Spirituality

A Cow A Doubtful Woman and A Very Potent Mantra

Even nine hundred years later, he is considered the greatest and most influential Nath Yogi in India. Under his guidance, Nath tradition has undergone its most remarkable expansion of all time. In this blog, we will be discussing one of the most legendary Yogis in India, Swami Gorakhnath, the first disciple of Mahayogi Matsyendranatha.

The Legend

Once, while walking alongside the river Godavari in Maharashtra, Mahayogi Matsyendranatha reached the base of a particular hill called Chandragiri, where he saw few houses. So, with his begging bowl, he went to one house collecting alms.

 When he exclaimed Alakh Niranjan, one woman named Saraswati came out of that house with alms. When Matsyendranatha took a look at her, he realized that the woman was extremely depressed. When asked, she said she is depressed because even after several years of marriage, she cannot be a mother.

Knowing this, Mahayogi Matsyendranatha gave her a Vibhuti (ash charged with mantra) and asked her to consume it. Handing that fistful of ash to her, he went away. With doubts in mind and in fear of what people will say to her for consuming the ash, Saraswati threw away that ash on the pile of cow dung.

Twelve years passed. Mahayogi Matsyendranatha came back to the same house and asked the woman about her child just for the sake of curiosity. Ashamed Saraswati told him precisely what happened. Listening to her, Mahayogi exclaimed, Oh dear Mother, that ash was charged with a potent mantra. It cannot fail. Please show me the place where you threw the ash.

The woman took him to the place where she had discarded the Vibhuti. When Mahayogi Matsyendranatha chanted Alakh Niranjan, a 12-year boy emerged from the pile of that cow dung. Go means cow, and Raksha means ash. As the child emerged from the pile of cow dung, he got his name as Gorakshanath of Gorakhnath. Whatever Matyendranatha knew, he taught it to Gorakshanath and ordered him to travel, to spread the word of Yoga and tantric wisdom to help the world.

Nepali and even Punjabi traditions have different origin stories of this saint, but one thing in common: he was an extraordinary saint who would transform Indian spirituality forever. Under his leadership, his teachings reached all corners of India, from Afghanistan to the delta of Bengal and from Kashmir to Tamil Nadu.

Works of Gorakshanath

Considered Maha Yogi, Gorakhnath wrote many books to revive long-forgotten Yogic science. Books like Yoga Chintamani, Yoga Bija, Yoga Siddhanta, Yoga Martanda, Siddha Siddhanta Paddhati, Dnyanprakash Shatak, Mahartha Manjiri, Amanaska Yoga, Prana Sankali, and Goraksha Samhita are known as the guidebooks in Nath Sampradaya.

With his master Mahayogi Matsyendranatha, he revived the Hatha yoga practices, binding teachings of Shaivism, Vaishnavism, Tantra, and Vajrayana Buddhism Nath sect. As a follower of Nath is neither compelled to live in monasteries nor the sect has any caste or gender restrictions, their teachings spread across India within no time.

During the time of Gorakshanath, sheer materialism was at its peak. The rules related to ethics were not being followed in the societies. The principles initially created for the betterment of society were being misused. In such a troubled time, Gorakshanath proclaimed the sanctity of spiritual practice, the power of a restrained life, the superiority of the character, and the austere life for the salvation of Indian culture, religion, society, and resources, as evidenced by his Sanskrit and Hindi works.   

Gorakshanath’s most immense contribution towards society was to express and prevail in the public language by realizing the profound principles of the yoga path. Furthermore, due to the simplicity and practicality of Gorakshanath’s teachings, many Indian and non-Indian communities got attached to the Nath sect, incorporating Nath teachings in their sects.

In his text Dnyaneshwari, the crown Jewel of Bhakti sect Saint Dnyaneshwar says, that I have received this knowledge of Yoga from Nivruttinath, who learned it from Gahininath, who was taught by Guru Gorakhnath. Like this, Guru Gorakshanath impacted spiritual literature in Telugu, Oriya, Bengali, Tamil, Kannada, Tibetan, and even Chinese languages.

Considered as the Avatara of Lord Shiva himself, Guru Gorakshanath taught us that as long as man does not improve his conduct, any kind of Sadhana method for him will prove fruitless in attaining the ultimate knowledge.

His contribution to the Advaita (Non-duality) framework of Hinduism is considered a milestone. For connecting the Atma (soul) with Paramatma (the ultimate soul), one must see himself in all beings, and all beings in himself, said Gorakshanath.

Further explaining this concept, Gorakhnath says,

न ब्रह्मा विष्णु-रुद्रो न सुरपति-सुरः नैव पृथ्वी न चापः । नैवाग्नीनपी वायुर् न च गगनतलम् न दिशो नैव कालः ।।

न वेदा नैव यज्ञा न च रवि शशि नौ न विधिर् नैव कल्पः । स्वः ज्योतिः सत्यम् एकम् जयति तव पदम् सच्चिदानन्द मूर्त्ये ।।

Lord Brahma, Lord Vishnu, Lord Shiva, Lord Indra, and other Deities have no separate or distinct existence. There is no difference between fire, water, earth, space, and time. Even all the Vedas, Yadnyas, Sun, moon, laws, and cyclic orders point to the same principle, that, 

You are the base of self-illuminating absolute reality. You have to reveal yourself in the form of the purest and most perfect existence-Consciousness-Bliss.

Despite being ancient, his philosophy is considered well ahead of his time, and his principles are applicable even today. And for his contemporary ideas, Gorakshanath can be named one of the world’s leading philosophers.

We hope this blog helped you have some new information about the life and teachings of Gorakhnath, the Great Guru of Natha Sampradaya.

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