set fire to their
bodies .
Allusion has already been made to the humiliation of the
women of Kārū .?
Popular descriptions of the Yogis extend to departments
of magic and to a knowledge of tenets of the Yoga.
1 Temp., vol. I, p. 243.
*2 Temp. vol. I, p. 158.
$ Temp., vol . II, no. 34.
• Temp., vol. II, p. 551.
5 RTCP, vol. I, p . 174. Temp., vol. I, p. 167.
6 Wright, History ofNepāl, pp. 140-44.
? See pp. 187, 188.
LEGEND 199
Gorakhnath had a magic bag, or wallet, of wonderful

potency, from which he drew giftsof various kinds. He took
out of it the barley grains, or the apple , or the flowers, or
the ashes4 which conferred the gift of sons ; and also the
ashes which he transmuted into gems, and supplies of goods
and clothing for Gūgā's betrothal. Similarly , he lent glory
to the wedding in Assam . From this bag camethe wonderful
ear-rings which Puran Bhagat received at his initiation , and
from the same sort of bag Puran Bhagat took the grapes and
rice which Luman , his father's queen, swallowed whole in
order to obtain a son.
With his magic sandalshe threatened Puran Bhagat, when
he found him in the well, that, should he prove to be an
horror or some dangerous being, he would strike the dry
well and sink it intohell. He threatened Rāñjha, who had
hidden the conch - shell in the bank of the river Chenāb ,
that he would strike the bank with his shoe, make the earth
sink and the river dry up.10
By means of a magic handkerchief one of Gorakhnāth's
disciples restored sight to Puran's mother.11
His mat, or carpet, was so sensitive that a disciple at a
long distance, needing help, thought of Gorakhnāth ,and the
carpet trembled ,12 thus gaining the attention ofthe Yogi.
On this same carpet Gorakhnāth ascended to Bhagavān's
heaven.13
Kabir refers to Gorakhnāth's philosopher's stone in the
following words:
The cut mango will not blossom , the slit ear cannot be reunited ;
whose loss is it, if they apply not the philosopher's stone that
Gorakhnath had 14
Ashes have magic powers, and with those from Gorakh
nāth's sacred fire , in Pātāla, Vişnu created the world, by
3
1 1A , 1895 , p. 49. OCCS, P. 67. 8 Temp., no. 6.
• RTCP, vol. I, p. 184 . 6 IA , 1895, p. 49.
6 Temp., no. 6 . ? Temp., vol. II , p. 445.
8 Temp ., vol. II, p. 454. • Temp., vol. II , no. 34 .
10 Temp., vol. II , p . 551 . 11 Temp., vol. II, p. 453 .
13 IA , 1895, pp. 51 , 52. 18 IA , 1895 , p . 50.
14 Wi., p. 87. Quoted from the Bijak of Kabir. Philosopher's
stone: Sanskrit, Sparśamani; Hindi, pāras patthar. Some say that
the philosopher's stone is still being sought for in Nepāl.
scattering them on the primeval waters.1 Ashes were used
in other wonderful ways, as in changing men into animals
and back again, and as gifts with magical properties, as
already mentioned.
Many allusions to the Yoga technique are found scattered
through the legendary materials.
Whose breathis returning (through ) the six [mystical] spheres (of
the human body ], (whose) thought is intent on vacuum .
Jogis meditateon God'the Creator whom they call unseen , whose
formis minute,whose name is the Bright One, and who is the image
of their bodies .3
They know in ecstasythe experience of music heard in the
head and call it kiñjuri (which is the name of a stringed
musical instrument).*
Nának gives a general description :
* To remain seated without support,
To collectand restrain the five evil passions,
To sleep little and totake scant food,
To keep guard over the saintly body ,
To be constant in devotion , penance, self -restraint
and remembrance of God
Nānak saith , these arethemarks of a Jogi.'5
And in the ſakhis of Kabir other aspects of Yoga are
exhibited .
Gorakh, enamoured as he was of Rāma,is dead ; his body was not
burnt [thé Jogis bury their dead ], the flesh has decayed, and is
turned to clay , and such rank as the Kāuravas enjoy does he obtain
[bodily annihilation ] .
Accounts are given of Gorakhnath and his followers and
references are made to their modes of life and to their dress
and equipment.
Gorakħnāth himself is described as a parmhaís (an ascetic
of the highest order, one who has subdued all his senses by
abstract meditation ), mighty and devout.
1 CTC, vol. III, pp. 153-4 ; RTCP, vol. II, p. 391 .
2 Trumpp, p. 472 .
3 Mac., vol. I, p. 225, note 2 reads: " The Yogis, when in intensely
deep meditation, close their eyes. On opening them and looking up
ward they suppose that they behold God in their own image in the
firmament.'
· Mac ., vol. I , p. 274 and note 2.
6 Mac., vol. I, p. 160. 6 Wi., p. 86 .
LEGEND 201
He is beloved of God and his worship has been accepted of the
Almighty. You can ask what you pleaseof him ."
Thus spoke Gorakhnāth's disciples of him to Puran Bhagat:
Very great is his beauty, say all men and women ; no maid in
India's court has greater beauty. He is like the swan of Sarwar .
Vişņu described him as the greatest of saints, who only
could supply patience .
The Panjab legends frequently mention Siālkot and Tilla
as favourite resorts of Gorakhnāth and of his followers .
Sometimes he was accompanied by four hundred disciples,
at other times by five thousand , two hundred visible, and five
thousand , two hundred invisible, disciples. To Gūgā's wed
ding in Assam , Gorakhnāth went gloriously with carriages,
horses and palkis, a splendid retinue .?
This is not however, the austere picture brought out in
the discourses that Yogis carried on with candidates for the
order.
At times his followers slept in tents; 8 or in huts.
Gorakhnath said to Rāñjha, I sleep on the ground and have
no bedcoverings; and, again,I live among stones and pat
sherds.10 Yogisare penniless.11
The appearance of these Yogis is incidentally described.
They were evidently familiar persons everywhere. They wore
very little clothing, as a rule, and covered their bodies with
ashes.12 If they wore a cloak, or robe, it was coloured with
ochre.13 Some wore a patched cloak ; 14 others garments of
deer-skins.15 Rasālū asked for a deer -skin coat.16 They carried
Swynn ., no. 33 ; Temp., no. 34.
* The Mansarowar Lake, the fabled dwelling of the Hamsa on
Mount Kailās in the Himalayas. Note, p. 130 in Temp., vol. I ;
Swynn ., no. 33 .
3 Crooke, Popular Religion and Folk -Lore of Northern India, vol. II ,
p. 154 .
IA , 1895, pp . 49, 50, 53. 5 IA , 1895, p . 53.
• Temp., vol. II, p. 375 . ? Temp ., no. 6.
9
& Swynn ., no. 33 . • Temp ., vol. II , no. 18.
10 Temp., vol. II. p. 549. 11 Temp., vol. II, p. 9.
12 Mac ., vol. VI, p. 243.
13 Temp., vol. I, p. 60 ; vol. III, p. 265.
14 Mac., vol. VI, pp. 60, 168, 231,243.
Temp., vol. I, p . 60 ; vol . II , p . 375 . 16 Temp., vol. II, p. 548.
a patched quilt, wore a black necklace and a horn on a
threads and carried a conch ,' a wallet of cloth , a club ,
and a staff. Some had their heads shaved , while others
wore their hair in a knot,' or matted.10 In initiating Puran
Bhagat, Gorakhnāth cut off some of his hair.11
There are many references to the fact that these Yogis had
their ears split and wore great ear-rings.12 Of Rāñjha it is
recorded that his right ear -ring was of baked clay and his
left one of unbaked clay.18
They practised control of the breath14 and were concerned
about the nāļis.15 Somewere under a vow of silence.16
They sat cross-legged ,17 and in other postures, 18 and kept
a sacred fire ( dhūni).19
In begging they called out ' Alakh, Alakh’20 and 'Gorakh,
Gorakh. 21
They did not enter houses.22 Some were so overbearing
as to be described as warriors taking alms by force.23 Accusa
tions are made of hypocrisy ,24 and of bad habits, such as
drinking25 and the use of drugs.
1 Tr., pp. xl, 475.
· Temp., vol. II, no . 18.
• Mac., vol. VI, p . 169. Tr ., p . 475.
• Temp., vol. I (Silā Dāi); vol. II, no. 34.
5 IA, 1906, p. 213 ; Temp.,vol. II, no . 34; Mac., vol. VI, pp. 199,
169, 243; Tr., p . xl; Mac., vol. I, p. 162; Tr, p. 475.
6 Mac ., vol. VI, p . 231 .
? Tr ., pp . xl, 475 ; Mac., vol. I, p. 162.
* Temp., vol. II, p. 548 ;Mac ., vol. p. 60 ; vol. VI, p. 167.
• Temp ., vol.I, p. 336 .
10 Mac., vol. VI, p. 272. 11 Swynn ., no. 33 .
13 Mac., vol. VI, pp. 168, 231, 243; Tr., p . xl; Mac., vol. I, pp. 60,
162; OMAS, p. 267 ; Wi, p. 87; Tr., p. 475.
18 Temp., vol. II, p. 55 . 11 Mac ., vol. VI, p. 168.
16 Mac., vol. VI, p. 194. 16 Temp., vol. I, p. 332.
17 Temp., vol.II, no. 34.
18 Mac ., vol. VI, p. 168 ; vol. I , p. 41 .
19 Temp., vol. II, no. 34.
30 Temp., vol. I, p.332. Alakh, $k. Alakşya = unseen ,invisible,
without shape or form ; ' the Imperishable Name; ' the cry of
mendicants, begging. Steele, Tales of the Panjab, pp. 252, 321.
31 Mac ., vol. VI, p. 263.
23 Swynn ., no . 33. 23 Temp., vol. II, p. 435.
Mac., vol. I,pp . 314 , 315, 350-2, 356–7; Mac., vol.VI, p. 270.
Mac., vol. VI, pp. 154, 255.
LEGEND 203
The initiation of Yogīs attracts a good deal of attention
and makes a deep impression. At the ceremony offerings
were made. Rāñjha brought five rupees and betel leaves
when he asked Gorakhnāth for initiation . When Gopicand
was made a Yogi a great company was present. Gorakhnāth
came on a chariot of flowers and the whole affair was on a
grand scale. Gopicand made handsome presents. Both
Vāişņavites and Sāivites were present, and Bālnāth also.4
In fact, his mother, Mayanā, brought to the ceremonies 1,600
ascetics, and
In his chariot of flowers descended Gorakhnāth the Vidyādhāra
(wizard ). . . there (was) no counting the number of Hādīsiddhas
with theirs ears cut.5
The essential parts of the ceremony were the splitting of
the ear, tonsure, the covering the body with ashes and the
giving of the mantra. Gorakhnāth pierced Puran Bhagat's
ears, put the mudrā ( ear- rings) in them , and then whispered
the mantra in his ear. (Kānon men phunk lagãi, ' blew into
his ears.'8)
Having shorn off some of his hair, he pierced his ears with his
own hands and put the rings in them , and so Puran became a Yogi.?
Bharthari said to Nānak :
The form of the Fog is the ear-ring, the patched quilt, the wallet,
the staff and the horn, the sound of which is emitted in the
Universe.8
The shaving of the head of Gopicand took one hundred
days and the cut hair became a ' hairy Gangā ' and began to
flow away. In the rush to pierce the ears of Gopicand:
Theysnatched the razor fromthe hands of the näpit, and gave it
into the hands of the ear - cutter. Even as the ear -cutter took the razor
in his hand, he cried, ' Rām , Rām ,' and cut both the ears ofthe king.
They fastened to the king's ear an ear-ring of crystal. They clothed
Temp., vol. II, pp . 443, 444.
· Temp., vol. II, p . 547.
*4 JASBe, vol . XLVII , pp. 221 ff .
5
JASBe, vol. XLVII, pp. 222, 223.
JASBe, vol . XLVII , pp. 222, 223 .
• Temp., vol. I , p. 332.
? Swynn., no. 33. 8 Tr ., p . xl .
• JASBe, vol. XLVII, p. 222.
him with a cloth covered with holy symbols. Five Vāişņavas came
and dressed theking ina langoțī. Alangoți with a string did they
put upon him . They placed around his neck a Rāma rosary.
The case of Gopicand illustrates the degradation and
poverty into which men of his class descended. His guru,
Hāļi, who was a sweeper (Dom ), gave him food consisting of
the leavings of his alms, and Gopicand says as he looked at it
in dismay :
Rice which my dogs would turn aside from — such have I, a king,
come to eat.
At initiation they put into his hands a gourd platter and
they gave him a torn quilt and a torn langoţi. He received
a boon :
Thou shalt go to the three corners of the earth , but shalt not go to
Yama's dwelling ."
Gopicand, the king, was reduced to great straits. He left
his kingdom and wandered in the jungle, living on leaves of
trees. One day he came to his mother's city. His mother
recognized him and called to him . She said, You are my
I am grieved at seeing you in this condition . You must
be very verminous, let me clean you .' While removing the
vermin she pulled out a hair. The king exclaimed , ' Are you
removing vermin or pulling out my hair?' She said, 'Does
it hurt you when a hair is pulled, or what ? ' He said, Yes .'
Whereupon his mother replied, ' If you feel pain from getting
one hair pulled, don't you think the trees from which you
have been picking leaves must also have felt pain ?' For this
reason he gave up picking leaves to eat. And Gopicand is
reported as saying ;
When I waslord of my kingdom , O my mother, then did I eat rice
in many a golden dish. Now I am a beggar with not a single Kaori;
I cannot eat from a golden plate.
He took a plantain leaf and cut it. Thereon he placed a
little rice. He took the shell of a broken gourd and from it
drank a little water. He washed his face and hands with water .
1 JASBe, vol. XLVII, p. 221 .
? JASBe, vol. XLVII, pp. 223. There are references to his not
having died.
3 Tuhfāt-ul- Karam , quoted by Carter .
LEGEND 205
Then what did he do ? He uttered the words ' Sri Kțşņa' and
ate food . One mouthful, two mouthfuls, five mouthfuls he
ate. Then he looked towards the water which was trickling
out of the broken gourd . He put his face to the earth and
sipped water . His lot for many years was a hard one, in
long journeys and heavy burdens at the direction ofhis guru,
and years in prison in the house of a harlot. He finally
collapsed carrying heavy burdens.?
There are many passages describing the difficulties and
the utter renunciation that initiation entailed. To Rāñjha it
was said :
The taste of a Jogi is bitter and sour. You will have to dress as a
Jogi, to wear dirty clothes, long hair, cropped skull, and to beg your
way through life . You will have to meditate on your guru and hold
your breath in your mid -most throat. You will have to give up the
pleasures of birth, to cease to rejoice when friends come or grieve
when they die. You will have to abstain from castingeyes on women .
You will have to become divinely intoxicated by taking kand, mul,
post, opium and other narcotic drugs.
You will have to think the world a mere vision . You will have to
go on long pilgrimages to Jagannāth , the Godāvarī, the Ganges, and
the Jumna. Jog is no easytask . You Jāts (i.e. luxury -loving princes)
cannot attain jog .*
Thus the novice was warned against the difficulties of the
ascetic life and discouraged from choosing the life of a Yogi.
12 JASBe, vol. XLVII, pp. 223–4 .
JASBe, vol. XLVII, pp. 221 ff. Allison , The Sadhs, quotes a
verse attributed to Gopicand.
3 Post, posta , an infusion of opium poppy heads (Smith , Oxford
History of India , p . 412) . A preparation of laudanum , arrack , sugar
and cardamoms, very evil in its effects. Bhang, a drink made from
hemp leaves. It is conducive to quarrelling. Gāñja, a narcotic and
intoxicanttraditionally consumed by the warrior caste. It is obtained
from the hemp plant; the dried leaves being smoked in the form
which is familiar to some as cannabis indica cigarettes. Another
form is caras, which is the resinous extract from the stalk of the
plant. The harmful effects of gāñja smoking are more obvious to the
laymen than those of opium , as it is seen to upset the mental equili
brium more quickly and more permanently. The alternate stages of
excitement and depression soon become more marked , till the
confirmed gāñja -taker becomes useless for life's ordinary activities.
(See Indian Social Reformer, November 20, 1926. See also An Essay
on Hasheesh .)
* IA, 1921 (Hir and Rāñjha ), p. 32 and also the last page of the
article .
Renunciation was complete. These warnings are a des
cription of the ascetic life. Gorakhnāth said to Puran Bhagat:
Jog you must not think of. The performance ofjog is beyond you.
You will have to suffer hungerand thirst, to bear trials with patience,
and to renounce the world . You will have to leave behind all the
pleasures of sense and to enter upon a life most difficult to pursue.
To Rāñjha the question was put:
What is the good of begging if a man has no belief ? Only those in
love with death can acquire jog. Good mensubdue their passions by
riding on the horse of patience and holding the reins of remem
brance. Jog means to be dead while alive. One has to sing the song
of nonentity using one's meagre body as a guitar. One's self has to
be entirely absorbed. It is no child's play. You will never be able to
undergo jog. What is the use of asking for it ? Child, listen , God has
made his abode in this body of dust. He is in everything as a thread
runs through the beads. He is the breath of life in the living. He is,
as it were, the spirit of bhang and opium . He is in the life of the
world as colour is in the meſhdi (indigo ). He permeates everything
even as blood runs through all the body of men .”
Again :
Who takes saintship renounces all the desires of his heart. The
saintship is hard and difficult in the world. Put off the five desires
and the twenty - five (lusts ). Then canst thou be a Jogi disciple.
Renouncing thy whole family and sons, live alone in the world.
The pointof a sword is a very difficult thing (to rest on ). Imagine
not this saintship to be easy.3
Gopicand forsook harem and throne and family ties. The
legend of Rāja Gopicand as played at Jagādhrī in the Ambāla
District contains a long account of the persuasions of queens,
daughter, sister and mother to induce him to break his vows,
He said ,
I put away rule, power, wealth , goods and greed.
And, as he was led from the palace door, he was told that
earthly love, affections, desires and lust are as the shadow of
a tree, the illusion of a dream .
Bharitri had to bring alms from his queens, calling them
1 Swynn., p . 238 . 2 IA , 1921, Supplement, p. 32.
3 Advice to Mahitā in thelegend of Silā Dāi. Temp., vol. I, p. 327.
3
• Temp., vol . II , no. 18.

5 Seealso the account by śāntināth of the Panjab. Temp ., vol. II,
no. 18.
LEGEND 207
'mother ' and was on probation for twelve years before

Gorakhnāth would receive him.1
Puran Bhagat was told that he must treat every one, man
and woman , alike. To Rāñjha it was said :
Call the young women ‘ sister ' and the old women ' mother.'3
Rāñjha had to put away chieftainship. Still, he was allowed
to think of Hīr and even to send his black crow to get news
of her.
Sometimes the initiate had his resolution put to the test.
Puran Bhagat was sent back to the palace and his sincerity
was tested under the enticements of his stepmother, the
queen . He was finally sent with the queen to the palace to
reign , but escaped . Again he was sent to his father the king
and his own mother and they endeavoured to get him to
assume the kingship, but he refused , and went back to Țilla .
Gorakhnāth spoke of the Yogi's vow as irrevocable :
Whose clothes ( Yogi's) are red and whose minds are clear, return
not from the wilds. Is a Jogi every one's friend ??
There is the other side of the story, and the free life of the
Yogis is often depicted, wherein asceticism is used as a means
of access to women of the harems. One of the Rasālū stories
may be taken as an illustration.8
A popular ‘ fling' at the ascetic may be quoted in the words
of another faith :
You get your ears bored and putsome ashes to your body and all
the world reveres you as a saint. Without toil or labour you can be as
eminent as Nādir Shāh . The mysteries of birth and the sadness of
death have no concern for the faqir. He sleeps in the mosque free
from the care of this impure world and begs and eats . He can scold
people and incur no blame. If you call yourself as pīr or a faqir
everybody is your servant ."
This quotation expresses the commonly held belief that
not many who don the Yogi's garb are sincere.
1 Note,to call his queen 'mother' was to renounce finally the con
jugal relation . RTCP,vol. II, p. 404. 2 Swynn ., p . 33 .
3 Temp ., vol. II , p. 553. * Temp., vol. II , p . 441.
5 Temp., vol. II, p. 447. 6 Temp., vol . II, p. 453.
? Temp., vol. II, p. 447.
8 Tales of the Panjab, pp. 250 ff.
9 IA , 1921, p. 31 f.
1
CHAPTER TEN
THE FORERUNNERS OF THE GORAKHNATHIS

DISSATISFACTIONS with life arose far back in India ; and the
ascetic and the mechanisms of the austere life, are in
evidence in the earliest literature. The Dikșa rite , for
example, includes elements which are already in the Rig Veda
ascetic in form . And even then the contradiction of natural
desire, mortification of the body by unnatural inhibitions of
all its desires (the conception of tapas) occupies a large place.
Early the term tapas, applies to ascetic practices in general.
The efficacy of the endurance of discomforts and of the
difficulties of performance are recognized . The enducement
of ecstatic states, of hysteria, of trance and of excitements
through drugs and sex stimulation likewise are then known.
These point toward mystic union with Reality and the
acquisition of unusual powers. Tapas engendered strength,
great in the extreme, involving mystic and creative power.
Creation itself had its rise in tapas. In the Brāhmaṇas
Prajāpati practices tapas in order to acquire creative powers.
In those writings also is found the recognition of the efficacy
of asceticism in the pursuit of knowledge. ' Heaven is
established on the air, the air on the earth , the earth on the
waters, the waters on truth, the truth on the mystic love (of
the sacrifice) and that on tapas'4 In the Satapata
Brāhmana and afterwards, the gods create the worlds through
the power of tapas. Further on, while some of the earlier
1 On this and the two following sections, see ERE, vol. II, pp.
63 ff.
2 Keith, Religion and Philosophy of the Veda, vol. I, p. 301.
3 Rig Veda , 10,129, 3. 5
4 Ait. Br., 11 , 6 , 4. E.8 ., 6, 1 , 13.
THE FORERUNNERS OF THE GORAKHNĀTHIS 209
Upanişads express doubts on the matter , in the later (verse)
Upanişads, from the Kena on, its value for the attainment of
knowledge is recognized and is often insisted upon . The
Jābāla upholds an extreme asceticism and asks that men root
out all desires . Rhys Davids says that the nearer we get to
Buddhism , the greater the importance we see attached to
tapas (self-torture ). Nowhere else in the world , he says, has
the art of pain been so much studied as in India.
In the Epics austerities have become longer and harder and
self-mortification has become a permanent idea and practice
in the religious life of India . In the Rāmāyaṇa are to be
found pictures of hermitage after hermitage famous for their
ascetics who have acquired powers and privileges through
prolonged austerities. The Mahābhārata in like manner sets
forth this strenuous life.
Again, in the Upanişads, asceticism is related to special
stages in life. The conception of the Aśramas, ' places of
asceticism ,' arose complicating the old rules of life . In the
the earliest Upanişadsthe ascetic ideal is scarcely more than
an alternative way of life beside that of the student and
householder ; but , in the later Upanişads the four stages are
ordered .
The powers of tapas and meditation, those arising from
putting one's self in rapport with creative force, are declared
to be supernatural. In the old days the worshipper tried,
through concentration on the hymns to Agni, to identify
himself with the glowing world energy resident in all things.
In tapas he expressed Agni's eternal essence and activity, as
illumination broke over the tapasvin. Tapas became the final
world power out of which appeared the darkness, the prime
val ocean, the creation: ‘ From fervour kindled to its height
eternal law and truth were born .”? And in Manu8 we read,
1 Bịh. Up., 3, 8, 10 ; 4, 4 , 22.
2 Keith , Religionand Philosophy of the Veda, vol. II, pp. 514 ff.;
Kena, 33; Prašna, 1 , 10 ; Mund., 1 , 2, 11 .
3 Radhakrishnan, Indian Philosophy, vol. I, p. 510.
* Bịh. Up., Chānd Up ., IA, 1923, p .278.
56 Keith, Religion and Philosophy of the Veda, vol. II, p. 587.
E.g. , Jābāla. See Deussen , The Philosophy of the Upanishads.
pp. 367 ff. ? See Rig Veda, 10, 190 , 1 . 81, 12.
14
“ Just by means of his own fixed attention ( dhyānāt) he splits
the egg in two. These attitudes, far apart in time, speak of
the same view of extraordinary and creative power for man ,
and the means thereto.
In Manu the formal conditions and rules for the austere
life are set forth . Here the rights and privileges of the
ascetic are confined to the twice -born . In the sixth lecture2
are set forth in detail the third and fourth stages of life
(Aśrama). While a considerable portion of the chapter is
now obsolete, still, it exhibits the earlier ideal. In the third
stage the individual lives a very strict life, but continues to
perform certain ritualistic acts. His food is mostly wild
stuffs, and he may restrict it greatly in well -known ways .
Austerities such as the use of the five fires, uncomfortable
clothes, and silence are described . In the fourth stage the
man severs all family and social ties, takes to begging, eats
little, meditates, is indifferent to every sort of condition , and
looks upon life as unattractive.
The references given above will suffice to show how ascetic
ideas developed and permeated thethought and life ofancient
India. Such notions have prevailed continuously down to
the present time.
If it be objected that the conceptions of asceticism alluded
to above form a one-sided picture, it must be remembered
that this study has to do with Yogis whose practice is that of
the Hatha Yoga.
Not only is there very early the presence of the ideas of
asceticism , but also the figure of the ascetic himself, almost
as he appears today, is found in the oldest literature. The
'mad ' muni is described in the following hymn :*
The hairy one supports the fire,
The poison - fluid , and heaven and earth ;
1And in other works on Dharma likewise. For references see
ERE, vol. II , p. 89.
Manu , vi, 1-87 .
* See Kirtikar, V. J., Studies in the Vedanta, chap. eight, and
especially p. 134 .
Rig Veda, 10, 136. The translation is from Griswold's Religion
of the Rig Veda, pp.338ff. See Marshall, vol. I. pp. 53 ff. and plates
XLVIII and C for evidence of posture and other elements charac
teristic of Indian asceticism in the Indus Civilization .
THE FORERUNNERS OF THE GORAKHNATHIS 211
He is all sky to lookupon ,
The hairy one is called this light.
The Munis, girdled with the wind,
Wear garments soiled, of yellow hue ;
After the wind's course follow they,
When once the gods have entered them .
Transported with the ecstasy
Of Munihood we mount the winds ;
Ye, mortal men, are able now
To see our bodies and no more .
He flies through regions of the air,
Beholding allthe various forms,
The Muni, who was made a friend
Of every god for ministry .
The steed of Vāta, Vāyu's friend,
The Muni, by the gods impelled,
In both the oceans hath his home,
In eastern and in western seas.
Treading the path of sylvan beasts,
Gandharvas and Apsarases,
The hairy one knows every thought,
Sweet and most stimulating friend.
Väyu has twirled for him ; for him
He breaketh things most hard to bend ;
When he, the hairy one, has drunk
With Rudra from the poison -cup.
Concerning this hymn Keith says :1
He differs entirely from the Brāhman student or the man under
going consecration, for his ecstasy is not connected either with the
sacrifice or with any of the rites ancillary toit or to the entry of the
youth intothefulllife of the community. His mortal body men see,
but he himself fares on the path of the Apsarases, the Gandharvas,
the beasts of the wild, he dwells in the east and the western ocean ,
the steed of Vāta, the friend of Vāyu, inspired by the gods. He
knows secretdesires, he is the dearest friend, he supportsAgni and
both the worlds, he is the heaven and the light, and his ecstasy i, t
seems, is duetoa potent draughtwhich , with Rudra , he drinksfrom
a goblet,perhaps a reference to the use of some poison to produce
exhilaration or hypnosis. His hair is long, his soiled garments are of
yellow hue.
Hauer, in Der Yoga Als Heilweg ?expresses the opinion that
in this hymn there are materials belonging to the Rudra
1 Religion and Philosophy of the Veda, vol. II, p. 402. 2 P. 12 .
Siva cycle. The hymn describes those primitive ecstatics who ,
under the intoxication of holy poisons, overcome all earthly
difficulty, reach out to cosmic forces and become like the
gods in possessing vision and unusual powers. They know
the earthly fetters which bind men and know how to bring
help to their fellows.
The fifteenth book of the Atharva Veda appertains to the
Vrātya , a seeker after ecstatic trance, a dealer in the super
natural, a type of Yogi. These were Aryans outside the sphere
of Vedic culture who were admitted into Brāhman circles by
means of ceremonial. Certain of their hymns, apparently ,
constitute such a ritual. They practised neither agriculture
nor commerce nor did they follow the rules of the Brahma
charya.
Hauerº lays considerable emphasis upon the importance of
this cult in the history of Yoga. The Vrātyas had intimate
dealings with Prajāpati and were worshippers of Rudra -Siva,
holding an early form of the theistic Sānkhya -Yoga philosophy.
He holds that they were ascetics, possessing a ritual, who
later found their way into Brāhmanism . It is of interest to
note that they laid emphasis upon the doctrine of the breaths,
naming three, five, six, ten and even more, assimilating them
to functions of the cosmic process. Among their severe
practices ( tapas) is mentioned that of standing for a year
upright. They moved about the country in strange proces
sions, using song and choral ceremonial, dealing out blessings
and curses according as they were honoured or offended.
Their clothing and ornaments were fantastic; their turban
was peculiar and their white garments were marked with
blackfigures. The Vrātya stood upon a cart drawn by horses
and mules and carried a magic bowl and a spear. Before him
went swift runners .
He was accompanied by a prostitute. The Vrātya repre
sented the god and the prostitute the goddess. Their practices
and ceremonial suggest the later Tāntric ritual in the use of
1 See Vedic Index .
Der Yoga Als Heilweg, pp. 8 ff. Keith, Religion and Philosophy
of the Veda, vol. II, pp. 338, 402, does not follow Hauer with reference
to the Vrātya.
intoxicating drink, flesh , and grain , and in the association of
Rudra with the goddess. The Vrātya seems to have known
the experiences of concentration, of soul expansion, of the
enhancement of personality -consciousness similar to those
described by Patañjali in connection with samādhi, experiences
which occur when the man in trance is raised above his own
narrow I, over time and space. He was the greatly honoured
holy man, possessed of supernatural power, approximating
divine personality, wandering about the country.
Probably before 800 B.C. the Vāikhānasa1 appears. The
Pariorājaka, Bhikṣu, the wandering beggar and the Vāna
prastha, or anchorite, are familiar forms before the rise of
Buddhism . And the Upanişads know the Sannyāsī, the
renouncer striving for the knowledge of the Brahma-Atman.2
Realizing the Atman, men , liberated, exalted in mind ,
gaveup completely the life of the family and the world and became
wandering, homeless, celibate ascetics , without possessions, without
responsibilities, devoted altogether to the life of the Atman .
With the story of the Buddha we meet full- fledged familiar
asceticism . While Gāutama turned aside for extremes in
this, as in all things, still, Brāhman and Jāin laid emphasis
uponsuch a life. The description ofthe company to which
the Buddha joined himself, as set forth popularly in The
Light of Asia ," is exact enough for illustration:
Midway on Ratnagiri's groves of calm ,
Beyond the city,but below the caves,
Lodged such ashold the body foe tosoul,
And flesh a beast which men must chain and tame
With bitter pains, till sense of pain is killed,
And tortured nerves vex torturer no more :
Yogīs and Brahmachārīs, Bhikshus, all
A gaunt and mournful band, dwelling apart.
Some day and night had stood with lifted arms,
Till -- drained of blood and withered by disease
Their slowly wasting joints and stiffened limbs
Jutted from sapless shoulders like dead forks
From forest trunks. Others had clenched their hands
So long and with so fierce a fortitude,
1 See also Gāutama Dharma Sastra, vol . III, 26.

See Keith , Religion and Philosophy of the Veda, vol. II, pp. 589 ff.
FORL, p . 52. 4 Pp. 115, 116, 117.
The claw - like nails grew through the festered palm .
Some walked on sandals spiked ; some with sharp flints
Gashed breast and browand thigh, scarred these with fire,
Threaded their fleshwith jungle thorns and spits,
Besmeared with mud and ashes, crouching foul
In rags of dead men wrapped about theirloins.
Certain there were inhabited the spots
Where death -pyres smouldered, cowering defiled
With corpses for their company, and kites
Screaming around them o'er the funeral-spoils;
Certain who cried five hundred times a day
The names of Shiva, knit with hissing snakes
About their sun -tanned necks and hollow flanks,
One palsied foot drawn up against the ham .
So gathered they, a grievous company;
Crownsblistered by the blazing heat, eyes bleared,
Sinews and muscles shrivelled , visages
Haggard and wan as slain men's, five days dead ;
Here crouched one in the dust who noon by noon
Meted a thousand grains of millet out,
Ate it with famished patience, seed byseed,
And so starved on ; there one who bruised his pulse
With bitter leaves lest palate should be pleased;
And next, a miserable saint self-maimed,
Eyeless and tongueless, sexless ,crippled, deaf;
The body by the mind being thusstripped
For glory of much suffering, and the bliss
Which theyshall win - say holybooks -whose woe
Shames gods that send us woe, and makes men gods
Stronger to suffer than Hell is to harm .
A description from the Rāmāyaṇal runs as follows:
Vāikhānasas who love the wild,
Pure hermits Bālakhiyas styled,
Good Samprakşālas, saintswho live
On rays which moon and daystar give:
Those who with leaves their lives sustain ,
And those who pound with stones their grain :
And they who live in pools, and those
Whose corn , save teeth, no winnow knows:
Those who for beds the cold earth use,
And those who every couch refuse:
And those condemned to ceaseless pains,
Whose single foot their weight sustains :
And those who sleep neath open skies,
Whose food the wave or air supplies,
And hermits pure who spend their nights,
1
1 Book 3, Canto 6. Griffith's translation .
On ground prepared for sacred rites:
Those who on hills their vigil hold,
On dripping clothes around them fold ;
The devotees who live for prayer.
Or the five fires unflinching bear. ...
There is no need to continue to set forth the presence of
the ascetic in ancient India but it is interesting toread about
the ascetics whom the Greeks met during Alexander's so
journ in India in 326 B.c.1
At Takshaçilā, so far as we know , the Greeks first noticed Indian
ascetics. The report reached Alexander himself of a strange set of
men who were to be seen naked somewhere near the city , 'practis
ing endurance, men commanding a great reverence among the
people. It was no use his sending for them , since they would
certainly refuse to come: those who wished to learn their secret
must go to them . Alexander , however, on his side, felt he could not
go to them consistently with his dignity : so he chose an envoy , a
Greek officer named Onesicritus, who had been a disciple of the
Cynic philosopher, Diogenes a figure obviously akin to the Indian
ascetics. Onesicritus, in the book he afterwards wrote, gave an
account of his interesting mission , and we may still read it in
Strabo's version . He found fifteen ascetics some ten miles from the
city, sitting naked and motionless in a sun so burning that one could
not even walk over the stones with bare feet. Onesicritus could only
communicate with them through aseries of three interpreters, but
he made them understand that the Yavana king would like to learn
their wisdom . The ascetic to whom he first addressed himself
answered bluntly that no one coming in the bravery of European
clothes - cavalry cloak and broad -brimmed hat and top -boots, such
as the Macedonians wore - could learn their wisdom. To do that, he
must strip naked and learn to sit on the hot stones beside them .
Another answered more mildly that it was really very creditable for
such a man as Alexander to desire to know something of the deeper
wisdom , but one must remember that to attempt to convey their
teaching through three interpreters, common men incapable of
understanding more than the merewords, would be like trying to
make water flow clear through mud . They seem however to have
made an attempt, and then they asked Onesicritus whether among
the Yavanas there was any teaching of this kind, and he told them
about Pythagoras and Socrates and his old master, Diogenes. The
ascetics seemed pleased, but expressed regret that the wise men of
the Greeks had clung to such superfluities as clothes. One of these
ascetics was ultimately persuaded by the rāja of Takshaçilā to
accompany Alexander and return to clothes and a worldly life. His
1 The Cambridge History of India, vol. I , pp. 358 ff. Quoted by
permission of Macmillan and Company, Publishers.
companions considered it an apostasy, and followed him with
reproaches. The name of this Indian , who remained a notable figure
in Alexander's entourage, was one which Plutarch reproduces as
‘ Sphines,' but the Greeks, catching among the Indian words of
greeting which he exchanged with his fellow -countrymen, the word ,
kalyāņa, ' lucky ,' came to call him Kalanos.
Lanman points out that Onesicritus reported with great
accuracy the interviews which he had with Hindu ascetics:
That isthe best doctrine , which rids the spirit not only of grief
but also of joy ; and again , that that dwelling-place is the best, for
which the scantiest equipment or outfit is needed .
Alberuni describes practices of Yoga.
Reference must be made to ancient notions concerning the
aims, the powers and the privileges issuing from ascetic
practices. In the Rāmāyana, for example , the renowned
superiors of hermit settlements were held in the highest
reverence and talked of the greatness of the boons and
rewards that they had won. And throughout Indian literature
is found abundant testimony on these points. Among the
aims of asceticism may be mentioned first the attainment of
the ecstatic condition . Originally , perhaps, this department
of experience was reserved for the medicine man ; but, in the
Upanişads at least, the sage seeks such states of soul. The
figure already exhibited from the Rig Veda is in a frenzy.
This muni is also addicted to poisons. And it is clear that
from ancient time drugs and sex stimulations were used for
the same ends of ecstasy and trance .
For the Atharva Veda Professor Radhakrishnan's summary
will suffice :
We hear of great ascetics who obtain the mastery of nature by
tapas. They reduce the elemental forces to their control by this
asceticism . It was then well known that ecstatic conditions could be
induced by the mortification of the body. Man can participate in
divine power by the hidden force of magic. The professors of magic
and witchcraft were accepted by the Vedic seers, and their calling
wasdignified, with the result that magic andmysticismsoon became
confused . We find people sitting in the midst of five fires, standing
· Harvard Theological Review , October, 1918, p. 358.
: Alberuni's India , vol. I, p. 69. His date is in the eleventh century.
See p. 443.
Indian Philosophy, by S. Radhakrishnan , vol. I, p. 121. Quoted
by permission of Macmillan and Company, Publishers.
on one leg, holding an arm above the head , all for the purpose of
commanding the forces of nature and subduing the gods to their
will.
Reference has already been made to supernatural and
creative powers engendered by asceticism . All sorts of
marvellous things were won through protracted and extreme
penance. And all down through India's past are to be found
men who through asceticismhave realized the impossible.
Dhruval is a famous example. Viśvamitra, the Kşatriya, by
most severe and protracted austerities compelled the gods to
grant him thebirth and rights of a Brāhman . This story
from the Epic belongs to an earlier period. Nahuşa by tapas
won for himself the rank of Indra. From the other Epic two
examples may be cited. Rāvaņa acquired , through ascetic
practices, invulnerability to death by gods or demigods, and
Virādha secured immunity against all kinds of weapons. The
Rāmāyana is full of mighty saints, miracle -workers.
Manu recognizes the power of asceticism .
Whatever is hard to be traversed, whatever is hard to be attained ,
whatever is hard to be reached, whatever is hard to be performed, all
may be accomplished by austerities; for austerity (possesses a power)
which it is difficult to surpass .
Sincethe Yogis are a monastic order, it may be of interest
to look for a moment at the development of the monastic idea
in India . The institution is old . The Buddha organized
his followers and set up his characteristic institution, the
Sangha. The establishments of the order flourished and
became in later centuries great in size, importance and wealth.
There may be a question as to whether the Buddha originat
ed the institution . Barth thinks that the organization of the
Sangha was perfected before the time of Asoka . But, in the
Jāin faith, evidences seem clear that Mahāvira was the last
of a long line (twenty - four in all) of leaders. Of these his
immediate predecessor as tirtha -kara died some 250 years
1 Mahābhārata, Vişnu parvā, 1 , 11 , 12. See Dawson, Classical

Dictionary of Hindu Mythology, p . 91.
Muir, Sanskrit Texts, vol. 1, pp. 388 ff.
3 Muir, Sanskrit Texts, vol . I , p. 307. · 11 , 239 ff.
5 See ÉRE, vol. VIII, p. 799. Religions of India, p. 127.
before him. Farquhar puts the order of Sannyasis before
those of the Buddhists and Jains. Earlier organizations were
probably much simpler and perhaps were only places of
residence for the rainy season . The Yātis and the Cārvākas
seem to have had a simple sort of monastic organization .
The major ascetic orders of the present time, of all sects,
have their mathas, or monasteries, and many of these institu
tions are old.
Since the Yogis are one of the chief divisions of the Sāivite
ascetics , attention will now be drawn especially to the line
of ascetic orders out of which they have come.
As reported in a previous chapter, Siva is the ideal ascetic .
He exhibits both the get -up , the austerities and the powers
arising from the pursuit of such activities. Even in the
hymn to the ‘ mad' muni are discernible attributes such as
the master Yogi, Siva, exhibits.
The Yogis are the residue of ancient Śāivite sects which
began as philosophies and became ascetic orders. More
particularly are they Pāśupata Sāivas. However, influences
of decadent Buddhism are clearly indicated in the Nepalese
traditions of the Gorakhnāthis and both Buddhist and Tāntric
characteristics in the legends from Bengal. The chief of the
Saivite sects which precede the Känphatas were the Pāśupata ,
the Lakulisa, the Kālāmukha and the Kāpālika (and the
Aghori?) all of which are Pāśupata. The Kānphatas share
many things with the earlier orders and do not differ so very
much from them . The Pāśupata sects, as such, have almost
completely disappeared. A few Aghoris may be seen now
and then . They are old Kāpālikas and a few Aughars who
are Kāpālikas reformed under the influence of Kabir.5
Theearlier name, Maheśvara is an equivalent of Pāśupata.
Here Pasupati is represented as having used the five topics
1 ' The Fighting Ascetics of India ,' Bulletin of the John Rylands
Library, vol. IX , No. 2, July, 1925. Oldenberg traces the institution
to the Sannyāsi. ( Buddha,p. 32.)
2 See ERE, vol . VII , p . 214. It is difficult to conceive of schools
or orders of ascetics without establishments of some kind . Cf. Hindu
Civilization, byR. K. Mookerji, p . 220 .
* In this section on Saivite sectsBhandarkar's Vāişhnavism , Saivism
and Minor Religious Systems has beenfreely used .
• Hopkins, Religions of India , p. 487. 6 FORL, p. 347.
of the sect. This makes the god their original teacher,
much as the Gorakhnathis make Adinātha, as Siva, the original
teacher of the Yogis. In South India Lakulin or Lakulisa is
said to be the original teacher of the order. Lakulīša
became a name for the schools of the Pāśupatas, at least after
the eleventh century. Likewise the Kālāmukhas were called
Lakulīsas. Bhandarkar concludes that these three names
cover about the same period of time.
Lakula was a general term by which Śiva sects were called ,
another was Pāśupata. Later arose out of this original
Lakulisa -Pāśupata sect the three systems, Pāśupata, Kālā
mukha and Kāpālika. These sects were more extreme and
less rational than the other Sāivites. Bhandarkar says that
from 934 to 1285, in inscriptions, Lakula was a general name
designating sects of Siva.
One of the early references to Pāśupatas? is in the Atharva
Siras where their vow is recorded . They are enjoined to
give up greed and anger; to realize forgiveness ; to mutter
the syllable om ; to practice the meditation which issues in
perception. There the Pāśupata device of besmearing the
body with ashes is used with the words:
The ash is fire, the ash iswater, the ash is earth, everything is ash ,
the ether is ash , the mind, the eyes and other senses are ashes.
The Pāśupata vow is enjoined for the removal of the noose
with which the Paśu or individual soul is tied. This prac
tice is calculated to effect deliverance from the trammels of
life. The expression, ‘ Paśu -pāśa vimokşa ', which means the
loosening of the noose tied round the neck of beings,' is
characteristic of the Pāśupata sect .
The Mahābhārata knows the Pāśupata3; and the sect,
which is represented as open to all classes, is charged with
subverting caste. Here perhaps the name is that of a new
Śãivite school of theology "
In the centuries around the Christian Era, perhaps two
· Väişņavism , Saivism and Minor Religious Systems, p. 121. See
Fleet, JRAS, 1907, pp. 419 ff.
2 On the systems of the Nakulisa -Pāśupata see Sarva Darşana
Sanghra , pp. 103 ff.
* Hopkins, The Great Epic, p. 118.
* E.g., 12, 285, 321-350 ; 13 , 14-18, 160-161.
centuries before, the school was well known and contained
many noted men.1
In the Vāyu Purāna ( c. fourth century A.D.) is found a
statement concerning the peculiar Yoga of the sect with its
various forms of physical and intellectual discipline. A sec
tion of the Purāna introduces the Lakulīša as a sub -sect of the
Pāśupatas. They are known in inscriptions of the fifth
century . The sect entered Nepāl in the eighth century ,
wherethe cult is still popular, as it is in other parts of the
Himālayas. Sankara (c. A.D. 850 ) criticized the teachings of
the Pāśupatas, and in the twelfth century Rāmānuja did like
wise, and named four classes of them , Kāpāla, Kālāmukha,
Pāśupata and Saiva.
Sankara says:
The Maheśvaras ( Sãivas) maintain that the five categories, viz .,
effect, cause, union, ritual and the end of pain were taught by the
Lord Pasupati (Śiva) to the end of breaking the bonds ofthe animal
(i.e., the soul): Pasupati is according to them , the Lord , the operative
cause .
Their famous statement is that Pasupati is the Lord ( Pati)
and man his creature ( pašu) is boundby thefetter (pāśa of
the world, and requires to be set free by the Lord. In more
expanded form , the five categories may be set forth thus :
( 1) Effect (kārya ), includes the evolution of pradhāna and the
individual soul (pašu ); (2) Cause (kārana), Isvara or Mahes
vara (Pati) and pradhāna as efficient and material aspects of
the whole creation, Pati possessing unbounded power of
acting and knowing ; (3) Union (Yoga), absorption in
meditation or muttering the syllable oỉ , contemplation
embracing both action and the cessation of action ; ( 4) bathing
in ashes, besmearing the body with ashes, sleeping in ashes,
mutterings, absurd and obscene practices ; (5) final deliver
ance (dukhānta), total destruction of misery and the acquire
ment of special powers.
1 See Bhandarkar, p. 117.
? Hopkins, Religions of India, p. 482 .
3 Smith, Catalogue of Coins in the Indian Museum , Calcutta, pp.
280 ff.
* For this list see also Bhandarkar, JASBy, vol. XXII, p. 158.
5 Thibaut,The Vedanta Sutra withSankara's Commentary, pt. I,
p. 453.
Rāmānujal says :
They maintain the general material cause to be constituted by
Paſupati. They furtherhold the wearing of the so - called 'mudra '
badges and the like to be means to accomplish the highest end of
man .
In Devendra's Mahārāştri Tales, the Pāśupata ascetic,
really a highway robber,
Wears a diadem of long matted hair ; his limbs are strewn with
ashes; in his fist he holds a trident; he is encircled with evil-averting
amulets ; his fingers are busy with his hermit's token .
Bloomfield3 describes the Pāśupatas as persons who practice
deceit and violence, as robbers and would -be murderers.
Even in the Great Epic they are looked upon with disfavour.
They bear the brand of the linga on forehead, arms, breast
and navel. Farquhar states that they laid emphasis on the
worship of the linga, an aspect of Lakulīša practice. Sug
gestive Epic expressions as recorded by him are: ürddhva
linga, sthīra -linga, ürddhva-retas and mahāśepo-nagno. Their
marks are the necklace , the golden ornament, the ear -ring, the
head -jewel, ashes and the sacred thread — owning these one
is not born again .''
The Lakulīša ? are a sub -order of the Pāśupata. The word
Lakula or Nakula , means ' club ' and the reference is to the
Lord -of-the- Club or the Lord -Bearing -a - Club. Probably the
name belongs to a great religious teacher of the school of the
Pāśupatas, who carried a club. He has been indentified with
Siva . There is an interesting note in the Vayu Purāna , and
in the Linga Purāna”, which in the form of prophecy states
that Maheśvara in the Kļşna Dvājpāyaṇa would incarnate as
a Brāhman by the name of Lakulin , entering a dead body
thrown into a cemetery ; and that he would have four
disciples who would be Pāśupatas. Thus the movement
1 Thibaut, Vedanta Sutras with Ramanuja'sCommentary, p. 520.
• Wi., p. 80. JAOS, vol. XLIV ,p. 232.
4 12, 285, 194–195. 6 FORL , p. 103.
6 Thibaut, Vedanta Sutras with Ramanuja's Commentary, p. 521 .
? See Archæological Report, 1906-7, pp. 179 ff. Here evidence
shows the cult to be widespread.
8 Chap 21, vv. 204-212. • Chap 24, vv . 124-137.
seems to have its beginning in Gujrat. Or, as it is otherwise
stated , Siva through his Yogic powers, entered a dead body in
a cemetery and becameincarnated as Lakula at Kāyāvarohaņa
in the Lata Country , Baroda. The inscription at Eklingaji
states that Siva was incorporated in the country of Broach
and that he carried a club. The place is located at Karwar
in Baroda State and there is still there a temple to Lakulisa."
The teaching of the sect can be traced to the first century of
our era ”. The great Harșa was a disciple of the faith . The
sect spread also into Merwār and Rājputāna. During the
period, 550-900 it spread into the south as well. The
Pāśupatas were designated by the name Lakulisa and were
widely worshipped on the plains of India . Lakula was
reincarnated in Chilluka in South India in the tenth century5.
This means evidently that a revival of the movement set
in there at that time. It appeared in Melpādi, North Arcot,,
about 1020 and spread to the south. The Kālāmukhas, or
‘ Black Friars ' were active in teaching the doctrine in the
south in the eleventh , twelfth and thirteenth centuries.
Temples of the tenth century at Purāņādhişthāna (near
Śrīnagar in Kashmir) and that of Pāyar Cave have figures of
Lakula on them. The Ekalingaji inscription of the tenth
century , written in Devanāgari, begins with an obeisance to
Lakuliśa. The date of the temple is A.D. 791. Temples of
the seventh to the tenth centuries, as for example, that at
Jharapatan ( seventh century ) show Siva with but two arms,
holding a short club , mahāśeponagno.
TheNakulisa - Pāśupatas are described by Mādhava in his
Sarva Darşana Sangraha.? Their system was the doctrine
of the Pañcādhyāyi, the main source of the later Siva
systems. It aims at a union of the soul with Śiva by pious
mutterings, meditation and the cessation of all action so that
the state of mere feeling is attained. By Yoga practices they
attained miraculous powers of assuming various shapes and
forms, and received messages from the dead. According to
1 FORL , p . 146. * Bhandarkar, JASBy, vol. XXII, p. 57.
3 ERE , vol.VI, p. 702. Archæological Survey of India Report,
1915–16 , p . 50. 5 ERE, vol. XI, p . 68.
•Archæological Survey of India Report, 1915-16 , p. 75.
? Chap . six.
them , the religious emotions were to be excited by song and
dance, by laughter, by simulating the acts and gestures of
one in love, by speaking wildly, by wearing ashes and flowers
from images in the temples and by loud uttering of the
sacred sound, hum , like the sound of vasat, an imitation of a
sound ascribed to a bull. Some think that the obscene
postures depicted in Hindu temples are traceable to their
behaviour. All of this is very like that praxis ascribed to
the Pāśupatas and the Kālāmukhas. Texts of the Yogis are
not ignorant of the substance of them.
Special postures are attributed to them and bathing and
sleeping in sand instead of ashes is mentioned . They dis
pensedcharity to all comers at their institutions.
The Kālāmukhas are closely associated with the Lakulības,
in fact they were the ' black friars' who, as exponents of the
Lakulisa doctrines were responsible for its spread in the
south during the eleventh and twelfth centuries. An inscrip
tion of the twelfth century ( 1177) notes Lakulīsa and
Kālāmukha as one and both as Pāśupata.2 Technically they
were more extreme in their practices than the Kāpālakas, but
there was no popular distinction between them.
They were distinguished by a black streak on the forehead.3
The system is referred to in Rāmānuja's Commentary on
the Vedanta Sūtra . The passage is as follows:
Kālāmukhas teach that the means of obtaining all desired results
in this world as well as the nextare constituted by certain practices
-such as using a skull as a drinking vessel, smearing oneself with the
ashes of a dead body, eating the flesh of such a body, carrying a
heavy stick, setting up a liquor -jar and using it as a platform for
making offerings to the gods, and the like. A bracelet made of
Rudrākşa -seeds on the arm , matted hair on the head , a skull, smear
ing oneself with ashes, etc. All this is well known from the Sāivas.
They also hold that by some special ceremonial performance men of
different castes may become Brāhmaṇas and reach the highest āśrama:
by merely entering on the initiatory ceremony(dikșa) a man becomes
a Brāhmaṇa at once; by undertaking the Kāpāla rite a man becomes
at once an ascetic .
1 Gopi Nath Rao, Elements of Hindu Iconography, vol. II, pt. 1 ,

p. 23, note.
Bhandarkar, Vāişņavism , śāivism , etc., p. 120.
3 Indian Iconography, vol. II , pt. 1 , p . 25.
4 See Thibaut's Translation in SBE, p. 521 .
This sect is still active. The members seem to be
extremely horrible in character. They worship Siva as
Mahākāla (the great destroyer) or as Kāpālabhrt (skull-wearer ).
Kapālin is Bhairava, the most terrible form of Sival. With
these are sometimes associated the possibly more revolting
Aghori. The latter, at least, are cannibalistic . Some modern
sections of the cult are of recent origin. The Aghori Yogīs
of the Panjab are somehow related to these orders and that
some Aughars were cannibals was admitted to the author
during inquiries in that region in the winter of 1924. These
disgusting features of the cult are associated with tāntra and
the east of Bengal and Assam , and are supposed to be
conducive to the acquisition of supernatural powers. These
persons are looked upon by the populace with feelings of
abhorrence and fear. It is a horrible and demoniacal sect.
They seem to be a specialization within the Pāśupata cult
rather than a true sect; and are close to Vāmacāra Śāktas,
for they offer licentious homage to Sakti and Bhāirava. ( The
practice of making no discrimination in food is an old
Pāśupata one.)
However, the Kāpālikas ('wearers of skulls ', they wore
skulls around their necks) were known fairly early . They
are mentioned in the Daśa -Kumāra -Carita ( see below ) of
the sixth century , and as early as the seventh century in
Mahārāşthra. Hiuen Tsang ( in India 630-645) saw them
and described them as wearers of skulls.
One of the characters in Bhavabhūti's (eighth century )
Mālati -Mādhava is a Kāpālika. (See below .) Sankara, so
Mādhava says, was in controversy with Kāpālikas. Anandagiri
describes them . Rāmānuja held them to be extreme in their
practices and Moshan Fani (seventeenth century) mentions
them.
A general description of them would be as follows: They
went about naked , wore a cap while travelling, smeared their
bodies with funeral ashes, were armed with a trident or
sword , carried a hollow skull for a cup or begging bowl, were
half- intoxicated with spirits which they drank from the
hollow skull, were known to commit acts of violence ; their
1 Vāişnaivism and ſaivism , etc., p. 128.
THE FORERUNNERS OF THE GORAKHNATHS 225
garments (when they wore them ) were of patch -work, they
slept on the ground , and wore a rosary of rudrākṣa seeds.
They offered humansacrifices to Cāmundā in order to obtain
magic powers,and often resorted to tricks to ensnare victims.?
Dust from their feet was supposed to cure disease and water
from the washing of their feet drove away demons. The
powers which they acquired included the ability to fly
through the air. Their wits were sharpened by the use of
wine, eating disgusting food, and the embrace of the Sakti of
Bhāirava. They were always lewd , and on occasion carried
off maidens .
In Bhavabhūti's Mālati-Mādhava appears Aghoraghaņța , a
Kāpālika, priest of Cāmuņdā and Kāpāla Kuņdalā (skull-ear
ring), a nun, devotee of Cāmundā and pupil of the ascetic,
practising Yoga, enjoying magic powers, Sāktas, wearing
necklaces of skulls, and carrying heavy rods from which hung
strings of bells. The nun kidnaps the heroine of the play,
in the dead of night, and places her before the image of
Cāmuņdā in a temple near a cemetery, where she is to be
killed and offered to the goddess by the ascetic. (But
Mādhava rescues her and slays Aghoraghaṇta ).
The description of the wizard, Kāpālika, in the Daśa
Kumāra Carita is as follows : 5
His body is ornamented with glittering pieces of skulls ; he is
smeared with ashes of the funeral fires; he wears braids that look like
a streak of lightning ; with his left hand he is sacrificing steadily into
a fierce fire crackling sesame and mustard. In front of him stands
one of the aforementioned servants with folded hands, saying: ‘ Issue
your command ; wherewith can I serve you ? ' He is told to fetch
the princess, Kanakalekhā, and he does so. (She is rescued from
becoming a human sacrifice in the nick of time).
Anandagiri's description is found in the Sarkara-vijaya and
shows the standard get -up of the Kāpālikas.
His body is smeared with ashes from a funeral pyre, around his
neck hangs a string of human skulls, his forehead is streaked with
a black line, his hair is twisted into a matted braid, his loins are
clothed with a tiger's skin, a hollow skull is in his left hand (for a
1 JAOS, vol. XLIV, p. 208. 3 JAOS, vol. XLIV, p. 203.
* JAOS, vol. XLIV, p. 213. JAOS, vol. XLIV, p. 218.
5.JAOS, vol. XLIV , p. 212.
15
cup ), and in his right hand he carries a bell which he rings incessant
ly,exclaiming aloud, ' Ho, Sambhu, Bhāirava,--Ho, Lord of Kāli.
In the Prabodha Chandrodaya are found the following
statements :
My necklace and ornaments are of human bones ; I dwell among
the ashes of the dead and eat my food in human skulls. I look with
eyes brightened with the antimony ofYoga, andbelieve that the parts
of this world are reciprocally different, but that the whole is not
different from God . ... After fasting wedrink liquor out of the skulls
of Brāhmans; our sacredfires are fed with thebrains and lungs of
men mixed up with their flesh, and human victims covered with the
fresh blood gushing from the dreadful wound in their throats, are
the offerings by which we appeasethe terrible god (Mahā Bhāirava ).
.... I contemplate the Lord of Bhavānī, the powerful god who
creates, preserves and destroys the fourteen worlds, whoseglory is
both revealed in the Vedasand displayed in hisworks. The might of
our religion is such that I control Hari-Hara and the greatest and
most ancient of the gods ; I stop the course of the planets in the
heavens; I submerge the earth in water, with it mountains and
cities , and I again drink up the waters in a moment . . . He who
resembles the gods, whose crest is the lunar orb , and who with
delight embraces women beautiful as Pārvati, feel supreme bliss .
Who has enjoyed happiness independent of visible objects ? The
soul that lives without spiritual abstraction is in a state of felicity.
But why do you pray to become like stones ?
Accompanying the Kāpālika is a Kāpālini in attire similar
to his , with heavy breasts, addicted to spirits, who with her
companion , at the command of Bhāirava , dances. It is stated
in this connection that,
without renouncing the pleasures derived through the organs of
sense , the eight great siddhis may be obtained .
Among these powers are the following: whatever a man
desires he may obtain ; the laws of nature are under his
control; the body's size may be diminished or enlarged at
will ; and he may transport himself in an instant to any part
of the universe .
Rāmānuja in his Commentary makes Kāpālas say:
He who knows the true nature of the six mudrās, who understands
1 JAOS, vol. XLIV, pp. 206, 207 ; and Wi., p. 264.
2 Taylor's Translation, pp. 38 ff.
3 Thibaut, Vedānta Sutras with Ramanuja's Commentary, pp. 520,
521 .
the highest mudrā,meditating on himself as in the position called
bhagāsana ?, reaches Nirvāņa. Thenecklace, the golden ornament,the
ear -ring, the head-jewel, ashes, and the sacred thread are called the six
mudrās. . . . He whose body is marked with these is not born again .
In the Dabistan is an account of Yogīs
who know no prohibited food. ... They also kill and eat men .
... There are some of this sect who having mixed their excretions
and filtered them through a piece of cloth , drink them, and say that
such an act renders a man capable of greataffairs, and they pretend
to know strange things. They call the performance of this act atilea
and also akhon. They have all originated from Gorakhnāth . The
author of this work saw a man , who singing the customary
song, sat upon a corpse, which he kept unburied until it came into a
state of dissolution , and then ate the flesh of it ; this act they hold
extremely meritorious.
More recent references to these ascetics are numerous .
Wilsonº states that the Kāpālikas have merged into other
sects, particularly into the Kānphatas, but that these must
all have been contemporary sects for some time.
From the foregoing accounts it is clear that the sects have
much in common. À composite picture drawn from these
descriptions would exhibit many traits discernible today in
the sect of the Kānphatas.
The question ofthe date of Goraknāth as the founder of
the Kanphata Yogis now arises and becomes the subject of
the following chapter.
1 He meditates on himself as seated in the pudendum muliebre. See
Indian Buddhist Iconography, etc., by B. Bhattacharya.
2 ( c. 1670) vol. II, p. 129.
3 See ERE, vol . I, p. 211 .
4 Wi., p. 18.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
GORAKHNATH
HAVING considered at length the characters of the sects of

Siva in which the Kānphatas have their origin, it becomes
necessary to review the various data which have a bearing on
the time of the founder of the order.
Traditions and legends concerning Gorakhnāth are as
already shown, widespread and extensive. Nepāl, the United
Provinces, Bengal, Western India, Sind and the Panjab each
has a large collection .
Kānphatas say that their sect existed before the world
came into being. Their story is that when Vişņu emerged
from the lotus at the creation of all things, Gorakhnāth was
in Pātāla . Vişnu, terrified at the waste of waters, went to
Pātāla and implored the aid of Gorakhnāth, who, in pity for
the deity, gave him a handful of ashes from his eternal fire
(dhūni) and said to him that, if he would sprinkle the ashes
over the waters, he would be able to create the world . It
happened as Gorakhnāth had promised , and then Brahmā,
Vişnu and Siva became the first disciples of Gorakhnāth .
In many places Gorakhnāth is looked upon as more than a
human teacher, outside of the ordinary laws of time, who has
appeared on the earth in different ages ( yuga ). He is said to
have lived in the Panjab at Peshāwar, beyond Lahore , in the
Satya (Kệta) Yuga ; at Gorakhpur in the Tretā Yuga; at
Hurmuj, beyond Dwārakā, in the Dvāpara Yuga ; and
three months journey west of Gorakhpur, at Gorakhmari
(Gorakhmandi) in Käthiāwār in the Kali Yuga . This is
evidently an attempt not only to refer the origin of
1 CTC , vol. III, pp. 153, 154.
? See Martin, vol. II, p. 484; Gr., p. 329.
GORAKHNATH 229
the sect to the distant past, but to incorporate in the record
references to widely separated places where Gorakhnāth and
his followers had headquarters and were well known. It is
also reported that Gorakhnāth appeared in the Kali Yuga
in the form of Seşa Nāga.1
His followers frequently refuse to give the time and place
of his origin because they consider him as superhuman .
Nevertheless, statements are made concerning his movements
in this age. The Nepalese hold that he came to Kāțhmāņļu
from the Panjab,or at least from beyond the borders of their
kingdom . And he is said to have lived near the temple of
Pasupatināth in Kathmandu. He is also claimed as a saint
of Oudh . The monks of Gorakhpur say that he came to
the United Provinces from the Panjab, and that their chief
seat is at Țilla, in Jhelum . Traditions in Kacch go back to
the Panjab; their chief, Dharamnāth, a disciple of Gorakh
nāth, having come from Peshāwar. At Nāsik Yogis hold,
on the other hand , that Gorakhnāth went from Nepāl to the
Panjab and from thence to other parts of India . Judging
from the preponderance of tradition and the relation of the
monastery atȚilla to the others in India, it would seem best
to hold that Gorakhnāth was a native of the Panjab. On the
other hand, Bengal and Nepalese traditions point to the east.
And, with communications as they were , it is possible that
he came from the east into the Panjab. Moreover it seems
that Gorakhnath was originally a Vajrāyaṇa Buddhist,
connected to Sāivism by Matsyendranāth. The legends of
Gopicand show how easily men could move from place to
place even in those days.
Before proceeding to the discussion of the spiritual descent
of Gorakhnath and of his place in the history of India, it
may be well to refer to someless pertinent scraps of informa
tion about him.
In the Dabistan there is mention of Gorakhnāth and of
Yoga practices. Both the writings of Gorakhnāth and of
1 RTCP, vol . I, p. 191 .
2
2 See above, the story of his coming to Matsyendranāth.
3 Martin , vol . II, p. 484.
4 BCI, p. 1,235.
those who quote him are cited.1 Moshan Fani, the author of
the Dabistan, lived in the time of Har Gobind (1607-1644).
Another tradition connects Gorakhnāth with Bābā Farid
who visited Girnār in 1244, and who died in 1266. Gorakh
nāth is represented by an old shrine on Girnār.3
The famous monastery at Dhinodhar, in Kacch , is con
nected with the name of Dharamnāth. This famous saint,
who was a Gorakhnāthī, came to Kacch in 1382.4 It is with
reference to this event that Grierson places, provisionally, the
date of Gorakhnāth in the fourteenth century. The param
parās put at least one disciple between Dharamnāth and his
famous guru and these two Yogis might not have been
contemporaries .
The spiritual descent of Gorakhnāth is recorded in several
places.? All of these paramparās agree in placing before him
two teachers, Adināth and Matsyendranāth (Macchender
nāth ). Khakkar names five teachers preceding Adināth®;
and Svātmarāma states that six gurus intervened between
Matsyendranāth and Gorakhnāth . Of these Lakşminārāyana,
commentator on the Gorakṣa Sataka identifies Minanātha
with Matsyendranāth.10 Current tradition makes Matsyen
1 Dabistan, vol. I, p. 127 .
2 Sita Ram Kohila, in The Journal of Indian History, February,
1922. The translators of the Dabistan place the death of Moshan
Fani not far from 1670. ( vol. I , p. 15.)
* See above, page 119.
4 IA , vol. VII, p . 49.
5 Gr., p. 329. Foran account ofDharamnāth, see pp. 116 ff.
. See chap. four. Appendix D.
? Gorakhnāth kiGoșthi(SeePrice, Hindu and Hindustani Selections,
vol. I, p. 141) ; Trump, The Ādi Grantha, p . 36, note 4 ; The
Hathayogapradīpika of Svātmarāma, verse 5; Report on the Archi
tectural and Archeological Remains in the Province of Kacch , p. 3 ;
Sri Jñāneśvara -mahārāja Carita, Pāngārkar, p. 47 ; and current
traditions. See also Wi., p. 214, note 2 and the reference to Weber.
8 Niranjan Nirākār, Adhika Somnātha, Chet Somnātha, Omkāra
nātha, and Achetnātha. JA , vol . VII , p. 47 .
• Nātha, Sahara, Ananda, Bhāirava ,Gāurangi, andMinanātha.
10 With this Levi agrees : LeNepál, vol. I, p. 155. Sri Nānā
mahārāja Josi Sākhara,Sārtha Jñāneśvarī, 18, verse 1754 , translates
Mina as Matsyendra. Both ‘mina ' and 'matsya' mean ‘ fish .' Bengal
traditionseemstomakethem two different Yogis, with Matsyendra
the Guru of Gorakhnāth and Mina a follower.
GORAKHNATH 231
dranāth the teacher of Gorakhnath . In the Gorakhnath ki

Gosthi of Kabir Gorakhnāth speaks of himself as the son of
Matsyendranäth and the grandson of Adināth.1
Although Adināth may have been a Yogi preceding
Matsyendranāth, he is now identified with Siva, and the
name is used inan attempt to trace the origin of the sect to
the greatest of Yogis, the god Siva.
Much human interest centres around Matsyendranāth ,
who is close to Gorakhnāth . He is the guardian deity of
Nepāl, presiding over the destinies of the kingdom . He is
considered as a Buddhist saint,4 as an incarnation of Padma
pāņi, or as Avalokiteśvara, the fourth divine Bodhisattva.5
He evidently belongs to some place outside of the kingdom ,
for he is said to have come to Nepāl at the command of the
Buddha . It is said that Aryavalokitesvara Padmapāņi
Bodhisattva taught Siva the Yoga. On his way home,
after having received his instruction, Siva explained the
doctrines to Pārvati, at the seaside. She fell asleep
while Śiva was speaking, but Lokeśvar? heard it, disguised
1 Wi., p. 214. Price, Hindu and Hindustani Selections, vol. I,
p. 141. Quotedby Trump, p.36, note 4 .
* Wright, History of Nepal, p.34; Oldfield, Sketches of Nepal,
2
vol. II, p . 117.

3 Levi, Le Nepāl, vol. I, p. 352.
• Matsyendranāth is a much Hinduised form ofDhyāni Bodhisattva
Padmapāņi orAvalokitesvara. Temple, Hyderabad, Kashmir, Sikkim
and Nepāl, vol. II, p . 244.
5 Barth says that he belonged to Nepalese Buddhism . RI,
p. 213. Under the name Chen -re- zi, Avalokita is the patron deity
of Tibet , belonging to the Tāntric Buddhist cycle . Bell, The
Religion of Tibet, p . 30 .
6 Aitkinson , The Himalayan Districts of the North -Western
Provinces of India, vol. II, p . 808 .
? Avalokitesvara is called Lokanāth and Lokeśvar. His cult
may be traced back to the dawn of the Christian era . He is an
ascetic and magician , demiurge and saviour. He became a great Yogi
and possesses the great mantra, or spell, Omn mani padme hum which
means ' Om, the jewel in the lotus.' ( Thomas, JRAS, 1906 , p. 464.)
Tāntric literature gives this sentence an obscene interpretation.
Tibetan forms of this god are reflections of the Hindu cults as early
as the tenth and eleventh centuries. There is a Nepalese inscription
which reads: " The chiefs of the Yogis call him King of Fishes
(Matsyendra); thedevoteesofthe female deities call him Sakti;
in the form of a fish . He is consequently known as
Matsyendranātha.
It is supposed that Matsyendranāth actually came from
Assam , from the region of the Kāmarūpa. In the skrine at
Kāmākhyā there is a drawing under one of the windows
representing the waves of the sea.
Another legend tells how Matsyendra was brought into
Nepāl from Kāpõtal Parbat in Assam , to save the country
from a twelve years' drought which Gorakhnāth had brought
on. This story has been told above. In Pātan (Kāțhmāndu )
in Nepal is held an annual ceremony in Matsyendra's name,
during which an idol is carried in procession. The idol,
which formerly belonged to the Buddhist cult, is very old .
It was taken over into Śāivism when Buddhism was super
ceded . Then a temple was built in honour of Matsyendra
and the festival in his honour was introduced . The idol,
which is very small, is painted red . The procession of
Matsyendranāth brings the rain of the spring, and without
his effectual help the heavens would withhold their waters .
In the Dabistan it is stated that Matsyendranāth was Jonah.
Buddhists call him Lokeśvar. All honour to this being whose true
form is Brahman .' The date of this inscription is 1672 (792 Nepali
Samvat), IA , p. ix, 192. Vallee Poussin , ERE, vol. II, pp. 256–261.
Avalokita regulates transmigration and can produce ready entrance
into Paradise and escape from hell. His mystical spell , Om mani
padme hum , wins his favour. Waddell, L. A., Article, ' Lamaism ,'
ERE, vol. VII, pp. 784–789; Gr., ERE, vol. VI, p. 329.
1 Wright, History of Nepāl,pp. 140, 141. This storyis found in
the Jñānesvarī, 18, 1752, and in the introduction to the Gorakṣa
paddhati.
• Oldfield , Sketches from Nepāl, vol. II, pp. 325, 326 ;Wright,
History of Nepāl,pp. 140 ff.; Levi, Le Nepal,vol. I, p. 349. Tradition
is divided nevertheless, regarding the location of this mountain .
(Waddell, JRAS, 1894, p. 54). And some place it in Ceylon, or South
India. It seems, however , that Avalokitesvara came to Nepāl in the
guise of a Šāivite priest, aPāśupata Śāivite. In either case he would
representŚāivite faith . Dr. Singh (G., p. 73) suggests that Sangaldvipa
is really Sakaladvipa or Shakadvipa near Sialkot.
* Landon, Nepāl, vol. I, pp. 43, 212; vol. II, pp. 213, 217-18,
gives an account of the festival. See above, chap. seven .
• Levi, Le Nepāl, vol. I, p. 356.
5 Levi, Le Nepal, vol. I, p. 356. See also, Oldfield, Sketches from
Nepāl, vol. II , p . 327 ; and above, chap. seven .
Vol. II, p. 137.
GORAKHNATH 233
Matsyendranāth figures neither in the Brāhmanical nor
in the Buddhist pantheon in India proper. He is, however,
well -known in the traditions of the Yogis, as one of their
firstteachers. Gorakhnāth is represented as saying that Mats
yendra was his teacher and he is sometimes looked upon as
the founder of the sect of Känphatas. He is said also to have
introduced Sāivism into Nepāl.3
There is a legend that gives Matsyendra a place in the
Hindu social order. A Rāja, Udhodhar, who lived in the
Satya Yuga was exceedingly pious. At his death, his body
was cremated, but his navel" did not burn . This unburnt
portion of his body was cast into a river and was devoured
by a fish , which later gave birth to Matsyendra. By reason of
having been a good man in his previous life, he became a
saint.
In one legend Matsyendra is represented as going to
Ceylon where he was enamoured of the queen of the land.
When Gorakhnāth heard of the fall of his master, he went to
Ceylon in search of him . He found his teacher in the halls
of the court and called him to account. Matsyendra then
left the queen , but took their two sons with him. They
afterwards became Pārasnāth and Nimnāth , founders of the
Jain religion.
In a Nepalese version of this story, Matsyendra, by means
of his powers of Yoga, left his body in the care of his
disciple, Gorakhnath , and entered that of a king, just dead.
In this situation he fell into temptation . Luckily, Gorakh
nāth , who was watching over his body, recalled him to his
senses and the teacher returned to his own body .
In Nāsik they say that Matsyendranāth came from Mukti
näth , which lies to the north of Nepal. These references
testify to contacts between Gorakhnath and Matsyendranāth
and to the struggle between Buddhism and Sāivism in Nepāl.6
1 Levi, Le Nepāl, vol. I, p. 354.
· Temp., 34 ; Gorakhnāth ki Goșthi, quoted above.
3 Wright, History of Nepāl, p. 142; Wi., p. 214.
• RTCP, vol. II, p. 393.
5 Kitts, Report, Census of Berār, 1881, p. 59. See, for variants of
this legend, RTCP, vol. II, p. 393and note.
* See also Tessitori, ERE, vol. XII, pp. 833 ff.
There is evidence from Bengal to show that Matsyendra was
a guru of the Nāthamārga who converted Gorakhnath from
Buddhism to Sāivism (Or).
Concerning the other teachers preceding Gorakhnāth , as
named by Khakkar and Svātmarāma, little can be said. Those
listed by the latter must be nearly or quite contemporary
with Matsyendra and Gorakşa, for the weight of tradition,
especially in the Panjab, Nepāl and in Western India, indi
cates that Matsyendra was the immediate teacher of Gorakṣa.
There are numerous lists of disciples of Gorakhnāth.1
The names recorded by Svātmarāma“ are:
Gorakhnāth, Virūpākşa, Bileśyā, Manthāna , Bhāirava, Siddhi
buddha, Kathadi, Karanțaka, Surānanda, Siddhipāda, Carapati,
Kāneri, Pūjyapāda, Nityanātha, Nirañjana, Kapāli, Vindunātha,
Kakacandeśvara, Allāma, Prabhudeva, Ghodā, Coli, Țiņţini, Bhānuki,
Nāradeva, Khanda, Kāpālika, and others.
These are probably the names of gurus in some particular
establishment. They do not seem to relate themselves to
other available lists.
In the Jñānesvari, the poet gives the following names :
Minanāth ,Gorakșanāth ,Gāinināth, Nivětšināth and Jñāneśvar;
and the author says that his Yogi discipleship runs back
through this line. As stated above,Minanāth is Matsyendra
nāth . Nivſtțināth, also аa poet , is usually considered to be
the brotherof Jñāneśvar .
By putting the list just given alongside that found in
Bahiņā Bāió some light is thrown on thedate of Gorakhnāth.
The account is as follows:
(1) Adinath (Shiva) taught a mantra to Pārvati (His wife ).
Matsyendra heard it fromwithinthebellyofa fish . (2)Thus through
him the supreme mantra , that Shiva held in His mind, became
effective through bhakti. (3) He (Matsyendra ) showed his favour by
passing the mantra on to Goraksha (Gorakhnath ). Through him it
became known to Gahini. (4) Gahini bestowed his favour on
1 For the list of sub-sects , see pp. 62 ff.
2 Hathayogapradīpika , 1, 5 ,6, 7, 8.
3 Underhill, The Hindu Religious Year, p. 147.
* Jñāneśvari, 18, 1752-4. This is in the Poona edition of 1915. See
also V. L.Bháve, Mahārāstra Sārasvat, first edition, p. 39 ; R. L.
Pāñgārkar, p . 47 .
5 Translation by Abbott, p. 1 .
GORAKHNATH 235
Nivrittināth, even while he was a child, but yet a Yogi. (5) From
him Dnyāneshvara received the favour of the mantra, and this made
him famous at Alandi,the home of Siddhas. (6 ) Dnyāneshvara gave
his blessing to Satchidānanda, the home of bhakti. ( 7) Further on
Vishvambhara, in the beauty of his Shivaform , gave the mantra to
Rāghava (Chaitanya). (8) He gave it to Keshava Chaitanya , and he
to BabajiChaitanya, who gave it to Tukobā ( Tukārām ) . (9) Because
Bahiņi placed her undivided devotion at the feet of Tukobā, she
received (the mantra through him).
There are evidently gaps in this list. The dates, so far as
certain, in this list are : Bahiņā Bāi, 1628-1700 : Tukobā,
1608-1649 ; Visvambhara (Krsna Carianya ), 1485-1533 .
The usual date given for Jñāneśvar is c. 1290.1
Turning now to a study of legend and tradition, an
attempt will be made to determine the time when Gorakh
nāth lived.
The richest field for legends in which Gorakhnāth plays
an important part is the Panjab. The several legends, con
cerning Gūgā, a disciple of Gorakhnāth, are related to events
of varying date. One version , which makes him the son of
Jewar, a chieftain of Bagar (about fifty miles from Sirsa ), is
connected with local ballads that represent him as having
fought with Aurangzeb (1659-1707). According to another ,
Gūgā was killed in battle with Firoz Shāh (1351–1388) of
Delhi. This would put the death of Gūgā towards the close
of the fourteenth century. A more complete story puts him
still earlier. Gūgā, who became a saint, is now considered
as a snake godling and is well known and popular in the
Panjab , in fact in all northern India. He is worshipped
especially by the lower castes. Tod' gives him a substantial
place as a Rājput hero who fell before Mahmud of Ghazni.
The Ambāla version of the legende, together with Wynard's
account of the Rāipur Rāos?, support Tod . The Firozpur
1 But see below .
* Temp ; Swynn; Steele and Crooke in the IA ; Trump; Tod.
See pp. 183ff.
: TA, 1881, pp. 32–43.
• Temp., vol . III , pp . 261 ff.
6 Tod, vol. II, p. 807. Compare Steele, IA , 1881, pp. 32 ff.
& IA , 1881, pp . 34, 35.
? Amballa Settlement Report, 1859.
version makes Gūgā a Chāuhan by birth . The Bijnor
version places him in the reign of Prithvi Rāj, Chāuhan
of Dehli , and makes him the son of a rāja. These various
legends converge upon a definite era . Mahmud of Ghazni
made numerous raids into India, the last of which was
in 1024.3 Prithvi Rāj fell before Muhammad of Ghor
in 1192.4 Near Gūgā's tomb, which is about two hundred
miles south -west of Hissar, there is now a tribe ofMuham
madan Chāuhans , Gūgā's descendants, the Gogawats.
They were part of the force with Abhāi Singh in his
struggle with Muzaffar . At Mandor, the ancient seat of the
Rāosof Jodhpur? there is a gallery of colossi, sixteen figures,
knights errant of the desert, hewn out of a single, natural
rock. Some are on horseback and others are unmounted .
Among the former is Gūgā, the Chāuhan. These colossi
were erected during the reign of Abhāi Singh (1720-50).
Gūgā is thus placed amongst the ancient heroes of Mārwār.
Moreover, traditionsays that he was a Chāuhan by birth and
that he became a Muhammadan faqir .' He is also known as
Zahra Pir . The most likely conclusion, then , from these
data is that Gūgā belonged to the time of the struggle
between the Rājputs and their Muhammadan conquerors,
not later than the twelfth century .
The writings of Kabir and of the Sikhs contain many
references to Gorakhnāth.10 In the time of Amar Dās ( 1552
1574) there was trouble between the Sikhs and the hitherto
powerful Yogis, and temples of the Gorakhnāthīs were
defiled.11 Gorakhnāth must have lived long before this evident
defeat of his sect, for the famous legends of the Panjab
picture him as a very powerful leader with a large following.
But, earlier than this , as recorded in the Janam Sākhis of
1 IA , 1881 , p . 35 . 2 IA , 1895, p. 49. 3 Ox, pp. xix, 11 .
* Ox, pp. 195, 197, 218–220; Duff, p. 277 ; HIG , vol. II, p. 312.
5 ERNP, vol. I , p. 255.
6 Tod , vol . II , p . 1,027.
? Tod, vol . II, p . 951.
8 Tod, vol. II, p. 848; opposite this page (848) is a good picture
of the figure. OTA , 1882, p. 35.
10 Tr., Gorakhnāth ki Goșthi, Mac.
11 Mac., vol. II , pp. 139, 140.
GORAKHNATH 237
Bābā Nānak (1469–1538 ), Nānak is represented as talking
with both Gorakhnāth and Matsyendranāth . In these
accounts Nānak is said to have visited many places. He
is mistaken for Gorakhnāth in Ceylon . In this third
retirement from the world , Nānak visited the northern
region , and, in the fastnesses of the mountains, came to
the residence of Mahādeva ( Siva). There he met Śiva,
Gorakhnāth, Bhartphari, and others, all of whom were per
fect Yogis (Siddhas) . Nānak's fifth retirement was passed
at Gorkhatari,5 a quarter in the city of Peshāwar . There
he met eighty - four Siddhas (adepts) who performed many
wonders for him . Later, he and Gorakhnāth had a talk
together. The setting of this account, and especially
the third retirement of Nānak , shows that Gorakhnāth
belonged to a much earlier period . Nānak seems to have
known about the Yogis of Gorakhnāth's order for, Bhartphari
says to him : 8
The form of the Jõg is the ear-ring, the patched quilt, the wallet,
the staff (and) the horn .
Nának speaks about Goraksas and Siddhas .' He talks
with ascetics at the temple of Gorakhmātā (at Pīlībhīt, U.P. ,
now Nānakmātā ; 10 he knows their teaching and their
practices ; 11 and he is acquainted with their hypocrisies.12
Gorakhnāth pressed Nānak to become a Yogi !13 All of these
references show familiarity with a well-established and well
known order, and not to a sect in the early process of its
development.
1 Tr., p. xxxvi.
Tr ., p. xxxvii; Mac., vol. I, p. 156.
3 Tr ., p. xxxix .
See Mac., vol.I, pp. 170, 171 .
5 Tr., pp . xlii, xliii .
6 Mac., vol. I, p. 172.
? Tr., p. xliv .
8 Mac., vol. I, pp. 133, 151 , 60, 161-163 ; Tr., p. xl.
9 Mac ., vol. I, p. 41 ;
10 Mac., vol. I, pp. 59, 60, 309 .
11 Mac., vol. I, pp. 160, 161 , 173, 174, 225, 274, 295, 338, 349, 350.
12 Mac., vol. I, pp. 314, 315, 350–352, 356, 357.
13 Mac ., vol. I, p . 162.
Further, Kabir ( 1440-1518 ), to whom Nānak was largely
indebted for his teaching?, is supposed to have been a
contemporary of Gorakhnāth. In the Gorakhnāth ki Gosthīa
is recorded a controversy between Kabir and Gorakhnath.
It was on the basis of this reference that Wilson assumed
that Gorakhnāth belonged to the fifteenth century. This date
has been followed for the most part since Wilson's time.3
But the general attitude of the Janam Sākhīs of Kabir point
to an earlier age. Wilson* quotes the following verse in
translation from the Bījak of Kabir:
Gorakhnāth , enamoured as he was of Rāma, is dead ; his body was
not burnt (the Jogis bury their dead), and the flesh has decayed, and
is turned to clay,and such rank as the Kāuravas enjoy, does he obtain
(bodily annihilation ).
This verse conveys the impression that Gorakhnāth had
been long dead, and that his name was so well known in
common tradition thatKabīr could give point to his teaching
by reference to him . The passages in the Ādi Granth bear
out this contention . In this book Kabir speaks of himself
as having been a Yogiin previous births and he knows
something of Yoga doctrine.
(Whose ) breathis returning (through ) the six (mystical) spheres
(of the human body ), whose thought is intent on vacuum.8
Kabir makes references to Yogis ;' the nine Nāthas; 10 some
1 Wi., p. 69.
2 Price, Hindi and Hindustani Selections, vol. I, p. 140. The
Gorakhnāth ki Goșthi is one of the books in the collection of The Book
at Chāura,the Khass Grantha. Wi., p. 76. This dialogue ( goşthi) is
published and translated by Dr. Singh (G.) asthe Gorakhbodh.
3 Wi. , p . 255. See also Alexander , Statistical , Descriptive and
Historical Account of the North -Western Provinces of India ,Gorakhpur,
p. 371, ‘Not earlierthan the fourteenth century . ' Winternitz , WGIL ,
vol. III , p. 258, note 1 , says that he should be placed in the first half
of the fifteenth century. See also WGIL , vol. III, p. 142.
4 Wi., p . 86 .
5 Verse 40.
6 Tr., p. 462 ; Mac.,vol. I, p. 149.
? Mac., vol. VI, pp. 164, 167, 168, 169, 194, 199, 200, 285.
& Tr., p. 472 ; Mac., vol. VI , pp. 168.
• E.g., Tr., pp. 475, 654 ; Mac., vol. VI , pp . 142, 154, 155, 198,
235 , 240 .
10 Tr., p. 696.
GORAKHNATH 239
of the distinctive marks of the Yogi, such as the ear- rings,

the patched coat , postures , the horn , ashes , the wallet, the
club ,? matted hair, the cry, Gorakh, Gorakh ,'' and their
faults of drinking 10 and hypocrisy.11 It is evident that in
Kabir's time Gorakhnāth was a well -known person of the
past,12
Another cycle of Panjab legends, those of Rāja Rasālū and
his half-brother, Puran Bhagat, is intimately concerned with
Gorakhnāth . Rasālū's name is famous from Afghanastān to
Bengal, and Puran is one of the most famous saints of the
Panjab. Both became followers of Gorakhnāth, and Puran ,
especially , became a renowned Yogi. The well where Puran
was left for twelve years,13 is still shown in Siālkot. Rasālū
was the son of the famous Śālavāhan of Siālkot. If the date
of this famous rāja could be fixed, much light would be
thrown upon that of Gorakhnāth. In 1884, Temple14
attempted to show that Rasālū belonged to the early eighth
century. He traced Rasālū’s ancestry through Jāț families in
the Panjab in two main stocks, the Siddhusand the Samsīs.
The former trace their line back to the Rājput prince , Jāisal,
who founded Jāisalmeer15 about 1156 A.D.,16 and who died
in 1168.17 The Samsis go further back, practically through
the same descent, to Rāja Gaj, father of the great Salavāhan.18
1 Mac., vol. VI, pp. 168, 231 , 243.
2 Mac., vol. VI, pp. 168, 231, 243.
3 Mac ., vol. VI , p. 168.
4 Mac., vol. VI , p. 169.
5 Mac ., vol. VI , p. 169.
6 Mac ., vol. VI, pp. 169, 243.
? Mac ., vol. VI , p . 231 .
8 Mac., vol . VI , p . 272.
9 Mac., vol. VI, p. 263.
10 Mac., vol . VI , pp . 154, 255 . 11 Mac ., vol . VI , p . 270.
12 According tothe traditions of the Sādhs (Allison, The Sādhs),
Uda Das (early 17th cent.) was a disciple of Gorakhji (p. 99) and
the Bhandhara was established by Gorakhji. (pp. 86 , 116).
13 See chapter on Legends, p . 199.
14 CR , 1884, pp . 379-415. 15 See Griffin , Rajas of the Panjab, p. 2.
16 Tod, vol. II, pp. 1,204, 1206 ; Duff, p. 290 ; Rājputāna Gazetteer,
p. 171 .
17 CR , 1884, p. 390 ; Griffin , p. 2, says that he was driven from
Jāisalmeer in 1180. Table of descent from Jāisal is found in Griffin ,
p. 9. 18 CR , 1884, p. 392.
Sālavāhan had many sons of whom Puran was the second and
Rasālū the third. Tod ? says that Rāja Gaj opposed the king
of Khurasān at Ghazni, with great success at first, but was
finally slain , and was succeeded by his son . Sālavāhan re
treated to the Panjab which he conquered. There he founded
Siālkot. Later, he recovered Ghazni. Rāja Gaj is placed in
the end of the seventh century. This would put Rasālū
early in the eighth century . This conclusion is confirmed by
the account of the struggles of Hindu chiefs in Afghanastan
from A.D. 697. Rasālū evidently had a considerable share
in the early part of this struggle. There is reference to a very
prominent character on the Hindu side whose name is
variously written and who fought the Musalmans. He
became the subjectof many Arabstories in the holy wars on
the frontiers of India and played a considerable part in events
in the Kābul valley around the beginning of the eigth century.
A Hindu chief by the name of Ranbal defeated Abdullah,
governor of Seistān in 697 and played an important part in
events that followed in 700–703. În 712 a treaty was made,
in Sind, by Muhammad Qasim with a Hindu king named
Rasil. The name of the chief referred to above has been
variously rendered Zantil, Zanbil, Ratbil, Retpeil, Ratbal,
Raptil, Rantal, Rattiel, Ratbyl, Ratpeils and Ranbal. In
modern legends Rasālū's name varies as Risalu , Salu , Rasal,
and Risal.? If Risal is Rasālū, as Temple suggests, then
Gorakhnāth must have belonged to a time not later than the
eighth century . Some writers are inclined to place Rasālū
still earlier. Princeps would say A.D. 400, and Mrs. Steele
would date Sālavāhan in A.D. 78. Dr. Hutchinsonto who , in
i Vol . II , p . 1,179.
2 Tod , vol, II, p. 1,180 .
3 CR ,1884, p. 393. See table on same page.
4 EHI, vol. II , pp . 416 , 417.
5 EHI, vol . II, p . 417.
6
& CR, 1884, p . 393.
? But, is this man Rāī Sāl , who was destroyed in 1205 ? In this
case the Rasālū legend would point to and strengthen the conclusion
drawn on p . 236. See Cambridge History of India, vol . III, p. 47.
8 IA , 1884, p. 183.
, IA, 1882, p. 347. Also Gazetteer of Sialkot, 1883-4, p. 20.
10 In a personal letter to Dr. H. D. Griswold , of Lahore, dated
June 20, 1925. See also Siālkot Gazetteer, 1921, p. 14.
GORAKHNATH 241
his revision of the Gazetteer of Siālkot some years ago , went
into the question, holds that Rasālū was a Punwar Rājput,
belonging to the Yadubaṁsi race, which had its seat at
Rāwalpindi, then called Gajpur. They were expelled by
Indu- Scythians and returnedto the east of the Jhelum where
Sālavāhan made Sialkot his capital. Rasālū succeeded his
father, Sālavāhan , about the end of the first century A.D.
He seems to have been succeeded by an Indu -Scythian by
the nameof Rāja Hudi.?
These data show that there are traditions, which supersede
those of Kabir, which point to an early date for Gorakhnāth.
Whether the stories of the relations between Gorakhnāth and
Puran Bhagat, which are very persistent, would allow a date
as early as the eighth century A.D. for Gorakhnāth , as Temple
would suggest, orstill earlier, as Dr. Hutchinson's data would
suggest, must depend upon corroborative evidence from other
sources. At the lowest, the weight of the Punjab legends,
Gūgā, Rasālū, Puran and Sālavāhana, point to the struggles
between Musalmān and Hindu on the frontiers, before the
end of the twelfth century.
The note made by Jñāneśvar in his famous paraphrase of
the Bhagavad Gitā is of great importance, for the author
states that he was a Yogi, adisciple of Gorakhnāth.3
Using tradition based on Nāmdev,4 R. L. Pāngārkar, in
his Śrī Jñāneśvaramahārāja Carita, Poona, 1912, states that
Gorakhnāth came to the home of Govindpanth, the grand
1 1921 .
2 Sials were also Punwār Rājputs. In the time of Hiuen Tsaing
Sialkot was called Sakala. Kotis a modern addition . Sakala became
Sala, Sal, Sial through phonetic modifications. Rāja Hudi, with
whom Rasālū's name is associated in the legends, Princep (IA , 1884,
pp. 182, 183) would put about A.D. 360.
Sālavāhan is also said to have been of the Nāga race of Takşa
(FRAS, 1891 , p. 37 ; Tod, vol. I, p . 82). The name of Hudi, or Udi
is associated with the caves at Hoda in Afghanastān ,the largest being
known as the Palace of Hoda Rājā. Khairābād , opposite Attock , is
known as the stronghold of Hodi, or Udi ( JRAS, vol. XIV, p. 323).
Cunningham (Archæological Survey of India, vol. XIV, pp. 44-47)
thinksthat Hodi should be placed before the Christian era. Others
(IA, 1884,p .78 )seem to think that his date is about A.D. 200.
3 See above, pp. 311 , 312.
· Abhangací Gathā, Bombay, 1894, pp. 421 ff.
16
father of Jñāneśvar (p. 32) and that Gāinināth was the guru
of Vitthal, the father of ſñāneśvar (p. 32). Bhave repeats
the tradition to show that there was an old connection be
tween Gorakhnath and Jñāneśvar's grandfather, Govindpanth .
He says also that Govindpanth's father worked under Jāitrapāl
of Bira in 1207, and had his mind turned to religious things
by Gorakhnāth . The same author ( Bhave ) holds that
similes and arguments in passages from the Gorakșa -amar
samvād and the Jñāneśvari aresufficiently in agreement to
belong to the same literary descent. The Gorakșa -amarsamvād
is attributed to Gorakhnath. He, therefore, thinks that there
were very close relations between Jñāneśvar's forebears for
two or three generations and the Nātha sect.3 Bhave also
says that the Nātha sect was widely spread throughout
Mahārāstra about the twelfth century.4
There is thus found in the jñāneśvari a literary reference
to Gorakhnāth, which gives him a definite place in history.
If the usual date, 1290,5 for the Jñāneśvari be accepted ,
Gorakhnāth may be placed not later than 1225. There is,
however, some uncertainty concerning the date of this work.
While it may be said that the poem was written not later than
1290, it may have been written earlier. The late Dr. Justin
E. Abbott, in an unpublished paper, reported four manuscripts
of the Jñāneśvari which are undated, indicating that the dates
found in the others have been interpolated, and that there are
manuscripts belonging to a recension which does not know
this date,and, therefore, may be older. The language of the
Jñānesvarī is sufficiently archaic, he said, to allow for argu
ment for an earlier date than 1290 for its composition. The
date for Gorakhnāth might, therefore, on the argument from
the Jñānesvarī, be placed as early as A.D. 1100.6 Bhave would
say the tenth or eleventh century .?
There is another cycle of legends, centering around
Gopicand, Rāni Pinglā, and Bhartſhari ( Bhartri),which is
repeated from Bengal to Western India and Sind and which
is not unknown in the Panjab.
Bhave, vol. I, p. 30. 2 Bhave, vol. I, pp.38, 39.
3 Bhave, vol. I , p. 41 . 4 Bhave, vol. I, p . 37.
5 BVS, p. 92, 6 His shrine is at Alandi.
? Bhave, vol. I, p. 37.
GORAKHNATH 243
Gopicand is known in a famous legend of Sind as Pir
Patão. This story goes back to the first decade of the
thirteenth century, since the saint is said to have died in
1209.1 Pír Patão lived in a cave , Pir Arr, in an island hill
near Thatha in the delta of the Indus, about twenty miles
from the present railway station of Jungshahi. By Hindus
he is called Gopicand. The story of Gopicand as told in the
East is found in The Song of Manickchandra . Manikcand , a
chief who lived in the neighbourhood of Rangpur, in Eastern
Bengal, was a brotherof Dharmapāla . The Pāla dynasty came
to an end in Bengal in 1095.4 The Yogis rose to power under
the Pālas. Manikcandra's wife, mother of Gopicand, was a
disciple of a sweeper, Hāļi by name, a Yogi of the sect of
Gorakhnāth. Gopicand's mother was herself a skilled magi
cian . Grierson thinks that the Yogi Hāļi represents the
movement of the Kānphata Yogis eastward from Nepāl. Sen5
conceives of the movement in the other direction. The
Kānphata Yogis of the neighbourhood of Rangpur, today ,
who sing the song of Manikcandra, are Pāśupata Siva
worshippers who consider Gorakhnāth as their guru. Hāļi,
therefore, lived as early as the first half of the eleventh
century . Gorakhnāth preceded Hādi.
Dinesh Chandra Seno points out that in the Dharma Man
gala there are frequent references to Minanāth, Gorakhnāth ,
Hāļīpā and Kālupā, whom he terms Buddhist saints .? He
says also that the ballads of the Pāla kings of Bengal have the
distinct marks of Buddhism on them and indicate the
marvellous powers wielded by Gorakhnāth and Hādīsiddha.
They were popular. Hāời was a Dom . Sen also states that
1 Accountfurnished by E.L. Carter, Esq ., I.C.S.,and sent to the
author byDr.J. J. Modi, Hon . Secretary of the Anthropological
Society of Bombay. The legend is found in the Tufat ul Kiram .
? JASBe, 1877 , 1878, articles by Grierson .
3 JASBe, 1878, p. 135.
Kennedy , ImperialGazetteer, Indian Empire, vol. II, p. 317.
5 History of Bengali Language and Literature, p. 29.
• History of Bengali Language and Literature, p. 29.
? History of Bengali Language and Literature, p. 28 .
8
Sen, p. 29. Grierson held that Hāời was not a Dom and that
Manikcandra was a Bania by caste; JASBe, 1878, p. 138 ; 1877 ,
p. 186 ; not a Pāla (ibid., p. 135). But see below , p. 244.
the Dharma cult, to which these saints belonged , was
expounded by Rāmāi Paņdit who was born at the end of the
tenth century ; that his contemporary, Dharma Pala V belong
ed to the early eleventh century ; and that Manikcandra Pāla
of the first half of the eleventh century is the Manikcandra
of the song translated by Grierson.1
The mother of Gopicand, Manavati, is spoken of as the
sister of Bhartſhari, who abdicated his throne in favour of
his brother, Vikramāditya ( Candragupta II) of Ujjāin, after
the death of his queen, Rāni Pinglā. Bharthari (Bhartri)
became a Gorakhnāthi.2 One of the sub - sects of the
Kānphatas is named after him. Vikramāditya ruled in Ujjāin
from 1076 to 1126.3 This would place the death of Rāni
Pinglā before the end of the eleventh century.
Another version of the Rāni Pinglā story makes her the
queen of Rāja Bhoj of Dhär (Mālwā), who reigned from 1018
to 1060.4
The references to Gopicand, Bhartri, Bhoja and Rāni
Pinglā all suggest a date not later than the early eleventh
century for Gorakhnāth .
Moreover, there are historical data to support these Bengal
traditions. The Pālas were plebeians elected to kingship
( Sāstrī, p. 3), and their period runs from the eighth to the
twelfth centuries (Ban). During the reign of the third king
1 Sen, History of Bengali Language and Literature, pp. 407, 456.
2 See Eknāth, Ananda Lahari, edition of 1912,Poona,verse 95. A
legend describing his acceptance of Gorakhnāth is as follows:
Bhartri happened to go into the forest where Gorakhnāth was
practising asuterities, but he knew not that the saint was there. Soon
after thedisciples ofGorakhnāth met him and asked him to become
one of them . He answered, 'What do I care for Gorakhnāth ? If he
wishes to learn the ways of the almighty let him come and hear from
me.' Finally, Gorakhnāth said to Bhartri, ‘ If you give me a handful
of patience, I will become your disciple .' So Bhartri, in search of
patience, came to the gods, but they could not supply it. At last he
went to Vişņu, who said , 'I cannot supply you with patience. If you
want it, you must go to Gorakhnāth who is the greatest of saints .'
Thus convinced, Bhartri accepted Gorakhnāth as his guru . CTC ,
vol. III , p. 154. 3 Ox, p. 202.
See RTCP, vol. II, p . 403; Archæological Survey of Gujarat,
p. 3 ; Ox, p.189; compare HIG ,vol. II, p. 249. Forbes, RāsMāla,
vol. I, p. 112, gives Bhoja Pramāra the dates 1010 to 1053.
GORAKHNATH 245
of the line, the worship of Dharma as a god came into

fashion through the influence of Rāmāi Pandit. Devapāla's
sister, Mayanā, actively encouraged the Pandit. The next
king but one of the line is known to have granted lands
to Pāśupatas, whose temples he is said to have erected by the
thousands ( Šāstrī). Conflicts with the Pratīhāras would make
possible the relationships suggested by the stories involving
Bhoja and Bhartri. Mahīpāla (before 1020) saw vernacular
literature developing and the admission of the Tântric gods
Bhairava and Bhāiravi into popular Buddhist religion. Then
too , the Nāthas were becoming objects of veneration.
Rāmanavajra,ofthe Vajrayāna Buddhistdevelopment,became
a disciple of Matsyendranāth (see above, p. 151 and below ,
p. 277), a Sāivite belonging to the Nāthamārga, taking the
name of Gorakhnāth. ( Sāstrī, p. 9.) And he only among the
great Nāthas was considered as a heretic by the Buddhists
(Or.). Govinda Chandra (Gopicand ) was a contemporary of
Mahīpāla and belongs to the eleventh century (Sāstrī).
There is, moreover, in Rājputāna, a tradition which asso
ciates Gorakhnath with Bappa in the early eighth century.
Bappa of Mewār grew up in the wilds of Udaipur. The
story is that he met there, one day, a hermit, by name
Gorakhnāth , who gave him the two-edged sword with which
he opened the way to the throne of Mewar. Tod relates2
how Pushpavati, daughter of a Pramār prince of Candravati
was returning from a pilgrimage to her own country, from
the shrine of Ambā Mātā when she heard of the sack of
Vallabhie at the hands of the Māitrikas. Her lord , a prince
of the Solar dynasty, perished. The queen took refuge in a
'cave in the hills of Malia. There she was delivered of a son .
She gave him into the keeping of a Brāhmani with instruc
1 Tod, vol. I, p. 265 .
2 Tod, vol. I, pp. 258–268.
3 Tod, vol. I, p. 265. This place has disappeared. It was about
twelve miles from the foot of Abu, at the junction of the Banās and
the Sivālan . See Archæological Survey of India, 1903, pp. 96-99.
* Wala, eighteen miles north-west of Bhāunagar in Kāțhiāwār.
The Gahlotis took possession of this place about A.D. 470 ; Archæo
logical Survey of India, New Series, vol. II, p. 80. Compare Forbes,
Rās5 Māla, vol. I , p. 261 .
Ox, p. 164 ; Tod, vol. I, p . 255.
tions that he be brought up as a Brāhman , but that he be
married to a Rājputni. The queen then mounted the funeral
pyre . The child's foster mother named him Goha, which is
popularly rendered as ' Cave -born .' The word is derived ,
however, from ‘Guha ,' or ' Guhasena' the name of the fourth
and probably the first great Vallabhi monarch , 559–567.1 As
he grew up, he became the friend of the Bhīls, and later,
their king, ruling the Idar, south of Mount Abu. The ninth
in the line from Goha ' was Bappa, or Bāpa, who overthrew
the Moris of Chitor, of whom he was a chieftain, in A.D. 7282
and founded the dynasty of Mewar.
The sack of Vallahbi took place in 524.3 This and the
date 728 agree sufficiently to satisfy the chronological
requirements of the tradition .
There is additional evidence concerning this tradition of
Bappa and the Yogis. The famous temple of Eklingaji, north
of Udāipur, was founded by Bappa. While he washerding
cattle in the neighbouring hills, Bappa followed, one day,
one of the cows that was behaving strangely . In his
curiosity about her he stumbled upon a phallic symbol of
Mahādeva . On this spot the temple was built. The sage
whom Bappa found there became his teacher, and Bappa
was initiated into the mysteries of Śiva. Siva's consort
invested Bappa with divine weapons and the sage made him
invulnerable from weapons. An inscription, found in a store
room of the temple, and dated A.D. 971 , and written in the
Devanāgri character of the tenth century, confirms the
tradition and shows the earlier existenceof the temple. The
location of the temple above the ruins of Nāgahrada (Nāgda,
Nāgendra) shows that Tod's legends concerning Bappa have
some historical foundation . This inscription would place
1 Tod, vol. I, p. 259.
2 Tod, vol. I, p . 269; HIP, vol. X, p. 229, says 734 ; Duff, p. 278,
says 735. See Tod, vol. I, p .265, note .
3 Tod, vol. I, pp. 254, 251 ; Yates, Rajputana Gazetteer, vol. III,
p . 15, accepts the date. FHIEA , vol. I, p . 24 : ' From about A.D. 500,
Kāthiāwār was held by the Māitrikas'. See also Cunningham , Coins
of Mediæval India, p. 46 ; Ox, p. 164; Archæological Survey of India ,
vol. II, p. 70, says A.D.523.
4 HIG , vol. XXIV, p. 104. 5 Tod, vol. I, pp. 263, 264.
6 Bhandarkar, JASBy, vol. XXII, pp. 151 ff.
GORAKHNATH 247
the time of the founding of the temple not far from that
when Bappa took Chitor from the Moris. The store room
was a temple of the Nāthas. The inscription confirms also
the tradition of the Rānas of Udaipur as ministers in the
temple . The hermit who met Bappamay have been Gorakh
nāth . In that case his date would be not later than the early
part of the eighth century.
An interesting coin of Bappa has been found and is describ
ed in a recent issue of the Journal of the Asiatic Society of
Bengal. On the obverse of this coin are found the words Sri
Voppa, in characters of the eighth centuryand figures of the
trident, the linga of Siva andthe bull. Below these is the
image of a man, prostrate, having large ears, pierced , the
holes exaggerated. The reverse shows a cow . All of this is
suggestive of the legend recorded above.
It is true that theprevailing Säivite ascetics of that time in
Rājputāna are usually considered to have been of the Lakulība
sect. But, the name of Gorakhnāth is mentioned, in an
inscription recording a consecration of five lingas at Somnāth
in 1287, along with that of the Lakulīšas . Bhandarkar
points out that Lakulīsa was a general name by which
Šāivite sects were called in inscriptions (i.e. , from 943 to
1285). It is not improbable, then , that Gorakhnāth was
known in Bappa's time.
Considerable attention has been given to Nepalese legends
and the meeting of Matsyendranāth and Gorakhnāth at
Pātan.5
Later traditions and coins do not help to fix the date of
Gorakhnath . But the main tradition concerning Matsyendra
nāth and his disciple does. That the tradition goes back for
some centuries is clear from an inscription cited by Valleé
1 NumismaticSupplement,1926–27, p . 14.
a Fleet, FRAS,1907 , p. 420,states that Eklingaji is a temple of
the Lakulišas.
3 In the Cintra Prasasti of the Reign of Sārangadeva, Epigraphia
Indica, vol.I, pp. 271 ff. The images, a Gorakşaka, a Bhairava, an
Añjaneya ( Hanumān ), a Sarasvāti and a Siddhi Vināyaka (Ganesa)
wereplaced in five temples .
4 Vaishnavism , Śāivism , & c., p. 120 .
5 See pp. 231, 232, 233, above. * See p. 179, note 4.
Poussin ' which shows that Matsyendranāth, in his relations
with Yogis, as represented in the story of the fish , and as
Lokeswar, were traditional in 792; Nepāli Samvat, A.D. 1672.
Matsyendranāth represents the union of Pāśupata Śāivism and
Buddhism in Nepal.2
In the Vamśāvali Pārbatiyā it is stated that Matsyendra
nāth cameto Nepāl to meet Gorakhnāth in the reign of
Bardeva (Varadeva ). This king lived not later than the
middle of the eighth century. According to Walsh * coins
of the dynasty to which Bardeva belonged, ranging from
635 to 751 , have been identified . Chronology based upon
these coins would place Bardeva somewhere about 700, at
least not later than the middle of the eighth century. Levis
puts Narendradeva, father of Bardeva, in the middle of
the eighth century. The father, an old man , was living when
Gorakhnāth came to Nepāl.
Besides literary and legendary sources, there are some
archæological data which may help to fix the date ofGorakh
nāth . There is a division of opinion amongst Yogis as to
who began the practice of splitting the ears and inserting the
huge ear-rings. At any rate, the practice is closely associated
with Matsyendranāth , and Gorakhnāth, and secondarily with
Śiva. In the Ellora Brāhmanical cave temple , Kāilāsa, there
is a figure of Siva as a Mahāyogi with the huge ear-rings.?
This temple belongsto the early part of the eighth century .
There is a similar figure of Siva as Jogeśvar on Salsette
Island, belonging to the second half of the eighth century.'
If this evidence be indefinite, there is other more exact.
1 ERE, vol. II, p. 260.
3 Tibetan tradition says that Gorakhnāth's Kānphața disciples
originally were Buddhists and that they became Šāivites in the
twelfth century. Levi,Le Nepāl, vol. I, pp. 355 f.
8 Wright, History of Nepal, p. 313. The list contains 5. Narendra
deva, 8. Vara Deva, 9. Sankaradeva.
* JRAS, 1908, pp. 669, 760.
5 Le Nepāl, vol. I, p. 347.
6 WGIL , vol. III, p. 258, note 1 .
· Archæological Survey of Western India, 1883, plate xxi. These
are not, however ,worn as Kānphatas wear theirs.
8 About A.D. 725. Cave Temples, pp. 400 , 453 .
• Cave Temples,p. 475. Wi., p. 212, note : ' In the temples of
Salsette, Elephanta, and Ellora the principal figure is mostly Siva,
GORAKHNATH 249
The builder of the temple of Paraśurāmeśvara in the North

Arcot district, evidently had in mind the form of the linga ,
for the structure is built on that general plan. The linga in
this temple is an exact phallus, and is the only one of its
kind in South India . On the linga is carved an image of
Siva with two hands only. In his right hand he is carrying a
ram by its hind legs, andin his left a water- bottle. He has a
battle -axe on hisleft shoulder. His hair is matted and
twisted and he is standing on a rākşasa. The image shows
characteristic of the Gorakhnāthis.
the split ears and the rings
An inscription shows that the temple was rebuilt in 1126.
T. A. Gopināth Rāo, who described the temple and linga ,
insisted that the carved linga, which shows Siva with the
split ears and the huge ear-rings, should be dated not later
than the second or third century. The image seems to be as
early as the twelfth century, anyway.
The pertinent data for determining the date of Gorakhnath
has been assembled . The evidencemay be grouped around
four periods. First of all, there is the association of the
namewith those of Kabir and Nānak ; but it has been shown
that this evidence really points Gorakhnath to an earlier
period.
There is, then, the period of the eleventh and twelfth
centuries, before A.D. 1200, the era of the early Hindu
Moslem conflict, principally in the north -west. For this
period there is the cycle of the Gūgā legend; the literary
evidence from the Nāthas of Western India, including
Jñāneśvar ; the Bengal Śāivite-Buddhist tradition, including
the Dharma cult ; and the archæological fragment from
South India. The destruction of the shrine at Gorakhpur
in the thirteenth century would have its bearing on this date.
This whole body of material seems to support a date not
later than A.D. 1200; most of it would favour a date at least a
century earlier.
decorated with ear-rings, such as are worn by the Kānphata Jogis;

the walls are covered with ascetics in the various asanas ... in which
the Yogi is to sit ... and one of the caves of Salsette is named that
of Jogišvra, orSiva, as the Lord of Yogis. Quoted from Translation
of the Literary Society of Bombay, vols .I andII. See note 7, p. 248 .
1 IA , vol. XL, 1911 , pp. 104 H.
Then there is the third suggestion of the seventh - eighth
century. For this there is theBuddhist - Sāivite tradition in
Nepāl going back to the Narendradeva; Bappa of Udāipur;
Rasālū and Hodi of the north -west; and scraps of references
about Sankara in the east and in Nepāl. While it may seem
that this data is not clear enough to argue that Goraknāth
lived so far back, still, in considering these sources it is well
to bear in mind that the centuries, seven to twelve, mark
the period of the decline of Buddhism and the rise of
Säivism , and that the latter was at its height in the tenth and
eleventh centuries. The Sāiva movement was advancing
powerfully in the days of Sankara (788–850). The struggle
between Buddhism and Säivism was at its highest in South
India in the seventh century. Sāivism was introduced into
Nepāl early. In 627 there were seven Sāivite shrines in
Nepāl.1 There are traditions in the east to the effect that the
Yogis were Sāivites degraded by Sankara for drunkenness.
Finally, there are bits of opinion, based upon a reference
here and there, pointing to still earlier times .
Taking all of these data into consideration , it may be
assumed that Goraknāth lived not later than A.D. 1200 in
the second of the four periods suggested above. And it is
not unreasonable to push back his date another century,
since, if the conjecture about the date of the jñāneśvarī be
correct, Bengal literary and historical tradition would agree
with that of Western India. This would be supported by
the inscription at Somnāth (dated 1287), for the fact that
Gorakhnath could have a temple and an image so early
would indicate that he had lived at least a century before.
Until further data are discovered, the conclusion must be
that Gorakhnāth lived not later than A.D. 1200 , probably
early in the eleventh century , and that he came originally
from Eastern Bengal.2
1 Levi, JournalAsiatique, vol. II (1904 ), p. 225.

? Dr. Mohan Singh in his Gorakhnáth and Mediaeval Hindu
Mysticism , argues from data chiefly found in vernacular sources, not
noted above, that Gorakhnāth lived in the 9th-10th centuries.
CHAPTER TWELVE
THE LITERATURE
THERE seems to be little teaching of books and a limited

practice of Yoga amongst the Kānphatas. Inquiries at the
principal centres of the Yogis elicit very little knowledge of
their texts, even of the names of their treatises on the
Hatha Yoga. Many of the Yogis and some of their mahants
are quite illiterate. There is, however, some oral teaching.
Besides the cyclic songs already mentioned , there are a
number of works which Goraknāthis use , and others which
are attributed to them, or which deal with the Hatha Yoga.
For convenience of record, these books are arranged in four
groups and numbered consecutively.2
1 At Tilla they reported no practice and very little teaching.

Others claim thatall Yogis practise a little meditation in the night,
at four in the morning and at nine in the evening. They fix their
mindson Parameswar. – The Aipanth at Hardwār.
The works are numbered for convenience, not for suggested
chronological order. The author's own lists are supplemented by
references to the following writers against whom the works they cite
are numbered .
Gr., Numbers 13, 14, 21 , 36, 43, 45, 46, 47.
Wi., Numbers 24, 26, 31, 32, 35, 36, 41.
Hall (An Index of theIndian Philosophical Systems), 11 , 12, 14, 25,
33 , 35 , 36, 45, 46 , 47 .
Farquhar ( FORL ),11, 15, 19, 22, 23, 24 , 25, 26, 28, 30, 33, 34, 35,
36 , 41 , 42, 45 , 47.
Garbe (Šānkhya und Yoga ), 34, 35.
Atkins (Himalayan Gazetteer, vol. II, p. 809), 26, 36, 41 .
Jñāneśvara (Pāngārkar), 22, 26, 36, 41.
Aufrecht (Catalogus Catalogorum ), 13, 14, 17, 20, 21 , 26 , 36, 37,
38, 43 , 45 , 46, 47.
Mitra, Rajendralala ( Yoga Aphorisms of Patañjali, pp. 219 ff.;
Sanskrit Manuscripts of the Raja of Bikanir, pp. 567 ff.; Sanskrit
I.
1. Devi Bhāgavat.
2. Sapta Deva Stotra .
3. Bhagat Sāgar.
4. Sati Sāgar.
5. Durgā Pāț.
6. Bhäirom Pāt.
7. Rāmbodh .
8. Gorakhbodh. Written in an old form of Hindi, and
reported to date from the fourteenth century.1
9. Gyān Sāgar.
10. Brāhmanda sar Gitā .
11. Hatha Yoga. Attributed to Gorakşanātha.
12. Hatha Samhitā .
13. Caturasityāsana.
14. Yoga Cintāmani, on Hatha Yoga by Sivānanda Saras
vathi.
15. Yoga Māñjari.
16. Yoga Saṁdhya.
17. Gorakṣa Samhitā . Mitra says that this deals with
details of performing Yoga Meditations.
18. Yoga Saṁgraha, by M. Sukla.2
19. Goraksa Kaumudi.
20. Yoga Mārtanda.
21. Vivekamārtanda Yoga, by Rameśvara Bhațţa.
22. Goraksa Gītā ,
23. Gorakṣa Pañcaya.
Manuscripts of the Raja of Bihar, pp. 11 , 14, 17, 18, 25, 33, 34, 35,
36, 37, 39, 40, 43 , 44, 45, 46, 47.
Besides these , he lists other secondary works on the Hatha Yoga ;
Hatha Pradīpika - Țīka, by Rāmānanda Tirtha ;
Hatha - Pradīpika Țippaņa, by Umāpati ;
Jyotsnā, by Brahānanda;
Hatha Ratnavali;
Hatha Yoga Dhirāya by Siva ;
Hatha Yoga Dhīrāya ſīka by Rāmānanda Tirtha;
Hatha Yoga Viveka, Vāmadeva;
Jñānamyta Țippaņa by Sadānanda;
Fñāna Yoga Khanda.
1 Tessitori, ERE,vol.XII, p. 834. He also reports Gorakhnāth ki
vacan , byBanārsi Dās, a Digambara Jain priest of the seventeenth
century .' Dr. Singh gives an English translation of this work and
reproduces the text. 2 Mitra .
THE LITERATURE 253
24. Siva Gitā .
25. Hatha Sarketa Candrikā, by Sundra Deva.
26. Gorakṣa Sahasranāma. Mitra states that this is a book
on the 1,000 names of Kțşņa while he was employed as
a shepherd in Vraja .
These books are of varying dates, some in Hindi, others
in Sanskrit, and are not of primary significance.
II .
27. Siva Purāna .
28. Nirañjana Purāna .
29. Vişnu Sahasranāma.
30. Visvānanda Tantra .
31. Śiva Rahasya Tantra.
32. Rudra Yamala Tantra .
The books of this list are general Purāņic, Tântric and
sectarian works.
III.
33. Hathayogapradīpika. This is a Tāntric - Hatha - Yoga
treatise written by Cintamani, who as a hermit took the
name of Swātmarāma and attained the title, yogīndra ." He
knows a long list of Yogis who preceded him , more than
twenty -four in all. The book , therefore, is fairly late, and
is sometimes assigned to the fifteenth century . It is cer
tainly not earlier . It contains 382 verses arranged in four
chapters. The verses in the Gorakṣaśataka are found , ver
batim , or in substance, scattered in the Hathayogapradīpika.
Portions of it are found in the commentary , as well as in
the text of the Gorakṣa Paddhati. It may be considered ,
therefore , as an elaboration of earlier works of the school.
The verses were translated into English in 1915 by Pañcam
Sinh , and printed at Allahabad in the series known as “ The
Sacred Books of the Hindus '. Herman Walter, in 1893 , at
Müncen , published a translation of the book , with commen
tary. In the same year Srinivās Jayangār publishedaan English
translation in Bombay , and in 1889 Brahmānand Bhaba of
Sri Dhara , likewise published a translation at Bombay . It
was translated by Yogi Srinivāsa Iyangār in 1893 and a
2
1 Mitra . See opening verses of the work.
second edition of this work was issued from the Theosophical
Publishing House, Adyar, Madras, in 1933. The numbering
of the verses in this edition does not always agree with that
in Pañcam Sinh's edition .
34. The Gheranda Samhitā is a work very similar to the
preceding, from which it borrows ; ' but it gives much
attention to dhāuti and more details of personal hygiene. It
was translated and an introduction was prepared for it by
Richard Schmidt, at Berlin, second edition in 1921,under the
title, Faqire und Faqirtum . The work was edited by Bhuva
nana Chandra Vasaka, at Calcutta , in 1877. There are
English translations by Sri Chandra Vasu, Bombay, 1895, and
by Rai Bahadur Sris Chandra Vasu , Allahabad , 1914. This
last belongs to the series entitled ' The Sacred Books of the
Hindus.' It was re- issued in 1933 from the Theosophical
Publishing House at Adyar. The author was an adept named
Gheranda, a Vāişņavite of Bengal. His pupil, to whom he
addresses his teaching, was Caņda -Kāpāli. Thisis an interest
ing name, in view ofthe origins of the sect of the Kānphatas.
35. The Siva Samhitā is a Tāntric treatise on Yoga also ,
but much more difficult than the two preceding works and
much longer, containing 517 verses. It is Vedantic in its philo
sophical outlook. Chapter Five seems to be of independent
origin , its contents having been recited to Pārvati by Siva
himself. In 1923 a second edition of an English translation
by Rai Bahadur Śrīsa Chandra Vidyarnanda was published,
in the series ' The Sacred Books of the Hindus,' the first
having been issued in Lahore in 1884.
These three treatises, especially the first and the third, are
of considerable value for this study.
IV
36. Goraksa Sataka.
37. Jñāna Sataka.
38. Jñānaprakāśa Sataka.
39. Gorakṣa Sataka Țīka, a commentary on No. 36 by
Sankara .
1 SBH , vol. XV , pt. 4, p. 11 .

2 Mitra .
THE LITERATURE 255
40. Gorakṣa Sataka Țippaña, notes on No. 36 by Mathura

nāth Sukla .
41. Gorakṣa Kalpa.
42. Goraksa Paddhati.
43. Yoga Siddhānta Paddhati, on the practice of Yoga by
Gorakhnāth.1
44. Siddhānta Paddhati, rules of Yoga praxis by Gorakh
nāth.1
45. Siddhasiddhānta Paddhati, or metaphysics according
to Yoga doctrine, by Nītyānanda Siddha . " Siddhānta ' is
demonstrated truth , i.e. , what is proved by reason . The
commentary on verse thirteen of P2 attributes this work to
Gorakhnath .
46. Yoga Mahimān .
47. Jñānamyta, poems on duties of Yogis by Gorakhnāth.3
Of these works numbers 37, 38 are identified as the
Gorakşaśataka (No. 36). Farquhar states that the Goraksa
Kalpa (No. 41 ) is translated into Hindi as the Goraksa
Paddhati (No. 42). The latter consists, however, of the
Gorakşaśataka and one hundred other verses, all in Sanskrit,
with a commentary in Hindi. This commentary contains
quite a number of verses found in the Hathayogapradīpika
(No. 33).
Numbers 39, 40, 41 , 42 , 43 , 44 are commentaries ( tīka ,
tippana) and manuals, secondary or supplemental documents
( paddhati) on the Gorakşaśataka (No. 36 ). Mitra attributes
numbers 43, 44, and 47 to Gorakhnāth , number 39 to
Sankara (788-850) and the others (numbers 40, and 45) to
later writers.
In the foregoing lists there must be many duplicates of
books, with names as variations of descriptive titles; so
perhaps No. 26 and No. 29. This may be illustrated further.
In the commentary on the Gorakṣa Paddhati (No. 42), the
1 Mitra .
2 Hereafter P refers to the ‘ Poona Text' of the Gorakşaśataka;
B,3 toMitra
the ' .Benares ' manuscript; GP to the Gorakṣa Paddhati.
* Aufrect, Catalogus Catalogorum , p. 165 ; Mitra, Aphorisms,
p. 21
5
9.
FORL, p. 384 .
first hundred verses , which are the Gorakşaśataka, are spoken
of as the Gorakṣa Šāstra and on page ninety-five the second
hundred verses are often spoken of asthe Yoga Šāstra. On
pages ninety -four, ninety -five and ninety -six of the same
work the text is referred to as Gorakṣa Samhitā. The
Benares manuscript after verse 157 calls itself the Gyan
Prakāsh and at the end speaks of the Gorakṣaśataka and of
the whole 198 verses as Yoga Šāstra and at the very end of
the Jñāna Śataka composed by Gorakhnāth .
Moreover, in verse four of the commentary to P the
Śataka is called Hatha Grantha and in the comment on verse
fourteen the Yoga Sāgar; in that to verse fifty - four, Yoga
Cintamani (No. 14) and in that to verse forty -one, Hatha
Yoga Chintāmani.
The Gorakṣa Paddhati, on page four, calls itself Gorakşa
Samhitā (No. 17) where P has Gorakşaśataka and on page
twenty speaks of the Siva Yoga Šāstra.
In the foregoing analysis of the titles of works attributed
to the Yogis it seems clear that the Gorakṣaśataka is a
fundamental text of the sect. It has, therefore , been selected
for translation and exposition. The copies made use of for
this purpose are three: The Gorakșaśataka with commentary
by Lakşmi Nārāyāņa, copied from a manuscript in the library
of the Bhandarkar Oriental Institute in Poona , and one
copied from a manuscript in the library of the Sanskrit
College at Benares. Both of these were secured for the author
by the late Dr. J. N. Farquhar. The third text is the Gorakşa
1 Gopi Nāth Kavirāj says that ' the Gorakṣa Śataka and the
Gorakṣa Paddhati are two of the few Sanskrit works published, which
profess to give an exposition of this teacher's (Gorakhnāth's) instruc
tions. The Hatha Yoga Pradīpika also belongs to this school. The
Prince of Wales Sarasvati Bhavana Studies, p. 85: Article, “ The
System of Chakras according to Gorakhnāth . Dr. Singh does not
agree with this, but holds that thedoctrines of Gorakhnăth belong to
a period covered by some Upanişads, not the earliest, and tries to
show by the literature he uses that left -hand sākta doctrine is foreign
to Gorakhnāth's thought. Verses 131 and 132 of the Gorakhbodh,
which he translates, however, show knowledge of the Hatha Yoga
framework . In his work, Dr. Singh (pp. 8 ff.) cites and translates
quite a number of works, both in Sanskrit and in vernaculars, that
are not listed in this chapter.
YOGA AND TANTRA 263
This is its use in important parts of the Great Epic, such as the
Bhagavad Gitā and the Mokşadharma section of Book XII.
It will clarify the discussion to follow Professor Edgerton's
method and his argument for a moment, and study the words,
" Sārkhya ' and ' Yoga,' together. From earlier times (see
Svetāśvatara and later Upanişads), Sänkhya and Yoga refer to
two methods of reaching mukti, the one the method of know
ledge, the other that of action . Sānkhya in the Gitā means
the way of salvation by pure knowledge, the intellectual
method , and it is understood as implying quietism , renunci
ation of action ( sannyāsa, vairāgya ). Yoga, on the other
hand, is understood as disciplined, unselfish activity. This
method of unselfish or disciplined activity, with indifference
to results, is what the Gitāalways means by Yoga when it
contrasts it with the Sānkhya, the (quietistic) way of know
ledge. Yoga ' discipline, is synonymous with karma-yoga,
discipline of action . Both Sānkhya and Yoga lead to
salvation ; but since the intellectual and inactive way is hard ,
the other is to be preferred. “ Yoga' means discipline of
some kind and different schools use varying systems of activity,
as that of the Gītā, for example, where the word Yoga means
a disciplined course of procedure leading to emancipation,
a method of salvation characterized by participation inaction
without interest in the fruits thereof. The argument which
Krsna advances to Arjuna is that in life action is inevitable,
but that it must be brought under аa rule of conduct ( dharma)
suitable to Arjuna's station in life, engagement in battle.
Over against this Yoga of action is the jñāna -yoga, the disci
pline ofknowledge with the abandonment of action (sannyāsa .)
Yoga is always a way,a method of getting something, usually
salvation , although sometimes, in popular usage, a lower goal
is aimed at.
The common denominator of all the epic definitions of Yoga is
disciplined activity, earnest striving — by active (not rationalistic or
intellectual) means.
The following verse from the Gītā (iii. 3), will serve as an
illustration of this point of view :
‘ Loke ' smin dvividhā nişthā purā proktā mayā ’nagha
Jñānayogena sänkhyānāṁ karmayogena yoginām ."
Professor Edgerton's rendering is :
' In this world a twofold foundation (of religious salvation)
(Sankara's rendering is ' two kinds of fixed rule ') has been
expounded by me of old : by the discipline of knowledge
of the followers of Sānkhya, and by the discipline of action
of the followers of Yoga .'
In this connection it may be of interest to note that
Professor Hiriyanna? says that the Gitā would lose its entire
significance if action were not regarded as its essential lesson.
And he holds that the central point of the teaching is
activitism , karma -yoga. He goes on to define karma in
terms of duties prescribed by custom and tradition, the
varna -dharmas (the specific customary duties of the various
orders of society). So that, for him, karma-yoga in the Gītā
means ' harnessing' or' applying oneself to social obligations.
The concern of the individual is solely with action , never
vith its fruits .
Professor Dasgupta in speaking of samādhi as a state of
release (kāivalya), says that what the Sānkhya aims to gain
by knowledge, the Yoga achieves through the perfected
discipline of the will and psychological control of mental
processes (states).
Dr. Thomas points out that the primary meaning of the
word was discipline,' and that secondarily it referred to
' union ' as the effect or end of yoga.
Another pointof importance is that the word ' yoga,' is not
used for 'union . As Professor Edgerton says :
In English we may describe the goal of Yoga( or of Sānkhya
either) as 'union ' (with Brahman or God ). But it is a striking fact
that the word Yoga, and its cognates are not ordinarily used of this.
Instead ,the emancipated soul' goes to' (adhigam ) ' attains'(āp, prāp ),
or ' sees' ( pas) Brahman ; or if he is said to attain oneness, sameness
with Brahman, the word used is not yoga but, e.g., sāmyatā .*
Attention is called to Hopkin's remark that the union -idea
of the author of the Mundaka (Upanişad) is expressed not
by 'yoga ' but by sāmya .
Professor Edgerton points out further that Carpentier
1 Outlines of Indian Philosophy,p. 118. So also B. G. Tilak in his
Gita Rahasya . See vol. I, p. 81 . 2 DHIP , vol. I, p. 273 .
3 History of Buddhist Thought, p. 43, note 2. Op . cit.
They appear as five commands: abstinence from injuring
anything (ahimsa) ; from falsehood or deceit; from theft; from
sexual intercourse (continence, celibacy ); and from covetous
ness . The last means accepting only what is absolutely
necessary, and refusing to accumulate objects or riches.
A second set of rules that must be mastered consists of
observances involving necessary religious duties and self
restraint, and are five in number. They include purificatory
prescriptions, for the external cleanness of the body, which
beget attitudes of disgust for the body, discourage intercourse
with others and leadto asceticism , to the subjugation of
the senses. They conduce to inner cleanness ofmind, con
tentment, moderation and frugality ; to the habit of bearing
all privations of cold and heat equally, keeping the body
unmoved; silence; asceticism and restraint; to the study of
philosophy; to the repetition of spells, words and syllables,
amongst others that of the mystic om ; to the keeping of
fasts and religious observances; and to meditation on Isvara
(Isvara pranidhāna) which gives perfectionof concentration,
devotion to Cod, and resignation to his will. These, it will
be seen , include tapas, mantra and bhakti. If obstacles arise
while practising niyama (or yama) resort should be made to
pratipakşahāra, the principle of using the opposite quality
and of thinking of the consequences as deterrents. They are:
the setting of good over against bad in thoughts and deeds;
thinking of all beings as friends; kindly feeling for sufferers;
feeling of happiness for the good of all;and feeling of equani
mity and indifference for the vices of others, not taking note
of vices of the vicious, conscious that nothing is worthstriv
ing for or desirable .
Yama and niyama comprise all the active and passive
virtues. Professor Radhakrishnan says: 6
A practice of these two favours the development of vairāgya, or
passionlessness or freedom from desire, either for things of the world
or the pleasures of heaven.
When these two disciplines have been mastered , the Yogi
1 WYS, 2 : 40 . 2 WYS, 2 : 44, 45. 3 WYS, p.1 83.
4 WYS, p . 185 . 5 WYS, 1:35.
5
6 Indian Philosophy, vol. II , p. 354. Quoted by permission of
Macmillan and Company, Publishers.
YOGA AND TANTRA 265
has shown that not only in the Epic but even later the word
yoga, does not mean ' union .' And Professor Radhakrishnan
says that in Patañjali Yoga means only effort, not union.
Yoga finds its classical expression in the Sūtras of Patañjali,
written somewhere between A.D. 300 and 500.3 The author
wasa compiler, a systematizer, rather than an original thinker.
While the Sūtras may be interested in speculation as such ,
still, they are based upon methods of action, disciplined
actions,with their concomitant supernatural powers associated
with self-hypnotism and the like. The superior powers of the
Yogi are simply those of attaining the highest goal, release,4
such powers as such being viewed as unworthy ofthe struggle.
The aims of Yoga, in Patañjali's sense, may be spoken of
as controls of various kinds, a graded series of disciplines,
directed towards steadying the mind ; gradually advancing
stages of rigid control of body and mind ; the stoppage of all
movement and all thought — that the soul be absorbed in itself,
loosing the sense of duality, of subject and object; immediate
perception ;5 ultimately, prolonged, fixed attention to the
point where the mental processes are stopped absolutely.
But there is ancillary to the mental discipline, a long period
of preparatory action , organized according to a well-developed,
progressive plan. In the preliminary stages ofthe preparation
for the fixing of the attention, there are purifying processes
to be carried out,first with stress laid upon external means ;?
then , after these have been mastered, with recourse to the
internal controls .
These disciplines, which are eight in number, may be
classified as five indirect and three direct means to release.8
They are yama, niyama , āsana, prānāyāma, pratyāhāra,
dhāraņā, dhyāna and samādhi.
First, there are certain restraints whose mastery is
necessary before essential physical discipline may begin .
1 ZDMG , vol. LXV , pp. 846 f.
2 Indian Philosophy, vol. II, p. 337.
3 Following Woods (WYS,pp. xvii, xix ), Keith ( SS, p. 56), Jacobi
(JAOS), vol.XXXI, and others.
* See Edgerton , in article referred to above.
5 WYS, p. 172 6 WYS, p. 8. See D. Up., p. 384.
8 WYS, 2 : 28, 29.
With the breathing thoroughlyunder control, after a
considerable period of practice, the Yogi proceeds to the next
discipline, described as the suppression of the organs of
sense , their subjugation or withdrawal from the objects of
sense . 1 The result of this practice is the limitation of the
span of attention within the mind, the inhibition of the
sensory systems, the serving of external contacts. It serves to
keep the mind from wandering.
Pratyāhāra is based upon the Sānkhya and Yoga theories
of sense perception . It may be achieved by prāņāyāma (and
by the khecarimudrā ).
These, yama, niyama, āsana, prāņāyāma and pratyāhāra,
constitute the five external means preliminary to thehigher
stages which issue in samādhi, or release. In yama and
niyama are laid the foundations for the beginnings of
concentration of mind ; in āsana and prāņāyāma additional
powers for the exercise of fixed attention are developed ; and
in pratyāhāra the mind cuts off external contacts thus
completing preparation for the beginning of those inner
exercises through which the end of Yoga, release, is achieved.3
The concluding (three) stages in the Yoga praxis deal with
mind in its internalprocesses, the progressive stopping down
of the mental activities until they cease altogether. This is
achieved through increasing power in the fixing of the
attention , at the same time making use of āsana and prāņāyāma
and the rest .
Together the three (directed to a single object) are called
samyama, or conquest, concentration , meditation, contempla
tive trance. The three are dhāraṇā, dhyāna, and samadhi.
The first two deal with illumination , the last with ' union .'
Meditation is a process of restricting mental activity. When
samyama is directed to external or internal objects extraordin
powers arise.
aryDhāraṇā, fixed attention , is the establishment of the mind
in steadfastness, using some object or position, such as the
navel, the nose, the tip of the tongue, the space between the
1 D. Up., p. 385. See DHP, p. 25.
3 GSY, p.44. Pratyāhāra isoften grouped with the next three.
4 GSY, p. 44. 5 SBH , vol. IV, pp. ix, x; WYS, 2 : 13.
WYS, 3: 1 .
6
YOGA AND TANTRA 267
should pass in turn to other disciplines of Yoga andperfect
them . These are asana; prāņāyāma and pratyāhāra. Practice
begins with āsana.
Postures (āsana) have as their object the discipline of the
body in stillness or rigidity. To this end the Yogi should
choose a quiet place where, in comfort, he may carry out his
practice. Steadiness of mind (fixed attention) is contingent,
in the end, on bodily poise (and breath control). The ideal
adept sits motionless as a stock or stone or as the flame of a
lamp in a windless place. Later works, like those on Hatha
Yoga, state that there are an infinite number of postures,
or eighty -four laksa, of which eighty -four are chief, while
somereduce the essential or the mostuseful and all sufficient
to two . The Gheranda names thirty -one; the Siva Samhita
considers four as chief.
Having mastered Asana, the Yogi proceeds to the next
discipline, the control, or the regulation, or the restraint of
the breaths. Because constant respiratory action has a dis
turbing, or obstructing effect upon the attainment of perfect
concentration, breathing should be controlled and finally
stopped. Prāņāyāma consists in interruptions of the natural
alternation of out and in breathing. The expulsion of the
held -in breath is called recaka and is to be done with thought
on Siva; the inhaling of the breath is called pūraka, and this
done with the mind on Vişņu. Retention of the breath is
called kumbaka and is done with the thought of Brahmā.3
Its central aim is in the holding of the in -breathed air . The
control of breathing is said to be carried to great extremes.
"With practice one may retain breath steadily for hours, days,
months, even years.' 5 In the Hatha Yoga breath control is
esteemed for its great efficiency in producing occult powers.
1 Compare Gorakşaśataka, 9, 10. 2 See D. Up ., p. 384 .
3 But see below , where the process is joined to the recitation of
the syllable oṁ . 4 Or, holding the lungs empty ..
5 DHIP, p. 272. Quoted by permission of Macmillanand Com
pany, Publishers. DasG., p . 334. The Dabistan (vol. II, pp. 137,
138 ) mentions several Yogis famed in that time for the restraint of
thebreath. Baliknāth , who at the age of 120 years, was in full vigour,
was one. Serudnāth could hold his breath for two days. Sāñjānāth,
of the Aipanth, was seven hundred years old and not yet gray. The
author ofthe book saw both Serudnāth and Sāñjānāth .
YOGA AND TANTRA 269
eyebrows, Isvara, or extended space. This one -point medita

tion ,' made possible through the moral and physical restraints,
is a step in the completion of all these . Dhāraṇā is directed
to the fixing of the attention on one out of many objects in
the mind. When the discipline is perfected the Yogi can , at
will, keep the mind from wandering away from its object.
An extension and intensificationofthis principle of con
centration of mind is called Dhyāna. It represents adeptness
in prolonging the state of ' one-pointed ' concentration. In
this state one object is held in attention to the exclusion of all
others.
The final phase in the stoppage of the mental processes
is called samādhi. This state of mind is variously
described as absorption , concentration , fusion of knower
and the process of knowing with the object to be known.
It is the more or less prolonged experience of release.'
Having come so far in rigorous discipline, the Yogi
is now able to fix his mind on any object he chooses.
It is preferable, however, that he choose Išvara, for “ The
Lord ' then becomes a help to him in his final effort. He
can , however, choose anything he likes for the ' unifying'
concentration ( samādhi) of his mind. This stage may be
described as a state where the object is fixed in attention in
such a way that consciousness of the self or of the activity of
the mind is lost.
Samādhi is described in its four successively progressive
aspects : concentration on objects remembering their names
and qualities; then on the five subtle elements ( tanmātras)
first remembering their qualities and then without any
notion of their qualities; afterwards on the buddhi with its
functions of the senses causing pleasure and then , leaving
the feelings of joy behind ; and upon pure substance divested
of all modifications. Here memory is eliminated and mind
( subject) alone is left. In this whole process there are those
stages called the samprajñāta, that samādhi in which there is
consciousness of objects; and beyond these the a - samprajñāta
or nirodha samādhi, in which the mind is without an object,
1 D. Up ., p . 385. ? DHIP , p. 271 .
3 WYŚ, p. 84 ; DHIP , p. 271 .
a state of unconsciousness, at the same time that of
isolation . Here there is no actual mental state of any kind,
but pure vacuity. This is the end of the search ; at first but
fleeting experience of it; then, as Yoga is perfected , longer
and longer tastes of it; and finally, in death, eternal release.
It is isolation of soul according to the Sankhya or the
experience of Brahma, or ‘union ' with Brahma, according to
the Vedānta.
So far the point kept in view , in sketchingPatañjali's Yoga
has been thegoal, first formulated in the Upanişads, of the
attainment ofrelease (mukti). On the otherhand, however,
Yogis, and others as well, have always evinced much interest
in certain powers which have been associated with the
process of samādhi ( and austerities), and which precede final
beatitude. While thebooks advise that men turn not aside
to these, and evencondemn them as harmful, still these super
normal powers ( vibhūti), both physical and mental, have been
by no means despised. The belief that such powers are
attainable is very ancient, and has been held without a break
down to the present day.
Concerning the belief in the powers which the Yoga may
produce Professor Radhakrishnan says :
They( the ancient thinkers of India) tell us thatwe can acquire the
power of seeing and knowing without the help of the outer senses,
and can become independent of the activity which we exercise
through the physical senses and the brain . They assume that there
is a wider world about us than we are normally able to apprehend.
... There are laws governing the acquisition of this larger vision
and manifestation of latent powers. By following the principles of
the Yoga, such as heightening the power of concentration, arresting
the vagaries of the mind, by fixing one's attention on the deepest
sources of strength , one can master one's soul even as an athlete
masters his body. The Yoga helps us to reach a high level of cons
ciousness, through a transformation of the psychic organism , which
enables it to getbeyond the limits set to ordinary human experience.
Wediscern in theYoga those cardinal conceptions of Hinduthought,
suchas the supremacy of the psychic over the physical, the exaltation
of silence and solitude, meditation and ecstasy, andthe indifference
to outward conditions, which make the traditional Hindu attitude to
life appear so strange and fantastic to the modern mind .
1 WYS, p. 13 . 2 Das G. , p. 341.
3 Indian Philosophy, vol. II, pp. 336f. Quoted by permission of
Macmillan and Company, Publishers.
inclusive , present whole without sequence. Such powers are
sometimes called siddhis. He has , therefore, insight into the
past and the future, knows the cries, or speech, of all living
beings, hascomplete knowledge of all his previous births, can
lookinto the mind stuff of others, knows the law of death ,
understands the subtle, the obscure, that which is concealed ,
the remote ; and both things and events even in other worlds
are present in his mind, so that he understands all the
mysteries of the universe. He knows all cosmic spaces and
the orders of the stars and their movements ; knows the
arrangements of the body; sees all things and is familiar with
the processes of the mind. In short, the Yogi attains to clear
vision, or extraordinarily penetrating wisdom. He obtains
full intuitive knowledge
whatever he concentrates
upon .
Even if the workofofPatañjali and his commentators be
viewed as systematized philosophy, still, it maintains interest
in the chief emphasis of Yoga, activity, an interest whichhas
continued from the earliest times down to the present. With
the passage of time, specialized emphases appeared. Professor
Dasgupta says :
Thus, the Yoga practices grew in accordance with the doctrines
of the Śáivas and Sāktas and assumed a peculiar form as the Mantra
yoga ; they grew in another direction as the Hatha Yoga which was
supposed to produce wonderful bodily feats of breath -control and
control of involuntary muscles and organs through constant practices
of elaborate nervous ,muscular and breath exercises which werealso
associated with art of healing diseases, keeping the body free from
all kinds of diseases and supernatural powers. The Yogatattva
Upanishad says that there are four kinds of Yoga, the Mantra - Yoga,
Laya - Yoga, Hatha- Yoga and Rāja - Yoga. In some cases we find
that therewas a great attempt to associate even Vedāntism with these
mystic practices. The influence of these practices on the develop
ment of Tāntra and other modes of worship was also very great .
In Rāja- Yoga (and Jñāna- Yoga) intellective processes are
1 WYS, 3 : 84, 3 : 16, 17, 18, 19, 22, 25, 26, 27, 28, 30, 33 and 34 ;
and
* DHP,
p. 315 . p.
117. For other details of powers see Śiva. Samhitā,
3 : 41 ff.
3 DHIP, pp. 228, 229. Quoted by permission of Macmillan and
Company, Publishers. Another known as Kriya - Yoga is men
tioned. It aims to destroy the five evils, included under Niyama, i.e.,
the 'six works.' Hatha-Yoga is sometimes called Karma-Yoga. Siva
Yoga is called the highest, or spiritual Yoga. SBH , No. 68, p . 61 .
YOGA AND TANTRA 271
Thesepowers my be classified as physical and psychical."
The Yogi possesses supernatural control over the processes
of nature . In the evolutionary series according to the
Sānkhya ( and the Yoga) the lowest level marks the limit of
evolution , further development being merely changes at the
moment inthearrangements of the atoms ( guna ). Ordinarily,
change at this level follows a general but orderly course; but
it is conceivable that one who knows the laws of change,
from sheer insight, or by magical knowledge, might be able
to direct and control nature. Such is the claim of Yoga.
Consequently the Yogi, they say, is able at will to become
exceedingly small, or increase in size to enormous propor
tions; he may become very light or very heavy, he may reach
to great distances over theearth, and travel through the air
and through space at incredible speed ; he may dive into the
earth and up again as if it were water; and he may become
very powerful, stronger than an elephant, bolder than a lion ;
and he may change the course of nature, having complete
mastery of the elements, and authority over the states of
existence . He is complete master of the body and of the
inner organ. Besides, he may call up the dead and speak
with them ; he may enter the bodies of snakes, demons, men ,
women or deities , and return at will ; and he may enter more
than one body at a time, leaving his own . Simultaneously
he may controls these several bodies while heretains his own
individuality in his own body. So fine are his perceptions
that he hears peculiar and subtle sounds and has super-sensual
powers of touch , taste, sight and smell. For example, he can
hear the sounds that are in distant worlds. He has great
capacity for friendliness, passions and joy.
Since the Yogi is master of all processes in the evolution
of prakyti, having brought all under his control by practice
of Yoga, he possesses supernatural or intuitive insight or
knowledge. He sees all things, all processes, all time as an
1See GSY, p . 46. The whole list of powers may be found in
WYS, 3 : 16-52. See also Woods in FAOS, vol. XXXIV (1915),
pp . 1 ff.; and Lanman , Harvard Theological Review , 1918.
2 WÝS, 3 : 44 ; DHIP, p. 256.
3 WYS, 3 : 43.
THE LITERATURE 257
Paddhati, a book procurable in the bazaars from Hardwār to
Bombay.
A word may be said concerning each of these works.
The ‘Poona' text consists of one hundred and one verses
together with a voluminous commentary called Bālaprabodhini
( for the use of beginners) by Lakşmi Nārāyāņa.
The ‘ Benares' manuscript consists of 157 verses with a
supplementary series of forty -one verses . A comparison with
the Gorakṣa Paddhati shows that it is essentially identical
with that work.
The copy of the Goraksha Paddhati used in this study was
purchased in the Bombay Bazaar. It consists of two series
of one hundred verses each, the first hundred being the
Gorakşaśataka. The second hundred deals with six topics,
prāņāyāma (twenty -one verses), pratyāhāra (thirty verses),
dhāraņā (nine verses ), dhyāna (twenty - four verses ), samādhi
(thirteen verses) and mukti ( four verses). The commentary
is in Hindi, and contains numerous quotations from the
Hathayogapradīpika.
It is impossible to date this material. The Sataka is
attributed to Gorakhnāth and the traditions and literary
references all persist in connecting his name with this body
of literature. The only datable reference, which is not
modern , is that which assigns the Gorakṣa Sataka ſika to
Sankara. The text of the Sataka with the commentary of
Lakşmi Nārāyāṇa is dated guna-abdhi-anka -mahi, which may
be rendered Samvat 1143 or 1943 and in our calendar 1086
or A.D. 1886. The author states that he wrote the commentary
while living in Benares.
There seems to beunanimous agreement that Gorakhnāth
is the author of the Sataka ; and, in that case , the work must
be as old as the twelfth century .
The teaching contained in the Gorakşaśataka is a ming
ling of Yoga and Tāntra doctrines.
1 17
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
YOGA AND TANTRA
YOGA is both a branch of Hindu philosophy and a system

of physical and mental discipline, ' a code of disciplinary
practices.'? In this latter aspect it plays an important part
in all the philosophical systems of India and in asceticism in
general. Yoga was, undoubtedly, a praxis, a set-up of
actions, long before it was a system of philosophy. It is,
undoubtedly, in this aspect of the Yoga that the Goraksa
śataka is chiefly interested, and in that text the philosophi
cal implications of the Yoga system , or better, its background
of systematic thought, isassumed rather than expounded.
Without doubt thedisciplines of the system , that is, perfor
mance, have been the dominating interest from the earliest
times until now .
Even where the aim of knowledge' is to the front, the
preparatory methods are not lost sight of.
When themind is once purged of all impurities, truths arrived at
by philosophical discussions carry whole-hearted conviction. Yoga
holds that discussions are not enough for the purpose, for in order to
be assured that our minds would not be attracted by worldly tempta
tions, certain psychological exercises should be undertaken in order
to move themind in a direction, the reverse of ordinary experience .
The ( Yogi) looks to the Yoga practice for gaining a complete mastery
over his mind ."
Interest in the Yogi was not only in his knowledge but also
in his powers, superior powers.
1 Das G. , p. 8.
2 Das G. , p . 1 .
3 See Edgerton, AJP , vol. XLV, ' The Meaning of Sankhya and
Yoga .
Das G. , pp . 11 , 12.
5 Das G., p. 330.
YOGA AND TANTRA 259
Throughout all the epochs of Indian culture we find the highest

reverence paid to the (Yogis) who were believed not only to possess
& superior sense, by which they could know the highest truth
beyond the ken of ordinary vision , but also to wield the most
wonderful miraculous powers which Patañjali has described as the
vibhūtis of Yoga, by which the (Yogi) showed his control not only
over his mindand the minds of others, but also over inert external
objects .
Practices which are included in Yoga run very far back ,
and some of them may have had their origin in non -Aryan
sources, They antedate all systems of philosophy. Ascetic
practices, by which it was believed that men could come into
intimate relations with the spirit-world and obtain power to
change the natural course of things, contributed to the origin
of the praxis. And Yoga is associated with asceticisim and
the acquirement of supernatural powers, and Yoga practices
are very old , even though they may not be much in evidence
in che earliest literature . The Brāhmanas and the Upanişads
are familiar with Yoga ideas. From early times the ascetic
has been looked upon as a wonderful magician. Fasts,
mortifications and ascetic disciplines generally fall within
the province of Yoga practice. Bodily discipline became a
means to further mental control . Both Jains and Buddhists
witness to the practice of Yoga, which, however antedates
them both . ?
The practices of Yoga , as found in the oldest textbook of the
system , the Yoga Sūtrasof Patañjali, contain much that in itself is a
relic of very primitive conceptions of the value of psychic states of
profound excitement.8
The Sūtras are at least 1,000 years later than the ideas.
1 Das G., p. 347. Vivekananda insisted that ' the Yogi proposes to
himself no less a task than to master the whole universe, to control
thewhole of nature.' Quoted by Schmidt in Faqire and Faqirtum ,
p. 60.
2 GSY, p. 34 ; GPU , pp. 18, 19. See Marshall, vol. 1 , pp. 53, 54 ;
Hauer, p. 1 .
'Pre -Vedic, pre- Brahman .' WGIL , vol. III, p. 458.
• E.g., in Rig Veda . See GSY, p . 34, and Rig Veda, 3, 27, 11 ;
4, 24, 4 ; 7, 67, 8 ; 1 , 5, 3 ; 1, 30, 7 ; 1 , 34, 9 ; 10, 30 .
6 See Sat. Bráh., 14, 7, 1, 11 .
6 GSY, p. 35.
" WGIL , vol. III, p. 458 ; MWB, p. 228 . GSP, p. 147.
There are traces of wider and wider recognition of these
practices in each succeeding literary age, from the beginning.
The Rig Veda knows the 'mad muni. As early as Pānini's
time (c. 500.B.C.) ' Yogi'meant a man who practised religious
austerities ; and these were much valued , and asceticism and
the vow of celibacy and life-long study were regarded as
great virtues and as being productive of the highest powers .
Yoga' was applied to the control of the senses . Yoga
doctrines appear in the second group of Upanişads . In its
technical sense Yoga appears for the first in the Taittiriya,
Katha, Svetāśvatara, and Māitrāyana Upanişads. In the
Kena Upanişad it is stated that
The self cannot be known byhim who has knowledge, but only
by him who has no knowledge. Hence comes the effort to subdue
all the activity of the senses and the mind, to empty the intellect and
thus to make it ready for a new apprehension .
Passages imply that Yoga is well known. For example :
When cease the five
(Sense-) knowledges, together with the mind (manas).
And the intellect ( buddhi) stirs not
That, they say, is the highest course .
This they consider as Yoga
The firm holding back of the senses .
Then one becomes undistracted .
Yoga, truly, is the origin and the end.?
And further :
An intelligent man should suppress his speech and his mind.
The latter he should suppress in the Understanding Self ( jñāna
ātman ).
1 See above, p . 210, and Rig Veda, 10, 136.

: DHIP, p .226. See Cand. Up.,3, 17, 4 ; Bịh. Up., 1, 2 ,6 ; 3, 8, 10;
Tait., 19, 1 ;3, 2, 1 ; 3, 3, 1 ; Tait. Br., 11, 2, 3 ; Rig Veda, 10 , 129 ;
Sat. Bráh ., 10, 5, 8, 1.
3
3 Katha Up., 3, 4.
4 DHIP , p . 227.
Tait., 2,4; Katha, 2, 12 ; 6, 11, 18 ; Suet., 2, 11 ; 6, 13 ; Mait., 6,
18 ; D.Up., p . 385 .
* KSS, p . 54.
? Katha Up., 4, 10, 11.Translation by Hume, Thirteen Principal
Upanishads, pp. 359-60. Note : ' The World ' becomes created for
the person who emerges from the Yoga -state, and passes away when
he enters it.
YOGA AND TANTRA 261
The understanding he should suppress in the Great Self ( buddhi,
intellect),
That he should suppress in the Tranquil Self ( śānta ātman)."
It is to be noted that here it is the Absolute Brahman
upon which the mind is to be fixed. Likewise in the
Māitrāyana Upanişad is attention directed toward the
Supreme Brahma.
The seer sees not death ,
Nor sickness, nor any distress.
The seer sees only the All,
Obtains the All entirely.
And again , it is by austerity that success in the knowledge
of Brahman is won.5
' Brahma is !' says he who knows the Brahma-knowledge.
* This is the door to Brahmal' says he who becomes free of evil
by austerity .
Knowledge, however, probably refers to magical power, to
the Upanişadic
belief in the inherent power of knowledge, as such ... The reason
why they (the Upanishads)seek the truth ', any truth , is precisely this:
that by knowledge of the truth they expect to master their destiny
wholly or partly; and not by a course of action dedicated by know
ledge, but directly, immediately , and by virtue of that knowledge in
itself; in brief, wemay say, magically . ?
We are here in contact, not with philosophical speculation,
but with means to practical ends. Or, it may be suggested
that even metaphysical knowledge is viewed from the point
of view of possessing or giving supernatural power.
In the Māitrāyaṇa Upanișad mention is made of a number
of Yoga technical terms.
1 Katha Up., 3, 13. Translation by Hume, Thirteen Principal
Upanishads, pp.352, 353.
* Hume, Thirteen Principal Upanishads, p. 360, note 2. KSS,
p. 55.
3 KSS, pp. 4, 17, 18 .
* Mait. Up., 7, 11, 6. Hume, Thirteen Principal Upanishads, p. 458.
5 Mait., 4 , 3.
6 Mait., 4, 4. Translation by Hume, Thirteen Principal Upanisads,
p. 421.
**The Upanishads; What do They Seek, and Why ,' by F.
Edgerton , JÀOS, vol. XLIX (1929), pp . 97 f.
The precept for affecting this (unity ) is this : restraint of the
breath (prānāyāma),withdrawalof the senses (pratyāhāra), meditation
(dyāna ),concentration (dhāraņā ), contemplation (tarka ), absorption
( samadhi). Such are said to be the six - fold Yoga .?
And one long passage besides, deals with Yoga .
In the Svetätvatara Upanişad Yoga practice is set forth at
considerable length . Concerning this Upanişad Dasgupta
says:
Yoga has come to be regarded as a method of attaining salvation ;
here for the first time we hear of a meditative ( dhyāna )Yogaand
Sānkhya -yoga by which final truth could be known, and we find,
with the description of Yoga, its posture, its breath -control and the
different psychical states preceding the final illumination .
And,he
which
continues, there grew up a whole series of Upanişads
dealt exclusively with Yoga discipline with little or no reference
to Sānkhya metaphysics . . . all busy in describing the Yoga physio
logy and the practical methods of attaining concentration . In these
the philosophical aspect has been largely subordinated to the elabo
ratephysical processes of Yoga, which began to grow almost inde
pendently of Patañjali's treatment of the subject, and were accepted
and assimilated later on by the sectarian schools ofthe ſāktas, Sãivas
and also by some later schools of Buddhism .
This is an important consideration as willappear later on.
It may be well to carry a little further the discussion of
the meaning of the word “ Yoga .' The word is primarily
a technical term with a specific general meaning. Professor
Edgerton says that it signifies amethod or a way, a way of
disciplined activity whereby an end is attained, usually mokşa,
or, more popularly, some power or skill or experience. It is
not the endor aim that is referred to by Yoga, but thedis
ciplined action or activity which leads to the end desired.
1 Mait ., 6, 18. Translation by Hume, Thirteen Principal Upani
shads, p. 435 .
• Mait., 4, 18-30.
Svet., 2, 8-15, See also 1 : 8 and chap. 3 ; also D. Up., p. 386.
4 Das G., p. 39.
5 Das G., pp. 40 , 41. This statement assumes the early date for
Patañjali.
6 " The Meaning of Sankhya and Yoga ,' in AJP , vol. XLV (1924 ),
pp . 1 ff.
YOGA AND TANTRA 273
the predominant, even where they are not the sole means
employed. It deals with themind and psychic powers, also .
Mantra -Yoga employs sacred texts, and syllables and con
sequently, enters the realm of magic. It is Yoga in the act
of repetition . Laya -Yoga has to do with the quieting,
one might almost say elimination, of the mental processes,
issuing in trance (laya ) or unconsciousness, such as the
' fourth state, finally ending in permanent quiet of mind.
Associated with Kundalini-Yoga, it is considered as of the
highest form by Sāktas, because, by its means, perfect
samādi is gained by union with Siva of both mind and
body. The Laya -Yoga is elucidated in the Gheranda
Saṁhitā. Hatha - Yoga lays emphasis upon prāņāyāma, the
object of which is to produce in the body voluntary sup
pression of the breath . It lays most stress upon physical
methods for the attainment of various mental states. Hatha
Yoga is spoken of in distinction from Laya - Yoga, but in a
more general sense it includes the latter ; and it involves also
some practices that are used as auxiliaries in other Yoga '.
Each Yoga employs some methods of the others and allare
various modes of practice by which the feelings and the
intellectual activities of the mind are brought into control
and the Brahma, or the Puruşa , realized in various ways.
All types of Yoga have in view in general the system of
Patañjali, but each lays emphasis upon particular phases of
discipline and brings into play other methods as well.
According to the Hathayogapradīpika, Hatha and Rāja
Yoga should both be used, and each is necessary to the
success of the other. The practicer of Hatha Yoga gets his
knowledge or realization of the Absolute, his union (svarūpa)
with Siva in the Sahasrāra through Kundalini herself. This
truth is illustrated in the Gorakşašataka, as the detailed study
in the succeeding chapters will show .
1 See Serpent Power, pp. 200 ff., from which the data for this
paragraph are taken , mostly in quotation .
2 According to Gr ., p. 26, the aim of this Yoga is said to be to
transcend thelower self, which consists of the sexual power, the
vital air and the mind, by a method in which the control of the
breath is the key to the control of the other two.
3 2 : 76. TheSivaSamhitā, 5 : 9,mentions Mantra-Yoga, Hatha
Yoga, Laya -Yoga and Rāja - Yoga.
18
The Yoga of the Kānphatas is called Hatha. An interest
ing derivation for the word is given in the commentary to
verse one of the Gorakṣa Paddhati, where it is stated that ha
means the sun (sūrya) and tha the moon ( candarama); and
that their union is called Yoga. This symbolism is signi
ficant as will appear in later chapters. The word signifies,
however, hard , or extreme, or strenuous discipline and the
doctrines lay particular stress upon āsana, mudrā, prāņāyāma,
dhāuti, cakra,nāļi and kundalini, and most of thesereceive
a great deal of attention in Tāntric works. Laya Yoga is
sometimes identified with Kundalini Yoga. Again , two main
lines of Yoga are set forth ; Dhyāna, looking to ecstasy by
mental processes ( Rāja- Yoga ); and Kundalini Yoga, which
requires the help of mantra. And it is pointed out that
Kundalini is that part of Hatha- Yoga in which, though the
intellectualis not neglected, the creative sustaining sakti of
the whole body is actually and truly united with the Lord
consciousness. As implied above, Yoga is one, but many
diverse emphases are specialized in its practice.
The Tāntric element is prominent in the teaching of the
Gorakhnāthis. Both the Buddhist and the Sāivite Tantras
have had their influence upon the beliefs and practices of the
sect. These works have to do with the use of bothmagic and
of the magic formulæ and of erotic ritual in the effortto get
into touch with super-normal existences, with cosmic powers.
Śāktism is closely allied with Tāntra, the ritual for which
includes the Pañcamakāra. In fact, sākta is one of the chief
elements in the system of Tântra, and Sakti is, where these
Yogis are concerned , the consort of Siva. If Sākta and Tāntra
were to be discriminated one would refer specifically to the
worship of the goddess, the other to magicaland sacramental
ritual. One ofthe bases of the latter is the assumption that
man and the universe correspond as microcosm and macro
cosm and that both are subject to the mysterious power of
words and letters. Sākta as a system , as carried on in Assam
and Bengal, is usually associated with the_worship of the
consort of Siva with rites prescribed in the Tantras.
1 For the meaning of these terms see the Glossary, and the
following chapters. Sakti and Sakta, p. 414.
YOGA AND TANTRA 275
Bhattacharyya says that Tântric culture presupposes Rāja
and Hatha Yoga. He also holds that historically the Buddhist
preceded the Hindu Tantras ; and that the latter are depen
dent upon the former. While, on the one hand, Rāja and
Hatha Yoga give control over the mind and body, Tantric
practices, on theother, confervarious magic powers,contingent
upon the deities worshipped and the mantras employed.
In recent years a gooddeal of attention has been given to
both Buddhist and Hindu Tantras. For the former the
works of Dr. B. Bhattacharyya may be mentioned. He has
edited a number of Vajrayāna works with valuable introduc
tions and has published Buddhist Esoterism , based largely
upon these editions and in which he has repeated a good
deal from his introductions to the Sanskrit works. He has
also written Indian Buddhist Iconography. T. G. Shastri has
edited the Aryamañjuśrīmülakalpa in three volumes. These
writings have not been translated into English . On the
Hindu side interest, so far as translation is concerned, centres
around the very extensive work of Arthur Avalon. Here
again there are valuable studies of the subject in his Serpent
Power (both editions, and in his Shakti and Shakta . Arthur
Avalon has worked with Hindu pandits.
A recent work by E. A. Payne contains a very useful
study of the Hindu cult, ſākta . "It gives a survey ofsome of
the literature.
Bhattacharyya says that the whole of the culture history of
the eastern part of India from A.D. 700 to A.D. 1200 is locked
up in the Tantras. Although the Buddhist cult disappeared
under the Islamic advance, Hindu practice has continued
down to the present time.
The Buddhist Tantra is essentially Vajrayāna. According
to Bhattacharyyaố this system , a development of the Mahā
1 Buddhist Esoterism , p . 166 .
Gaekwad's Oriental Series, Numbers, 26 , 41 , 44 , 53, 61. Other
works on Tantra issued in thisseries are Numbers, 24, 56.
s Trivandrum Sanskrit Series, Numbers, 70 , 76 and 84 in the
years 1920 , 1922 and 1925 .
4 The Sāktas ofBengal, Calcutta , 1933.
5 The account which follows is based primarily upon the intro
duction to his edition of the Sadhanamālā, Gaekwad's Oriental Series,
Number 41 .
yāna, contains certain elements which reach back to the
Buddha himself. Certain concepts which found a place in
original Buddhism , contain the seeds of Tāntra. These are
mudrā, mantra, mandala, dhāraņi, yoga and samādhi, all of
which contributed to the attainment of happiness and
prosperity. He holds that there was a popular side to early
Buddhism and that within the cult there were many who
were unhappy under the extreme severity of the discipline
enforced. These concepts, therefore, found fertile soil in
which to develop both libertyand license, in the search for
supernatural power and for enjoyment.
The immediate sources of the Vajrayāna are three : the
introduction of the theory of mahāsukha in the conception of
the Buddhist nirvana ; the reaction to the more strict and
unnatural rules of discipline within the Sangha ; and the
weakening influence of the theory which required each
individual Bodhisattva to sacrifice everything, himself, his
happiness, his family and children , for the emancipation of
suffering humanity - the doctrine of Karuņā. In the face of
this great vow , ‘little' sins are comparatively nothing. The
vow to emancipate others was reduced to a mere convention.
Monks took shelter under its cover and found in it an excuse
for committing acts of great sin and immorality.'1 Later it was
declared that there is nothing in the world that cannot be
done by the Bodhisattva who has taken the vow to emancipate
the world.
The teaching of this development was carried on for some
three centuries in secret, through a series of gurus and
disciples, before it came into the open as a well- established
cult. Its questionable side is evidenced by its use of the so
called twilight language, a style which admitted of two
interpretations, one refined , the other indecent. This was
necessary because ‘much of their work appears as indecent'
(Bhattacharyya ).
The teachings of the Vajrayāna have been handed down by
a long line of persons, particularly in songs of the eighty -four
Siddhas and their disciples. The greatest of these, the Mahā
siddhas, belong to the seventh , eighth and ninth centuries.
Gaekwad's Oriental Series, No. 44, p. 9.
YOGA AND TANTRA 277
From the point of view of this study it is of interest to
note in the lists of names that of Jālandharipā, whom
Bhattacharya identifies with Hādipā of the Dharammangala
and of the Manikcand -Gopicand stories recounted in a
previous chapter. One of these tells how he was buried in a
hole in the ground by Gopicand , who later became a Yogi.
In one of the paramparās attached to chapter four, it will be
remembered that he is placed before Gorakhnāth . Bhatta
charyya assigns Jālandharipā to the eighth century. If this date
were established, it would move Gorakhnāth to a somewhat
earlier time than that suggested in chapter eleven .
“ The main point on which the Vajrayāna conception of
the pantheon revolves ' is that of the five Dhyāni Buddhas
and the five Buddha families (kula ). The deities are all
voluntary manifestations of Sūnya, in forms dependent upon
the Bījas uttered . They are also embodiments of the five
Skandhas over each of which one of them presides. These
deities are of distinctive colours, although their representations
vary in colours, form and posture according to the rites in
which they figure. Manyof them are' exceedingly terrific
externally , even though they are compassionate internally
( compassion is an essential character in the Mahāyāna). Mahā
Kāla , however, does not show any but terrific aspects either
externally or internally, having to do with the fate of the
incorrigible only. Vajra-sattvais viewed as the priest of the
Vajrayāna. Most of the gods belonging to these families are
associated with terrible and gruesome rites and are of repul
sive aspect. Goddesses have the same general characters as
the gods.
According to this system the world is composed of five
elements deified in the forms of the Dhyāni Buddhas.
Vajradhara is by many considered as the highest deity , the
Adi or primal monotheistic god from whom the five Dhyāni
Buddhas arise. Homage is paid to him in the shape of a
flame of fire, consideredas eternal, self -born and self- existent.
He appears in two forms, single and in yab -yum .
In Vajrayāna three elements are involved, śunya, vijñāna
and mahāsukha. The combination of these is called Vajra.
Sūnya is Nāirātmā, a goddess in whose eternal embrace the
individual mind (Vijñāna) is locked , and in which it remains
in eternal bliss and happiness. Or, in another aspect, void
ness ( sūnyatā) and compassion (karuņā) together constitute
the individual mind, and like the deities, Heruka and Prajña,
unite as the god, advaya (non -double). This union isyab -yum .
The doctrine ofkarunā gave excuse, in the end, forthe grossest
formsof immorality and lawlessness. The regulation being
that the sādhaka should not be attached to particular foods
or women. Sūnya is handled in compromise fashion under
the assertion that it is better to take the world as real. ...
When the conception of unreality is abandoned , it gives rise
to a state which is neither samsara nor nirvāņa. The realiza
tion of voidness ( sūnyatā) of all phenomena, after careful
discrimination between knowledge and the object of know
ledge, is what is known as the highest knowledge of the
Prajñā. . . . Compassion is of the nature of affection (rāga)
as it removes the sufferings (rañjati) which spring up from
numberless causes. This compassion is called Upāya or
" means.” Because it always, like a boat, leads him towards
thegoal. The commingling of the two - Prajñāand Upāya
is the like comminglingof water and milk whereby the duality
is merged into one without distinction, and is called Prajño
pāya. This . . . is the creative principle of the Universe
and everything emerges and develops from this principle.
This Prajñopāya is called Mahāsukha because it gives eternal
happiness. ... Vajrayāna is thunderbolt-knowledge. ...
It is known as mahāmudrā (great woman ). . . The realiza
tion of this Vajrayāna leads to happiness and to the highest
goal of Nirvāṇa or emancipation.'
' By those identical actions by which mortals rot in
hell for hundreds of crores of cycles, the Yogin is
liberated . "
While early Buddhism enforced unnatural and strict rules
of behaviour and forbade all kinds of worldly enjoyments, such
as wine, women , fish, meat and all kinds ofexciting food,
the Tāntrics embodied all these in their practice in the form
1 Sadhanamālā, Introduction , p. xxxii.

• Introductionto Two Vajrayāna Works, Gaekwad's Oriental
Series, No. 44 , by B. Bhattacharyya, pp . xiv , xv, xix , xx.
* Prajñopāyavimiscayasiddhi, 1, 15. Translation by Bhattacharyya.
YOGA AND TANTRA 279
of the five makāras. The Sri-samāya is the cause of all
happiness and divine perfection by Mahāmudrā and without
her there is no emancipation. For them , to repeat, nirvāņa
is defined in terms of sūnya, vijñāna and mahāsukha and the
conditions ofthe Bodhi-mind in nirvāṇa is as in the embrace of
a woman . Union with their śaktis is termed by Tāntrics,
* Yoga .' The enjoyment of perfect truth, the Prajña, resides
in all women , and they should be enjoyed without reservation.
The highest class of Yoga-tāntra cannot be practiced without
the assistance of śaktis.
In his Sādhanamālāt the editor writes: ' It is indeed a pity
that Hindus and also the Jains, to a certain extent, could not
throw off the worthless and immoral practices enjoined in
the Tantras, even when Buddhism was stamped out in
India .
In his Indian Buddhist Iconography, Mr. Bhattacharyya
furnishes data from the following summary : the worship of
female energy in connection with that of the male , the
union ofmale and female energies,is the essence of Tāntra ;
purely Tāntric gods are invariably accompanied by their
Saktis, who are sometimes given a separate seat in represent
ations of them while at other times are seated in the lap of
the gods, but they are often depicted in the actual embrace
of the gods; while most forms of Tāntra generally adopt
the former types of illustrations, still, in the most thorough
going form of it the gods are worshipped in the embrace of,
in union with , the Saktis. He refers more especially to the
Vajrayāna.
Most of the Buddhist Tāntras are connected with Yoga.
Their teaching is a mixture of mysticism , sorcery, and erotics,
accompanied by disgusting orgies. These works inculcate
the worship of Sāivite gods, of the linga, and of many female
deities. Historically they represent the later age of the
degeneration of Buddhism in India. Their only connection
with Buddhism is their claim that their tenets were delivered
by the Buddha himself. It is in accordance with this
assertion that a story is told in the Brahmayāmala , and in the
1 Vol. II, p. 33.
See pp. 209, 323. 3 India's Past, p. 64.
Rudrayāmala also (both Hindu Tāntric works) that Vaśiştha,
after years of hard discipline, failing in his efforts to obtain
success (siddhi) cursed Tārā. She then appeared to him and
pointed out that perfection did not lie alongthat way and
directed him to Tibet (Mahācīna ), country of Buddhists and
land of the Atharva Veda. There he found the Buddha in
dulging in all sorts of loathsome practices. Appalled at what
he saw Vaśiştha asked for light, and for help to attain perfec
tion. He made inquiry of the Buddha about the use of wine
and meat in the presence of naked women who weredrinking
blood and wine and behaving like drunkards. The Buddha's
reply was an exposition of the duties of the Kāulas, expla
nation of their mysteries and their uses, and revelation of
their secret rites and practices. Ultimately Vasiştha found
in the unrestrained useof the five makāras the siddhi which
he sought.
The Hindu Tantras are the fifth Veda of Hinduism , the
satisfactory scripture for thisdegenerate age, the Kali Yuga .?
They are of two types, the Niyamas containing instructions
from the Devi to Sadā Siva and the Agamas in which the
latter teaches the Devi. The Agamas are of particular
interest in this study. Already references have been made to
Śiva teaching the Yoga to Pārvati. Here the Yoga doctrine
of the Gorakhnāthis is traced to Minanāth (Matsyendranāth )
who obtained it from Siva by taking the form ofa fish and
listening while that god was expounding the doctrine to
Pārvati as both stood on the shore of the sea . Another
version of the story declares how a fish remained immovable,
mind concentrated, and heard all. So Adinātha ( Śiva)
perceiving this, sprinkled water upon him and he became a
Siddha and was called Matsyendranāth . The characters in
these works are restricted almost entirely to these two divini
ties. These books are the texts of the Sāktas, dealing with
1 Also in Sādhanamālā, Introduction. This is theTārā Tantra, a
secretTantra belonging to the Yoga Tantra class which prescribes
revolting practices. Bhairavi asks Bhāirava the nature of the mantra
by which the Buddha and Vasistha obtained Siddhi.
2 See Geden in ERE , vol. XII, pp. 192, 193.
3 GP, p. 1.
Iyangar, HYP, p. 15.
YOGA AND TANTRA 281
the left-hand worship of Sakti and with Kāulācāra. They

are based upon the Kāula Upanişad1 the most important
being the Rudrayāmala Tantra of which the fātimāla is an
important section.
Selections from the Syāmārahasya and the Rudrayāmala
are found in the footnotes of Wilson's works.3 Avalon has
translated a number of the Tantras. Dr. Ewings analyzed
the Sārada ſilaka, pointing out that it was full of sorcery,
both in its beneficent and in its horrible aspects, and of the
use of yantra and mantra, the latter in cases of black magic.
It exhibits Kundali and the cakras, and its doctrine is of the
Pāśupata type.
As suggested above, these developed principles, associated
with this specialized aspect of Yoga, are a late formulation.
Amarakosa (c. A.D. 500 ) does not know Tantra as literature
and the system does not appear in the Mahābhārata . Sankara
(ninth century) noted sixty-four Tantras, but few of these
can be identified. Their traditional author is Dattatreya.
They are found as early as the seventh sentury, and from the
tenth century at least they are well-known works. Their
philosophy is that ofthe Sankhya (and Yoga ), often elevated
into Vedānta. The topics with which they deal are the
creation and destruction of the universe; worship of gods;
attainment of supreme power ; and union with the Supreme
Being. They are concerned with the magical and the mysteri
ous and the use of mystic symbols and sounds (including
syllables and sentences ), thus involving a form of Yoga in
which the essences of the mystical sacred syllables are
called bija.
It may be well to look further at the Hindu Tantric
practice. This is described as a short cut to ends otherwise
1 B and H, p. 207.
: Other Tantras may be mentioned . Sakti-sangama, Višva-sära,
Mahānirvāṇa , Vira, Kulārnava, Syāma -Rahasya, Śáradā- Țilaka,
Uddīsa, Kāmākhyā, Vişnu Yāmala, Kālikā, Tantratattva, and Yogini.
Lists are given by A. Avalon , Principles of Tantra, vol. I , pp.
lxv3 - lxvii. Tantra means rule, ritual. Dawson, p. 317.
3 Wi., pp . 254 ff. 4 Sir John Woodroffe .
5 JAOS (1902), pp. 65 ff.
The summary here set down is basedupon pertinent chapters in
The Philosophy of Hindu Sadhanā ,by N.K. Brahma .
difficult to achieve, a way which offers to its adherents easy
andspeedy attainment ofenjoyment as well as final beatitude.
In the end soul becomes identified with Siva, there remaining
no difference in essence between them . The identity is achiev
ed through the Kundalini, and the disciplines are used for
her awakening and raising. This is through psychical
and physical exercises.
Special emphasis is put upon mantra, an infallible means
to liberation . Mantra is concentrated thought of great
power. It is built upon ſabda (sound ), näda (sound), and
prāņa (breath ), synonymous of cosmic energy. In gross form
nāda supports the things of the universe as their soul, in
subtle form it is represented by the Absolute Goddess.
The subtle form is realized in the gross one. So, mantra ,
breathing, japa, generate vibrations of Nāda as soul of the
universe. Nāda sādhanā (practice of nāda ), all efficient,
is the invaluable discovery of the Tantras. Nāda ( vibration)
and jñāna (illumination ) are two parallel manifestations of
Sakti. One leads to and awakens the other. Illumination
may be realized through breath and sound (dvani, primal,
inaudible vibrations that cause the Universe). Nāda which
is dvani, is very powerful when joined with suşumņā (see
following chapters). In this union is power, for Kundalini
is raised up. The gross body is harmonized through posture
(āsana ), the internal, vital powers by breath control (prāņā
yāma), the higher cerebral centres through regulated sounds
( nāda with syşumņā ), the mental, with meditation . Sabda has
fifty radical elements of vibration, on the vocal side the fifty
letters of the alphabet. The stages of the sādhanā are: ( 1)
purification (by karma); (2) illumination (by bhakti); (3)
unification ( in jñāna ).
There are three classes of practitioners ( sādhaka ): (1) Pasu ,
those seeking self-control, and desiring what adepts enjoy.
They strive to master their passions and impulses. (2) Vira
(controlled ), those who have attained complete self-control
and do not forget themselves even in the most trying and
tempting circumstances. They enjoy freedom . They are
notonly allowed but are definitely instructed to include
such things as the five makāras in their offerings to god.
The Pasu is not allowed even to touch or to see these
YOGA AND TANTRA 283
things. Finally the method as prescribed for the Vira is

Kāula. (3) The Divya, free from the trials of the Vira is
allowed to take substitutes for all material things in his
process of worship. In the highest stage of attainment,
kāulācāra, thesādhaka does away with all rules and injunc
tions of the Šāstras. “ For the Kāula there is neither merit
nor demerit, virtue nor vice.' The theory is that as poisons
counteract poisons, so men must rise by those things through
which they so often lose their manhood.
In the Yoga Tantra and Anuttarayoga Tantra all gods are
represented as embracing their Saktis and feeling thebliss of
Nirvāņa.1
1 Introduction , Sadhanamālā , p. 147 .

CHAPTER FOURTEEN
THE GORAKŞA SATAKA1

Om Hathayoga Gorakşašataka prarambhaḥ
Oỉ, the beginning of the One Hundred of the Hatha Yoga
of Gorakşa !
Śrīguram paramānandam vande svānandavigraham .
Yasya sāmnidhyamātrena cidānandāyate tanuḥ. 1 .
1. I bow down to the venerable guru2 (who is) supreme
bliss, embodiment of his own bliss; simply by means of
proximity to whom the body becomes nothing but know
ledge and bliss.
Antarniścallitātmadīpakalikāsvādhārbandhādibhiḥ
Yo yogi yugakalpakālakalanāts tvañja jegīyate ;
Jñānāmodamahodadhiḥ samabhavadyatrādināthaḥ svayam
Vyatkāvyakta gunādhikam tamanićam sri minanatham
bhaje. 2.
2. Who ( = That Yogi) by reason of (his practice of)
ādhārbandha and the other ( postures), in the rays of the inner
steady light of hissoulis highly praised as a Yogi and as the
essence of the reckoning of time (manifested) in the yugas
and kalpas (or, as realityon account of his making time con
sisting of yugas and kalpas), in whom (= who ) the primeval
Lord himself, the ocean of the bliss of knowledge took form ,
who (= who above) is superior to qualities both manifest
and unmanifest ( i.é., matter), him ( = who, that guru ) Śrī
Minanath ," I revere continually.
1 The text used is P ; the commentary (CP ), unless otherwise
stated , is that of P. The references may be made to GP, and its
commentary.
2 Mātsyendranāth . 3 Read Kalanā with B and CP .
SriMinanāth = Matsyendranāth.
THE GORAKŞA SATAKA 285
Namaskrtya gurum bhaktavyā gorakso jñānamuttamam
Abhişğam yoginām brūte paramānandakārakam . 3.
3. Having saluted his guru with devotion , Gorakṣa des
cribes the supreme knowledge, desired by Yogis, bringing
about supreme bliss.
Gorakṣaḥ śatakam vakti yogīnām hitakāmyayā
Dhruvam yasyāvabodhena jāyate paramampadam. 4.
4. With desire for the benefit of Yogis, Gorakṣa proclaims
( the) One Hundred (verses) by the knowledge of which is
surely brought about the highest state.?
Etadvimuktisopānametatkālasya vañcanam
Yadvayāvịttam manobhogādāsaktam paramātmani. 5 .
5. This (by which ) the mind is turned away from
( sensual) enjoyments, and (is) attached to the supreme spirit,
(is) a ladder to final release; this (is) a cheating of death .
Dvijasevita sākhasya śrutikalpataroủ phalam
Samanam bhavatāpasya yogam bhajata sattamāḥ. 6.
6. O excellent men ! 3 Practice Yoga, the fruit of the
tree-of-wishes, the sacred word whose branches (punning
' schools') are frequented by birds (punningly called Brāh
mans, dvīja), (which) brings to an end the misery of the
world .
Asanam prānasamrodhaḥ pratyāhārasca dhāranā
Dhyānam samādhiretāni yogāñgāni vadanti șaț . 7.
7. Postures, control of the breath , withdrawal of the senses
from their external objects, fixing of the mind upon a single
object, abstract meditation and identification of the self with
1 B reads: ‘ By the knowledge of this surely all good fortunes are
attained .'
2 CP interprets this to mean jīvanmukti ; and the commentary
attached to GP, ‘ attaining knowledge of which the Yogi attains
jīvanmukti.'
3 Men of great attainment in Yoga, whose passions are ripe for
destruction . CP .
4 These are the technical Yoga terms. Yama and niyama are
omitted ; they must be mastered before the practice of Hatha Yoga
begins.
the object of meditation , these they say, are the six stages of
the Yoga.
Asanāni ca tāvanti yāvantyo jīvajātayaḥ
Eteşāmakhilānbhedánvijānāti maheśvarah. 8.
8. ( There are) asmany postures as (there are),species of
living beings. The distinctions between them all Siva (alone)
fully understands.
Caturasīti lakṣānāmekäikam samudāhſtam
Tataḥ śivena pīķhānām sodāsonam satankytam . 9.
9. Every single one of the 84,00,000 ( of postures) has
been described (by Siva). From them eighty - four postures
have been selected by Siva.
Asanebhyaḥ samastebhyo dvayametadudāhſtam
Ekam siddhāsanam tatra dvitīyam kamalāsanam . 10 .
10. From amongst all these ( eighty- four) postures these
two have been selected : the first, the perfect posture'
(siddhāsana ); the second ' the lotus posture' (kamalāsana ).
Yonisthānakamanghrimüla ghatitam krtvā drdham vinyaset
Medhrepādamathāikamevaniyatam kṛtvā samam vigraham
Sthānuḥ samyamitendrayo'caladęśā paśyanbhruvoramtara5
Metanmokşakapāțabheda janakam siddhāsanam procyate.
11 .
11. The Yogi should press firmly the heel of the ( left) foot
against the perineum and the right foot just above the male
organ, keeping the body fixedly erect, immovable ;& the senses
under control; and with motionless gaze should look at the
spot between the eyebrows. This posture), which is the
opener of the door of release ,” is called the perfect posture
( siddhāsana ).
1 Or aids (Woods),means(M.-Williams), methods.
: The GP reading would mean ' as many as there are men , or
living beings.'
3 The à has been shortened to agree with GP. PC says that a
was lengthened for metre.
4 These names will be used freely in the exposition .
5 P and Bread paśyan .
6 GP reads ' the chin pressing on the chest.'
? Mokşadvāra,theway suşumnā, the channel of the spinal cord ,
closed by Kundalini, is opened.
Vāmorüpari daksinamca caraṇam samsthāpya vāmamtathā

Dakşorūpari paścimena vidhină dhịtvā karābhyām dīdham
Angușthāu hrdayenidhāya cibukam nāsāgra mālokaye
Deta dvayādhivikära nāšanakaram padmāsanam procyate.
12.
12. And having placed the right foot upon the left thigh,
and likewise the left (foot) upon the right thigh, and having
grasped firmly the great toes with the hands crossed from
behind ( and) fixing the chin on the chest, (the Yogi) should
gaze at the tip of the nose . This (posture), the destroyer of
diseases and mental and physical disturbances is called the
lotus posture ( padmāsana ).
The Hathayogapradīpika gives a second padmāsana, which
the commentary ( GP 12) attributes to Matsyendranāth.
Place the feet on the thighs, with the soles upwards, and
place the two hands on the thighs, palms upwards. Gaze on
the tip of the nose, keeping the tongue pressed against the
root of the teeth of the upper jaw , and the chin against the
chest, and raise the air up slowly (pull the apāna vāyu gently
upward .) This is called padmāsana , the destroyer of all
diseases. It is difficult of attainment by everybody, but can
be learned by intelligent people in this world .'
Şațacakram sodasādhāram trilakşam oyomapañcakam
Svadehe yenajānanti katham sidhyanti yoginaḥ. 13.
13. How can Yogis, who do not know the six centres
(cakra ), the sixteen props (ādhāra ) , the 3,00,0003 ( channels,
nāļi) (and) the five sheathes (vyoma) in their ( own) body,
attain perfection in Yoga )?
Ekastambham navadwāram grham pañcādhidāivatam
Svadeham ye na jānanti katham sidhyanti yoginaḥ. 14.
14. How can those Yogis who do not know their own
body (as) a house of one column (with ) nine doors, and (as
1 This is called Jihvabandha ( Fihva = tongue).
2 The commentary on P states that Gorakhnáth in his own work ,
the Siddha Siddhānta Paddhati, names the sixteen adhāras.
A note to B, verse eleven , substitutes ' three worlds' for trilakṣa ;
and the commentary to GP uses two lakṣa, stating that they are two
classes of channels.
* B writes three guņa ' for ' house,' in which case ' house'is
understood .
presided over by) five tutelary divinities, attain perfection
(in Yoga)?
Caturdalam syādādhāraḥ svādhisthānamca șațdalam
Nābhāu daśadalam padmam sūryasañkhydalam hrdi. 15.
15. The four-leaved ( lotus) should be the ādhāra, and the
six -leaved the svādhisthāna. In the navel (is) the ten -leaved
( lotus) and in the heart the twelve -leaved ? (lotus ).
Kanthesyāt sodaśadalam bhrūmadhye dvidalantathā
Sahasradalamākhyātam brahmarandhre mahāpathe. 16.
16. The sixteen - leaved ( lotus) should be in the throat ;
similarly the two-leaved (lotus) between the eyebrows; in the
hole- in - the -skull, in the great path , the one-thousand -leaved
(lotus ).
Adhāraḥ prathamam cakram svādhişthānam dvitiyakam
Yonisthānam dvayormadhye kāmarūpam nigadyate. 17.
17. Adhāra is the first cakra ; svādhisthāna the second;
yonisthāna, between these two, is named kämarūpa.3
Ādhārākhyam gudasthānam pankajamca caturdalam .
Tanmadhye procyate yonih kāmākṣā siddhavanditā. 18.
18. And the gudasthāna ( is) the four-leaved lotus called
ādhāra. In the midst of it is said to be the yoni," the ' eye
of love ,' praised by adepts.
Yoni madye mahālingam paścimābhimukham sthitam
Mastake manivad bimbam yo jānāti sa yogavit. 19.
19. In the midst of the yoni, with its face towards the
1 Sūrya, twelve months (Sūrya = sun ).
2 The nīrbāņa cakra .
3 The Siva- Sakti, called Kāmarūpa, is in the Yonişthāna.
4 The Yoni is situated in the middle leaf of the müladhāra, touch
ing the triangular object with its face downwards, facing into the
suşumņā. CP .
gudasthāna, the anus.
pankaja , mud -born , a name for lotus.
yoni, vulva.
kāmākyā, eye of love.
There is a place in Kamarūp (Assam) called Kāmākhyā. See
chap . eight.
back, there stands the great linga : Who knows the disk of
light, like a luminous jewel, in its head , ( is) an adept.
T'apta cāmikarābhāsam tadillekheva visphurat
Trikoņam tatpuram vanheradhomedhrātpratisthitam . 20.
20. Flashing even like forks of lightning, looking like
molten gold, the triangular place (yonisthāna) of fire (is)
situated below the membrum virile.
Yatsamādhāu param jyotir anantam visvatomukham
Tasmin drște mahāyoge yātāyātam na vidyate. 21 .
21. Having seen that, the supreme light unending, shining
in all directions, in samadhi, the adept does not experience
( any more) transient existence.3
Svaśabdena bhavet prānaḥ svādhisthānam tadāśrayah
Svādhișthānātpadādasmān meờhram evābhidhīyate. 22.
22. By means of the word sva , prāņa arises; the resting
place of that prāņa ( is) svādhişthāna. For it is from this very
place, the svadhisthāna (that) the medhra is named .
Tantunā manivatproto yatrakandah susumnayā
Tannābhimaņdalam cakram procyate manipūrakam . 23.
23. Where the kanda (uterus ?) is strung on the suşumņā ,
like a jewel on a thread, that region ? of the navel is called
manipürakam .
Dvādaśāre mahācakre punyapāpavivarjite
Tāvajjīvo bhramatyeva yavattatvam na vindati. 24.
24. The soul8 wanders ' only so long as it does not find
the Real in the great twelve-spoked10 cakra (where there is)
freedom from the fruits of) merit and demerit.
1 Being very bright.
2 According to GP, the head of the mahālinga is meant.
3 That is, change, birth and death, coming and going.
The commentator (GP ) says that harsa has as its resting place
the svādhişthāna, the lingamūlā.
5 Prāņa, the breath. For more exact definition see next chapter.
6 Thenāļi or channel of the spinal cord.
? Circle (mandala ), the ten -petalled lotus.
8 Jiva ,is thebound soul , wandering soul.
• The reference is to saṁsāra .
10 The lotus ofthe heart,where the three guņas reside, and, there
fore, merit and demerit .
19
Ordhvam medhrādadhonābheḥ kandayoniḥ khagāndavat
Tatranādyaḥ samutpannāḥ sahasrāņām dvisaptatiḥ. 25 .
25. Below the navel and above the male organ ( is) the
kandayoni , shaped like the egg of a bird. There ( are) the
origins of the seventy -two thousand nāļis.
Teșu nādīsahasreșu dvisaptatirudāhrtāḥ
Pradhānam prāņavāhinyo bhūyastāsu daśasmytāḥ. 26.
26. Among these thousands of nādis seventy - two have
been specially noted. Again , among these ten carriers of the
praņa are designated as the most important.
Idā ca pingalā cāiva suşumnāca tytīyikā
Gāndhāri,hastijihvāca pūṣā cāiva yasasvini. 27.
27. idā and pingalā and also the third , suşumnā , gāndhārī,
hastijihvā, pūşā and also yasasvini.
Alambuşā kuhūś cāiva sarkhini daśami smrtā
Etannādīm ayam cakram jñātavyam yogibhiḥ sadā. 28.
28. Almabuşā, kuhūs, and also samkhini thetenth are taught
(authoritatively as the ten chief nāļis). Thecentres contain
ing these nāļis should be known always by Yogis.
Idā vāme sthitā bhāge pingalā dakşine sthitā
Suşumnā madhyedeše tu gāndhāri vāmacakşuşi. 29.
29. Idā ( is) situated on the left side, pingalā on the right,
and suşumņāa in the mid region (e.g., between them ); and
gāndhāri in the left eye ;
Dakşime hastijihvāca pūşākarne ca dakşiņe
Yašasvini vāmakarne hyānane căpyalambuşā. 30.
30. And the hastijihvā in the right ( eye) and pūķā in the
right ear, yasasvinī in the left ear, and likewise the alambuşā
in the mouth :
Kuhūśca lingadeśe tu mūlasthāneca samkhini
Evam dvāram samāśritya tişthanti dašanāļikāḥ. 31.
1 Kanda = uterus? The body cosmically viewed contains both male
and female characteristics.
2 GP commentary says that the origin of these three is in the
triangle ofthemūlādhāra ;and B states thatthey are said to be the way
of the prāņa.
31. And Kuhuś in the region of the linga and in the
mūlādhāra the sarkhini. Thus are the ten nādis (each )
attached to a door (of the body).
Ida pingālasuşumnāh prānamärge samasritāḥ
Satatam prāņavāhinyaḥ somasāryāgnidevatāḥ. 32.
32. Iļā, pingalā and suşumņā in the path of the prāņa are
connected. ( Theyare) always the conductors of the prāņa.
( Their) presiding deities arethe moon , the sun and fire.
Prāņo'pānaḥ samānaścodānavyānāuca vayavaḥ
Nāgah kūrmo'tha kşkaro devadatto dhanañjayaḥ. 33.
33. (The breaths are) prāņa (air of breathing ), apāņa (air
of the rectum ), samāna ( digestive air), udāna (air in the
throat), vyānā (air circulating through the body ), nāga (air of
eructation ), kūrma (air ofblinking), similarlykļkaras (air of
sneezing ), devadatta (air of yawning) (and) dhanañjaya.
HỊdiprāṇo vasennityam apāno gudamandale
Samāno nābhidesesyād udānaḥkanthamadhyagaḥ. 34.
34. Prāņa always lies in the chest (heart), apāna in the
region of the rectum , samāna is in the region of the navel ;
udāna moves in the midst of the throat.
Vyāno vyāpi sarīretu pradhānam pañca vayavaḥ
Prānādyāśćātra vikhyātā nāgādyāḥ pañcavāyavaḥ.- 35.
35. But the vyānā pervades the (whole ) body. The five
airs beginning with prāņa are said to be chief; the other five
airs are nāga, etc.
Udgāre nāgākhyātaḥ kūrma ünmilane smrtah
Krkaraḥ kṣutakrjjñeyo devadatto vijīmbhane. 36.
36. Nāga is said to be the air (that functions in ) eructa
tion ; kūrma in winking ; kļkara * ( is) known as causing
sneezing , (and ) devadatta in yawning.
1 The nine doors together with the hole - in - the-skull. They are
passages for the prānas.
: Thebreaths are really the functional orvital forces of the body
all ofwhich aredependent upon the prāņa, of therespiratory system .
Prāņa is identified with jiva, the soul, whichis, of course, the bound
soul.
• Sometimes spoken of as the digestive air.
• B says that it arouses hunger. B says involuntarily.
Na jahāti mýtam capi sarvavyāpi dhanañjayah
Ete sarvāsu nādīşu bhramante jīvarūpinah. 37.
37. Dhanañjaya, pervading the whole (body) does not quit
even the dead (body). These (prāņas), vital functions , wander
through all the nādis.
Akşipto bhujadandena yathoccalati kandukah
Prāņāpānasamākṣiptastathā jīvo na tisțhati. 38.
38. As a ( wooden ) ball struck by the hand - club flies up,
so the jiva struck in turn ) by prāņa and apāna, does not
rest3 (is kept moving ).
Prāṇāpāna vašo jīvo hyadhaścordhvam ca dhāvati
Vāmadakşiņamārgena cañcalatvān na drśyate. 39.
39. Because the soul is under the control of prāņa and
apāna, it moves up and down through the left and right
paths(Ida and Pingalā). Because of restlessness it is not
perceived (clearly) .
Rajjubaddho yathāśyenogato'pyākęsyate punaḥ
Guna baddhastathājīvaḥ prānāpānena krsyate. 40.
40. As a hawk tied with a string, even though it flies
(away) is drawn back ; so the jīva, bound by the guņas, is
controlled by prāņa and upāna.
Apānaḥ karşati prānam prāno'pānam ca karşati
Urdhvadhaḥ samsthitāvetāu samyojayati yogavit. 41 .
41. Apāna pulls prāna and prāņa pulls apāna (alternately);
an adept in Yoga causes the union of these two, lower and
upper (airs).
Hakāreņa bahiryāti sakāreņa visetpunaḥ
Hamsahamsetyamuma mantram jīvo japati sarvadā . 42.
1 Literally forms of life,' appearing as possessing life. Reference
is to the doctrine of māyā, avidyā.
? Jiva is the soul in bondage in samsāra .
3 Illusion is due tothemoving of the prāņa.
* Until one controls the prāņa he cannot see clearly. PC : Jiva
does not understand its own reality because disturbed .
$ The commentary on GP calls this prāņāyāma ' hatha yoga,' the
union of sun and moon .
6 The commentator quotes Hatha Yoga Cintāmani: ‘ Prāņāyāma
has been described by Yogis as Hatha Yoga.'
42. With the sound of ha ' jiva ( in the form of prāņa) goes
out; with the sound of ' sa ' ( in the form of apāna) it enters
( the body) again. The jīva repeats continually that mantra
hamsa , hansa.'1
Şața Satānitvahorătre sahasrāny ekavimsatiḥ
Etat samkhyānvitam mantram jīvo japati sarvadā. 43.
43. The jiva recites continually this mantra, twenty - one
thousand six -hundred times in a day and a night.
Ajapā nāma gāyatri yogīnām mokşadāyini
Asyāḥ sankalpamātreņa sarvapāpaiḥ pramucyate. 44.
44. The gāyatri called ajapā? ( is) the giver of liberation
to Yogis; simply with the desire to recite this ( gāyatri) is he
freed from all demerit.
Anayā sadņšī vidyā anayā sadȚśo japaḥ
Anayā sadȚsam jñānam na bhūtam na bhavisyati. 45 .
45. Knowledge like this, repetition like this, insight like
this neither was nor shall be.3
Kundalinyāḥ samudbhūtā gāyatri prānadhārini
Prānavidyā mahāvidyā yastām vetti sayogavit. 46 .
46. The gāyatri is sprung from “ Kundalini and supports
the prāņa. Knowledgeof the prāņa is the great knowledge.
Who knows this is an adept.5
Kandordhvam kundalī śaktiraştadha kundalākyti
Brahmadvāramukham nityam mukhenācchädya tişthati. 47.
47. Above the kanda Kundali -sakti forms an eight- fold coil.
She remains there constantly with her mouth ( face) covering
the door of Brahmā.'6
Yenadvāreņa gantavyam brahmasthānamanāmayam
Mukhenācchädya tatdvāram prasuptā parameśvari. 48.
Hamsa, the chief mantra of the jiva, is gāyatri. The first clause
is according to CP.
3 = Hamsa, the mantra consisting only of exhalation and inhala
tion , not of vocal sound.
3 The reference is to the gāyatri and its efficiency . PC : It is
Supreme Knowledge.
GP uses locative: Gāyatri arisesin Kundalini.
5 Prāņa is dependent upon Kundalini.
6 The entrance into Brahmā: the lower end of the suşumņa.
GORAKHNATH AND THE KANPHAȚA YOGIS
48. Having covered with her face that door by which
(the soul), free from disease, should go to the seat of Brahmā,
the goddess (Kundalini) lies asleep.
Prabuddhā vahniyogena manasā marutā saha
Sūcīvad guņamādāya vrajatyūrdhvam suşumnayā. 49.
49. By the mind aroused through the union of fire
(buddhi)and prāņa (Kundalini) is drawn upward through the
suşumņā as a needle draws a thread.
Prasphuradbhujagākārā padmatantunibhāśubhā.
Prabuddhā vahniyogena vrajaty ürdhwam suşumnayā. 50.
50. Through the suśumā (she), aroused through union
with fire, goes upwards, like a serpent, auspicious, gleaming
like a filament of аa lotus.
Udghatayetkapātantu yathā kuñcikayā hathāt
Kundalinyā tathā yogi mokşadvāram prabhedayet. 51 .
51. As one might open a door by force with a key , so the
Yogi may break open the door of release by means of
Kundalini.1
Kytvā sampuţitāukarāudȚdhataram badhvātu padmāsanam
Gādham vakşasi sannidhāya cibukam dhyātvāca tat
prekṣitam
Vāramvāram apānamūrdhwam anilam proccārayet püritam
Muñcanprāņamupāiti bodhamatulam saktiprabodhānnaraḥ.
52.
52. Having closed the two hands firmly, having taken the
lotus posture , having pressed down the chin onthe chest,
( and) it (Kundalini) having been looked at; he should expel
again and again the apāna breath after he (has filled ) it in ;
he attains at the time of expelling the prāņa unequalled
knowledge through the awakening of Sakti.
Argānām mardanam kuryācchramajātena vāriņā
Kadvamlalavana tyāgi ksira bhojanamācaret. 53 .
53. One should rub his limbs with the perspiration that
1 The commentary on GP says that the door here referred to is
the mouth ofthesuşumņā ,and the key the knowledge of Kundalini.
results from the above) effort. Let him drink milk and
abstain from bitter, acid and salty ( food).1
Brahmacārī mitāhāri tyāgiyogaparāyaṇaḥ
Abdādürdhvam bhavetsiddho nātrakāryā vicāranā. 54.
54. ( He should be) chaste, one who eats little , an abstainer
from worldly pleasures, a practiser of Yoga. After a year he
will have perfected this skill. One must have no doubt
concerning this.
Susnigdham madurāhāram cațurthāṁsavivarjitam
Bhujyate surasamprītyāi mitāhāraḥ sa ucyate. 55 .
55. One (by whom) very soft, sweet, good -tasting ( food ),
leaving one fourth of it, is taken with enjoyment, is called
mitāhāra.
Kandordhwam kundalī śaktirașţadhā kundalākytih
Bandhanāya ca mūļhānām yogīnām mokşadā smytā. 56.
56. Kundalini-sakti, coiled eight times above the kanda (is)
said to be the giver of release to Yogīs4 and of bondage to
the uninitiated.
Mahamudrām nabhomudhrām uddīyānam jalandharam
Mūlabandhamcayovetti sayogi muktibhājanam . 57.
57. That Yogi is ready for release who knows mahāmudrā,
nabhomudrā , uddīyāna, jalandhara’ and mūlabhanda.
Šodhanam nādijālasya cālanam candra sūryayoḥ
Rasānām soșanam cãiva mahāmudrā 'bhidhiyate. 58.
58. The purification of the collection of the nādis, the
1 Commentary on GP says that this is the perspiration arising
from the practice of prāņāyāma; and that it is for rousing Kundalini.
Thus, also, the dhātus or secretions of the body are preserved.
2 Again the commentary to GP states that this assists in moving
Kundalini.
3. Two parts ( fourths) of the stomach should be filled with food;
one part with water; and one part should be left empty for the
passing of air.
4 To the adept in moving her . 5 Literally " fools.'
6 The commentary to GP substitutes Khecarimudrā ; and states
that through these exercises the Kundalini is set in motion . These
are Sakti călana mudrās.
? Jalam means nectar (bindu ) dropping from the-hole - in -the -skull.
moving of both the moon and the sun , and also the drying up
of the liquids of the body, is called mahāmudrā.
Vakşonyasta hanuḥ prapīdya suciram yonimca vāmānghriņā
Hastābhyāmanudhārayanprasaritampādam tathā daksinam
Apūryaśvasanena kukşiyugulami badhvāšanāirecayed
Eșā vyādhivināšinī sumahati mudrā nīņām kathyate. 59.
59. Having rested the chin on the chest, and pressing for
a long time the yoni with the left great toe , with the two
hands grasping the extended right foot, having filled with
breath both sides of the abdomen and having held it, one
should expel it slowly. This is said to be the very great
mudrā, the destroyer of the diseases of men .
Candrāngena samabhyasya sūryāngenābhyasetpunaḥ.
Yāvattułyā bhavetsankhyā tatomudrāmvisarjayet. 60.
60. Having practiced it first with the idā and then with
the pingalā an equal number of times, he should discontinue
the mudrā .
Nahi pathyamapathyam vā rasāḥ sarve 'pi nīrasāḥ
Api muktam visamghoram pīyūṣamiva jīryate.3 61 .
61. ( There is) neither wholesome nor unwholesome ( food ).
All tastes ( are) indeed tasteless. Even deadly poison (food )
(when ) eaten is digested as if it were nectar.4
Kșyakustha gudāvarta gulmājūrnapurogamāḥ .
Rogāstasya kşayam yānti mahāmudrāmcayo 'abhyaset. 62.
62. His diseases, consumption, leprosy, constipation,
enlargement of the spleen, decrepitude go to destruction who
practices mahāmudrā.
1 P reads yugulam .
: Thebreathingshould be done an equal number of times with
each nostril . PC reads:
'OÑ ' should be repeated twelvetimes in inhaling, sixteen times
in holding and ten times in expelling the breath . This is called
prāņāyāma.
There are three classes of prāņāyāma. In the lowest begin with
twelve times, in the middle with twenty - four times , in the highest
with thirty -six times. In the lowest there is great perspiration , in the
middle trembling, in the highest the Yogi floats in the air.
3 Preads jūryati. But B andGP readjīryate.
4 The effect ofthe mahāmudrā is to destroy the distinction in
sense or effect.
Kathiteyam mahamudrā sarvasiddhikarīnınām

Gopaniya prayatnena na deyāyasya kasyacit. 63 .
63. This mahāmudrā has been described , which secures
all kinds of success for men. It should be kept secret by all
means. It (is) not to be revealed to all sorts of people
( literally, “any one ').
Kapālakuhare jihvă praviştā viparitagā
Bhruvorantargată drstirmudrā bhavati khecari. 64.
64. By turning the tongue over backwards into the hollow
above the throatand by fixing the sight between the eye
brows the khecarimudra is performed.2
Na rogo maranam tasya na nidrā na kşudhātrsā
Naca mürccha bhavettasya yo mudrāmvetti khecarim . 65 .
65. Neither disease nor death nor sleep nor hunger nor
fainting is there for him who knows the khecarimudrā.
Pidyate nasa śokena lipyate na sakarmaņā
Badhyate na sa kalena yo mudrām vettikhecarim . 66 .
66. He is not troubled by affliction ; he is not besmeared
(bound) by the fruits of deeds, he is not troubled by death
who knows the khecarimudrā.
Cittam carati khe yasmājjihvă carati khegatā
Tenäiva khecarimudrā sarvasiddhāir namaskytā. 67.
67. The citta wanders in space (khe ) because the tongue
having entered khe (the hollow above the throat) moves
about. For that very reason the khecarimudrā is highly valued
by all adepts .?
i Mahāmudrā gains all perfections.
This takes the placeof nābhomudrā in the exposition. See
verse 57. The commentary to GP explains that the tongue has first
to be released from the cords which bind it to the floor of the mouth,
and then to be elongated by repeated stretching and kneading.
3 Better, mūrchā .
4 Or, delusion.
5 HÝP : ‘ Not snared by death ( time).'
6 The space between the eyebrows characterized by freedom from
the universe.
7
SCN , Text, p. 87. ( The Serpent Power ), speaking of khecari:
' As by this the citta roams in the Brahman (Kha = ether and space
Bindu mūlam sariram tu sīrāstatra pratişthitāḥ
Bāvayanti sariram yā āpādatalamastakam . 68.
68. But the bindu ? is the cause of the body. In it ( tatra)
arise all the channels which together constitute the body,
from head to foot.
Khecaryā mudritam yena vivaram lambikordhvataḥ
Na tasya kşarate binduḥ kāminyālingitasya ca. 69.
69. By whom the hollow in the top of the throat is sealed
by khecari, his bindu , even (though he be ) embraced by a
woman , does not fall.
Yavad binduh sthito dehe tavanmytyubhayam kutaḥ.
Yāvad baddhā nabhomudrā ; tāvad bindurnagacchati. 70.
70. While the bindu remains in the body, there is no fear
of death. As long as the khecarimudrā is continued , so long
the bindu does not go down.5
Calito ºpi yada binduh sampraptasca hutāºanam
Brajaty urdhvam hrtaḥ śaktyā niruddho yonimudrayā. 71 .
71. Even if the bindu has reached the fire ( yonisthānam ), it
straightway returns (goes up) arrested by Sakti, by the
yonimudrā.
Sa punar dvividho binduh panduro6 lohitastathā
Pānduram śukramityāhurlohitam tu mahārajaḥ.
72. Further, the bindu ( is) of two kinds, pale-white and
blood -red: The pale -white they call semen virile, the blood
red menstrual fluid.
Sinduradrava sankāśam ravisthāne sthitam rajah
Śaśisthāne sthito bindustayorāikyam sudurlabham . 73 .
between the eyebrows, ājñā ), and as the sound of unwritten words

also roams in the ether (khe), therefore khecarimudrā is honoured by
all. Citta is khecare, what moves in the sky. This is the case where
the citta is free from all attachments.
Semen virile. Candrāmrta, nectar of the crescent moon .
2 Müla = root.
3 = Khecarimudrā . See above .
* Or, ' Where ( is) the fear of death ? '
5 The idea is that the bindu is distilled above the soft palate and
proceeds down through the hollow above the throat and the suşumņā .
6 The text reads pāndaro ; but following B and GP, pānduro is used
here.
THE GORAKŞA ŚATAKA 299
73. Rajas (menstrual fluid ) secreted in the place of the

sun , resembling vermilion, and the bindu secreted in the
place of the moon — the mingling of these two is very difficult
to accomplish .
Binduḥ śīva rajaḥ śaktir bindum indū2 rajo ravih
Ubhayoḥ sangamādeva prāpyate paramam padam . 74.
74. Bindu is Siva, rajas (is) Sakti; bindu (is) the moon ,
rajas the sun ; from the mingling of these two, verily, one
obtains the highest state .
Vāyunā sakti cărena preritantu mahārajah
Bindunāiti sahāikatvam bhaved divyam vapustadā. 75.
75. Then, by moving Sakti, by vayu the rajas ( is) impelled
and united with bindu . Then (the body) becomes divine,
wonderful in appearance.
Sukram candrena samyuktam rajaḥ sūryena samyutam
Tayoḥ samarasāikatvam yojānāti sa yogavit. 76.
76. Sukra (bindu) is joined" with the moon ,rajas is joined
with the sun. One who knows (the means of) uniting the
two is an adept.
Uddīnam kurute yasmās aviśrāntam mahākhagaḥ
Uddīyānam tadevasyān mytyumātangakeśarī. 77.
77. Even as a great bird is able to flyế without taking
rest; so indeed uddīyāna may become the lion (which is) the
death ? of the elephant.
Udarātpaścimebhāge hyadho nābhernigadyate
Uddīyānasya bandhoyam tatrā bandho vidhīyate. 78.
78. This bandha8 at the back of the abdomen and below
the navel is called bandha of the uddiyāna ; there banda
(mudrā) is to be practised.
Sthitam , sthito = ' whose natural place is,' or ' situated.'

2 GP reads candra.
3 E.g., fire does not burn it, weapons do not pierce it, etc.
4 'Means ,' or ' is equivalent to .'
5 GP commentary says that the union of these two is Yoga.
6 In space , in the heavens, ākāśa = khe of verse 67.
?=
8
E.g., as the lion kills the elephant, so uddiyanadestroys death.
mudrā .
Badhnāti hi śirajālamadhogāmiširojalam
Tato jālandharo bandhaḥ kanthaduḥkhāughanāšanaḥ. 79 .
79. Because the jālandharabandha closes the network of
channels (all the nădis) and stops the water from flowing
down from the head; therefore, it destroys the host of dis
orders of the throat.
Jālandhare krte bandhe kanthasankocalaksaņe
Pīyūṣam na patatyagnāu na ca vāyuḥ prakupyati. 80.
80. The jālandharabandha, characterized by the closing of
the throat, having been performed , the nectar does not fall
into the fire, nor is the air disturbed .
Pārşņibhāgena sampīdya yonimākuñcayed gudam
Apānamūrdhvam ákrsya mülabandho vidhiyate. 81.
81. Having pressed the yoni with the back of the left
heel, one should contract the rectum ; (and then ), drawt the
apāna upward- (thus) is the mūlabandha performed.
Apānaprānayorāikyāt kṣayānmūtrapurīşayoḥ
Yuvā bhavati urddho 'pi satatam mülabandhanāt. 82.
82. From the union of prāņa and apāna, from the decrease
of urine and fæces, even an old man becomes young by
much ( practice ) of the mūlabandha.
Padmāsanam samāruhya samakāyasirodharaḥ
Nāsagradrsțirekānte japedoņkāramavyayam . 83.
83. Having taken the lotus posture, holding the body and
neck steady , fixing the sight on the tip of the nose, in a
secluded place, one should repeat the unperishable om.
Bhür bhuvah svarimelokāḥ somasūryāgnidevatāḥ
Yasyā mātrāsu tişthanti tatparamjyotir om iti. 84.
84. That supreme light, om, is (that) in whose elements
the worlds bhūḥ, bhavaḥ and svaḥ and the divinities moon ,
sun and fire exist.5
1 PC . The nectar of the moon .
2 Bindu .
3 PC. Perineum = yonisthānam .
* Literally, having drawn.
5 In om you can meditate on all these .
Tryaḥ kālāstrayo vedāstrayo lokāstrayaḥ sverāḥ
Trayo devāḥ sthiţă yatra tatparamjyotir om iti. 85.
85. In which the three times , the three Vedas, the three
worlds, the three accents, and the three gods are situated ,
that, om, is the supreme light.
Kriyā cecchā tathā jñānābrāhmirāudrica vāişnavi
Tridhāśaktiḥ sthita yatra tatparamjotir om iti. 86.
86. In which action and desire and knowledge, Brahmi,
Rāudri and Väişnavi, the threefold śakti, is contained, that,
om, is the supreme light.
Akāraścatathokāromakāro bindu samjñakaḥ
Tisromātrāḥ sthitāyatra tatparamjyotir om iti.
87. That om, in which these three letters A, and likewise
U and M , which has the bindu as its mark, exist, is the
supreme light.
Vacasā tajjayed bējam vapuşā tatsambhyaset
Manasā tatsmarennityam tatparamjyotir om iti. 88.
88. With the voice one should repeat that bijam ;" one
should practice it with the bodys ; with the mind one should
remember it. That, om, is the supreme light.
Sucirvā'pyaśucirvāpi yo japet pranavam sadā
Lipyate na sa pāpena padmapatram ivāmbhasā . 89.
89. Whether (he be) either pure or impure, one who
recites om continually is not besmeared by sin , even as the
leaf of the lotus ( is not wet) by water. ?
Calevätecalo bindur niscale niścalo bhavet
Yogīsthānutvam āpnoti tatovāyum nirodhayet. 90.
1 Three times,past ,present, future. Three worlds, three kinds of
beings. Three gods, Brahmä, etc.
2 The consorts ofthe three gods .
3 These verses describe groups of three to include all in om.
4 Literally seed ; = om.
5 Using postures.
6 With themind, meditate on om. These acts should all be done
continually .
? Water does not cling to the lotus leaf; so sin does not cling to
the one who recites om.
90. So long as the air moves, bindul moves ; (and ) it
becomes stationary (when the air) ceases tomove. The Yogi
should, therefore, control the air (and) obtain immovability .
Yāvad vayuhsthito dehe tāvajjīvona:mucyate.
Maranam tasya nişkrāntistato vāyum nirodhayet. 91.
91. As long as prāņa remains in the body, life (jiva ) does
not depart. Its departure (is) death . Therefore, one should
become proficient in restraining the prāņa.
Yāvad baddho maruddehe yāvaccittam nirāmayam
Yāvad dystir bhruvor madhye tāvatkālabhayam kutaḥ. 92.
92. As long as prāņa is held in the body , so long
consciousness ( cittam ) (is) free from disease. What cause is
there for fear of death so long as the sight (remains fixed )
between the eyebrows ?
Ataḥ kālabhayād brahmā prānāyāmaparāyanaḥ
Yogino munayaścāiva tato vāyum nirodhayet. 93 .
93. Therefore, from the fear of death, Brahmā ( is) intent
on prāņāyāma, as are also Yogis and sages. Therefore, one
should restrain the prāņa.
Şať trimśadangulohamsaḥ prayāṇam kurute bahiḥ
Vāmadakșiņamārgena tataḥ prāno 'bhidhīyate. 94.
94. The prāņa goes out to a distance of thirty -six fingers?
through the left and right nostrils. Therefore it is called
prāņa.
1 B gives reading cittam as does HYP, 2 : 2.
2 Immovability,indifferent to heat and cold, etc.
3 B reads jīvo and this has been substituted for jiva of P.
4 Held in by kumbakha.
5 So long is the mind undisturbed.
6 Hamsa is prāņa + apāna.
? The degrees of distance are as follows:
naturally - twelve fingers ;
sleeping - sixteen fingers;
eating - twenty fingers ;
walking - twenty - four fingers;
sound sleep - thirty fingers ;
cohabitation - thirty -six fingers. So the verse refers to vajroli
(see chap. sixteen ).
8 Idā and pinglā.
Suddhim eti yadā sarvam nāļīcakram malākulam.

Tadāiva jāyate yogi prāņa saņgrahaņe kşamaḥ. 95.
95. When the whole group of nāạis, full of secretions, is
purified, then indeed the Yogi becomes capable of restrain
ing the prāņa.
Baddhapadmāsano yogi prāņam candreņa pūrayet.
Dhārayițvā yathāśakti bhūyaḥ sūryeņa recayet. 96.
96. Assuming the lotus posture, the Yogi should fill in the
prāņa through the left nostril; then, having held it as long
as possible, he should expel it through the right nostril.
Amrtam dadhisarkāśam goksirarajatopamam
Dhyātvā candramaso bimbam prānāyāmi sukhībhavet. 97.
97. Having meditated on the circular imageof the moon ,
nectar as white as curds (and) cow's milk, (or) of the colour of
purest silver, one practising prāņāyāmā should find peace.
Dakşiņo śvāsamākysya pūrayet udaram sanāih.
Kumbhayitvā vidhänena purascandreņa recayet. 98.
98. Having filled in the breath through the right nostril,
one should fill the abdomen slowly ; having held it according
to the rules he should expel ( it slowly) through the left
nostril.
Prajvalajjvalanajvālāpuñjamādityamaņdalam
Dhyātvānābhisthitam yogi prānāyāmi sukhībhavet. 99.
99. Having meditated on the circle of the sun , full of a
mass of flame of fire burning very brightly in the navel, the
Yogi who practices prāņāyāma should find peace.
Prānam codidayā pibet parimitam bhūyo 'nyayārecayet.
Pītvā pingalayā samīraṇamathobadhvātyajet vāmāyā.
Sūryācandramasoranena vidhinā bimbadvayam dhyāyataḥ.
Suddhā nādiganābhavanti yamino māsatrayādürdhvataḥ.
100 .
100. Meditating in turn on the two images, moon and sun ,
a ( Yogi) should draw in the breath through the left nostril;
he should expel it again through the other, according to the
limit (of the times already explained ): then having drawn in
1 Meditation is with the breathing control outlined above.
the breath through the right nostril, and having held it, he
should expel it through the left nostril. After three months
the group of nādis of the practicer becomes pure.
Yatheștham dhāraṇam vāyoranalasya pradīpanam
Najābhivyaktirārogyam jāyate nādisodhanât. 101 .
101. By cleansing the nāļis the prāņa (is) restrained as
desired , the digestive fire (is) kindled , internal sound is heard
(becomes manifest), (and) one becomes diseaseless.
Iti śrīgorakṣa śatakam sampūrnam .
Thus the completion of the one-hundred of Sri Gorakşa.
1 This process of breathing is the chief means of cleansing the
nādis.
i First, various kinds of loud sounds are heard, as of hammer,
drum , the ocean ; then as the practice proceeds, minute sounds are
heard, musical, bell, blowing conch, bird , lotus- bee, flute, small bells
and bamboo instrument, in the body.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
MORE IMPORTANT PHYSIOLOGICAL
CONCEPTS
THE primary interest of the Gorakşaśataka is with the

major parts of the body, the trunk, neck and head .
How can those Yogis who do not know their own (body) asa house
of one column, (with) nine doors,and ( as presided over by ) five
tutelary divinities, attain perfection in Yoga) 2
The nine doors are the seven in the head and the two at
the base of the trunk . To these is added as a tenth the hole
in -the-skull, and it is through this that the soul, liberated,
escapes. The divinities are Brahmä, Vişnu, Rudra, Isa and
Sadāśiva, each of whom is assigned to a particular centre'.
More particularly, the system is concerned with the body
from the standpoint of the two breaths, the six circles, the
three channels , Sakti (Kundalini) and Siva.
The body is pervaded by ten airs which are conceived of as
vital powers, or functions of the human organism ; specifically
and particularly of the senses and the involuntary processes,
moving in channels, or paths, called nāļi," which are found
in all parts of the body. Five of these airs are of more
importance to the Yogi than are the others , and of the five
two are of special interest; and, finally, prāņa, as the function
1 Many descriptions of the various physiological aspects of the
system of tāntraare to be found. The works of Arthur Avalon give
much more detailed accounts than are here set forth .
* P , verse 14.
3 P, verses34–37.
• Edgerton, AJP , 1924 , p. 41.
6 Seebelow . • SS, 3: 6.
20
of breathing, is primary. Prāņa, vāyu and māruta seem to
mean not merely air, or breath , but also vital force, the prin
cipal of life, vitality, the antithesis of physical or bodily
inertness and death. The prāņa is oftenidentified with the
individual soul (jiva ). The airs are as follows:
1. The prāna is the breath , having its chief seat in the
region of the heart. It is always found in the mouth , the
nose, the navel, the kanda and the great toe. It is the most
important of all the airs and its control (prāņāyāma) is funda
mental in the Hatha Yoga .' The Upanişads know a single
vital principle (prāņa) which derives its existence from the
self and which superintends the other functions.
2. Apāna, the air ofthe lower part of the trunk, has its
chief seat in the rectum . It functions in the voiding of faeces
and urine and in other vital forces operating in the various
functions of the lower portion of the body. It is found in
the rectum , male organ,thighs, knees, lower abdomen , waist ,
and navel. ?
3. Samāna ( samavāyu ), whose chief seat is the region of
the navel, is the function of digestion . This air, or intestinal
fire, resides, also, in all the limbs and makes the body dry.8
4. Udāna, residing in the middle of the throat is the
function of speech . It is active also in the hands and feet and
causes enlargement of the body.10
5. Vyāna pervades the whole body 11 and operates in the
ears, lips, throat, nose, mouth , cheeks and the navel (mani
bandh ).is
The other airs are : 13
Note : P. Gorakşašataka, Poona text. (GS)
PC . Commentary on P.
SCN . Saţcakra Nirūpana ( In The Serpent Power).
SP. The Serpent Power.
B. Benares manuscript of the Gorakşašataka.
GP . Goraksa Paddhati.
CGP. Commentary in GP.
HYP. Hathayogapradīpika.
SS. Śiva Sanhita .
1 See Keith , Religion and Philosophy of the Veda, vol. II, 453 ff.
2 P, 33. & CGP, p. 34. 16 GP, p . 20 .
3 GP, p. 20 . ? CGP, p . 20 . 11 P. 35.
SeeDasG., p. 37. & GP, p. 20. 12 GP, p . 20.
5 P , 34 ; SS , 3 : 7. • P , 34. 13 P , 35, 36.
MORE IMPORTANT PHYSIOLOGICAL CONCEPTS 307
6. Nāga, which causes eructation ;
7. Kurma, which functions in winking;
8. Kykara which causes sneezing or hunger ;!
9. Devadatta , yawning; and
10. Dhanañjāya ; the air which remains in the body after
death .? Is this the function of decay ?
Prāņa and apāna " situated above and below's the
diaphragm , are the most important and receive the most
attention in the system . They are ' joined' in the navel. To
the Yogi the navel is the centre of the body. Apāna is drawn
up to the navel, by the prāņa; and is there united with it
( the prāņa ). Prāņa and apāna alternately draw each other. In
pronouncing ' ha ' apāna expels prāņa ; and in pronouncing
* sa ' prāņa drives down apāna. Thus is described the breath
ing process and it is conceived of as anexpelling and inhaling
of the jīva, or soul, which, because of lack ofclear insight,
identifies itself with the process. It is said that the final
going out of prāņa is the exit of jīva in death. The word ,
hamsa ', derived from the process of breathing (ha + sa )
becomes a mantra, called the ajapa gāyatri, the unmuttered
gāyatri. So the Yogi ' repeats ' this mantra , of incalculable
power, continually, twenty -one thousand six hundred times
in a day and a night.6
In Yoga practice these two, prāņa and apāna, are to be
joined. The knowledge of how this is done is of great
importance to Yogīs? and belongs to the highest knowledge,8
delivering from old age and death .
But the texts are more specific about the knowledge that is
required of the body. The Yogi should add to his general
knowledge (of the body ), and of the prāņas, that of the nādis,
the six centres, and the sixteen supports (ādhāra ).
The vital forces function through the nādis ,io sometimes
called channels, or arteries, or fibres. They are paths of
power, not gross channels, but subtle lines.11 They are
spoken of as 72,000 in number 12 or as 3,00,000,18 or as
3
1 B, 33 . 2 P, 37 . P , 42-44.
4 See Brown, JAOS, vol . XXXIX , p. 108.
5 P, 42. 6 P, 42-44 . ? P , 41.
8 P , 45 . 9 HYP, 2 : 47. 10 P , 26 .
11 SP, p. 115 . 12 P , 25 ; HYP, 4: 8. 13 P , 13 .
2,00,000. Among these seventy -two are of considerable
importance , but they are not named. The nāļis are spoken
of as a network pervading the body and having their origin
in the kanda. They all have their ends (outlets) in the
openings of the body. The ten chief nādis are idā, pinglā ,
suşumnā, gāndhārī, hastijihvā, pūşā, yasasvini, alambuşā,
kūhūśand samkhini . They terminate respectively in the left
nostril, the right nostril, the hole - in - the skull (anterior
fontanelle), the left eye, the right eye, the right ear, the left
ear, the mouth, the male organ and the anus.
Of these nädis the first three are the most important and
receive major attention as the paths of the prāņa. They are
of vital importance in prāņāyāma and the raising of Kunda
lini Sakti. The first two are subordinate to the third , through
which , by Yoga, prāņa is supposed to pass by way of the
various centres out of the body through the brahmarandhra.
Iļā, pinglā and suşumņā are called respectively moon
(candra, śasi),sun (Sürya, mihra) and fire ( agni);' andGangā,
Jumnā and Sarasvati. Iļā is feminine, pinglā is masculine.
They both indicate Kāla (death ) and suşumņā devours Kāla .?
Idā was the universal mother, the mother Earth.8
Suşumņā is called also brahmanāļi (The Brahma-channel),
Sūnyapadavi (path -of-non -existence , empty -path ), brahma
randhra (hole-in -the-skull), mahāpatha ( the-great-highway),
śmaśāna (burial-ground ), śāmbhavi (Durgā ; sacred to Siva),
madhyamārga (middle -path ), and saktimārga (path of śaktī ). 10
It is identified with the spinal cord ,11 and issaid to extend
from the mūlādhāra to thevacuum below the hole- in -the skull.
It is the path of enjoyment, in which male and female unite.
Iļā and pinglā arising in the left and right scrotum (?) (kanda)
ascend alternating from left to right, having thus gone around
or through, all the centres ( proceeding spirally they meet the
1 GP, 13 . 2 P , 26. For other estimates see SP , p. 130.
SivaSamsitā speaks of fourteen as important.
3 P, 27, 28.
6
4 P , 29, 30, 31 . P , 32 ; SCN , p. 4.
6 HYP, 3 : 51 . ? SP , p. 131 .
8 JRAS ( 1890 ), p. 344. Dr. G.W. Brown pointed out that idā is
Dravidian for ' left.' 9 CP, HYP, 2:46.
10 HYP , 3 ; 4 ; SCN , p. 145 . 11 So DHIP, vol. II, p. 354.
SS, 5.121.
suşumņā in each cakra ') and proceed to the space between the
eyebrows, where they form a plaited knot with suşumņāand
thence continue to the left and right nostrils. They also form
a plaited knot with suşumņā in the kanda. They are pale,
moon -coloured, and lustrous red, sun - coloured , respectively.'1
Suşumņā, the chief channel, lies between idā and pinglā.
It is the path of the Kundalini. The door at the lower end
of the suşumņā is called brahmadvāra. The suşumņā is three
fold in its constitution; its inner fibre, very subtle, is the pale
nectar-giving citrininādi, the brāhmānādi.
The channels are conceived of as full of impurities or
secretions.4
The Nādis should be cleansed of their impurities by performing
the mudrās, etc. (which are the the practices relating to the air)
āsanas, kumbhakas and various curious mudrās.5
Other means also are used. For special persons, those in
whose channels is an excess of fats and phlegm a special set
of six duties (sațkarmāni) is enjoined. In the cleaning of the
paths prāņāyāma is the chief agent.
When the channels have been cleansed the body becomes
lean and of a glowing colour, the health is good, the appetite
is strong, divine sounds are heard (a most desirablestate),
and prāņāyāma can be performed effectively, namely, Kunda
lini can be raised ( the aim of the Hatha Yoga).
The lotuses, circles, wheels, centres, vital stations (padma
cakra, ādhāra) may be conceived of as positions or locations
in the body where various aspects of vital force reside.
They are often identified with the ganglia at various levels
along the spinal cord ; but this may not be accurate. They
are not in the plexuses, but in the spinal column. They are
1 SCN , pp , 5 , 6. 5 HYP, 1 : 58.
2 GP, p . 19 ;SCN, p. 4. 6 HYP, 2 : 21 , i ; 2 : 22.
3 HYP, 4 : 18. See below . ? HYP, 2 : 20.
4 P, 95 . 8 HYP, 2 : 19; 2 : 20.
• SP, p.76. I find that Dasgupta, in the second volume of his
History of Indian Philosophy, takes this position. He says :
'How far the cakras can themselves be called nerve-plexuses is
very doubtful, since the nerve-plexuses are all outside the spinal
aperture; but if the kundalinī is to pass through the aperture of the
citriņi nādi and atthe same time pass through the cakras, the cakras
or the lotuses (padma) must be inside the spinal cord. . . . A nerve
GORAKHNATH AND THE KĀNPHATA YOGIS
most complicated in their symbolism and are not easy to
describe. Conceived of as stations along the suşumņā, which
passes through them , they are viewed in relation to the
successive positions which Kundalini reaches in her ascent to
the place of Siva. From the standpoint of creation, each
padma may be conceived of as a place of union of Sakti and
Siva, each having within itself both male and female, divi
nities and forces . Each, except the last, may be viewed as a
microcosm , containing all the forces of creation . Besides,
each contains the union symbol of the yoni-linga, in triangle
and linga, or letter and bindu, crescent and circle. They are
described as lotuses (padma) with varying numbers of petals,
each leaf having its letter, called bīja with bindu, and all
drawn with symbolic use of colour, and mythical animals.
The variousfigures, triangles, squares, and the like belong to
yantra, the letters with their bindus to mantra . The latter
as (mantras) are to be meditated upon in turn proceeding
from right to left.
The circles, or lotuses, are a characteristic element in the
Yogi's conception of the Hatha Yoga. The lotuses, except
thelast are also called Pīțhas,1 and are seats of Śakti.
The names and locations of the various cakras, beginning
with the lowest, are as follows:
1. Mūlādhāra, at the base of the spinal column.
2. Svādhisthāna, at the root of the male organ , or the
male organ .
3. Manipüraka, in the region of the navel.
4. Anāhata, the heart lotus.
5. Visuddha, in the throat.
6. Ajñā, between the eyebrows, within the skull.
Related to these most intimately, are two other regions of
the body, the kanda and the brahmarandhra; the former in
the lower part of the abdomen,the source of all the nāļis,
the latter at the anterior fontanelle .
physical interpretation ofthem as nerve- plexuses would be unfaithful
to the texts. P. 356. Quoted by permission of Macmillan and
Company, Publishers.
1 See noteunder Devi Pātan in chap. five.
2 The descriptionsare based for the mostpart upon P, SP , CGP
3
CP and SP. 3 P , 22.
The lower five are counted as centres of the five forms of
matter - earth, water, fire, air and ether, each with its appro
priate letter with its bindu, known as its bija mantra, and its
colour. At the top of the head (brahmarandhra) is the blissful
abode of Paramaſiva - Sakti.
As centres of characteristic vital forces, the cakras become
the objects of concentration of thought or of fixed attention
and in them are to be discovered the mysteries of creation
and the psychic energies of Kundalini. Not only does each
centre contain a special form of substance and power but
also of bliss or of ecstatic experience.
The mūlādhara , is also called ādhāra , gudādhra, gudasthāna,
bhumandalā , mūlacakra, and is described as located in the
gudadvāra, ' the door of the anus. Moreover it is attached
to the mouth of the suşumņā thus being the lower doorway
of the brahmarandra, or suşumņā. This adhāra is the principal
>
seat of the apāna. It consists of a lotus with four petals,

red in colour, upon which are the golden letters a, si, si, Å
( v, s, ş and s, with their bindus), which are objects for
meditation .
In the centre of the lotus is a yellow square, surrounded
by eight shining spears, the emblem of earth ( Pythivi). The
tips of the spears are shaped like a woman's breasts.
In the centre of the square is a red triangle resting on its
apex, symbolizing the yoni, and called Kāmarūpa . It is
described also as the triangular place of fire, looking like
burnished gold , that by which kāma is felt. In the yoni
stands the self-existent linga, with its disc of light like a
jewel, around which is coiled eight times, and shining like
lightning, Kundalini. She is asleep closing with her mouth
(head, face) the aperture of the linga. Here in particular is
the brahmadvāra where she drinks nectar, and produces
words, or is the source of sounds. She is to be meditated
upon , here, as a girl of sixteen in full bloom (Bālasündari).
Moreover, she is the support of the body as ſeşā of the
earth . On the triangle rests the bīja, or seed, or charm of the
cakra, the letter i (l, lang ), yellow in colour, the bija -mantra
1 müla , root ; guda, anus ; bhū, earth ; dvāra, door; sthāna, place;
maņdla, circle.
of earth and also of Indra. The tip of the bīja rests on the
elephant of Indra. In the bindu or dot of this letter is the
four-headed , four-armed Brahmā, shining like 10,000,000
suns, seated on a hamsa, or swan . By his side is Dākiņi Sakti.
She is a terrible form of Kāli, who feeds on human flesh ;
and who casts the evil eye upon children causing them to
pine and die, by consuming their livers. She carries in her
four hands a spear, a staff with a human skull, a sword and
a cup of wine. She is fierce and plump, and is clad in a
black antelope's skin. She is sitting on a lotus.
Svādhisthāna, is also called jalamandala, because its tattva
or form of matter is water ( jala). It is also known as
medhrādhāra . This centre is at the root of the male organ ,
some say that organ itself. The lotus consists of six petals of
a reddish colour bordering on orange, upon which are written
in gold the letters , , , , , (b , bh, m, y, r, and I each
with its bindu ). Within this cakra is a white half -moon ,
luminous as the autumn moon , and within this the watery
region of Varuņa. Some say that the moon has an eight
petalled lotus on each side of it. The central bīja is a ( v vang ),
the bīja -mantra of Varuņa, in white, resting on a makara, a
legendary creature, a fabulous sea-monster, resembling an
aligator, the vehicle of Kāma. In the bindu sits the four - armed
Vişņu, luminous, blue -coloured, dressed in yellow , wearing the
svastika, a garland, and the great jewel, both luminous. He
holds the conch, discus, mace and lotus in his hands and is
seated on Garuda. Within the circle of the moon , and
associated with Visnu, is the Goddess Sākini seated on a red ,
double lotus. She is a demon attendant of Kālī, blue in
colour. In her four hands she holds a trident, a lotus, a drum
and a battle axe. She is three -eyed, ferocious in aspect,
showing her teeth (fangs ), while a streak of blood issues from
one of her nostrils. She is a wish -granter, and is exalted
with the nectar. Prāņa, which arises with the syllable sva,
rests in this cakra and represents the paralinga.
Between the two cakras, the mūlādhāra and the svādhişthāna
is the yonisthāna, spoken of as the image of desire. It is the
1 Medhra, the linga. 2 GP, p. 15. Śiva Samhitā says Rākiņi.

four -fingered space between the anus and the root of the
male organ, described as two fingers -breadth from each of
them . It is further characterized as the place of Siva -Sakti,
the place of enjoyment, and as Kāmarūpa. In part, at least,
this seems to be identified with the triangle of the mūlādhāra.i
Its position, as here described, must involve the idea that
the body contains within itself both aspects of the creative
power, reminiscences of the thought of ardhanāri. The place
is sometimes spoken of as the Găuripitha.
The manipūraka, also called nābhisthana, ravisthāna, sūrya
sthāna ”, is situated in the region of the navel. It contains
ten blue petals, with the letters टं, ढं, णं, तं, थं, दं, धं, नं, पं, फं,
( d,dh , ņ, t, th , d ,dh, n, p, ph, also in blue, each with its bindu ).
It is the seat of the element fire, of the sun, and of the samāna.
In the centre of the circle is a read triangle, bordered by
three svastikas and containing the bija-mantra (r, rang); also
in red . This centre is also viewed as the seat of rajas, the
menstrual fluid , and , as the sun , the cakra is said to soak up
the nectar (bindu) from the moon. The bīja rests on a ram ,
radiant like the rising sun. Sitting above thetriangle is Mahā
rudra , red in colour, but white with ashes, three -eyed, with
hands extended to grant boons, or to dispel fear (vara- and
abhyamudrās). He is the destroyer of creation. In one hand
he holds a rudrākṣa rosary, in the other a weapon. He is
seated on a bull. Beside him is Lākini Sakti, blue in colour,
four-handed , seated on a red lotus. She carries in her hands
a thunderbolt, and a weapon of fire , while the other two
hands are in gesture as are Rudra's. Her breasts are ruddy
with blood and fat which drip from her mouth . She is fond
of meat and of rice and of dal cooked and mixed with meat
and blood.
The circle, or lotus, of the heart is called anāhata, hrdas
thāna . Its name suggests the sabdha brahma ( sound) which is
heard , produced without striking two things together. It is
the seat of the prāņa, and the puruşa or jīvātman, and includes,
1 PC 18 so places it. ? Nābhi, navel;ravi, sun; sūrya , sun.
3 Rang is the seed-mantra of fire. 4 'The kanda is conceived
of as in the region described as the navel and is the place of fire
symbolized by the yoni . 5 Hrda, heart.
according to the Upanişads, both heart and lungs. Its element
is air. The lotus consists of twelve petals of a golden colour,
upon which are the letters , क, ख, ग, घं, डं. , चं, छं, ज, झ, अं,
¿, 3 (k, kh , g, gh, c, ch, j, jh, ñ, ļ, th, each with its bindu, and
all painted red). The circle is bright-red in colour; within this
is a double triangle, smoke -coloured, in the centre of which is
a golden triangle containing a linga, bright like shining gold,
with a white crescent in its head, above which is a bindu . The
bija -mantra of this cakra is j ( y, yang), black , resting on an
antelope. Above the double triangle, but within the circle sits
Isvara with hands in gesture for granting boons and dispelling
fear. The god is three -eyed. With him is associated Kākini
Sakti with two hands as Isvara, her other two containing a
noose and a skull. She is yellow in appearance, happy (that is,
in excited mood ), auspicious, three -eyed , benefactress. Her
heart is softened from drinking the nectar. She sits on a red
lotus and wears the skin of a black antelope. This lotus is
the seat of desires, of the samskāras or records of deeds, and
of the egoizing faculty. It contains also the celestial wishing
tree bestowing more than the suppliant desires. ( But below
the anāhata is a small eight-petalled, red lotus containing the
wishing -tree, consideredalso as the seat of the iştha devatā
wandering among trees laden with fruit, flowers, and birds.
It is called the ānandakanda.) When the manas is completely
restrained or fixed in the heart, the Yogi attains conscious
ness of identity with Siva.
In the throat, or at its base, is the cakra called Visuddha ,
kanthadeśa , candraşthāna, jālandharpītha, bhāratisthāna.
Another name, derived from the fact that the khecarimudrā is
performed there, is vyomacakra. It is also called the nābho
mandala. It is the residence of udāna. Its element is ether.
It is the seat of bindu. This lotus contains sixteen petals, of a
smoky -purple colour, containing thecrimson letters 31, 371, 3, 1,
3, 5, # , # , , , , y, sit, sit, si, si ( a, ā, i, u, ú, 5, 1, e,
ai, o , au, and the two breathings a, ā, each with its bindu).
These are all the vowels. Within the circle of the petals is
2
SCN , pp . 58, 59.
Kantha, throat; deśa, place ; candra, moon.
the blue field of ākāśa, space, and within this, again, a crystal
white triangle, within which is a pure circle of the moon
which contains a white elephant. Upon the beast rests the bija
mantra of this cakra, (h, hang, the symbol of ether, ākāśa ).
In the bindu of the bija is Sadāśiva ,' with body half silver, half
gold , seated on a bull. He is five-faced, three -eyed in each,
covered with ashes, having a tiger's skin and a garland of
snakes. He carries in his several hands a trident, an axe , a
sword , a vajra ( thunderbolt), dahana (fire ?), a bell, a goad ,
a noose, and shows auspicious gestures. With him is Gāurī,
Sadāgāurī, who is one-half of Siva's body, with ten beautiful
arms,fivefaces each with three eyes. She has a noose, a goad
and a book , and is in auspicious gesture. She is seated on
bones. (Or, he is accompanied by Sākini, in yellow raiment,
carryingin her four hands a bow , an arrow , a noose and a
>
goad.) She is 'white .'

The ajñā is also called the uddiyāṇa and the jñāna -lotus.
It is situated between the eyebrows, and back of them , and
consists of two white petals on which are the letters and
( h ,and kş variegated in colour and with their bindus). They are
the bijas of kalās. Kalā , a digit or one -sixteenth of the moon's
diameter, refers to Siva as bearing one -sixteenth of the moon .
This cakra is the seat of the buddhi, ahamkāra, manas and the
indryas ( the sensory and motor functions), all in subtle state.
It is the circle of command over movements. It is the place
of uninterrupted bliss . The circle of this lotus is white and
within it is a white triangle containing a white linga called
itara linga. Here is Paramasiva.? The bija -mantra of this cakra
is 5 (om ). As the inner ātma this om is pure mind, buddhi,
like a flame. Above it is the crescent moon, above that the
biņdu from makāra (m) and still higher the half crescent
moon. The goddess of this lotus is Hākini, six - faced, like so
many moons,with six arms bearing a book, a skull, a drum,
a rosary and with two hands extending in auspicious gesture.
She is seated on a white lotus, drinking ambrosia.
Each of these circles is described by Gheraņda as a dhāraņā
and the characteristic effect of fixed attention on each is noted.
1 Sadā, eternal. 2 Parama, the highest.
Two other centres are included in the scheme, the kanda
and the sahasrāra .
The former, the kanda, is called also kandayoni and nāļi
cakra. Descriptions are contradictory and do not make clear
just what is meant and it has been suggested that it is the
uterus, or the testes. It is spoken of as the meeting place,
or the origin, of all the nāļis, the place whence all the vital
airs flow . It is shaped like an egg, and above it Kundalini
is coiled eight times and is asleep. It lies between the anus
and the root of the medhra (male organ ). And, again , it is
said that it is strung on the suşumņāin the manipūraka. It
is clearly close to the source of creative forces. Dr. Dasgupta
says :
Other accounts of these nādīs hold that the idā proceeds from the
the right testicle and the pinglā from the left testicle and passes on
the left and right of the sușūmņā in a bent form (dhanur ākāre). The
three, however, meet at the root of the penis, which is thus regarded
as the meeting of the three rivers. ...
The final goal of the Kundalini Yoga is the top of the head ,
the brahmasthāna, brahmarandhra , known as the hole - in -the
skull, the nirvānacakra ( circle where release is achieved ),
mahāpatha (the great path of release). It is the place of
final bliss ( brahmānanda). It is situated above the end of the
suşumņā. Because it is a lotus of 1,000 petals it is called
sahasrāra. It has its head downwards, and its clustered
filaments are tinged with the colour of the young sun. Each
of the petals has upon it a letter of the alphabet, and they are
recorded on the leaves and read fromright to left, 50 x 20 =
1,000, one -thousand letters in all , each with its bindu; within
this lotus is the full moon, resplendent as the clear sky,moist
with nectar . And within this is a triangle, and in this the
great void shines Sūnya (void) which is the subtle bindu,
which is para bindu, which is Isvara, having as its centre the
abode of Brahma. Above the bindu, in the aperture is Sam
kini, the goddess who creates, maintains and destroys. Within
this lotus is the full moon , resplendent as the clear sky, moist
1 DHIP, vol. II , p. 354. Quoted by permission of the Mac

millan Company, Publishers.
Here is experience of final union, unmani,
with nectar .
where the bond of attachment with the world is cut and the
bliss of release is enjoyed . Here Siva stands, free from all
illusion , with Nirvāṇasakti. In the triangle in the sahasrāra
are three bindus ; the 3 (hang ), the male, the other two in
the form of sa which is Prakriti. The two bindus make up
the third as visārga (:) so that their union is hamsaḥ. The
divine form hereis one-half of Siva ( Śivārdha) united with
nāda which calls or draws out bindu. Below this level are
the forms of creative union in cakras down to mūlādhāra.
But here is the undivided origin of all dual forms. This
high placeis, viewing the Kundalini as she moves upwards,
the level of dissolution. Sakti here is nirvāṇasakti. The fruit
of knowledge ' of sahasrāra is final bliss.
The cakras which the Hindus mention are numerou but
those already enumerated are the principle ones . Under the
name of ādhāras, seats of vital functions, they are objects of
meditation. The word is said to mean ' container.'1 The list
of sixteen as supplied by the commentary? to the Poona
edition of the Gorakşaśataka, together with their positions,
which includes those already described is as follows: ( 1)
Pādangusthādhāra (great toe ); (2) Mülādhāra (anus); (3)
Gudādhāra (rectum ); ( 4) Medhradhāra (linga); (5 ) Uddi
yānādhāra (above the navel) ; (6 ) Nābhyādhāra (navel) ; (7)
HỊdayādhāra (heart); Kanthādhāra (throat) ; (9) Ghanţikādhāra
(soft palate); (10) Tatvādhāra (in soft palate); (ii) Jihva
mūlādhāra (root of the tongue); ( 12) Urdhvadantamülădhāra
(root of upper front teeth ); (13) Nāsāgrādhāra (tip of the
nose ); (14) Bhrumadhyādhāra (a point between the eye
brows); (15) Lalatādhāra ( forehead ); ( 16) Brahmarandhra
dhāra ( top of head).
1 SCN , p. 80.
2 To verse 13 .
3 They are supplied from the Siddha- Siddhānta -Paddhati.
4 In the detailed accounts a number of cakras are described which
occupy the space between these. Pandit Gopi Nāth Kavirāj, in The
Princess of Wales Sarasvati Bhavana Studies (in 1923), enumerates
and describes a number which he found illustrated in an old coloured
chart. The list agrees only in part with the ordinary ones.
GORAKHNATH AND THE KĀNPHATA YOGIS
A list with their names is given in Hathayogapradīpika
( 3 : 72, note ), and still another list is given in theGorakṣa
Paddhati ( comment on verse 13). In general, it may be said
that these lists refer to the same portions of the body, the
descriptive terms varying.
The books give some attention to the dhātus or secretions
of the body, whose removal, or drying up, or conservation is
desired. They are seven in number, the skin, blood, flesh ,
fat, bone, marrow and seed. They include the five elements
which co -operate to uphold the body.
The union of bindu and rajas is the aim of the Yoga ; and,
although it is difficult to achieve, its realization is thehighest
state . The place of union is of the highest importance.
Bindu is of two kinds, pale-white and blood -red , and is the
root or cause of the body. Its conservation is both the
protection and the preservation of the body. Primarily
bindu as pale-white isthe semen virile , the circular image of
the moon, nectar, white as cow's milk, curds and silver. It
is the product of the moon and is distilled to the left of the
space between the eyebrows. Its seat is in the hollow above
the throat, the Vyoma cakra , also described as the hole at the
upper end of the suşumņā . Thence it naturally proceeds
down through the suşumņā to the place of fire, in the mūlā
dhāra, or in the nābhișthana, where it is consumed. For this
reason the khecarimudrā (see next chapter) is performed to
hold the bindu in its native station ; and other devices are
used to cause it to return after it has actually gone down .
It is Siva. The conservation and control of the bindu is of
great importance.
Rajas is the menstrual fluid. Its source, or station, is in
the place of the sun, the circle of the sun full of a mass of
flame, very bright, in the navel. It is Sakti . It is rajas that
drinks the soma (= bindu falling from the moon . The
symbolism of the descriptions represents the creative act
according to the philosophy of the Sāktas, and the energy of
the soul in the various levels or cakras, where thetwo
principles are brought together.
i See also SCN5 , p. 80. 2 P , 72. 3 P, 68.
4 P, 72. 5 HYP, 3 : 51 . 6 P, 71 , 73 , 74, 76, 99.
Kutilāngi ( crooked -bodied ), Kundalini (coiled ), Bhujangi (she
serpent), Sakti, Iswari, Kundali ( coiled), and Arundhati- these
words are synonymous .
Allthe Yoga practice refers to Kundalini.? She is described
as coiled eight times around the linga, like a serpent, asleep,
with her head (mouth) closing its aperture completely:
Iyanger says three and one-half times. She is Sakti, Parame
svari,the Infant Widow and Tapasvini ( female ascetic ). Her
place is between the guda and the linga. She is in all the
mantras, e.g., in all the letters, in all the lotuses, since the
letters are her manifestations. She is the supreme Sakti
active in both man and in the universe as prakſti. She is
best described in connection with her functions in the
practice of Yoga which are set forth in the next chapter.
Importance is attached to the knots (granthi) the chief of
which are the plaitings of the nāļis in the kanda and in the
ājñā. The total number is fourteen . The cakras contain
some of them , Brahmā in the anāhata and Rudra in the ājñā.
The knot in the ājñā is called tribeņī.
Five sheaths (vyoman ) are also mentioned. They are ākāśā ,
prākāśa, mahākāśa, sattvākāśa, and suryakāśa. They refer to
realms of experience. The commentary on verse thirteen of
the Poona edition points out that the Yogi should know and
meditate upon these. They are described in turns as freedom
from impurities, like great darkness, like destroying fire, one's
real form , and the sun shining like a thousand suns. They
are also described from above down through the cakras to
the mūladhāra. In this case the first is white, the second red ,
the third like fire, the fourth is blue and the fifth like light
ning. By looking at these ( vyoman ) one becomes like the
sky . Akása in the visuddha is the sheath of liberation. They
(vyoman) are the substances of the cakras.
In recent times efforts have been made to relate the physio
logy of the Hatha Yoga to that of present-day science.
Notably, Dr. Brajendranath Seal, in his The Primitive Science
of the Ancients , has attempted, in the chapter on ' Hindu
Physiology and Biology ,' to identify the cakras with the
2
1 HYP, 3 : 97. 2 HYP , 3 : 1.
3 London, 1915 .
plexuses of the human body. Previous to that1 Major B. D.
Basu, I.M.S., worked on the same problem . A recent,
elaborate comparison of Hatha Yoga physiologywith modern
anatomical science is found in thelittle book,The Mysterious
Kundalini, by Dr. Vasant G. Rele . This author , who is
interested in explaining the effects or accomplishments of
Yoga from the standpoint of modern physiology, identifies
the prāņas with the nervous energies, the five chief airs being
the five important subsidiary nerve centres in the brain and
spinal cord; the cakras with the plexuses, involving both
spinal and cerebro -spinal automatic nervous systems; su
şumņā, idā and pinglā with the sympathetic system ; the
nectar from the moon (bindu ) with the cerebro -spinal fluid;
the saktis of the various cakras with the fibres connecting
them with the spinal nervous system ; and brahmarandhra
with the cavity in the skull. Particularly does he connect
the plexuses with the cerebro -cranial automatic nervous
system and the Kundalini with the right vagus nerve. His
position is that by means of the Yogic methods, prāņāyāma,
bandha and mudrā , the Yogi gains control of the automatic
nervous system , especially that portion of it which controls
the involuntary vital activities related to the plexuses . In
this way does the author explain the voluntary control which
the Yogi exercises over consciousness and his ability to
produce trance and self-hybernation. Ecstatic experiences
which occur, as plexus afterplexus comes under control of the
Yogi, are described by Dr. Rele as follows: 4
A Yogi when he develops his automatic nervous system , becomes
so engrossed in it that the somatic functions of his Suşumņā nādi
and the knowledge of the relation with the eternal world are held
in abeyance and he sees his own self which pervades the whole
universe and becomes one with it. ... When this Kulakundalini
is awakened or made active, it forces a passage through the different
1 See Guy's Hospital Gazetteer, London , 1889, and Foreword to
SBH , vol. XV, pt. 4 , 1915.
2 Bombay, 1927 ( Third Edition , 1931 ).
3 Pp. 39, 47, 101, 110. Dr. Dasgupta (DHIP, vol. II, p . 356) says :
Kundalini itself cannot be called anerve anditis distinctly wrong to
call it the vagusnerve, as Mr. Rele does.' Quoted by permission of
Macmillan and Company, Publishers .
4 Pp. 39, 47, 101 , 110.
cakras and excites them to action, and as it rises step by step ,
the mind becomes opened and all visions and wonderful powers
come to the Yogi, when it reaches the brain . The Yogi then is
perfectly detached from the body and the mind, and the soul finds
itself free in all respects. . .. When a Yogi becomes a perfect adept
in the control of Kundalini ...the soul is free to move out of the
Brahmarandhra, in which it was kept in captivity, and occupies a
bigger cavity surrounding the brain and the spinal cord known as
Akāśa, andbecomesabsorbed in the infinite intelligence from which
it emanated. The Yogi, when in this state of Nirvikalpa -samadhi,
identifies himself with that which he contemplates, and acquires
certainsupernaturalpowers. ... I would ,therefore,defineKundalini
Yoga as a science of physical and mental exercises of a particular
form by which an individual establishes a conscious control over his
automatic nervous system , to be in tune with the Infinite.
21
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
CHIEF AIMS AND METHODS1
The Kundalini Yoga makes large use of the doctrine of the

union of Siva and Sakti; that is, it swings around the ideali
zation of the experience of the ecstasy that arises in creative
union . From the lowest centre (the mūlādhāra) to the place
of final bliss (in the sahasrāra), each level, conceived of as a
place of enjoyment, is symbolically the station of a god and a
goddess; and at each of the stages in her ascent, the Sakti
drinks the nectar ofthe crescent moon. Back and above this dual
concept is that of the ardhanāri. The discipline of the Yoga,
in so far as it concerns the lifting of Kundalini from her place
in the mūlādhāra to the region of the bindu, the nectar of the
moon , which lies in the hollow above the throat, may be
described as a series of manipulations of bodily functions,
physical exercises and with accompanying mental concentra
tions, whose physical and psychical reactions are interpreted
in supernatural terms as enjoyment of the Lord (Siva) by
Sakti. The thrills, or ecstasies, engendered by excitations all
along the suşumņā, are regarded asreligious experiences . In
this aspect of the systemthe female creative energy is raised
to higher and higher levels in the body and experiences of
union in succeeding cakras become more and more subtle.
Since the analogy is that of the union of Sakti with Siva,
the physical union of man and woman , when the former, at
least, is a Yogi of advanced powers, becomes of great signi
ficance . The disciplines of the Hatha Yoga enable the adept
to reverse the process of nature, so as to detain the bindu in
1 In this chapter descriptions of the various processes are limited
to the more important details, sufficient only to illustrate the method
and the resultsof Hatha Yoga.
CHIEF AIMS AND METHODS 323
its original receptacle, orto draw it back, along with rajas,

after the actual union . The former aspect of the case is
illustrated by the following statement.
By whom the hollow in the top of the throat is sealed by Khecari,
his bindu, even ( though he be) embraced by a woman , does not fall.í
And the other aspect of the discipline may be considered
from the point of view of vajroli and similar practices as
described below . There is here either a stoppage of the
natural function or its ultimate reversal.
So , while there is a discipline which concerns itself simply
with the body of the adept, there is also the method of some
aspect or other of the vāmacāra. The union of male and
female may be of equal significance with the more subtle dis
cipline for the ends of the Yoga, and may symbolize the
union of Siva and Sakti. But, inthis case , adepts are careful
to point out that for the truly prepared alone is this form of
the ritual profitable for the highest experience ; for they only
are able to retain the bindu or to draw up the bindu -rajas so
that the act of coition becomes not a procreative act but
an experience in the seat of Siva. As will appear later,
special disciplines look to this reversal of nature. In other
words, this discipline is for those only who are ripe for
release, for men of great attainments, useful and deserving .
Furthermore, so exacting is this process,that itis impossible
for the Yogi to work out the whole of the discipline in a
single incarnation, Consequently , those who are actually
carrying out the practices are adepts who have already arrived
at its final stages through the practice of Hatha Yoga in a
series of lives lived under conditions favourable to ultimate
success in Yoga . Undisciplined , untaught men perform
these acts to their own degradation and ultimate destruction.
Asana, mudrā and bandha may be looked upon as types of
physical exercise whose aim is a healthful development of the
body and the proper stimulation of the seminal (or ovarian)
1 GS, 69. * PC , 9.
3 HYP, p. ii. In the Garuda Purāna it is stated that the stages in
the development of the Yoga are : being born a woman ; then, as a
Sudra, a Vāişya and a Brāhman devoid of mercy ; then , gradual
improvement to the stage of Yogi and jñāni. - Iyangar, HYP, p .73 .
glands. Always it must be rememberd that loss of the bindu
leads to disease, old age and death . It is claimed that these
disciplines contribute to the retention and assimilation of
bindu, yielding both vitality and victory over death itself.
The system rests, further, upon the conception of the
female principle, or power , as ultimately the formative, or
creative, energy of the universe; and upon the interpretation
of physical and psychical experiences as the realization of the
divine creative union. The trance, or unconsciousness, which
is the outcome of prolonged effort, is the samādhi which trans
cends duality. The ecstasy bordering on samādhi is often
sheerly sensual. In fact, there is plenty of authority for the
statement that physical union is the way to release.
In the accounts in the text -books of the Hatha Yoga, the
two aspects of the discipline, that which deals wholly with
matters within the physical frame, and that which involves
two individuals are so interwoven, and the shifting from one
to the other is so frequent and abrupt, that it is sometimes
difficult to separate them .
In the terminology of the Hatha Yoga, the two elements
whose union is sought are the sleeping, female serpent
( Kundalini) resting with her head in the aperture of the male
organ and the bindu lodged in the hollowof the throat. She
drinks the nectar whereshe is, or is to be, drawn upwards
(by means of prāņāyāma and other disciplines) through this,
the brahmadvāra, to higher centres , finally to the seat of
bindu. She may enjoy the nectar at any of the stations
along the suşumņā although the aim is union in the highest
place. But, in all cases she drinks the nectar of the moon.
In order that Kundalini may appropriate the bindu she must
be aroused and moved, and, for this purpose, āsana,
prāņāyāma, mudrā, bandha and the other exercises
employed.
It is further to be noted that behind all this is the age
long Indian view of the misery of the world , involved in all
creation ,which is to be removed in the final achievement of
samādhi.1
" J. Ghosh, in A Study of Yoga, p. 330, says : “ The Yogi seeks

elimination of misery andthat alone.' Does henot seek bliss also ?
And again, as the various levels of union are reached, as

Kundalini is lifted, supernormal powers of differing kinds are
attained. But the higher and more subtle forms both of
power and of experience are the aim of the adept.
Before proceeding with details of the discipline, it may be
well to state in another form its aims and methods:
A. Aims:
(1 ) Immobility of body and of mental processes by
āsana, mudrā, bhanda and prānāyāma.
(2) Retention of the breath .
(3) Retention of the bindu.
( 4) The ecstatic experiences of the union of rajas
(Kuņdālini) and bindu (Siva) at various levels in the body.
(5) Supernormal powers.
( 6 ) Final release.
B. And to these ends:
(1) Cleansing of the nāļis.
( 2) Breath control.
(3) Asana, mudrā and bhanda.
(4 ) Miscellaneous practices.
In the first place, the strenuous (hatha ) physical exercises
of this system aim at health and vigour of body, without
which the Yogi would be unable to carry out the whole of
the difficult discipline and arrive at success. Consequently,
attention is givento food and environment. Diet should be
sparing . Food should be very soft, sweet, good tasting , and
the Yogi should drink milk and abstain from bitter, acid and
salty food . He should limit his meal to three -fourths of a
stomach -full, leaving one- fourth of the space for the passing
of the prāņa (in the exercise of prāņāyāma). The books
go into considerable detail about ' good' and ' bad ' food.
The former should be well- cooked with ghi, rice, wheat,
barley, sugar, butter, white-honey, ginger-root and some
fruits and vegetables. On the other hand foods to be
avoided are those highly spiced , some green vegetables,
fermented and oily food, those mixed with till and rape seed ,
intoxicating liquors, fish , meat, curds, chassa, pulses , plums,
P , 54. ? P, 55 . 3 P , 53.
oil -cake, asafoetida, garlic, onions and so forth ;" also foods
heated a second time, dry foods, minor grains and vegetables
thatcause a burning sensation .
The Yogi should choose a small room , in a solitary place,
comfortable and clean , ' in a secluded place , in a country
governed by a dutiful rāja, in a land of plenty and free from
disturbance .'
He must be chaste and a renouncer of worldly pleasures;
fire, women , travelling, and so forth should be shunned ;
likewise the society of evil men ." He should avoid also early
rising, the cold bath , fasting and bodily exertion ;5 and he
must have a guru , or spiritual guide. As the Siva Samhita
puts it,only the instruction imparted by a guru by word of
mouth is of use (3: 11 ).
In considering the details of this Yoga it is necessary to
note in all cases the bearing of the practices upon physical
and mental excitements and upon the reactionsto them . The
immobility of mind and body is sought through high tension.
The chief postures (āsanas) are kamalāsana (padmāsana) and
siddhāsana . The second is often spoken ofas the best, the only
necessary one, and is as its name implies, “ the perfect' āsana.
Of these the first two are described in turn as follows:
( The (Yogi) should press firmly the heel of the ( left) foot against
the perineum (and )the ( right) heel just above the male organ , keep
ing the body fixedly erect, immovable; the senses under control;
and with motionless gaze should look at the spot between the eye
brows. This ( posture), which is the opener of the door of release, is
called siddhāsana.
And having placed the right foot upon the left thigh and likewise
the left (foot ) upon the right thigh, and having grasped firmly the
great toes with the hands crossed from behind (and) fixing the chin
on the chest ( the Yogi) should gaze at the tip of his nose. This
(posture), the destroyer of disease and mental and physical distur
bances, is called padmāsana .
This latter is described in the Hathayogapradīpika as
follows:
| HYP, 1 : 61. 8 HYP, 1: 62, 63.
: HYP, 1 : 62. HYP, 1 : 63.
6 HYP, 1 : 63. Further details concerning things to use and to
avoid are found in Siva Samhita, 3: 33 , 35.
•GS, 11,12. Inthe former,theSiva Samhita suggests pressure
upon the yoni and linga respectively .
Having placed the feet, bottoms up , firmly upon the thighs, and
similarly having the hands, palms upwards, between thethighs; having
the eyes directed tothe tip of the nose, the (Yogi) should press the
roots of the upper front teeth with the tongue;and, having rested
the chin upon the chest, he should expel the breath slowly . This ,
styled the padmāsana, is the destroyer of all diseases. It is difficult
tomaster, (but) may be perfected in ( this) world by a wise man (by
e man properly taught).1
An interesting list of asanas is given in the Hathāyoga
prādīpika , and there their bearing upon health and the eradi.
cation of disease is recorded. One of these, because of its
reference to Gorakhnāth, may be of special inteterest:
[ The Yogi) should place the ankles (heels) on either side of the
seam below the scrotum , the left heel on the left, the right on the
right. (He should ) hold the feet firmly with the hands, immovable.
This is the bhadrâsana, eradicator of all diseases. Adepts denominate
this one Gorakṣāsana. By merely taking this posture, the eminent
Yogi becomes fatigue -free .
The bearing of these practices upon the awakening of
Kundalini is perfectly plain when ancillary means are noted,
such as that in the padmāsana, where the left heel is placed
upon the medhra, and the right upon the left. This iscalled
the ' thunder-bolt' (vajra) āsana, and also the 'liberating ' and
the secret'āsana. Gorakhnāth was , to begin with, a Vajra
yāna Buddhist. The word vajra has an esoteric meaning.
And it is maintained further that other postures are of no
use when success has been achieved in this. Elements of
āsana are found in mudrā and bandha , and are combined
with forms of prāņāyāma.
There is an intimate relation between āsana and prāņāyāma.
But, in order that the breath, which is the jiva, may be con
trolled, it is necessary that the prāņa and apāna move freely
through the idā-pinglā system , and in turn that Kundalini be
moved upward. Consequently, the paths of such movements,
the nāļis, which are conceivedof as obstructed with impurities
1 HYP, 1: 47, 48, 49. 8 HYP , 1 : 55-57.
1 : 21-34. • HYP, 1 : 38 . 5 HYP, 1:39.
& The Tantra suggests special seats for certain asanas ; skulls for
the mundāsana, thefuneral pyre for the citāsana, a corpsefor the
savāsana, with the purpose of acquiring fearlessness and indifference.
These āsanas are not included in the lists given above.
and secretions, must be cleansed by drying up and removing
the substances accumulated in them . Moreover, with the
purification of the nāļis, the breath can be held for longer
periods of time. While prāņāyāma is a general means serving
for this purpose, special devices, known as the six duties, or
acts (sațKurmāni), are employed . They are : dhāuti, basti, neti,
trātaka, nāuli and kapāla bhāti. Gajkarani may be added .
These serve also for the acquisition and the preservation of
health .
Awetted cloth four fingers wideand fifteen cubits long should be
swallowed slowly, under the direction of a teacher, and thendrawn
back. This is called dhāuti karma. The novice begins by swallowing
a cubit the first day, two the second , and soon ,until he can manage
the whole strip . After swallowing the whole of the tape, he should
give his stomach a rotary motion from left to right and then draw
the cloth slowly up. Without doubt cough, asthma, enlargement of
thespleen, leprosy, and the twenty diseases are cured by the practice
of dhāuti karma.1
Squatting inwater reaching to the navel, with a tube inserted in
the anus, one should contract the adhāra ( anus ). ( This) washing is
the basti karma.
This is explained as the use of a half- inch tube about six
inches long by means of which the bowels are flushed through
contraction and expansion of the abdominal muscles.
Enlargement of thespleen and dropsy and also all of the disorders
arising from wind, bile and phlegm are brought to an end. The
basti karma, performed with watermakes calm the ( these) humours,
the sensory and motor faculties and the seat of thought and feeling;
gives glowand lustre ( to the body) and good digestion . All accumula
tions of vitiated humours are destroyed.
A very soft cord, about nine inches long, should be drawn (up)
through the nostriland taken out through the mouth . By adepts
this is called neti. This is indeed the cleanser of the skull (cranial
passages) and the giver of divine sight. The multitude of diseases
which arise in the upper portion of the chest is quickly destroyed .
Having the thoughts fixed ( in meditation), oneshould look fixedly
at a small object (mark) until theeyes are suffused with tears. ( This)
by adepts is called trātaka. It destroys the diseases of the eyes and
also removes exhaustion. Trātaka is a (door) that should be guarded
(kept secret) as a gold (treasure) casket.
1 HYP, 2: 24, 25 and note in HYP, to verse 24.

2 HYP, 2: 26–28.
3 HYP , 2: 29, 30. * HYP, 2: 31 , 32.
With shoulders bent, one should rotate the belly with ar. active,
violent turning from left to right. This adepts call nāuli. This nāuli,
excellent Hatha exercise, removes dyspepsia, restores digestion and
so forth and ever causes joy. It dries up all disorders.
The performance of inhalation and exhalation, agitatedly like a
blacksmith's bellows, is known as kapāla bhāti. It dries upphlegm
disorders.
Lifting the lower air (apāna) one vomits the contents of the
stomach . By degrees the nāļis and cakras are brought under control.
( This act) is called gajkarņi by those who know the Hatha ( Yoga) .
The Gheranda Samhitā gives a more elaborate and
differently analyzed account of the elements of dhāuti.
It seems clear that the physical reactions to these practices
may be interpreted in terms of religious experience. Physi
cal and psychical effects of these exercises are inevitable.
The (system ) of nāļis and cakras having been cleansed by the
control of the prāņa according to rule (then ) the air (mārutā ), having
opened the door of the suşumņā, enters( it) with ease. When the air
moves in the middle (suşumņā ), fixity of mind is induced . The mind
( thus) fixed is verily in the condition of manonmani."
When the whole group of nāļis, full of secretions, is purified,
certainly then , the Yogi becomes capable of constraining theprāņa.
Chief reliance for the cleansing of the channels is placed,
however, upon prāņāyāma ; and it is said that this is the only
means needed . Moreover, this control serves to arouse
Kundalini, and to lift her from centre (cakra) to centre . By
using idā and pinglā in the breathing process prāņa, jīva,
Kundalini, may bedirected into the suşumņā.
Some methods of prāņāyāma are as follows:
Assuming the lotus posture (padmāsana), the Yogi should fill in
the prāņa through the left nostril ; then, having held it as long as
possible he should expel it through the right nostril .?
Iļā is the left nostril, pinglā the right.
Having meditated on the circular image of the moon, nectar as
white as curds (and) cow's milk (or) of the colour of purest silver, one
practising prāņāyāma should find peace .
1 HYP, 2 : 33 , 34 . ? HYP, 2: 35. 3 HYP, 2 : 38.
* HYP, 2: 41 , 42. A state of mind in which there isno movement
of thought. 5 P. 95 .
HYP, 2 : 37. An interesting statement about the functions of
idā and pinglā for prognostication may be found in The Secretsof the
Kāula Circle, by Elizabeth Sharp , 1936,pp.76 ff. ' P , 96 . 8 HYP, 97.
.
Having filled in the breath through the right nostril, one should
fill the abdomen slowly ; having held it according to the rules, he
should expel ( it slowly ) through the left nostril. Having meditated
on the circle of the sun, full of amass of flame of fire burning very
brightly in the navel, the Yogi who practises prāņāyāma should find
peace .
Meditating in turn on the two images, moon and sun, (a Yogi)
should drawin the breath through the left nostril; he should expel
it again through the other, according to the limit (of the times already
explained ). Then, having drawn in the breath through the right
nostril, and having held it, he should expel it through the left nostril.
After three months the group of nāļis of the practitioner become
pure .
Naturally , the breathing process , as has been pointed out,
involves the use of mantra (hamsa) which adds to its own
effectiveness. In the practice of prāņāyāma, inhaling and
exhaling of the breath are important, butthe chief aim is the
holding of the breath filled in,' kumbhaka. And it may be
held for longer and longer periods. This process is regulated
by the use of mantra also , oſ being recited in a triple form
ā-u-m. The commentator on verse sixty -one of the Gorakşa
śataka says that with the drawing in of the präņa (pūraka)
om should be recited mentally twelve times , sixteen times
while it is being held (kumbhaka) and ten times during its
expulsion (recaka). This is the lowest class of prāņāyāma. In
the middle class , the times are twenty -four, thirty-two and
twenty ; and in the highest thirty- six, forty -eight and thirty.
This is a strenuous exercise. In the lowestlevel there is great
perspiration; in the middle, trembling; and in the highest
the Yogi ‘ rises up.' Reference here is probably to the sense of
lightness. This exercise is joined with the mahāmudrā.3
[ The Yogi) should practice holdings of the breath kumbhakān
four times a day ; at dawn, in the middle of the day, at evening and
at midnight, gradually up to eighty times (320 for the twenty -four
hours )."
But there are many variations in the use of mudrā, āsana,
bandha and other exercises with the prāņāyāma.
When the adept is able to deal with kumbhaka without
infilling or expelling the air, he has reached the point of
1 GS, 98, 99 . • GS, 100. 3 For this mudrā, see below .
• HYP, 2 : 11 . 5 HYP, see chap . two.
mastery where there is nothing whatsoever in the three

worlds difficult for him to attain , for he is able to keep the
breath (vāyu ) confined at will.1 In the process the mind is
caused to swoon . This leads to anāhata nāda (certain
internal sounds), and success may be achieved within a year .3
The air is directed into the suşumņā and steadiness of
mind is a result of the free movement of the prāņā in the
middle path (suşumņā ). That is the manonmani state which
isattained when the mental processes are brought to a stand
still. Prāņa is also bindu and jīva ; and its relation to
Kundalini is referred to its origin in the svādhisthāna and
in the mantra haſsa.
The lifting of Kundalini involves the understanding of
the functions of the various cakras; that is, a knowledge of
the peculiar kinds of experience referred to each of them .
Since they are all strung on the suşumņā, they all lie in the
path of Kuņņālini. The same control of the breath, prāņā
yāma, which retards the bindu, arouses Kundalini, and thus
opens the door to release. When the skill in raising her is
perfected and she is led to enjoy bindu, or Siva, in the brahma
randhra , release is achieved. Each cakra symbolizes a type
of reality and specific experiences; and the fixation of the
attention upon each in turn secures reactions which are
interpreted in terms of degrees of the realization of union of
the individual with the Supreme Soul. Kundalini enjoys Siva
in each cakra in her form peculiar to that lotus, and finally
reaches the eternal One in the sahasra. In the ajñā she is
Sakti on the mental plane; in the sahasra, on the spiritual
plane. From this high place she should be brought back to
the mülādhāra . In fact she returns again and again in spite of
the Yogi's efforts, and it is only after long practice that she
takes up her more prolonged abode in the sahasra .
It is not necessary, apparently, that the Yogi follow the whole
course through, since short - cuts to the end are suggested . And,
further, he may seek such ends as are affordedby particular
centres. In the mūlādhāra reside physical powers,and here is
1 HYP , 2 : 74. ? HYP, 2 : 69.

3 HYP, 1 : 59. * Dr. Singh (p. 51 ) calls the unmani, the
state of self- transcendence.
found the sleeping Kundalini. Here, also, is enjoyment on the
physical plane. Knowledge and powers of experience are
joinedhere. Meditation upon the svādhișthanayields power
over the hindrances to success in Yoga, sexual feelings are
aroused and mysterious, or divine, sounds are heard . In the
maņipūraka reside powers of destruction and recreation.
Somedescribe the powershere obtained as twelve-fold. The
cakra lies on the dividing line of the body and the adept who
is able to raise Kundalini above this centre passes into more
subtle types of experience. Here insight arises. Anāhata ( the
heart) isthe seat of desire, of the egoising faculty, of manas
(mind), and of the records of deeds. Consequently the soul
finds freedom here. While meditating upon this lotus, with
the use of the prānava (om ) the mind and the prāņa) is
brought to complete rest, like unto the state of the flame of
a wick in a windless place. There arise, also, supernormal
powers, such as ability of the soul to enter other bodies, to
wander, the power to identify the self with the gods (both as
to function and power) who create , preserve and destroy.
Mystic light arises also as Kundalini is established here. An
illustration of the method of meditation on the cakra is to be
found in the śāmbhāvimudrā .
The aim ( attention ) inward ( Iyangar,HYP, says, 'in any cakra'),
the sight outward without winking - this is the śāmbhavimudrā,
hidden in the Vedas and Šāstras. When the Yogi remains with the
prāņa and citta (breath and thoughts) unmoving, the attention
inward, the gaze immovable, looking outside, below , (yet) seeing
nothing, the śāmbhavīmudrā, learned by the favour of a guru , is
(performed) and the state of emancipation that is without marks of
distinction , that which in reality is the highest Śiva, bursts forth .
Its result is similar to that secured by the khecarimudrā
which is performed in the visuddha. This last named cakra
is the place of ambrosia and concentration here enables the
Yogi to become a great sage, eloquent, wise, peaceful, a
benefactor of all, free from disease, long-lived. Divine
sounds, subtle tones, are heard. With the breath confined
here, the Yogi, in his wrath, could move the three worlds.
He becomes invincible. Thus, the union of bindu and rajas
1 HYP, 4 : 35-36.
in the throat yields supernatural powers. This is the gateway

to the great liberation, which is opened by the khecarimudrá.
Still higher, as the jīva reaches the ājñā, it beholds light in
the form of a lustrous flame, and becomes immortal. Here
is the final approach to the highest bliss of the union in the
sahasrāra. Between ajñā and sahasrāra are gradations of
subtleexperience, or ecstasy,approaching more and more to
the blissof union in the highest or final sense. The mind
is dissolved, unconsciousness follows. At the last, after
repeated experiences of this bliss, final release is reached.
The sahasrāra is said to be the satya - loka, the true, or real,
world, and to exude thestream of nectar which has its origin
in the blissful Union . Here is the fountain head of all crea
tion, where Kundalini enjoys Paramātman , both being One,
andpain, misery, birthand death are dissolved. It is the place
of Brahmānanda, the Bliss of the Absolute.
It is to be noted that as Kundalini moves upward, from
cakra to cakra, the bodily regions below each successive stage
become cold. In hypnotic trance, or in the trance of hyberna
tion ( as induced in khecarimudrā, for example ), only the
region at the top of the head remains warm; and the Yogi in
this state has to be guarded lest he be taken for dead and be
buried .
Under excitation in the mülādhāra simple, gross desire is
experienced. Within the yonisthāna there is union of bindu
and rajas. The bindu descends from its place of origin ; and
the true Yoga requires that it be returned thither. Adepts, it
is claimed , are able to do this at will, even drawing up after
the act of coition both rajas and bindu. This is essential to
the highest bliss.
Methods for the recovery of the bindu are set forth in the
Hathayogapradīpika and in the Gorakṣa Paddhati. One of
these is the vajroli.
Even a Yogi who lives as he pleases ( and) neglects the restraints
prescribed by the Yoga, if he practises vajrolí, ( is) a Yogi indeed and
fit for beatitude (siddhi). For this (vajroli) a couple of things
difficult for the average man to obtain is prescribed . The first is
milk and thesecond an obedient woman . One should draw back up
again ( should practice drawing back . . . ) with the medhra slowly
( the bindu discharged in māithunā ). Whether a man or a woman ,
one should attain mastery of vajroli. Carefully, with ( through)
a proper tube ') inserted) in the passage of the medhra (the
Yogi) should blow air very slowly. By practice the bindu fallen
into the yoni may be drawn back . Having drawn up his own
discharged bindu (the Yogi) can preserve ( it). The adept (the one
skilled or physically able in Yoga ), who can thus save his bindu ,
conquers death. By the loss of bindu (comes) death, from its
retention, life. Through the preservation of the bindu a pleasant
odour arises in the body of the Yogi. Where is the fear of death so
long as the bindu remains in the body ? The bindu of man (is)
dependent upon mind ( and) life upon bindu. Therefore both bindu
and manas are to be protected in every way.
Sahajoli andamaroliare of one andthe same kind as vajroli.
Ashes of burnt cow -dung should be mingled with water. After vaj
rolī-māithunā, seated comfortably, pervaded with freedom (thoroughly
relaxed ) the pair should both rub it on their bodies. This sahajoli is
ever proclaimed by Yogis as worthy of confidence. This fortune
granting practice ( Yoga) gives both release(mukti) andenjoyment
(bhoga ) at the same time. This is the Yoga of merit-endowed,
resolute, really perceiving men, who are without passion . But it can
not be accomplished by the lust- filled .
Accordingto theteaching of the Kāpālikas, amaroli is the enjoy
ment (sexually ) of the passionless midstream ; the first, excessive in
bile and the last, the water stream , neglected are rejected. He who
drinks amaroli constantly and snuffs it daily and practises vajroli is
said to beactually practising amaroli.
[ The Yogi) should mix with the ashes of cow -dung the bindu
( cândri) discharged in this practice . It should be rubbed on the
most honorable parts of the body. Magic sight ( seeing things divine)
arises.
Sahajoli gives both bhoga ( enjoyment) and mokşa (release ).
Another practice based upon the same physiological
concepts is as follows: Two men , cela and guru, pupil and
teacher, retire to a secret place. The guru inserts a lead wire
into the passage of the male organ to a distance of twenty
three fingers. It penetrates the suşumņā. Great powers are
supposed to arise through this practice.
It may be noted that not only do the books speak of these
matters, but also that the Yogīs themselves are familiar with
them. At Devi Pātan these practices were described to the
author by Yogis.
1 At Devi Pātan they said that this tube should be of silver and
that milk should be used.
2 HYP,3:82-96. The translator of the Siva Samhitā omits the
section on ' Vajrondi' as ' an obscene practice indulged in by low - class
Tāntrists'; p. 51 .
The relation of prāņāyāma to these devices is in the fact

that the stabilizing of the bindu depends also upon the holding
of the breath .
There are other exercises for holding the bindu in its place
of origin, such as the jālandharabandha and the khecari
mudrā, which will be described below .
If the bindu, on the one hand, is to be kept secure in its
original position, the Kundalini, on theother, is to be aroused
and caused to move upwards. This is called Sakticālana.
For the union of these two is essential to ecstatic experi
ence or bliss in varying degrees to final beatitude. For
this reason the playing of one breath ( prāņā) against the
other (apāna) is resorted to and pressure and mudrā
are enjoined. For example, from the pressure of the heels
in padmāsana and the alternate in filling of prāņa and
apāna for a considerable time both morning and evening,
the Kundalini begins to move . Likewise kumbhaka, the hold
ing of the breath , incites her to motion . She then moves
upwards through the channel ( suşumņā) which extends from
the aperture of the linga to the hollow above the throat.
The mudrās and bandhas are similar to āsanas in their action
and efficacy; The Gheranda names twenty - five, including
vajroli and Sakticālana among them .
The gazing taught in some of these induces hypnotic sleep; and
the bandhas,by closing all the exits of air, produce a tension within
the system , generatingthereby a sort of electric current, or force,
called Kundalini Sakti. It is this Sakti which is the helpmate of the
Yogīs in performing their wonders."
The description of the mahāmudrā is as follows :
That Yogi is ready for release who knows mahāmudrā, nabho
mudrā, uddīyāna , jālandhara and mūlābanda. The purification of
the collection of the nādis, the moving of both the moon and sun ,
and also the drying up of the liquids of the body, is called
mahāmudrā. Having rested the chin on the chest, and pressing for
a long time the yoni with the left great toe, with the two hands
grasping the extended rightfoot, havingfilled with breath both sides
of the abdomen and having held it, ( theYogi) should expel it slowly.
This is said to be the very great (mahāmudrā ), the destroyer of the
diseases of men .'
[ The Yogi )should press the heel of the left foot against the
1 SBH , No. 68, p. iv. · GS, 57, 59.
yonisthānam , and then place the right foot upon the left thigh ( and)
having drawn in thebreath (and) having pressed the chin upon the
chest,and having held the breath, he should fix his attention in the
middle (between theeyebrows). Having held it as long as possible,
he should expel the breath slowly. Having been performed ( thus)
on the left side, it should be practised on the right. However, the
opinion of some is that the closing of the throat may be neglected,
since an excellent stoppage is made by pressing the tongue against
the roots of the upper front teeth. Moreover,this stops the upward
movement in all the nāļis ; and, further , this mahābandha (great
stoppage) bestows magical powers. Mahābandha is a clever means
for loosening the snares of death. Triveni- union is given and the
mind should reach Kedār (the seat of Śiva between the eyebrows).2
The effect of this exercise is to remove the sense and effect
of differences.
( There is) neither wholesome nor unwholesome( food ). All tastes
(are) indeedtasteless. Even deadly poison (food ) (when) eaten is
digested as if it were nectar.2
And it removes diseases.
His diseases, consumption , leprosy, constipation , enlargement of
the spleen and decrepitude go to destruction, who practises mahā
mudrā.3
The Yonimudrā is described as follows:
Place left heel against the anus; the right heel on the left foot;
sit erect with body , the neck and the head in a straight line. With the
lips formed to resemble a crow's beak, draw in the air and fill the
belly. Close the ear -holes with the thumbs, the eyes with the index
fingers; the nostrils with the middle fingers ; the mouth with the
remaining fingers. Hold the air, and with the senses controlled ,
meditate on the mantra haſsa .
According to Iyangar, yonimudrā is another name for
vajroli ( p. 52). In the Siva Samhitäā, page forty -one, it is
described as the sacred drink of the Kāulas, the worshippers
of Sakti according to the vāmacāra .
The mūla-, uddiyāna- and jālandhara- bandhas find their
completion in the simhāsana which is described as follows:
[The Yogi)shouldplace the heels on the sides of the seambelow
the scrotum , the left heel on the right and the right heel on the left
1 HYP ,3 : 19-24. Mahāmudrā, mahābandha and mahavedha (not
described in this account) confer magic powers and perfection..
HYP, 3 : 30 ( Iyangar). 2 GS, 61.
3 GŚ, 62. Based upon SCN, p. 87 .
(of it ); and having placed the hands on the knees, and having
extended one's fingers, with the mouth open , and with the mind
intently fixed, he should gaze at the tip of the nose. This siṁhāsana
should be held sacred by adepts."
The mūlabandha is thus described :
Having pressed the yoni with the back of the left heel (the Yogi]
should contract the rectum ; (and thus) draw the apānā upward.
Thus is the mūlabandha performed .
Although its (normal) course is downward, the Yogi should draw
the apāna up forcibly by contracting (the anus). This Yogis call
mūlabandha. And having pressed firmly the anus with the heel ( the
Yogi) should draw the air forcibly upward. Little by little the air
(apāna) goes up. By means of the mūlabandha prāņa and apāna, nāda
and bindu becoming one, the end of the Yoga is surely attained.
(With) the union of prāņa and apāna (results) the diminution of
fæces and urine. Even an old man always regains his virility by
practising mūlabandha.3
This brings about the ' union ' of prāņa and apāna as
they enter the suşumņā; it decreases certain secretions and
invigorates the body. Minor sounds are heard. If the
thoracic and yoni regions are simultaneously contracted prāņa
is forced down and apāna upwards, and vāyu enters the
suşumņā. This may become the yonimudrā .“
Mahāmudrā and mahābandha (and mahāvedha) confer
magic powers .
This most sacred triad, destroyer of old age and death,increases
the digestive fire, and even grants magic power such as becoming
automatically small and so forth. They should be performed eight
times a day, watch by watch. They ever add to the store of merit
and deplete the stock ofdemerit at the same time. The practice of
the three, under instruction, should be for short intervals at first.5
The uddiyāna is a well -known bandha .
In the abdomen, above the navel [the Yogi) should make a
contraction toward the spinal column . This is,verily, the uďdiyāna,
a lion for the elephant of death . Of all the bandhas uddiyāna is
indeed the best. Stoppage (bandha) being fixed by the uďdiyāna,
deliverance comes naturally (spontaneously). Even as a birdis able
to fly without taking rest, so indeed uddiyāna may become the lion
which is the death of the elephant.?
1 HYP, 1 : 52, 54a. : GS, 81. 8 HYP, 3 : 61-64.
• Śiva Samhitā, 4 : 42. 5 HYP, 3 : 30, 31. 6 HYP, 3 :56, 59.
GS, 77. It overcomes death, the death -dealing elephant. Manas,
like a wild elephant is hard to control.
22
Again , the jālandhara :
Because jālandharabandha closes the network of channels (all the
nāļis) and stops the water from flowing down from the head, there
fore,it destroys the host of disorders of the throat. The jālandhara
bandha, characterized as the closing of the throat, having been
performed, the nectar does not fall into the fire, nor is the air
disturbed.1
Havingclosed the passages with the jālandhara, at the end of an
infilling of the breath (the Yogi) should expel it slowly . This is
called mūrchā because it gives joy and swoon (manomūrchā)."
This bandha contracts the throat and prevents the nectar
from falling into the fire, that is, bindu is restrained, and the
air is not disturbed. The region of the heart is affected and
the vital centres are stopped down.
The two bandhas just described are of use in rousing
Kuņdalini and, at the same time, in stabilizing the bindu.
Of the three bandhas just cited it is written :
These three bandhas, the very best, have been practised by great
adepts . These means ofattaining theends set forthin all the treatises
on Hatha Yoga are known to all( real) Yogīs.
The khecarīmudrā is one of the most famous of all. And
this is in many ways the chief mudrā whose continued
practice produces Yoga trance , the state resembling hyber
nation . Apparently this is the practice which is used in the
exhibitions of suspended animationwhich have been reported
to the West, for the practice of this mudrā results in the
suppression of the breath and in insensibility, so that the
Yogi may be buried in the ground without air, food or drink.
By turning the tongue over backwards into the hollow above the
throat, and by fixing the sight between the eyebrows, is the khecari
mudrá performed.
As fire cleaves to the wood and as a light to oil and wick ,so the soul
does not leave the body full of the drops of soma (bindu ).
Preliminary to the practice, the frænum of the tongue has
to be cut. This is done a little at a time with a bamboo
sharp edge or some other sharp instrument. Then the tongue
1 GS, 79, 80. : HYP , 2 : 69. 8 HYP , 3; 75.
* HYP , 1:45: " There is noāsanaequal to the siddhāsana ; no stop
page of the breath superiorto the kevala ; no mudrā equal to the
khecari; no laya (absorption ) equal to the ( anāhata) nāda ."
• GŚ, 64. • HYé, 3 : 45.
is kneaded and stretched so as to permanently increase its

length. Then the practice can be carried out.
[ The Yogi) shouldstretch the tonguelittle by little, stretching and
cutting the frænum linguæ . When it (the tip of the tongue) touches
the space between theeyebrows (when it is folded backagainst the
soft palate), khecarimudrā is perfected . Having grasped avery sharp,
smooth, clean instrument the shape of a snuhi ( Euphorbia) leaf (the
Yogi) should cut with it a hair's breadth (at a time). Then he should
rub it with powdered rocksalt and myrobolan( Terminalia Chebula ).
Again , on the seventh day, he should cut it a hair's breadth . Thus
over aperiod of six monthshe shoulddo this regularly. By that time
the whole of the frænum linguæ will be cut away. Having turned
the tip of the tongue upward [the Yogi] closes the three passages
(oesophagus, trachea and nostrils or (?) the three nāļis). This is
the khecarimudrā and it is called the vyoma cakra . The Yogi, who
remains even for a moment with his tongue turned upwards thus,
is saved from poisons, diseases, death, old age, andsoforth. Hewho
knows the khecarimudrā is without disease, death , lassitude, sleep,
hunger, thirst or swooning. He who knows khecarimudrā is neither
beset by disease nor tainted by karma nor snared by death.
This mudrā, khecari by name,has been desired by adepts because,
whenit is practised,themindgoesto ākāśa
(khe) - (when) the tongue
reaches khe.
Above the throat is the space , ākāśa, or vacuum (khe),
where limitation of sense is removed. It is here that bindu
has its native seat and that union of Siva and Śakti is on the
subtle plane. The mudrā effectively binds bindu .
By whomthe hollow in the top of the throat is sealed by khecari, his
bindu, even ( though he be) embraced by a woman , doesnot fall ."
Here, then , is ecstatic experience which is beyond the
range of the senses and which does not entail death.
While the bindu remains in the body, there is no fear of death .
So long as the khecarimudrā is continued, so long the bindu does
not go down.
Karma is inoperative in this state. Mind and tongue
reach ākāśa. Its unusual power and value are emphasized in
the expression,
1 HYP, 3 : 33-41. Iyangar records, p. 50, that the Yogis are
prohibited the use of salt. Salt can be used only before beginning
the practice of the Hatha Yoga. Afterwards, only the burnt powder
of the wood ( cassia, khôdira = acacia catechu). Khe = ākāśa ; car, to
move. Khecari = 'whose movement is in space .'
: GS, 69. 3 GŚ, 70. * HYP, 3 : 41. See just above.
The stream flowing visibly from soma (candra) is dear to Siva.
{ The Yogi) should close ( fill)the unequalled, divine suşumņā in the
back of the mouth (by means of the khecarimudrā )."
The Sambhavimudrā differs from the khecarimudră only
in the object looked at. Siva (Sambhu) is viewed as form
less ; i.e.,the Yogi is really seeing nothing.
The exercise of this (khecari) mudrā enables one to enjoy.
In performing this mudrā it is possible to neglect the other
cakras in the path and to lift Kundalini directly by the back
path to the place of bindu. This mudrā is prescribed with
the vajrāsana.
Asana, mudrā and bandha are clearly forms of exercise
which contribute both to the increase of bodily health and to
the stimulating and conservation of vital energy essential to
success in Hatha Yoga.
A further word may be written about mantra . The repeti
tion of sacred formulæ is of great importances and its results
are essentially magical; itenhances the effectivenessof
physical practice.
Already the place of om in the Yoga has been repeatedly
illustrated ; and its symbolical significance has been set forth
in chapter eight.
With the voice (the Yogi) should repeat that bija; he should
practise it with the body; with the mind he should remember it.
That, om , is the supreme light.
Hamsa is related directly to the breath and has its rise in
the place of origin of sexual desire ; it is the chief mantra of
jiva (life, or soul). It is the ajapa gāyatri.
· HYP,4:45. The Siva Samhitā, 3 : 57, says that prolonged hold
ing of the breath ispratyāhāra ;and SrišaChandra Vidyarņava, in
his Introduction to this work (p. iv) insists that the trance of khecari
mudrā is not samādhi, but pratyāhāra. However, the exposition
givenabove agrees with the otherworks cited.
Siva Samhita, 4 : 31.
: From one point of view mantra is the background of Tāntra.
Thisderivesinpart fromthe dhārani or spell, which is ashortened
scripture -text, essentially a string of words without meaning, in form
designed forrepetition as containing the whole of theoriginal pass
age. It may bereduced to a pregnantsyllable or bīja. When applied
according to rule, the bija is endowed with enormous power .
• GŚ, 88 .
Gāyatri has a great reputation and has a very long history.

Knowledge like this, repetition like this, insight like this neither
was nor shall be.
Even the will to recite it gives freedom from sin . It
originates in Kundalini and from the restraint of the breath .
Knowing ( in the magical sense) this mantra renders one an
adept. Its repetition engenders hypnotic sleep. It serves to
stop the breath. Its ajapa form is hamsa.
The secretions of the body, controlled by the prāņāyāma
and bandha methods, should be preserved. This is clear from
the passages dealing with bindu, vajroli, sahajoli and amaroli.
Furthermore, the perspiration exuding from the exertion of
the practice of prāņāyāma should be rubbed into the body
and not wiped off.
Out of these various, strenuous practices come some effects
which are noted as indicative of success in the Yoga.
Amongst these are certain sounds and colours, some of which
have been mentioned already.
Great store is laid by anāhata nada, or the sound (nāda) in
the heart lotus.
Anāhata nāda is awakened by the exercise of prāņāyāma. A couple
of week's practice with eighty' prāņāyāmas in the morning and the
same number in the evening will cause distinct sounds to be heard ;
and, as the practice goes on increasing, varied sounas bacome audible
to the practiser. By hearing these sounds attenavely (i.e., fixing the
attention on them ) one gets concentration of the mind, and thence
sahajasamadhi. When Yoga- sleep is experienced, the student should
give himself up to it and make no efforts to check it. By and by,
these sounds become subtle and they become less and less intense,
so the mind looses its waywardness and becomes calm and docile;
and, on this practice becoming well-established , samādhi becomes a
voluntary act. This is, however, the highest stage and is the lot of
the favoured and fortunate few only.
The following is the method for inducing trance, pro
pounded by Gorakşanātha :5
The Yogi, his mind single, sitting in mukțāsana, having formed
the śāmbhavīmudrā, ought to hear in his right ear inner sound .
The ears , eyes, nostrils and mouth should be closed.
1 GS, 45. 2 P, 46. : Siva Samhitā , 3 : 40.
• HYP, (SBH ) Introduction , p. iv.
:
6 HYP , 4 : 66, 67a.
5 HYP, 4 : 64 .
The effects are very definite.
In the cleansed suşumņā -path pure, clear, sound is heard."
Four states are recognized :
Joy arises in the void (in the heart), ( and) in the body various
anāhata sounds, like thebeating of a drum . [In the first (stage)] the
Yogi becomes divine ofbody, radiant, fragrant of body and free from
disease; and his whole heart (becomes) a void . In the second period
the air moves in the middle channel (suşumņā), the posture becomes
fixed and the Yogi becomes wise like a god . From the piercing of
the Vişņu Knot ( in the throat) in this manner, the highest bliss is
experienced . And, in the hollow in the throat, a tumult like the
beating of a kettle drum is heard. In the third, in the space between
the eyebrows the sound of a drum is recognized .Then the air goes
to the great void , the refuge of all the adepts. Then, having over
come the joys of the mind, without evil, misery, old -age, disease,
hunger or sleep, joy itself (ultimatejoy) is experienced. The Rudra
Knot having been pierced and the air having gone tothe seat of Siva,
a sound likethat produced by a flute, arises . Then there isthe unity
of consciousness called Rāja Yoga. (And) the Yogi, equal to Siva,
becomes a creator and a destroyer. Whether there be release or not,
here is indeed unbroken peace. This felicity arising from absorption
(laya ) is obtained in Rāja Yoga.
Concerning colours it is said :
During contemplation one sees, not with his eyes, as hedoes the
objects of the world, various colours, which the writers on Yoga call
thecoloursof the five elements. Sometimes stars areseen glittering,
and lightning flashes in the sky. But these are all fleeting in their
nature. At first these colours are seen in greatly agitated waves
which show the unsteadycondition of the mind; and, as the practice
increases and the mind becomes calm , these colour-waves become
steady and motionless and appear as one deep ocean of light. This
is the ocean in which one should dive and forget the world and
become one with his Lord — which is the condition of highest bliss .
It may be well, now, to quote a verse, with its note, in
Pañcam Sinhi edition as summarizing the effects of the use
of the mudrās and as verifying what was said above, in
chapter thirteen, about supernormal powers (āiśvarya ).
1 HYP, 4 : 67b .
2 HYP, 4: 69-77.
3 See description of the cakras in the preceding chapter.
* HYP, ( SBH ) Introduction, p. iv . Fixing attention on these
phenomena is the point.
These,which bestow the eight magic powers, have been explained

by Adi Nātla, and are greatly prized by all adepts. ( They ) are
difficult even for Mārutas(sonsof Siva) toacquire.
The eight Āiśvaryas are: Animā, becoming small, like an atom ;
Mahimā,becoming great, like ākās, by drawing in atomsof Prakſti;
Garimā, light things, like cotton becoming very heavy like moun
tains; Prāpti, coming within easy reach of everything, as touching
the moon with the little finger, while standing on the earth ;
Prākāmya, non -resistance to the desires, as entering the earthlike
water ; Išatā, mastery over matter and objects made of it ; Vašitvā,
controlling the animate and inanimate objects.1
Thesigns of (success in) Hatha Yoga are purification of the nādis,
a lean body, tranquility in the face, manifestation of nāda ( anāhata
sounds), very clear eyes, freedom from disease, bindu under control
(and) good digestion .
The end of the Hatha Yoga is the Rāja Yoga, ecstacy and
trance of the experience of Brahma.
I will now describe the best course ( leading up) to samādhi (that
which) destroys death , induces peace and produces brahmānanda.
Rāja Yoga, samādhi, unmani,manonmani, amaratvā, iaya, tatva,
śūnya, aśūnya, paramapada, amanaska, adväita, nirālamba, nirañjana,
jīvanamukti, sahajā and turiyā denote the same state of being. Just as
with salt in water all becomes salty , so the mingling of ātma and
manas is denominated samādhi. When the breath (prāņa) becomes
exhausted and the mental processes(manas)are destroyed (pralīyate),
then their being equal (union ) is called samādhi. And this equality,
(this) oneness of the two, the living self and the absolute self, when
all desire (sāñkalpa ) is destroyed is called samādhi.
It is of interest to note how intimately the processes of the
Kundalini Yoga are related to the attainment of bliss.
By practice through various postures (āsana) and holdings of the
breath, Kundalini being aroused, the prāņa is dissolved (prallyate) in
śünya (samadhi).
(This) state of union (samadhi) of Yogis whoexperience the aroused
Śakti,and all of whose actions are renounced , is achieved even of its
own accord. When the prāņa moves in the suşumņā and mental
action (mānasa) is absorbed in sūnya (samādhi), then the adept uproots
all effects of works. When the mind has reached tranquillity(ceases to
act) and the breath moves in the middle channel (suşumņā) amaroli,
vajroli and sahajoli are accomplished . How can there be knowledge
(samādhi) as long as the brain works here, as long as prāņa moves,
before mental activity is dead ? He alone who can lead these two, his
prāņa and manas, to dissolution (vilayam ) achieves mokșa (release,
samādhi). 55
1 HYP , 3 : 8. • HYP , 2 : 78. : HYP, 4 : 2.
* HYP, 4 : 3-7. • HYP, 4 : 10, 11 , 12, 14, 15 .
The heart of the practice is made clear, as outlined above,

in the following verses.
Only when the prāņa moves in the suşumņā is manonmani
perfected,but no otherdiscipline (or efforts) of Yogis whatever ( avail).
Who has brought his breath to a stop has, at the same time, brought
his mental activities to rest ; who has brought his mental activities to
rest has stopped down his breath. As mental activity is dissolved,
the breath is stilled. As the prāņa is stopped , the mind is brought
to dissolution . As milkand water unite (andbecome one), likewise
do these two, manas and prāņa. As (does) the breath (mārutas) so
(does) the mind (manas) behave. As the mind so the breath acts.
From thesuppression (lit. destruction ) of the one that of the other
follows. When both are active the indriyas (faculties of sense and
volition) perform their functions; both disappearing the state (level)
of mokşa( samadhi) is achieved. When the mind is fixed and the
breathing ceases, the bindu is retained (unmoved ); from the stabiliza
tion ofthe bindu always true fixity of the body is produced. Mind
(manas ) is the master of the faculties of sense and volition ; and
breath is master of the mind; the master of the breath is laya
( dissolution ) and laya depends upon nāda (anāhata, sound ). This
itself ( laya) is what is called mokṣa or,if you are of another opinion,
-no matter. When mind and breathhave been absorbed, a sort of
ecstasy (ānanda) is experienced. With the ceasing of respiration,
with the destruction of the range of the senses, and with the mind
inactive and changeless, one wins the laya of Yogis. For (the Yogi]
all of whose effects of deeds are destroyed, and whose actions have
ceased, laya, self-engendered and indescribable, is won ."
The state , induced by khecarimudrā , is described at length
and is identified with various technical expressions.
Between the eyebrows is the seat of Siva and there the mind
(manas) is absorbed. This condition ( padam ) should be recognized
as turiyā(samādhi). Then death is notknown. One should practise
the khecari until Yoga -nidra ( sleep ) ( samādhi ) is (induced ). Under
no circumstances is there death for [the Yogi) who has reached (is
in) Yoga -nidra. Freeing the mind from all contacts, (the Yogi)
should meditate on nothing at all. Like a pot in space (vyoman )
(with ether) both without and within one should remainfixed. When
the air outside the body is absolutely still like that within , the mind
with the breath becomesfixed in its own place ( ? in the top of the
skull). Consequently [the Yogi) should practise day and night in
the way of breath -control. The breath is dissolved and the mind is
absorbed. One should smear the body from head to foot with
1 HYP, 4:20, 21, 23-25, 28-32 . Laya may be rendered dissolution '
of mind or ' absorption ' in ,or identity with,Being. Dr. Singh says
that laya and Kundalini Yoga are identical (Gr., p . 14).
amſta . Great stature, that is great strength , and courage are surely
perfected .
And again :
Concentrating the mind in Sakti ( Kundalini) and the Sakti within
the mind, and looking upon the mind with the mind [ the Yogi)
should reach the highest state. Hold the ātman within kha (Akāša)
and the kha within the atman , and making all this kha ( this is union
above the throat), [ the Yogi) should think of nothing whatsoever.
[ The Yogi) should becomevoid within ,void without, void like a pot
in space ;fullwithin , full without, full likea pot inspace. There is
to be thought neither upon things external nor upon things internal;
having abandoned all thought ( the Yogi) should think upon nothing
whatsoever. ( This) entire world (is) buta creation within the brain ;
(all) mental enjoyments are simply formed within the brain . Abandon
( all) these (merely) mental creations utterly. Resolutelyrefusing to
resort (to these), o Rāma attain peace. As camphor in fire, (as) salt
in water, so the mental acts commingled are absorbed in Reality.
The mindtakes delight in knowledge, allthat is known and that to be
known. What is known and what is to be known are equally to be
destroyed. There is no other, no second way. All this which is seen ,
whatever moves and that which is immovable, is merely mental. He
whose mind ceases to act (unmani bhāvat), knows no duality
whatsoever .
Returning now to the experience of nāda and its relation
to samādhi, the following verses are of interest :
For reaching the unmani (state) quickly concentration (ofthought)
upon the space between the eyebrowsis, in my opinion, the best :for
the gaining ofthelevel of Rāja Yoga it is an easy method for people
of little (irresolute) minds. The absorption (laya ) produced fromnāda
wins immediatelythe firm assurance of union. Upon the sound of a
drum which theYogi hears when he closes his ears with his fingers
(hands ) the attention should be held fixedly until the state of inaction
is reached . By the practice of this nāda external sounds ( gradually)
are shut out. Within the space of half аa month, having become
completely victorious, the Yogi oughtto attain peace.
When practice first begins the nāda gives a great variety of very
loud ( sounds). Then , as the discipline continues, more and more
subtle sounds are heard. In the first ( stage) the ( sounds) produced
are like the rolling (thunder -cloud sound ) of kettle drums and the
jharjhara (a drum ). In the second (stage) they are like those arising
from the shaking of small bells, the conch and the mŢdanga (a drum ).
But, finally, they sound like those of the (buzzing of)the black bee,
the vina (Aute) and small bells. These various sounds are heard as
arising within the body. Even though listening for loud ( sounds)
like the rolling sounds of kettle drums, still ( the Yogl] should seek
1 HYP, 4 : 47–52. · HYP, 4 : 53-60 .
(practise) (to hear) also the most subtle ones. Dispensing with the
heavier ones for the subtle, or the subtle for the heavier, even the
mind distracted with pleasure should not wander anywhere else.
Anywhere where the mind first comes in contact with the nāda,
right there becoming fixed it is absorbed with it. As the black bee,
drinking the honey,does not notice the perfume (of the flower) so
likewisewhenthe mind is joined with nāda (is intent or listening to
nāda ), other objects are desired not at all. The mind, wandering in
the garden of the objects of sense, like a rutting elephant, can be
brought under control by the sharp elephant goad of this (anāhata)
nāda. For the mind, taken in the share of the nāda, having abandoned
all fickleness (unsteadiness) becomes steadfast immediately, as a bird
whose wings have been clipped. Having abandoned all anxieties
( thoughts ), with the mind collected [Yogis ), who are desirous of the
dominion of Yoga, should consider this nāda worthy of investigation .
Nāda becomes a snare for binding the mind, like the spotted
antelope ; and it can also slay it, as the ( snared) antelope is slain.
The final state is described .
From continuous practice of the nāda, the whole store of demerit
is wiped out, and the breath andthe mind are surely absorbed in the
Passionless Being (nirañjana). [ The Yogi] hears neither the conch
nor the drum at all. Being fixed in the state of unmani ( mental
inaction ) (his) body becomes a piece of wood. Free from all states,
exempt from all anxiety, that Yogi is as one dead, verily not other
than liberated . Heis neither consumed by death nor snared by (his)
deeds. The Yogi,lost in samādhi, is not overcomeby anything. The
Yogi, who is lost in samādhi is conscious of neither smell nor taste
nor form (or colour), nor feeling ( touch ) nor sound, nor himself nor
the Highest. [ The Yogi], whose mind is neither sleeping nor waking,
remembering nor avoiding remembering,sitting down nor rising up,
is indeed a liberated man . The Yogi who is lost in samādhi does
not distinguish cold from heat, misery from comfort, honour from
dishonour. He is verily free, who beinghimself really awake, appears
like one sleeping, and who is without in- and out-breathing. The
Yogi engaged insamādhi cannot be controlled by charms (yantra)
and spells (mantra), is beyond
is immune from all weapons.
the power of all corporeal beings and
Just as long as the moving air does not enter the suşumņā, just so
long the bindu is not stable, because the prāņa is not stopped ; as
long as in dhyāna ( fixed attention ) spontaneously the form of Brahma
(tattva) doesnot appear, so long, he who speaks of knowledge is a
babbler of that “knowledge' which is both futile and deceptive .
Ecstatic experience, due to bodily manipulation, occupies
a large place in this system, and the Hindu seems to under
stand fully the methods by which the ecstasy bordering on
1 HYP, 4: 79, 81-93 . 2 HYP, 4 : 104-115.
trance may be induced . When certain internal sounds are

heard , thedesired end is known by the adept to be close at
hand .
While tapas (hard discipline, austerity) are not without
place in the system , most of the practice is based upon ideas
of sex functions and experiences. There is a further method
which induces similar ecstatic results, the use of drugs. The
Yogis are notorious as drug addicts. Some drugs , such as
hemp, stimulate the imagination along the line ofthe experi
ences outlined above. The use of drugs to induce ecstasy
and vision plays a large part in religious experience the world
over . Take the peyote (mescal) cult of the American Indians
as an illustration . Another is the use of hasheesh (carnabis
indica) by the Assassins. Both of these drugs produce
hallucinations of colours as well. The Hindu knew these
matters early. The m' uni in the Rig Veda is under the
excitement of drugs. Patañjali is aware of this method for
inducing samādhi for he says:
Perfections proceed from birth or from drugs or from spells or
from self-castigation or from concentration .
And the commentator adds :
He describes the perfection which proceeds from drugs. A human
being, when for some cause or other he reaches the mansions of the
demons (asura ), and when he makes use of elixirs of life brought to
him by the lovely damsels of the demons , attains to agelessness and
to deathlessness and to other perfections. Or (this perfection may
be had) by the use of an elixir -of-life in this very world . So for
instance the sage Mandavya, who dwelt on the Vindhyas and who
made use of potions.3
Again and again emphasis is put upon the fact that this
Yoga staves off death . And one of the interpretations of the
practice of vajroli is that the woman serves to insure
extension of life to the Yogi. On this point Miss Elizabeth
Sharp's book, The Secrets of the Kāula Circle may be
consulted.
1 See An Essay on Hasheesh, by Victor Robinson, M.D.
: WYS, p. 299. 3 WYS , p. 300 .
• London , 1936.
BY THIS YOGA ŠIVA APPEARS AS

THE VAST OCEAN OF BLISS AND
KNOWLEDGE, DESTROYING THE
MISERY OF THE WORLD ; AND
THE END IS THE STATE OF THE
UNMOVING FLAMES OF LIGHT
IN THE INNER SOUL, A BODY
OF BLISS AND KNOWLEDGE.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
CONCLUSION
The physicalbasis ofthis Yoga is apparent. And a healthy

body is essential. The Yogi finds in his system both enjoy
ment (bhukti) and liberation (mukti). The essence of the
Hatha Yoga is physical exercise and manipulation, quite
mechanical. And the symbolism is that of the sex functions.
If it is charged against the exposition found in the preceding
pages that it is overburdened with interpretations ontoo low a
plane, it must be said in reply that both the practice and the
outlook of the Yogis confirm this point of view . The author
has tried to follow their views and their explanations. Frenzy ,
or thrill, or ecstasy, seems to be the aim all the while ; and
these experiences are interpreted in terms of union with the
divine. Divinity has to be sought within the body of the
Sākta . Moreover, the historical background of the cult of
Gorakhnāth points in the same direction. During many
centuries preceding the fourteenth of our era , late Buddhist
practice, especially in Bengal, was affecting the whole religious
outlook. Both Saivite and Vaişņavite movements were
profoundly influenced by it. The high religious value of
intercourse with women was more and more insisted upon .
Romantic love for beautiful women was viewed as a path to
release. The post Cāitanya- Sahajiyā movement confirms this
point, as does Gorakhnāth's early affiliation with the Vajrā
yāna.1 While the Vaişņavite movement emphasizes love in
the consort of the divine, the Saivite lays stress upon her
1 See The Post Cāitanya Sahajiyā Cult in Bengal, by M. M. Bose,
1930. This cult is based upon theidea of the Parakiya, denounced in
ordinary society, but in religion adopted as the symbol of intense
love. Here bhakti lies wholly in the sphere of emotion and is
illustrated in the life of Kțişņa associated with Rādhā at Brindaban.
See also Šāstri, Or, and Bhattacharyya.
power or energy. The Sri- cakra and the whole Sākta sym
bolism enforce this interpretation. Thepaņạits, with whom
the author read the literature of the Yogis, had no other
interpretations to offer. For example, no one ever suggested
any other meaning for bindu than that used in thiswork.
Arthur Avalon protested in his work on Tantra against the
tendency to rate the teachings of these works too realistically ,
but Sir John Woodroffe, in his introduction to Dr. Rele's
The Mysterious Kundalini, says:
What may be its value is another question, a matter uponwhich I
am not so sure as I once was. ... To me the Yogas of certain
worth are those of Karma, Bhakti and Jñāna. There are, however,
apparently some to whom Kundalini Yoga makes special appeal and
who receive satisfaction therefrom . In any case the test is that of
Ayurveda, namely, results. If I deal with this matter here it is
because, on further consideration , I am disposed to think that I
underrated in my Serpent Power the value of some adverse criticism
of this Yoga which I,in the volume mentioned, quoted .
This Yoga has wide acceptance in India today .”
Undoubtedly there is a higher interpretation of Sakti and
of Sākta which may be given in metaphysical terms; and
there is as good a reasonfor the view that the female energy
is the creative, formative power in the universe as there is
for the male. But nowhere in the world has such symbolism
been able to keep itself for long on a high plane . And , as
elsewhere, here, emotional experiences ofbhakti have given
a large place for license and debauchery. Bhoga (enjoyment)
as a means of liberation, of enlightenment, is here held as a
tenet of faith . The adept acts and enjoys as manifest crea
tion. Alberuni, a thousand years ago, made the following
observation on the Yoga :
He who wants God , wants the good for the whole creation with
out a single exception for any reason whatever; but he who occupies
himself exclusively with his own self, will for its benefits neither
inhale breath nor exhale it. When a man attains to this degree, his
1 Serpent Power, pp. 25, 29.
Serpent Power, p.24. See also The Sāktas, by E. A.Payne.
3 Dr. Singh (Gr., p . 26) says that the aim of Gorakhnāth is to
transcend the lower self, which consists of sexual power , vital airand
the mind. But the method, he says, is the control of the breath which
is the key to the control of the other two.
CONCLUSION 351
spiritual power prevails over his bodily power and then he isgifted
with the faculty of doing eight different things by which detachment
is realized ; for a man can only dispense with that which he is able
to do, and not with that which is outside his grasp.1
The foregoing remarks are not to be construed as to
suggest that there is not a higher interpretation possible for
the doctrines of the Sākta , but to show that so far as this
group of Yogis is concerned, and those who believe in them
as well, the lower is the practical interpretation. Every
wherewell-thinking Hindus express themselves unfavourably
towards them.
The fact need not be ignored, however, that this kind of
interpretation of the divine, the cult of female divinities, has
been of world -wide distribution, and that it has found
expression inevery age. Neither should it be forgotten that
tendencies of this kind find sympathy at the present time
outside of India; still, nowhere else is this aspect of religion
so persistently vital. Mr. Payne has pointed out that in India
there has been, in recent times , a tendency to lay emphasis
upon this horrible and revolting side of awe, which represents
itself in worship of the Devi, during periods of economic and
political depression. And he thinks that the view of God as
Destroyer, the worship of Force and the use of a ritual
essentially magic, portend the downfall of Saktism . The
history of religion in India would seem to throw doubt upon
such expectation .
The Yogi is not to be judged altogether adversely. Behind
this faith is the philosophy which deserves sympathetic study
and an impulse, the age-long search for the experience of the
Real, Sadāśiva, inthisparticular sect.
Some recent Western psychology seeks to understand
experiences which lie outsideordinary self-consciousness.2
There stands out in asceticism as a whole that which the
Yogi emphasizes in particular — the great seeker after truth,
reality, with the supreme experience of the religious life.
And, in the pursuit of this end, he exhibits both courage and
persistence. Nowhere else in the world have men been
1 Sachau'sTranslation, vol. I, p. 69 .
. SeeK. T. Behanan, Yoga :AScientific Evaluation. (1937).
found who have endured more in the way of physical pain
or who have carried tapas through so long a discipline. The
great Gorakhnāth is referred to as the embodimentof patience,
that is, one able to carry tapasya through. He was quick
tempered and terrible, but also patient.
Bhartri happened to go into the forest where Gorakhnāth was
practising austerities, but he knew not that the saint was there. Soon
after, thedisciples of Gorakhnāth met him and asked him to become
one of them . He answered, 'Whatdo I care for Gorakhnāth ? If he
wishes to learn theways of the Almighty let him come and hear from
me.' Finally, Goraknãth said to Bhartri, ' If you give me a handful
of patience , I will become your disciple.' So Bhartri, in search of
patience, came to the gods, but they could not supply it. At last he
went to Vişņu , who said, ' I cannot supply you patience. If you want
it you must go to Gorakhnāth who is the greatest of the saints .' Thus
convinced, Bhartri accepted Gorakhnāth as his guru .
The penances of such men as Dharamnāth have become
famous .
Perhaps the point with reference to members of the order
which needs most emphasis is that of their relation to society.
The Yogi cannot live as other men do. Unless he is untrue
to his vows, he must live apart from society, but dependent
upon it for a living: seeking only his own religious satisfac
tions and those of his fewdisciples. He bears no social
responsibilities towards his fellow men. The Indian's con
cept of āśrama, the search for release alone at the last and for
himself, is the fundamental error of the system .
The element of bhakti, or emotionalism , deserves a word.
This Yoga movement, even in its earliest manifestations, looks
to Rudra, to Siva, the terrible; and the aspect of Sakti
which the Yogi worships is everywhere that of Kāli, of
Bhāiravi, and of fiendish female forms. With this coupled
realistic experiences on the plane of eroticism . Character
istically, horrible, abominable and revolting practices and
license go together. It is because the ends achieved by
restraint are also attainable by symbolic participation in a
drama of divine joy where full play is given to indulgence,
through sex stimulus and the use of drugs, that their whole
system of religious devotion has to be revolutionized. Present
1 See chap. eleven, p. 244, note 2.

CONCLUSION 353
day attitudes of Hindus insisting upon decency and strict
conduct show how necessary this is. This has always been
recognized with extreme forms of vāmacāra, in vajrayāṇa and
in kāulācāra. The illegalhas been the norm of the extreme.
But the ideals and practices of the Yogis are , consequently,
not open to public gaze as they once were, and many are
reluctant to admit that they indulge in them.
Finally, it is possible to question whether the end which
follows ecstatic experience, that is, unconsciousness, or pure
subjectivity, or the absence of self - conscious personality, is
any more satisfactory as the solution of the problems of
life, or as a view of the ultimate goal of man ,than is the
anti-social character of the whole movement. As meeting
the demands of the new day in India itself, both the experi
ence and the goal are insufficient.
23
GLOSSARY
Adhāra. A ‘ support ' ; a centre of vital power or of specia

lized function in the body; a cakra. A ground or support
for meditation .
Ahimsa. The doctrine of non -injury.
Akhārā. A monastery .
Ardhanāri. The half-male -half- female form of the Brahman .
Asana. Posture . Sometimes involves exercises.
Avadhūta. Liberated . Gorakhnāth is often so designated.
The word is a general term for ‘ non -Brāhman ' ascetics
who were freed from all ties, particularly of caste, and
who accepted Yoya or yoga and bhakti, whether they were
Sāivas ( Sannyasīs or Jogis), or Vāişņavas (Vāivagis).
Bandha. A binding ; a stoppage. Often involved in
physical exercises. The Bandhas are those devices which
serve to close all exits of air and to produce tension in the
body.
Caran. Footprint of a divinity, of a saint, or of some other
person ; pāduka.
Cimtā . Fire tongs .
Cūrmā. A sweetmeat made of sugar , butter and crumbled
bread.
Cutiya. Scalp -lock.
Devi. The Goddess.
Dhūni. Yogi's sacred fire.
Doli. A sort of chair, or palanquin for carrying people.
Dundubhi. A mystical drum ; dund , a large kettle -drum .
Gaddi. A cushion , a throne .
Ganja. Hemp-plant preparation for smoking.
GLOSSARY 355
Gāuri. The Goddess.

Gāurīpītha. The yoni, yonisthāna.
Gotra. A sub - division of a caste .
Hom . A kind of burnt offering. An offering of ghi in fire.
Indriya. Motor or sensory function .
Jogi. Yogi.
Kachcha (kacca ). ( Food ); uncooked food .
Kafni. A garment resembling a shroud , worn by Musulman
faqīrs.
Kangan. A bracelet or armlet of threads.
Kāusi. A shell used as money, of very little value.
44 kāuſis = 1 ganda
20 gandas = 1 pan
-
4 pan = 1 ana
4 anas = 1 kāhan (about rupee ).
Ketki. “ A sweet-scented flower . Ketaka: the tree pandonus
odoratissimus.
Khichţi. A dish made of pulse and rice cooked together,
Khir . Rice boiled in milk.
Kundal. Ear-ring ; coil.
Laddu. A ball of sweatmeat.
Langoti. A loin cloth .
Laya. " Union ' ; unconsciousness. A state where the mind
ceases to function . A return to the undifferentiated state .
Samadhi.
Linga. The Phallus of Siva (in text the word is often used
for yoni-linga and is so intended unless otherwise specified ).
Mahant. Head of a monastery; a chief teacher.
Makāra . The letter M.
Manasā . A serpent goddess.
Mandala. A circle. A cakra. A lotus.
Manonmani. A state in which the mind is unmoving.
Mantra . A sacred text ; a spell. An instrument of thought,
when rightly used, embodying supernatural power .
Matha. A hut; a cottage ; especially the retired hut or cell
of an ascetic ( student ); cloister, college ( especially for
young Brahmans ); a temple.
MeŅhra. Linga.
Mela . A religious fair .
Merdhi. A plant. Myrtle, Lawsonia alba .
Mina . Fish.
Mokşa. Release; salvation '.
Mşdanga. A small drum ..
Mudrā. Ear -ring worn by a Yogi.
Mudrā . A manipulation of the body, a posture , an attitude,
a contortion. Often a kind of exercise. The word as
applied to one of the five M's is usual rendered 'parched
grain ,' but ' gesture ' or ' attitude ' is probably correct.
Mukti. Release , samādhi, ' salvation '.
Nād. A whistle worn by Yogis ; more particularly, sound.
Nāda. Sound .
Nādi, Nāļi. A channel, or a nerve , a path for vital force ;
one of the elements in the physiological theory of the Yoga.
Padma. Lotus; a chakra .
Pāduka. A footprint. Caran.
Pakāuri. A dish made of peas meal.
Pakhal. A large leather bag such as is borne by bullocks.
Palão. Rice cooked with mutton .
Pañcamakāra. The five M's.
Panth. A sect, or a division of a sect.
Paramparā. Succession . A table of succession .
Pilão. Rice cooked with mutton .
Pīr. A saint, a synonym for mahant.
Pradakşiņa. Going around an image, a shrine, or an object,
withthe right hand towards it.
Prasād. Food that has been offered to an idol or of which
a spiritual teacher has partaken.
Pūjāri. One who conducts worship at a temple, or a shrine.
Rākşasa . Fiend, ogre.
GLOSSARY 357
Sākta. A worshipper of Sakti.

Śakti. The female power or principle, often personified ;
the Goddess.
Sāligrām ( Sālagrāma ). A black stone found in the Ghandaki
river, and worshipped by Hindus; sacred to Vişņu or
Krşņa. Some say that it should be an amonite.
Samādh ( Samadhi). Tomb of a saint. As a technical term
the final state in the Yoga process ; ' release '.
Sankalpa. Will, desire.
Satī. The true wife ; a name of Siva's consort.
Sattu . Parched grain reduced to meal and made into a paste .
Selő. A necklace of threads, worn by mendicants.
Siddhis. Perfections; supernormal powers.
Sing. Horn .
Śrāddha. Religious rites for the dead.
Sricakra. A mystic circle of the Tāntra.
Sthān. A place or location ; a small shrine.
Sünya. Void.
Tāntra. For Tântric.
Thakur. An idol, a temple.
ſīkā. A sect mark made on the forehead or between the
eyebrows.
Tirtha. A place of pilgrimage.
Tripund. A sectarian mark of Siva made with horizontal
lines drawn with ashes or other substance on the forehead,
arms or trunk.
Urd . A pulse.
Vāmacāra. Left - hand practice, or ritual.
Virakta . Dispassionate.
Yab- Yum . The state of union of the god and his consort.
Yantra . A symbol or magic figure.
Yoni. Womb, uterus, vulva, female organs of generation ;
source ; origin, with the linga a typical symbol of the
divine procreative energy.
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INDEX
ADEPT, 322,323,
330, 334, 338, 352 328, 329, | Āryan,
Aral, 111,
155,114,
212 116
Ādhāra, 287, 288, 309, 311 , 317, Āsana, 265, 267, 268, 274, 282,
328 309, 323 , 325, 326, 327, 330,
Adharbandha , 284 340, 343
Adinath , 56 , 62, 75, 76 , 136, 230, | Āsāpuri, 15, 104, 105, 108
231 , 234 Ascetic, 1 , 2, 6, 9 , 16, 21 , 22,
Aghorī, 6, 31 , 71 , 72 n. , 75 , 154, 24, 28, 32 , 39, 55 , 74, 82,
167, 218, 224 207, 208, 247, 259
Agriculture, 51 f. Ashes, 16, 17, 19, 21 , 29, 31 ,
Ahimsa , 266 33 , 39, 44, 53, 54, 104, 122,
Aidevi, 67 128, 187 ff., 200, 221, 334
Aipanth (i), 6 n ., 9, 21 n ., 24 n ., | Asoka, 144, 145 n ., 217
40n ., 43 n .,49 n .,63,65, 67, 68, Aśrama, 209 f ., 223
77, 82, 100, 136 , 138 Assam , 50, 69, 78, 166, 181 n. ,
Ajapa,293 , 307 , 340 201, 274
Ājñā, 310, 315, 319, 333 Asura , 104
Alakh, 10 , 44, 202, 239 Atharva - Veda, 155 f ., 175 , 212,
Alberuni, 216 , 352 216, 280
Alexander, 213f. Atīts, 24, 110, 116, 120
Allahābād, 5n., 28 n., 35, 82, 83, Aughar,'4,5, 10, 11, 18, 19, 27,
>
253 30, 31 , 33, 39, 46 , 47, 49, 67, 71 ,

Almora, 7, 10 n . , 17 n ., 21 n. , 22, 89, 100, 103, 113, 115, 121 , 124,
23, 24 n. , 26 n., 28 , 29, 30 , 31 , 218, 224
34, 41, 42, 47 , 80f ., 107 n. Aurangzeb, 70, 86 , 92, 121
Amarnāth, 78, 98 Avalokitesvara, 151, 180 n., 196 ,
Ambā, 119, 162, 165 231, 232 n.
Ambāla, 49, 66 , 69, 73 , 100
American Indian , 59, 347
Amritsar , 38, 62, 64, 100, 103,
BABA , 33, 38
Baber , 98
160 Badrināth , 7, 20 , 34, 37, 78 , 124
Amyta, 345 Bag, 13, 21 , 53, 54, 57
Amulets, 20, 23, 34, 128 , 178 Bairāg, 63, 65, 97, 121 , 122
Anāhata, 310, 313, 319, 332, 341 , Bājra , 15
343 Bālaknāth, 31
Ancestor, 7 f ., 52, 55 Bālasundari, 33
Anus, 313, 317, 328 Bāldevi, 93
Apāna , 291, 292, 300 , 306 , 307, Bālkeswar, 31 , 71
311, 327, 335, 337 Bālnāth , 101 , 103
24
Bāmārg , -69, See Vāmārga Black buck, 11 , 132
Bamboo, 21 , 22 Blood, 18, 104, 107, 125, 129, 130,
Bandha, 323, 324, 325 , 327, 330 , 140 f. , 160, 166, 168 , 308
335, 337, 338, 340, 341 Bolanāth , 80
Bappa, 122, 187, 245, 246 , 247, Bombay, 1 , 4n. , 5 , 21 , 22, 31 , 50,
250 55 , 61 , 63 , 120, 122, 257
Barber, 28 , 29 Bowl, 13, 21 , 22 , 34, 40, 44
Bāsak Nāg, 98, 123 Boys, 27, 38, 49, 53, 55
Bathing (bath, bathe) 24 , 28 , 29, Brahmā, 7, 15, 143, 156 f., 162,
41 , 42, 54, 134, 145, 147, 170 169, 176 , 197, 228, 261 , 267, 270,
Beads (See rosary) 273 , 293, 294, 302, 305, 312, 316,
Beard, 18 319 , 343, 346
Beef, 45 , 55 Brahmācārya, 212
Beg, Beggars, Begging, 21, 22, Brahman , 1, 7, 105, 123
44, 45, 51 , 53 , 56, 57 , 59, 72, Brāhman , 11 , 26, 39, 46, 50, 52,
73 , 97, 192, 202, 204, 206 , 210 53 , 58, 74, 94, 102, 123 , 126, 131,
Bel, 41 , 43, 53, 54, 138, 143 167, 211, 213, 217, 226, 323 n.
Benares, 3 n. , 5 n ., 13 n. , 14 n. , 17, Brāhmaṇas, 176, 259
23, 27 n. , 28 n ., 30, 41 , 46 , 52, Brand , 17, 110
78, 83 f., 85, 86, 110 , 122, 257 Brass, 11, 13 , 19, 22, 48, 53, 58,
Bengal, 4 n ., 51 , 53 , 69, 123f., 242, 92, 112, 114
243, 244, 250, 274, 351 Brindaban , 52, 78
Bhagavad Gitā, 241, 263 , 264 Buddha, 213, 217, 231 , 276, 279,
Bhairava ( Bāirab , Bhāirom ), 280
12 n. , 17, 21 , 28, 32, 34, 36, 53, Buddhi, 260, 261 269
54,58 , 70, 74, 78, 79 , 80 , 81, 83 , Buddhism , 150, 209, 218, 232,
84, 85, 86, 87, 93 , 97, 100, 102, 248, 262, 276 , 278, 279
113 , 121 , 122, 123 , 127, 129, 134, Buddhist, 131 , 150, 151 , 180, 181 ,
135, 138, 139, 140, 141, 144, 218, 229, 231 , 232, 233 , 243 ,
146, 152 , 158 ff., 170, 224, 225 , 245, 249 f., 259 , 275, 280, 327,
226 , 245, 280 n. 351
Bhairavi, 245 , 280 n. , 354 Buffalo , 24, 55 , 56, 93 n., 95 , 141
Bhāirom Pāț, 252 Bull, 11, 20, 57, 84, 122, 154, 247,
Bhakti, 235, 266, 351 n., 352, 354 313 , 315
Bhartrhari, Bhartrī, 7, 9, 10, 11 , Burial (buried, samādh, grave), 9,
24, 62, 65, 82, 101 f. , 121 , 132, 22, 36, 39, 40, 41 , 42, 51, 53,
137, 188, 189 n., 237, 242, 244, 54, 55 , 56, 58, 59, 60 , 66 , 70,
245 80, 81 , 85, 88, 89, 94, 97, 100,
Bhek Bārah Panth, 35, 82, 100 104, 115, 121, 123 f ., 136, 170,
Bhuj, 34, 63, 69, 110, 111 154
Bibi Nāni, 106
Bīja,175,176,
, 277,281,301,
n. 311,, CAKRA,281150,163,
, , 171,175,, 177,
311
Bīja -mantra, 313, 314, 315 312, 313, 314, 315 , 317, 318,
Bimla, 63, 67 319, 320, 321, 322, 329, 331 ,
Bindu, 163, 164, 298, 299, 300, 302 , 332, 333
313, 314, 315, 316, 317, 318, 320, Cakrapūjā , 106 , 171 , 173
322, 323, 324, 325, 331 , 332, 333, Chamār, 13 n ., 68, 99, 138
334, 335, 337, 338 , 339, 340, 341, Candalas, 107, 143
344, 346, 352 Candidate, 26 ff., 89, 116, 119
INDEX 371
Cap, 19, 29, 40 Devi, 8 n ., 24 , 36, 37, 40, 42, 57,

Caran , 31 , 41 , 57, 85 , 87, 102, 63, 91 , 92, 95, 97, 100, 105, 106,
122 108, 113, 114, 120 , 134, 140 ,
Cartilege, 1 , 32, 56, 58 162, 164, 172
Caste, 26, 27 , 29, 45 , 48, 49, 50, Devi Pātan, 12 n. , 13 n .,17 n ., 18n .,
2
51 , 52, 53, 55 , 56, 57, 58, 61 , 26, 29, 38, 46, 47, 60, 79, 90 ,
83, 117, 151 92, 94 ff., 140, 141 , 149, 152,
Cave, 44, 78, 79, 80, 82 , 118, 119, 161 , 334
121 Dhajjanāth , 63 , 68, 77
Cawnpore, 13 n. , 21 n. , 24 n . Dharamnāth (Dhoramnāth ), 21 ,
Cela, 35, 36, 38 24, 35 , 36, 45 , 47, 64 , 77, 80, 81 ,
Celibacy, 260, 266 111 ff ., 139, 142, 229, 230, 354
Celibate , 5 , 34, 46 , 47 , 49, 57, 58, Dharamnathi, 1 , 35 , 64, 80, 116,
72, 73, 89, 110, 116 , 122, 198 121
Charity, 37, 45 , 46, 110, 115 , 110 Dharamśālās, 36, 113, 150
Charm , 20 , 23, 25 , 57 , 59, 128 ; Dhūraņā, 262, 265 , 268, 269, 276 ,
see Amulet 315
Christian , 26, 219, 241 a. Dharma (and the cult), 53, 151 ,
Club, 22 , 124 , 160, 202, 221 f ., 244, 245, 249
239 Dharma Mangala , 243
Cocoanut, 21 , 25, 28, 33, 95,
> Dhauti, 153, 254 , 274 , 328
108 Dheds, 26
Coin , 247, 248 Dhinodhar, 8, 12, 14n. , 16 n. , 18n. ,
Coli, 63 , 67 n. , 174 20 , 21, 24, 26 n ., 28 n. , 30, 33,
Colināth, 63, 77 35, 36, 37 , 38, 42, 45, 46, 73 ,
Conch , 8, 22, 42, 54, 113 , 202 110f., 115 ff., 130 , 139, 141, 142 ,
Copper, 8, 11 , 20, 42, 58, 124 150, 152 , 171 , 193, 230
Corpse, 18, 48, 52, 58, 175 Dhoti, 21
Cotton , 11 , 19, 31 Dhünī, 16, 21 , 40 , 44 , 88 , 94, 108 ,
Cow , 31 , 42 , 45 , 247, 318 112 ff., 118, 123 , 128, 130, 202,
Cow dung, 3, 16, 39, 53, 54, 89 228
Crutch , 21, 22, 40 Dhyāna, 262 ,265, 268, 269, 346
Curse, 25, 73, 117 Dhyāni Buddhas , 277
Cuțiya, 18, 28, 29, 32 n. , 131 Divination, 2, 49, 127
Divya, 283
DADA, 33 Dog, 8 n. , 24, 55, 56, 57, 59, 97,
Dagger, 20, 180 n. 135
Darşan , 7, 8 Dom , 51 , 204, 243
Darşani, 1 , 44, 49, 50
2 Dravidian , 161
Daryanāth (i), ( = panth ), 64, 66 , Drugs, 23, 123, 153 , 202, 205,
82, 102 347
Dās, 29 Drum , 2, 22, 57, 97 , 115
Dasnāmis, 11 , 12 n., 24 n. Durgā, 15 , 90, 129, 164, 165 f.,
Dayanāth , 118, 192 f. 171
Dead , 39 , 48, 49, 51 , 52, 55 , 56, Durgāpūjā, 171
58, 59, 60, 123, 136 Dväraka , 3 n. , 71 , 78, 120
Death, 29, 50, 92, 160, 185, 307,
340 ,1,6
EAR29, ff., 9, 10,11, 24, 27, 28,
Demon , 18 n. , 104, 138, 158, 225, 31, 32, 48, 49, 56, 60 , 73,
271, 347 74 , 98 , 247, 248, 249, 306
Ear -rings, 1 , 6ff ., 9, 10, 11 , 13 , Girnār, 119, 192, 230
20, 32, 33 , 39, 40, 47, 49, 53, 54, Goat, 2, 88 , 92, 93, 95, 99
55 , 56, 58, 60 , 66, 74, 81, 82, Godāvari, 64, 78, 121
84, 100, 113 , 114, 123 , 124, 128, Gold, 6, 7, 20, 23 , 40, 42
130, 131 , 202, 221, 237, 248, 249 Gopicand , 24, 50, 51 , 55, 56, 63 ,
Ear -splitting, 1, 9, 10, 27, 28, 29, 67, 69, 75 , 122, 183 , 185 , 190,
31, 32, 33, 37, 48, 49, 53, 55 , 194, 198, 203 f ., 205 n. , 206 , 242,
56, 58, 60, 73 , 103, 118, 123, 243, 244, 245, 277
199, 202 , 248 Gorakh Bansuri, 7 n . , 123 >
Ekadasis, 51 f. Gorakhnāth (Gorakşanātha, Go

Eklingaji, 122, 222 rakh , Gorakṣa ), 1-25 , 31 , 39,
Election , 35, 36, 37 42, 49, 50, 53 f., 55, 56, 57, 58,
Elephant, 271, 299, 312, 315, 337, 59, 60, 61 , 62, 63, 64 , 65 , 66 ,
346 67, 68 , 69, 70, 72, 73 , 74, 75 ,
Evil eye, 22, 23, 128 76, 77, 78, 79, 80, 81 , 83, 86,
Exorcism , 2, 23 , 89, 125 , 127 87 , 88, 89, 92 , 96, 98 , 99, 100 ,
Eyebrows, 269, 318, 336, 342, 101 , 102, 106 , 116, 118, 119,
344, 345 120, 121 , 122, 123, 124, 127,
128, 130, 132 , 136, 137, 138,
FAECES,306, 337 141 , 143 , 145 , 149, 150, 160,
Faqir, 1n.,4n ., 5 , 6, 105 , 185 , 179, 180 n. , 181 , 182, 183 , 184,
192, 194 , 207 186 , 187, 188, 189, 190 , 191 ,
Fast, 28, 37, 259, 266 192, 193, 194, 195 , 196, 197,
Finger nail, 18 198 , 199, 200, 201, 202, 203,
Finger ring, 20 206 , 207, 227, 228-240 , 241 ,
Fire, 2, 10, 21 , 52, 58, 91 , 311 , 242, 243 , 244, 245, 247 , 248,
313, 315, 318, 319, 330, 338, 345 249, 250, 252, 255, 256, 284 ,
Fire - tongs, 13 , 21 , 22 285, 304,327,341,351, 352n . , 354
Fish, 9, 45, 54, 56 , 125 , 129, 248 , Gorakhnāthi (s), 1 , 4, 6, 8, 10, 11 ,
278, 280 13, 23 , 26, 30, 34, 35 , 36, 38 , 39,
Food, 8, 29 , 41 , 43, 44 , 45 , 46, 46, 48, 53 , 54, 56, 60, 61 , 62, 63 ,
50, 51 , 54, 55, 57, 58 , 60, 72, 64, 65 , 66, 67, 68, 69, 79, 82, 83,
73, 110, 116, 136, 325, 336 86 , 90 ,94, 98, 102 , 103, 105, 109,
Forehead, 12 n., 16, 17, 37, 40, 125 , 131 , 136, 142, 150, 152, 154 ,
54, 109, 123, 127, 221 184 , 185 , 218 , 219, 230, 236, 251 ,
Funeral, 7 f., 42, 49, 50, 51 , 54, 58 274, 280
Gorakhpanthi, 5 , 23 , 31 , 72 n . , 82
GANDI, 20, 36, 37, 38, 42,63, Gorakhpur, 3,5n.,17 n ., 18 n ., 20,
64, 87, 89, 111 n . , 124, 138 21 , 24, 26, 27 n . , 28n . , 29, 30 , 34,
Gāinināth , 242 35 , 36 , 37, 40 , 41 , 46, 47, 59, 82,
Gambling, 23 86f. , 89, 102, 120 , 128 , 130, 138 ,
Ganesa , 24 , 73 , 80 , 81 , 84, 110 140, 112 , 182 , 228 , 249
( ang, 29 , 43 , 82, 97, 106, 121 Gorakhpur Lawsuit, 37
Ganganath , 65 ( orakṣaśtaka, 171, 230 , 254 , 273 ,
( arhwāl, 8 n ., 10 , 48, 79 284 -304, 305, 317, 330
Garībnāth , 24, 64, 116 f. Gorkha, 78, 138, 181
Gāuri-Sankar, 15, 18 n ., 112 Gourd , 22 , 40, 204
Gāyatri, 175 , 293, 307, 340, 341 Govindpant, 241 , 242
1
Gheranda Samhită , 251 , 267, 273 , , ( işhasta, 34 , 56, 80, 85 , See

329 I louseholder
INDEX 373
Gūgā (Gūgā Pir), 24 , 99 f., 132, · Householder, 34, 42, 47, 48, 56 ,
134, 138, 149, 181 , 183f., 187n., 57, 58, 209
191 f., 193, 195, 197, 198, 199, Huqqa, 20, 72
201, 235 f ., 241
Gujarāt, 2 , 222 ĪPA,290,291, 292, 296, 308, 320,
>
Gurkha, 78 , 79 327, 329

Guru, 3, 6 , 9, 10, 15, 28 ff., 36, Image, 11 , 20 , 55, 78, 79, 80 , 85,
38, 39, 41 , 53, 54, 74, 75 , 89, 87, 92 f., 112 f., 122, 129 , 139,
139, 184, 193 , 242, 276 , 284, 149, 150, 194, 247, 249, 250, 330
326, 332, 334, 354 Incense, 17, 40, 43, 54, 97, 139
Indra, 128, 157, 162, 191 , 217
HADI(Hāļipā),51 , 69, 243, 277 Indriya, 315 , 344
Hail , 23 1 Indus, 103 , 105 , 243
Hair , 16 , 18, 29, 30 , 55, 56, 57, Indus River Civilization, 22 n. ,
60 , 249 155 n . , 162 n. , 210 n.
Hākiņi, 38 Initiate, 7, 27, 38
Hālmatangā, 12, 13 n. , 21 Initiation ( ed ), 6, 10, 15 , 27, 28,
Hamsa , 293, 331, 336, 340 29, 30, 33, 34 , 36, 37, 39 , 48,
Hanumān , 12, 14, 17, 88, 102, 150 53, 54, 55, 58
Hardvār, 3n ., 4, 6n., 9, 29, 31 , Iron , 20, 124
35, 40, 41, 43, 65, 67, 68, 78, Islam , 151 , 275
82, 251 Isvara, 173, 266 , 269, 314, 316
Harināth, 38, 97 Ivory, 8, 9
Hatha Yoga, 1 , 2, 3 , 97, 171 , 175 ,
210, 251, 252,267 ,272, 273, 274, JADE, 8, 11
275, 284, 292, 306 , 310, 319, 320, Jāfir Pir, 64, 71
322, 323, 324, 329, 338, 340, 343, I
Jain , 72, 73, 151, 213, 217 f., 259 ,
351 279
Hathayogapradipika , 3 n., 253 f. , Jālandhar (Jālandharpā, Jālan
273 , 287, 318, 326 , 327, 333 dharnāth ) , 9, 31 , 60, 62, 63 ,
Head 18, 28 65 , 67, 69, 75, 77, 85, 190, 194,
Heart, 306, 313, 314, 317 198
Hermit, 2 , 4, 82 ! Jālandharbandha, 295 , 300, 336,
Heth (Hethnāth ), 63, 64, 67, 338
102 Janeo, 11 , 12, 13, 38
Himālaya, 1, 3n., 7, 8n ., 19, 32n., Jhelum , 64, 71 , 101 , 241
47 , 78, 101, 110 , 130, 134, 136, Jiva , 292, 293, 302, 306 , 307, 327,
138, 139, 158, 164 f ., 170, 186 , ; 329, 331 , 333, 340
194, 201 Jňāna - yoga , 263, 272
Hindu , 19 , 20, 23, 26 , 27, 30, 39, Jñāneśvar, 74, 241 , 242, 249
45, 48, 49, 50, 54 , 56 , 60, 66, Jõāneśvari, 242
71 , 75, 94, 99, 105 , 106, 108, Jog, see Yoga
110, 241 , 258 Jogeśvar, 35 , 113, 248
Hing Lāj, 3 n., 10, 15, 17, 34, 60, Jogi, see Yogi
78, 90n ., 103, 104 f., 109f., 113, Juggling, 23
151 , 169
Hingol, 106 KABIR, 179 n., 1998., 218, 231,
Hir, 24 , 25 , 103, 183 , 185 f., 207 236, 238 f. , 241, 249
Hiuen Tsang, 224, 241 n. Kacch, 6, 8, 20, 24, 26 ,34 , 37, 38,
Holi, 94 45 , 63, 64 , 110, 116 ff., 193, 229
Kāilās, 71 , 86 , 104 Knife (two - edged ), 2, 6, 28, 32,
Kālāmukha, 220 ff., 223 f. 33
Kāli, 85 , 87, 106 , 123, 166 , 169, Koteswar, 17, 34, 103, 109 f ., 116,
171, 312, 354 154
Kāma , 17 n. , 19, 28 n. , 81 f., 153, Krşņa, 74, 88, 113, 157, 204, 253,
157 f. 263, 351 n.
Kāma (village), 17 n., 19, 28 n., 34, Kumāon , 5 n. , 8, 10, 11 n. , 48 ,
48 , 81 , 82 74, 79
Kāmarūpa, 167,> 232, 288 , 311 , 313 Kumbh Mela, 28 n. , 35 , 102, 122
Kanda, 290 n. , 306 , 308, 309, 310, Kundal, 7, 9
316 , 319 Kundalini (Kundalī), 164 n ., 171 ,
Kān -guru ( Cira - guru )), 32 273, 274, 281, 293, 294, 295,
Kānipā(Kānipão ), 31,56, 60, 61 , 305, 309, 310, 311, 316, 317, 319,
62, 63, 67, 69, 75, 77 320,321, 322, 324, 325, 327,329,
Kanphata (Kanphatiya), 1 , 2, 6, 331 , 332, 333, 335, 338, 340, 341 ,
8, 10, 13, 16, 20, 21, 22, 23 , 27, 343, 345
31 , 34, 35 , 36, 38, 39, 45, 46, 49, Kundalini- Yoga, 273, 274, 282,
50, 53, 55, 56, 59, 62, 63, 67, 68, 316, 321 , 322, 343, 344 n. , 352
69, 70, 71, 73, 74, 78, 79, 82, 85,
86 , 90, 95 , 98, 101, 102, 103, 110, | AKŞMANNATH , 64, 77 ,
111 , 116, 120, 121, 122, 123, 124, 101, 102, 124
127, 131 , 133 , 136, 138, 140, 141 , Lakulisa, 22 n. , 63 , 221 f ., 247
.
143, 149, 150, 152, 154, 162, 171, Lamp, 54 , 97 , 100, 114, 115
172, 185, 218, 227, 228, 233 Läth (of Bhāiron ), 83, 84
Kānphata Yogis, 243, 244, 249 n., Laya - Yoga, 272 f., 274
251, 254, 274 Leprosy , 102 , 114, 117
Kāņthaạnāthis, 26, 33, 63, 73, Life restored, 72, 73
110, 111 Linga , 40 , 41, 55, 80 , 81 , 83, 84,
Kantharnāth , 63, 69, 70 85, 87, 88, 96 f ., 98 , 109, 112,
Kāpāla, 219, 226 114, 124, 133, 142, 143, 153, 154,
Kāpālika, 224 ff. 172, 221 , 247, 249, 279 , 310,
Kapalmuni, 65 , 68 , 77, 124 311, 314, 315, 317, 319, 326
Kaplāni, 63, 65 , 68, 77, 80, 124 Lingayats, 123
Karachi, 3 n. , 103 , 107, 109, 192 n. Lion, 271, 337
Karma -yoga, 263, 264, 272 n . Liquor ( spirits) 50, 53 , 54, 55,
Karna (Raja Karan ), 91 , 92, 94 56 , 57, 123
Karuna, 278 Loins, 93, 105
Kashmir, 3 n. , 4 n. , 78, 98 Loin - cloth (langotī), 12, 19, 21 ,
Käthamandu, 3 n. , 79, 229 29, 40
Kathiāwār, 2, 45, 111 n . , 116, Lokeswar, 248
119 f ., 138, 228 Lotus, 9, 134 f. , 162, 172, 175, 176 ,
Kāula, 283 177, 309, 310, 311, 312, 313,
Kavaca, 175 , 178 314, 315 , 316, 319
Kedārnāth, 7, 20, 74, 78, 124
Kettle drum , 42, 93 , 96, 97 MACCHENDRANATH
Khakhar, 116, 112, 116 n., 119 n. (Macchendra , Matsyendra
Khecarimudrā, 11 , 297 , 298, 333, nāth ), 9, 24, 41 n ., 49, 53, 54, 55,
338, 339, 340 n. , 344 56, 57, 60, 61 , 62, 63, 64, 67, 69,
Kirāna, 19, 31 , 100, 101 , 103 72, 73, 76 , 77 , 79, 83, 119, 120,
Kitchen , 85, 114, 115 121 , 122, 125, 131 , 143 , 144 f. ,
375
INDEX
146 , 147,148, 150, 151 , 152 , 180 , Mokşa (Mukti ), 104, 262, 263,
181 f ., 182, 188, 190, 194, 195 f ., 334, 344,rm351
a
197 ,229,230, 231, 232, 233, 237, Mo naad
Mokş hay (Ma, th
ster 263a, Asthāl, Akā .
gic,f.,23,
Ma247 51 ,n57,
280,31,284 96, 104, 111,
., 287 rā ), 3 , 7, 21, 22, 26, 27, 28 n. , 31 ,
125 , 127, 128, 129, 154, 187, 34, 35 , 36, 37, 38, 39, 43, 44, 45,
198 ff., 216, 259, 274, 275, 281 , 46, 47, 58, 66, 68, 78, 79, E2,
88, 89, 94, 95, 100, 101 , 103 ,
336, 340, 341 , 343
Mahābhārata , 7 , 91, 92,219 110, 111, 114, 115, 116 , 118,
Mah āmu drā, 278, 288, 295, 296 , 121,
n , 123,
297 , 330, 335 , 336 n ., 337 Moo 50, 218
274, 298 , 299, 308,
Mah ant , 7, 8, 12,
37, 38, 39, 48, 62, 34, n.
20,83 89,, 36,
88,, 35 96, 312 , 313,
322, 31
324, 329
5, 316, 318, 320,
97, 100, 102, 103, 122, 124, 139 Moshan Fani, 224, 230
Mudrā, 173, 175 , 178, 203 , 226 f.,
Mahāsukha, 277, 279 230, 234, 274 , 276 , 296 , 309,
Mahāyāņa, 275, 277
Mahadeva (Mahādeo ), 9, 15 , 52, 320, 323, 324, 325, 327, 330,
80, 82, 85 , 88, 94, 108 f ., 109, 335 , 338, 340, 342
110 , 122, 123 , 140, 246 Mukti, 106, 263, 351
Mudrā ( ring), 6, 9, 10, 69
Mahīpālā , 245 Mülābandha, 295, 300
Māithuna , 173, 323, 334 Mūlādhāra , 310 , 311 , 312, 313,
Māitrikas, 245
Makāra , 173 , 174, 279, 280, 282 Mus ān (322,
alm319,
317, Muham331ma dan ), 1 n .,
, 333
Makrān , 105, 107, 114
Manas, 260, 314 , 315 , 332, 334, 70,571,
2, 25,, 9427,
, 6, 92 105 , 45
f ., 39, 10866f.,,
106, ,60,
337 n. , 343, 344 112, 141 , 152, 173 , 183 , 240, 241 >
Manasā , 123
Manasarovāra , Lake, 3 n ., 86 DA d ), 40,50, 164, 282,
Mani alaan, d276 nikcandra la, NĀ 337,(Nā
ndkc 341, 343, 345,346
Ma , Ma Pā
Nād i, 6, 262, 274,
305,290307,
, 291,
308, 292
243, 244, 277 295, 303, 304, 309,,
Man ipū raka , 289, 310, 313
Mantra , 28, 32, 33, 42, 54, 168 n. , 310, 316 , 319, 327, 328 , 329,
174, 175 , 176, 178, 185 , 203, 336, 339, 343
231 n. , 234 f. , 266, 274, 275, 276, Nāga , 19, 34, 90 , 91 n. , 132 ff., 145,
281, 282, 293, 307, 310, 319, 330, 195 , 196 , 241 n. , 307
Nagar Thatha, 103 ff ., 110
331 , 336, 340, 341 , 346
Mar riage ātha
gnpañ
50, 51, ,5318(inf
n .,28, 46, 47,
ant) ,55, 56,4857,
, 49,
58 Nā
Nāg cam, 33,
i, 66, 81 , 133
54 ,93, 93 f., 148f .
Nāini Tāl, 17 n. , 21 n. , 47, 80, 98
Māruta , 306 , 344 Nānak , 249
Mātā , 106, 108 Nanhoo Singh , 37
Mātāji, 128 Narbada , 30, 85
Matha (see Monastery ) Nāsik , 9 n., 121 , 123, 233
Melici
Med ne, 35,
a , 24, 23, 95 , 127115, 141
125, 103, Nătarája , 22
Mendicant, 2, 4, 6, 10, 153 Nātha (Math ), 1 , 5 , 15, 33 , 49, 52,
55 , 56, 57, 64, 67, 73 , 77, 86 ,
>
Menstruation (See Rajas ) 117, 131 , 136 , 137, 151n ., 159,
Millet, tha
15, 104
Minanā (Minanāth ), 69, 230, Nat hi, 242,
238, 1
245, 247, 249
234, 243 , 284
Nāthni, 1, 34
Naurātri,46, 115 Pāonāth , 63, 67, 69>
Navel, 221, 306 , 307, 313 , 317 , Par230,

amp277
arās,67,75, 76 , 77, 150 n.,
318 , 328 , 330 , 337 Pārasnāth , 233
Neck , 11 , 15, 21 , 29
Necklace, 16 , 20 Parikrama, 30 , 31
Nectar (See Bindu ) Pārvati, 10 , 11, 15 , 18, 57, 76, 81 ,
Nepāl (Nepalese), 2 , 3 n .,11 , 19 , 104 ff., 182
164 108f.,f.,190119, 231 , 159
, 226 ,152, 234,,
35, 37, 45, 59, 78, 86, 90 , 95, 1
280
Nim , 243,
116nāt 245,
ha, 33 247,
, 68, 151 , 233250
72,248,249, Pašu,
Pāś upa282
ta Siva, 243 , 248
Nim -wood ,6, 32 , 54
Nirvana, 227, 276, 278 , 279 Pāśupata (s), 156 ,171 , 218 ff., 224,
Niyama ,265,266, 268 , 272 n., 280 ; Pasu
232pati Pasu
n., (245 patināth ), 11, 20 ,
, 281
Nizām , 11 , 53, 61 , 66
Nose, 306 , 317 49 n ., 73, 79, 88, 218, 220 f.
Nose -ring, 56 Pātāla, 90, 108
Nummulites, 104, 105 Patañjali, 4, 133 n ., 213,259, 262,
Nyāsa , 175, 178 265, 270 , 272, 273, 347
Patchword , 19, 64 , 124
OBLATION , 8 Pāvitri, 7, 11 , 12 , 19
Ochre, 10, 18 , 19, 20 , 28 , Pea85, k ( fea
coc87, 115thers), 23, 32 , 57 , 81 ,
30 f., 40, 42, 54 , 55 , 100 , Penance, 114, 116 , 117
123
Oleander , 107 Peshāwar, 63, 65, 69, 71 , 98, 116 ,
Om , 30, 33,143, 175 , 176, 219, ! Phallic
118 , 12, 17, 115 , 154, 155
220 , 231 n. , 266 , 267n. , 284 , 301, Phallus ( see Linga), 246, 249
315 , 330, 332 , 340
Omkar, 30 Pig, 45, 55 , 56, 57, 92, 94, 95
Opium , 46 , 55 , 56 Pilgrim , 79, 80, 104, 106 , 107 ,
Order, 2 , 11 , 26–33, 42 108, 109
Orissa , tn . ! Pilgrimage, 3, 10, 15, 23 , 24, 28,
Orphans, 26 29, 30, 31 , 34, 37, 39, 41 , 52,
Oudh , 3 n . , 4, 5 78, 105, 106 , 107, 114, 120, 196 ,
Oxen , 25 245
Pinglā, 290, 291, 292, 296 , 308,
PADAVIA , 309, 310 320 , 327, 329
Padmāsana, 287 , 326 ,327 Pipe tree,,88
Pīpal bowl 22
Pãe Dhuni, 21 , 72 n. , 122
Pāgalnāth , 63 Pir, 8, 20, 26, 31 , 34 n .,35 , 36 , 37 ,
Pāla (s ), 51 , 243 , 244
Palmistry, 23 38 , 42119,
115, , 95 , 96, 100, 111 n. ,
, 81207
Panchayati, 38 Pir Arr, 243
Pāņdavas ( Pāņdus ), 7 f., 8 n ., 14 :
Pit Pat(s),
Pir ha 118
ão, 90 , 243
, 106 , 310
Panjāb , 1n . , 2 , 4n ., 5 , 7, 19 , 26 , Polygamy , 53, 55
30 , 31 , 34, 35 , 45 , 49, 60 , 64, Poona, 71 , 75
116,71,
67, , 24286 , 91 , 98, 99 , 102, 1 Pork, 45 , 55
24178, >
Panth (s) 27, 31 , 35 , 37 , 63 , 68, 69 , | Posses

tursio n ( spir
e (see alsit),97
o Āsana ), 40, 53,
71, 74, 77
58, 6)
INDEX 377
Prajāpati, 208, 212 Rāvaņa, 82, 90, 105

Prajna, 278 Rāwal, 2, 49, 50 , 53, 54, 55, 63 ,
Prakşti, 163, 271, 317, 319, 343 66 , 115 , 118, 121
Prāņa (breath ), 282,289, 291, 292, i Rāwalpindi, 66, 241
293, 300, 302, 303 , 304, 305 f ., Razor, 6, 7, 29 , 129, 203
307, 308, 312, 313, 320, 325, Rectum, 306, 317, 337
327, 329, 331 , 332, 335, 337, Red, 17 , 20 , 22 , 40, 42, 56 , 108,
343, 344 113 , 115, 121 , 123
Prānāyāma, 237, 238, 262, 265, Rhinoceros ( and Horn ), 7f., 8 n .,
267, 268, 273 , 274, 282, 292 n. , 11, 19, 58, 127, 130, 131f., 168 n .
302, 306, 309, 320, 324 , 325, Rice, 15 , 17, 40, 42, 43, 45, 46 ,
329, 330 , 331 , 335, 341 58, 104
Prasad, 37, 38, 96, 97, 139, 140 | Rig Veda, 155 f., 163, 175, 208,
Pratipakṣūhāra , 266 260, 347
Pratyāhāra, 262, 265, 267, 268, Rings (see Ear -rings ), 11 , 40
340 n. Risikesh, 82
Prayāga, 78, 134 Ramanuja, 220 f., 223 , 224 , 226
Puberty , 58 Rosary (See Rudrākşa ), 13, 14, 15 ,
>
Pūjārī, 9, 34, 43, 47, 74, 80, 81, 16, 19, 20 , 21 , 34, 39 , 40, 54,
88, 94, 97, 100 55, 56, 104, 105, 107, 225
Puran Bhagat, 24, 98, 183 ff., Rot, 40, 42
187f., 191 , 197 ff., 206 , 207, Rudra (see Siva ), 14, 155ff ., 211 ,
239 f. , 241 212 f. , 305, 319, 342, 354
Puri, 7 n., 8, 9, 19 n., 22, 36, 63, Rudriikșa , 11, 13 f., 39, 40 , 54, 55 ,
64, 124 56, 60, 225, 313
Purușa , 273, 313 Rupee, 32, 35, 40
RADHAKRISHNAN ,265, 266, SACRED THREAL

12, 13 , 21 , 29, 33(Janvu);
, 40 , 47, 11,
52,
Rāja Gaddi , 37 54 , 58, 60
Rāja Rasālū , 24 , 71 , 183 f. , 189, Sacrifice , 50 , 55 , 88, 94, 95 , 107
192 , 201, 207, 239 f. hādhu , 6, 21, 118
Rajas, 289, 299, 318, 323, 325 , 332, Sahasruira, 316, 317 , 322 , 333
333 Saivite, 10f. , 13 , 14, 16, 17, 88 ,
Raja - Yoga, 272, 274, 275 , 342, 91 , 150, 152, 179, 181, 203, 218,
343 232 ff., 247, 2495., 262, 272,
Rajputs, 26, 54, 122, 123 , 183 279, 351
Rāma, 82, 90, 91 , 104, 105, 200, Sakkarnath , 70, 71 , 77
238 Säktas, 14 n . , 46, 53, 129, 130,
Rāmāi Pandit, 244, 245 162 , 164, 174, 176, 178 , 225 ,
Rāmcandra , 64, 101 , 105 262, 272, 273, 274, 275 , 318,
Ramešvar, 78 351 , 352, 353
Rāmnāth, 64 , 77, 80 Sakti, 9 ,46, 52 , 63 , 69, 77, 78, 88,
Rāni Pinglā , 24 , 183 , 189 , 242 , 109, 111 , 130, 139, 141, 144 ,
244 152, 162, 164 , 166 , 167, 169,
Rāñjha, 24, 25 , 64 , 71 , 103, 183 , 170, 171 , 172, 173 , 174, 175 ,
185 f., 198 ff ., 203, 205, 206 , 207 177, 224, 225 , 231 n. , 278, 279,
Rasālū, 241, 2509 281 , 294, 299, 305 , 310, 317,
Ratannāth , 29, 35, 59, 63, 65 , 66 , 319, 322, 323, 331 , 335, 336,
79, 92, 95, 96 , 97, 98 339 , 343, 345, 352, 354
Saligrām , 81 , 85 Širālā, 120 , 149, 187
Salt, 40, 54, 58 Sitā, 90f., 105
Sālu Sănip, 60 Sītalā , 53
Samādh (see Tomb, Burial), I n . , Siva , 9, 10, 11 , 12, 14, 15, 16, 18,
>
36, 39, 41 , 42, 43 , 66, 81 , 82 , 22, 36, 48, 49, 52, 53, 63, 64 ,
85, 88, 89, 93, 94, 97, 102 , 103, 66 , 67, 69, 75, 76, 77, 78, 79,
114, 115, 121, 123, 124 81 n. , 83, 84, 85, 86 , 89, 90 , 94,
Samādhi, 153, 172, 213, 262, 264, 98, 100, 102, 104 ff., 108 f ., 113,
265 , 268, 269, 270, 276, 289, 119, 120, 122, 123, 128, 131 ,
324, 340 n . , 341 , 343 , 344, 345, 133, 136, 139, 140, 142, 143,
346 , 347 152, 153, 154, 155ff ., 162, 163,
Sāmkhya, 163, 212, 258 n., 262, 164, 165f., 169, 171, 172, 173,
263, 264,51 268, 174 , 176,
218, 177,
219, 181 , 182f. 190 ,
Sankara, , 151270,
, 156,271,220,
281224, 212, 222, 224,, 228 ,
250, 254, 255, 264, 281 231 , 234, 237, 246, 247, 248 ,
Sannyasa , 263 249, 267, 273 , 274, 280, 282,
Sannyasi , 6 , 52 , 119 , 191 , 213 , 218 286, 299, 305, 310, 314, 315,
Santnāth, 35, 47, 63 f ., 71 , 77, 81 , 317, 318, 322, 323, 325, 331 ,
116, 124 332, 339, 340 , 342, 343, 344,
Sārangi, 24, 97 348, 354
Satnäthis, 19, 20, 22 , 34 , 47, 63, Siva Samhita, 48, 150, 176
64, 81 , 116 Śivrātri, 42, 57
Sawārikot, 35, 79, 92, 95, 96 Snake ( serpent), 24, 57, 59, 60,
Scalp -lock ( see Cuțiya ), 18, 28, 61 , 69, 85, 88, 93, 98 , 123 n. ,
29, 30, 54 132 ff., 149, 153, 160, 184, 188,
Scissors, 29 191 , 195 , 196, 271 , 315
Sect, 33, 34, 47 , 48, 57, 58, 63 Snake Charmer, 95
(Seu Chapter IV) Somnāthji, 38
Secular employment, 23 ff., 47, Songs, 24, 25
49, 50 ff ., 55 ff ., 66 , 80 Sorcerer, 1
Semen (See Bindu), 15 Sorcery, 55
Sepalas, 59 ff., 69, 133 Spells (See Mantra ), 23, 128
Shave (d), 18, 28 , 29, 31 , 34, 93 Spirits, 17, 22, 23, 137
Sheep , 11, 12, 19, 56 Sraddha, 42 , 54
Shoulder, 13, 21 , 22 Sri- cakra, 352
Shrine, 29, 30, 36, 37, 39, 44 Sri Nagar, 8 n., 9 n. , 79, 80, 111
Shroud, 29 Staff, 20, 21, 22, 40 , 97
Siālkot, 2, 23 , 71 , 98, 129, 184, ' Stone 'beads, 15
187, 201, 239, 241 Śūdra , 23 , 26 , 51 , 89, 140, 323 n.
Siddha, 10, 33, 52, 53, 64, 69, 71 , Sumaraņi, 14
86 , 99, 117 , 136f., 159, 235 , Sun , 50, 101, 131 , 274, 299, 316,
237 3: 1, 319, 330
Siddhi, 137f . , 226, 272 Sun arnāthji, 36 ,37
Sikhs, 24, 60, 99, 236 Śü ya, 277, 278,279,316,343
Silver , 12 , 20, 21 , 23, 34, 40, 42, Suşumņā, 282, 289, 290, 294 , 308 ,
43 , 58 309, 311 , 316, 318, 320, 322, 324,
Sind, 3 n. , 19 n. , 40 n. , 64, 89, 103, 329, 331 , 334, 337, 340, 342, 343,
109, 118, 119 , 242, 243 344
Singnād, 8, 11 , 12, 13 , 29, 30 Svādişthāna, 288, 289, 310, 312,
Singnād-janeo, 12, 13, 29 331 , 332
INDEX 379
Svastika, 128, 312 Tweezers, 22

Sweets , 28 , 33 , 41 , 43 , 96 , 97 Twelve, 30, 35 , 66, 68, 82, 100 ,
102 , 122
Sword , 2 , 109 , 145 , 186 , 191 , 224
TABO C 125, UDAI PUR, 122, 123

Talis),man , 25131 Uddiyrina, 295 , 299, 315 , 335 ,
336 , 337
Tank , 29 , 94 Uderoläl, 64 , 65
Tantra, 163 , 164, 171 , 274 , 275 ,
279, 280 , 281 , 283 , 327 n . , 352 Ujjāin , 35 , 65 , 121 , 244
Tūntra ( Tuntric), 150, 151, 166, United Province , 34 , 45 , 52 , 58 ,
212 , 218 , 224 , 231n . , 257 , 272 , 67 , 78 , 82 , 86 , 89 , 90, 106
274 , 276 , 278 , 279 , 280 Upanişads, 156 , 176 , 209, 213 ,
Tapas, 208 ff., 216 f. , 266 , 347 , 216 , 256 n . , 259 , 260) , 201 , 202,
203 , 264 , 270, 272 , 281 , 306 , 314
>
354
Tārā, 280 Cruhvabāhu , 3 n .
Tattoo, 57
Temple, 10, 28 , 36 , 44 , 47 , 92 f. , ANT, 4, 35
246 f. , 248 , 249 , 250
VAGR
Vũirūgya , 266
Thāru, 59, 93 n . Vāişņavite , 19 n . , 88, 105 , 113,
Thatha ( Tațța ), 65 , 89, 103 , 104, 150 , 179 , 203, 351
105, 110 , 243 Vāiśya , 52 , 323 n .
Third eye (of Siva), 4 Vajroli , 333 , 335 , 336, 341
Thread ( sec Sacred Thread and
Vajra, 32
Janco) , 11 , 12 , 13 , 20, 21 , 33 , Vajray'dīņu , 275 , 276 , 277 , 278 ,
40, 52 , 54 , 58 , 60 , 125 , 135 , 279 , 351 , 355
154, 221 , 227 Viimucura , 15 , 106, 169 , 170 , 171 ,
Throat, 306 , 322 , 323 , 333 , 336, 172 , 323 , 355
338, 345 l'imurgu , ou
Tibet, 3 n . , 280 Turņa -itharma, 2014
Pikā, 12 n . , 17 , 37 , 40 , 14, 109, Vāyu , 306, 331 , 337
127 , 129, 150 Veda , 15 , 52
Tilla , 7 , 21 , 20, 27 n . , 31 , 38 , 40, Vedanta , 270 , 281
62 , 63 , 64 , 66 , 68 , 69, 71 , 53 ,
84 , S6 , 98 , 100 ff ., 129, 142n .,
Vermin , 3 , 10
143 , 150 , 185 , 201 , 207, 229, 251 l'ibhutis , 259, 270
lijuna , 277 , 279
Tirthu , 109 Vikramidity:3, 244
Tomb (ice Sumūdh ) , 9, 34 , 11 ), l'ir , t.
06 , 91, 95 Vişnu, 15 , 5. , 71 , 75 , 40), 113 , 130 ,
Trance ( Sumīni ), -13 143 , 1519 , 156.f. , 162 , 167, 176,
Triiunt Trisul ), 11, 15 , 21 , 22 , 199, 225 , 2017 , 305, 312 , 342, 354
44 , 54 , 55 , 78 , 81 n ., 84, 85 , 87 , l'Isudillu , 310, 314, 319 , 332
48 , 97 , 98., 102 , 104, 112 , 113 ,
117 , 121 , 123 , 129, 154 , 224 , 2:17 Vow , 27 , 29 , 31 , ++- 61, 126, 207,
200
Trimbak, . \, 75 , 121 , 138 , 160 Vrätyil, 2121.
Tripund, 1.2 Ti vründ, 30,
Trunk , . ! , Lify
Tu'sur, ill ... 35, j jx 17 ,
83,96 WALL
41
ET (1,22 ), 21 , 22, 29, 411,
Turhan , 14, 21.30 ,61, 1:30 ., 212 Water , 2, 25 , 32 , 33 , 40 , 42 , 51 ), 53
Turn :cric, lon ., +2, 51
65, 81 , 95, 97, 130, 131 , 136, 139, 341, 342, 346, 347,348, 351 , 352,
143, 204, 311 , 312, 328 , 338, 344, 35+
345 Yogi (s), 1-25, 26 , 27, 28 , 29, 30,
Water -bottle , 249 32, 33 , 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 41 ,
Water-pipe, 20 42, 43 , 44, 46, 47, 48, 50, 51 , 52,
Weapon , 22, 28 55, 56, 57, 59, 60, 61 , 62, 63, 64,
Weavers, 23 66, 67, 70 , 71, 72, 73, 74, 76 , 77,
Weddings, 52, 55 80, 81 , 82, 83, 84 , 85 , 89, 90 ,
Whistle (see Singnud ), 11 , 12, 91 n ., 93 , 94, 98, 100, 101 , 102,
30, 58 103, 104, 105 , 109, 110, 111 ,
Widow , 5 , 10, 42 , 49, 50, 52, 53 ,
9 112, 115, 116, 118, 119, 122,
55 , 57, 58, 107 123, 124, 125, 126 , 127, 128,
Witchcraft, 49, 55 129, 131 , 132 , 133 , 135, 136 ,
Women ( also Nlarried), 1 , 10, 24, 138, 139, 140, 141 , 142, 149,
27, 34, 44 , 45 , 46, 48, 51 , 52, 150, 151 , 152, 154, 160, 162,
55, 57, 98, 107, 121 170, 172, 175, 178, 179, 184,
Wood, 8, 9, 10 , 11 , 20, 21 185, 188, 190 , 194 , 197, 198,
Wool ( Black Wool), 11, 12, 18, 19, 199, 200 , 201, 202, 203, 207,
20, 23 , 40, 48, 5+ 210, 217, 218, 223, 224, 227,
World , 14, 15, 16, 17, 29 234, 236, 238, 239, 241 , 243,
Worship, 12, 22 , 37 246 , 248, 250, 251, 256, 258,
Wrist , 11 259, 260 , 266 , 267, 268, 269,
Wound , 32 270, 271 , 272, 277, 278, 305 ,
307, 314, 319, 320 , 321 , 322,
YAJUR-VEDA,156, 175
Yak-tail , 21, 81 , 96 >
Yogini, 10, 326
323 , 325, 48
Yama, 265 , 266, 268 Yoni, 167, 172, 177, 288, 310,
Yantra , 175 , 176, 177, 178, 307,
> 311 , 335
310, 316 Yoni-linga, 17 , 40, 80, 81 , 85 , 93 ,
Yellow robe, 18, 123 109, 115, 15+
Yoga , 3 , 4, 9, 23 , 36, 39, 48, 60 , Yonimudrā, 298, 336
74 , 76,91 n. , 105, 126, 128, 137, Yonisthānu, 289, 298, 335 , 373
150, 175 , 176 , 198, 200 , 212 , 216, Yuga, 228 f.
220 , 222, 225 , 226 , 229, 231 , 238,
251, 255, 257, 258, 283, 285, 288,
295, 307, 308, 319, 320, 322, 323,
ZAHIR Pir, 25
Zodiac, 14n .
326, 327, 332, 333 , 338, 339, 340, Zoroastrian , 108
PLATES
PLATE I
CAVE OF GORAKHNATH IN NEPAL

PLATE II
WIDOW WITH SPLIT EARS AND VARIOUS

SORTS OF BEADS
PLATE III
RECENTLY INITIATED YOGIS
BOY INITIATES
PLATE IV
(1924
TILLA
OF
)MAHANT (1924
)MAHANT
GORAKHPUR
OF
)(In
office
of
robes
his
(1924
PURI
OF
)MAHANT (1924
DHINODHAR
OF
)MAHANT
PLATE V
,rings
Sudarsan
With
and
copper
of
-work
patch
garments
PLATE VI
GRHASTHA AND WIFE
MAHANT OF KAMA ( 1924)

( Turban of black wool threads)
SON
AND
FATHER
PLATE VII
PLATE VIII
GORAKHPUR SHRINE
(Before Reconstruction in 1924 )
PWK )
GORAKHPUR SHRINE
(After Reconstruction in 1924)
Plate IX
TILLA
TOMB OF DHARAMNĀTH
Plate X
YANTRAS
Plate XI
SAMĀDHS OR TOMBS OF YOGIS AT GORAKHPUR
SAMADH AT PURI
(The Linga is of wood )
PLATE XII
도 여
-
트
.
MOLĀDHĀRA CAKRA
PLATE XIII
ASANA
( Showing bracelets of rhinoceros leather and rings of rhinoceros horn )
Plate XIV
TRISOLS AT GORAKHPUR
.
1
|
GORAKHNĀTH AND THE
KĀNPHATA YOGIS
GEORGE WESTON BRIGGS
The cult of the Kanphatā Yogis is a definite unit within

Hinduism , and its study is essential for understanding this
phase of the religious life of India .
In analysing the different aspects of this cult the author
has drawn upon various sources , such as the legends, folk
lore and the formulated texts of this sect .
The book is divided into three sections . The first two
sections comprising chapters 1-13 deal with the cult and
history of this sect. The third section containing chapters
14-16 opens with the Sanskrit Text Gorakşaśataka and its
English rendering and annotations . It proceeds with the
analysis of physiological concepts , chief aims and meth
ods and then comes to conclusion . The subject matter of
this study has been so arranged that the first two sections
serve to illustrate the third .
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Gorakhnāth and The Kānpha A Yogīs

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Gorakhnath

GEORG WESTON BRIGGS

GEORGE WESTON BRIGGS

TNCB - DOJ - 36Q3

By arrangement with Y.M.C.A. Publishing House

THE cult of the Kānphata Yogis is a definite unit within

The Oxford University Press of New York and London :

D. B. Taraporevala Sons and Company, Bombay:

IV . DIVISIONS OF THE ORDER ... 62

VI. SACRED PLACES (Concluded) 98

VII. RELIGION AND SUPERSTITION ... 125

VIII. THE PANTHEON 150

IX. LEGEND ... ... 179

X. THE FORERUNNERS OF THE GORAKHNĀTHIS ... ... 208

XI. GORAKHNATH 228

XII. THE LITERATURE ... ... 251

XV . MORE IMPORTANT PHYSIOLOGICAL CONCEPTS ... 305

GLOSSARY ... 356

BIBLIOGRAPHY ... 360

INDEX ... 369

Central Indian Agency 32,327

1 Census of India , vol. I, Part 1 , Tables, pp. 192, 198, 309.

Rings are of two general shapes, flat and cylindrical; the

1 So explained to the author at Puri.

1 This story was obtained at Sri Nagar,Garhwāl. The same

1 RTCP,vol. III , p. 250. But, at Sri Nagar, they reported to the

1 RTCP, vol. II, p. 390. · RTCP, vol . II, p. 398.

body must be reduced to ashes ultimately, or they may be

maces of bamboo covered with sheets of silver, and waved

1 The trident was formerly a weapon , and is well -known. It is

Some Yogis in Benares and elsewhere carry a fan made of

1 HTS, p. 236. See chap ii.

GORAKHNĀTHIS claim that they receive none but the twice

candidate's chief guru , cuts the scalp -lock. If the Ganges

1 So Russell, TCCP, vol. III, pp. 250, 251 .

in the Panjab, Yogis assert that the parikrama is not obliga

1 In some cases Yogīs are initiated by their fathers; e.g., in the

By the slitting of the ears the Aughar becomes a Yogi, and

1 RTCP, vol. II, p . 401. 2 RTCP, vol. II, p . 399 .

nearby monastery at Tulsipur is related to that at Sawārikot

1 The matha is more particularly the residence of teachers . Their

order. He usually has a group of students about him who are

1 PNQ, vol. II, para 464 . • CTC , vol. III, p. 158.

The păduka (caran) of the deceased may be put on the

1 Kitts, Berär Census Report, 1881, p. 60.

performed twice a day. In the early morning , after bathing,

Yogisvow not to engage in trade and not to take employ

1 RTCCP, vol. III, p. 250.

1 Bombay Gazetteer, vol. VIII, pp. 155, 156 , 446 f.

monies. Even in monasteries of repute the practice has been

as just stated , burning the bodies of the dead and receiving

1 RTCCP, vol . III, pp . 252, 253.

1 Martin, vol. III,pp. 408, 536.

bestowed on himthe title and rank of Rāja and gave him a

Indians, but feared and dreaded by many. Sepalas are some

The problem of the sub -sects of the Kānphatas and of the

syendranāth madesome disciples, besides Gorakhnāth, who in

9. Jalandharipā. These belong to the Pāonāth panth, the

are found at Peshāwar and Ambāla are not accepted at Țilla.