Spirituality

Nath Sect Series Part 1: Nath Sampradaya

Mystic Sect from 9th century

Picture this, you are trekking in the steep slopes of ….. and then suddenly you hear the call Alakh Niranjan. If you are one of those seasoned trekkers, always hiking on the steep slopes of Maharashtrian western Ghats, this call will be familiar to you. When you hear this call, you are well aware of what to do next. Sliding aside immediately, you must give away to a person giving that call; however small and slippery is the path laying before you.

The person behind you will be tall, dark, thin to the bones, with a bag made up of saffron cloth and covered in black and orange robes. Sadhu with a beard and long hair, occasionally carrying a trident, staff, alms bowl, or a sharp musical instrument called Chimta. Due to the strenuous climb, where you will be drenched in sweat, struggling to control your breathing under the hot sun, he will walk past you so quickly, as if he is gliding on the clouds. On the next turn, when your eyes will try to search him, he will be gone; as if vanished in thin air.

That is the seeker of the Nath sect, who are engulfed in a thick cloud of mysticism. People usually fear them because, according to commenters, they possess some scary, paranormal capabilities. In this blog series, we will understand the Gurus, teachings, traditions, history, and legends related to Nath Sampradaya (sect).

A perfect blend of Shaivism, Advaita, Yoga, and Buddhism, the Nath sect is believed to be established by Yogi Matsyendranatha to revive the forgotten science of Hatha Yoga in the 9th century. It is said that the Guru of the Gurus, the first teacher Lord Dattatreya himself initiated Matsyendranatha with the teachings. Later, with his eight disciples, he developed a legendary sect named Nath Sampradaya, bringing the knowledge of Hatha Yoga to the commoners.

This ancient sect does not recognize the barriers like caste, political position, gender, or age, and hence their teachings were adopted by the peasants and the Kings of ancient India. As time passed by, Nath Sampradaya developed several sub-sects. The 12 main subsects of Nath Sampradaya can be categorized as follows:

 Adinath, Minanath, Gorakhnath, Khaparnath, Satnath, Balaknath, Golaknath, Birupakshanath, Bhatriharinath, Ainath, Khecharanath, and Ramachandranath.

Primary scriptures of Nath Sampradaya:

The Nath sect firmly believes that the absolute truth lies well beyond the grasp of mind and intellect, and one must practice it to experience it. And hence, along with the textbooks, the more significant part of the Nath sect is invested in the self-experience so that the seeker can realize, witness, and meet the ultimate truth, all by himself.

Vedas being the primary knowledge source, Nath sect recognizes Yoga Upanishads like Hansopanishad, Yoga Kundalini Upanishad, Dhyana Bindu Upanishad as the primary scriptures.

Apart from those above, Nath teachers accumulated their teachings in ancient scriptures as bellow:
Matsendra Samhita
Gyaana Karika
Akula Vira Tantra
Kulananda Tantra
Siddha Siddhanta
Goraksha Samhita
Yoga Siddhanta Paddhati
Goraksha Shataka
Viveka Martanda
Shiva Geeta
Dattatreya Samhita
Nath Sutra are some other texts that are considered guidebooks to learn about this mysterious sect. 

Alakh Niranjan

Among the crowd of Sadhus, meditating on any riverbank, you can easily spot a Nath follower by his distinct loud chant of Alakh Niranjan. For thousands of years, while throwing both of his hands in the air, the chant of Alakh Niranjan has been echoing in India.

Alakh Niranjan is an acknowledgment of the formless Divine. Alakh is made up of two words, A and Lakshya, which means the one who cannot be pinpointed. The word Niranjan means the exceptionally pure one. By saying these two words together, a Nath seeker reminds us that the Divine is well beyond sensory perceptions of vision, touch, smell, or even thoughts. A call to the absolute formless, invisible entity where the entire creation rests.

Shiva Shakti:

The ancient text of Siddha Siddhanta Paddhati describes the core of Nath’s teachings in the following mantra.

अकुलं कुलमाद्यत्ते कुलं चाकुलमिच्छति ।जल बुद्धवद्न्यायादेकाकारः परः शिवः ।।

 अतएवः परमकारणं परमेश्वर परात्परः शिव । निजा पराऽपरा सूक्ष्मा कुण्डली तासु पञ्चधा ।।

Unmanifest embraces manifest and manifested craves for unmanifested. The relation of manifested and unmanifested is just like water and water bubbles. Ultimately, the supreme reality is absolutely one. The five-fold manifestations of Shiva correspond to five-fold manifestations of Shakti.

Nija (ultimate truth) Shakti concurs with Aparamparam (non-perishable) Shiva. Para-Shakti harmonized with Parampadam (spiritual existent) Shiva. Para Shakti (transcendental knowledge) coincides with Shunya Shiva (supreme state of awareness where everything comes to nothingness). Sukshma (Subtle) Shakti is in tune with Niranjanam Shiva (devoid of all objectifications), and Kundalini Shakti Paramatmam corresponds with Shiva.

The Nath practitioner aims to experience the ultimate truth, the merger of Shiva and Shakti. The aim of Nath Sampradaya is to recognize the fact that the human body is the Microcosm itself, which contains itself and harmonizes with the outer universe at the same time when the Nath seeker becomes one with the universe while being in the ultimate harmony and peace with it. 

Nath seekers believe that the last stop of their spiritual journey is not just having a Darshan (sight) of the Divine but to be with it permanently. When effortlessly, a seeker becomes in union with the higher self, in all aspects of life, he will be called the Nath. 

We hope this blog helped you understand a few concepts concerning the Nath Sampradaya. In the next blog, we will take a look at the life and teachings of Mahayogi Matsyendranath, the first Guru of the Nath Sampradaya. 

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