Nath

For the star known as El Nath, see Beta Tauri.

festations of consciousness.
The Nath tradition is a heterodox siddha tradi-

2 History
The Nath tradition has many sub-sects, but all honor Matsyendranath and Gorakshanath as the founders of the
tradition.[1]

2.1 Origins
The Natha Sampradaya (Devanagari: ),
is a development of the earlier Siddha or Avadhuta
Sampradaya,[2] an ancient lineage of spiritual masters.
Its founding is traditionally ascribed as an ideal reected
by the life and spiritual attainments of the guru Dattatreya, the avatar of Brahma, Vishnu & Shiva all in one
and born as the son of Rishi Atri and Anusuya Mata.[3]

2.2 Navnath
Main article: Navnath
The Navnath are the nine saints, Masters or Naths on
whom the Navnath Sampradaya, the lineage of the nine
gurus is based.[4] They are worshipped collectively as well
as individually.[5]
The Navnath

The nine teachers, collectively known as Navnaths, are

considered representative of great teachers in this tradition containing many sub-sects. It was founded by tion or parampara:[6]
Matsyendranath and further developed by Gorakshanath.
with Rishi Dattatreya, mythological
These two individuals are also revered in Tibetan Bud- The lineage starts
[4][6]
deity-founder.
dhism as Mahasiddhas (great adepts) and are credited
with great powers and perfected spiritual attainment.
1. Machindranath or Matsyendranath
Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh, India, is the centre of Nath
sampradaya.
2. Gorakshanath or Gorakhnath

3. Jalandharnath or Jalandernath also known as Jan

Peer

Etymology

4. Kanifnath

The Sanskrit word ntha is the proper name of a

Navnath initiatory tradition and the word itself literally
means lord, protector, refuge. The related Sanskrit
term Adi Natha means rst or original Lord, and is therefore a synonym for Shiva, Mahadeva, or Maheshvara, and
beyond these supramental concepts, the Supreme Absolute Reality as the basis supporting all aspects and mani-

5. Gahininath also known as Gaibi Peer

6. Bhartrinath or Bhartarinath or Raja Bhartari
7. Revananath
8. Charpatinath
1

5 LITERARY INFLUENCES

or jivan-mukti during their current lifespan.[9] According

to a recent Nath Guru, Mahendranath, another aim was
The nine Naths are the incarnations of Nine Narayanas to avoid reincarnation. In The Magick Path of Tantra, he
who help Lord Narayan in taking care of the worldly ac- wrote about several of the aims of the Naths;
tivities. Lord Krishna had summoned the nine Narayans
to his court for deciding the establishment of Nath SamOur aims in life are to enjoy peace, freedom,
praday.
and happiness in this life, but also to avoid re9. Naganath or Nageshnath

2.3

Matsyendranath

birth onto this Earth plane. All this depends

not on divine benevolence, but on the way we
ourselves think and act.[10]

The establishment of the Naths as a distinct historical sect

purportedly began around the 8th or 9th century with a
simple sherman, Matsyendranath (sometimes called Mi- 4 Initiation
nanath, who may be identied with or called the father of
Matsyendranath in some sources).[7]
The Natha Sampradaya is an initiatory Guru-shishya traOne story of the origin of the Nath teachings is that Mat- dition. Membership in the sampradaya is always consyendranath was swallowed by a sh and while inside the ferred by initiation (diksha) by a diksha-gurueither
sh overheard the teachings given by Shiva to his wife the lineage-holder or another member of the sampraParvati. According to legend, the reason behind Shiva daya whose ability to initiate has been recognized by his
imparting a teaching at the bottom of the ocean was in diksha-guru.
order to avoid being overheard by others. In the form of The Natha initiation itself is conducted inside a formal
a sh, Matsyendranath exerted his hearing in the manner ceremony in which some portion of the awareness and
required to overhear and absorb the teachings of Shiva. spiritual energy (shakti) of the Guru is transmitted to the
After being rescued from the sh by another sherman, shishya (student). The neophyte, now a Nath, is also given
Matsyendranath took initiation as a sannyasin from Sid- a new name with which to support their new identity. This
dha Carpati. It was Matsyendranath who became known transmission or touch of the guru is symbolically xed
as the founder of the specic stream of yogis known as by the application of ash to several parts of the body.
the Nath Sampradaya.
In The Phantastikos, Mahendranath, a guru of the
Adinath Sampradaya, wrote;

2.4

Caurangi and Gorakshanath

Matysendranaths two most important disciples were

Caurangi and Gorakshanath. The latter came to eclipse
his Master in importance in many of the branches and
sub-sects of the Nath Sampradaya. Even today, Gorakshanath is considered by many to have been the most inuential of the ancient Naths. He is also reputed to have
written the rst books dealing with Laya yoga and the
raising of the kundalini-shakti.[3]
There are several sites, ashrams and temples in India dedicated to Gorakshanatha. Many of them have been built
at sites where he lived and engaged in meditation and
other sadhana. According to tradition, his samadhi shrine
(tomb) and gaddi (seat) reside at the Gorakhnath Temple in the city of Gorakhpur in Uttar Pradesh. However, according to the claims of the vaishnava Nityananda
the samadhi shrines (tombs) of both Matsyendranath and
Gorakshanath reside at Nath Mandir near the Vajreshwari
temple about a kilometer from Ganeshpuri, Maharashtra,
India.[8]

The aims of the Nathas

According to Muller-Ortega (1989: p. 37), the primary

aim of the ancient Nath Siddhas was to achieve liberation

The passage of wisdom and knowledge

through the generations required the mystic
magic phenomenon of initiation, which is valid
to this day in the initiation transmission from
naked guru to naked novice by touch, mark,
and mantra. In this simple rite, the initiator
passes something of himself to the one initiated. This initiation is the start of the transformation of the new Natha. It must not be
overlooked that this initiation has been passed
on in one unbroken line for thousands of years.
Once you receive the Nath initiation, it is yours
throughout life. No one can take it from you,
and you yourself can never renounce it. This is
the most permanent thing in an impermanent
life.[11]

5 Literary inuences
According to Nayak the literature from Sonepur and
its twilight language, sandhya bhasa, originated with
Charyapada, Matsyendranath, Daripada :
The growth of literature at Sonepur can be
traced to Charyapada, to Matsyendranath and

6.2

Modern Natha lineages

Daripada of the Natha cult. They wrote esoteric poetry in language known as Sandhya
bhasa. The local idioms they used are still in
currency in this area.[12]

According to Nayak:
The mystic poetry of the Natha cult which
ourished from 8th to 11th century largely
inuenced the Panchasakha literature of Jagannath, Balarama, Yasowanta, Achuyta and
Ananta. The Nath literature of Sonepur seems
to have set the tone and temper of the literature
the successive ages pursued.[12]

3
Machhindranath
Adinath
Minanatggg
Gorakhnath
Khaparnath
Satnath
Balaknath
Golaknath
Birupakshanath
Bhatriharinath

Divisions

6.1

Natha Panthas

The Nath Sampradaya is traditionally divided into twelve

streams or Panths. According to David Gordon White,
these panths were not really a subdivision of a monolithic
order, but rather an amalgamation of separate groups descended from either Matsyendranath, Gorakshanath or
one of their students.[7] However, there have always been
many more Natha sects than will conveniently t into
the twelve formal panths.[7] Thus less populous sannyasin
sub-sects such as the Adinath Sampradaya or Nandinatha
Sampradaya are typically either ignored or amalgamated
into one or another of the formal panths.

Ainath
Khecharanath
Ramachandranath

6.2 Modern Natha lineages

6.2.1 Inchegiri Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj
Main article: Nisargadatta Maharaj

The Inchegeri Sampradaya, also known as Nimbargi

Sampradaya, is a lineage of Hindu Navnath c.q. Lingayat teachers from Maharashtra which was started by
[14]
It is inspired by Deshastha
According to the Shri Amrit Nath Ashram website, the Shri Bhausaheb Maharaj.
Brahmin Sant Mat teachers as Dnyaneshwar, Eknath and
twelve Natha Panthi are as follows:
Samarth Ramdas. The Inchegeri Sampraday has become
well-known throughout the western world due to the pop Satya natha
ularity of Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj.
Dharam natha
Daria natha
Ayi Panthia
Vairaga kea
Rama ke
Kapilani
Ganga nathi
Mannathi

6.2.2 Adinath Sampradaya Shri Gurudev Mahendranath

A recent modern Natha of the Adinath Sampradaya was
Mahendranath[15] (19111991), who received initiation
in 1953 from guru Lokanath, the Avadhut of the Himalayas. In 1978, he founded the International Nath Order in order to make the Nath way of life available in the
West. He wrote many essays and articles, some of which
were collected as The Scrolls of Mahendranath, rst published in 1990. His successor, Kapilnath, continues to
teach and initiate sincere seekers.[16]

Rawal ke
Paava panth

7 See also

Paagala panthi

7.1 Concepts
Another division is pointed out by Rajmohan Nath (1964)
in the following list of the twelve sub-sects:[13]

Gurunath

9 SOURCES
Sahaja

[5] Berntsen 1988.

Sama

[6] Boucher year unknown.

Samarasa

[7] White, David Gordon (1996). The Alchemical Body.

Chicago: University of Chicago Press.

Sampradaya
Svecchachara

7.2

Sub-sects

Adinath Sampradaya
Nandinatha Sampradaya

7.3

Legendary Naths

[9] Muller-Ortega, Paul Eduardo (1989). The Triadic Heart

of Shiva. Albany, NY: State University of New York
Press. Source: (accessed: Saturday March 6, 2010)
[10] Mahendranath (1990), The Magick Path of Tantra
[11] Mahendranath (1990), The Phantastikos
[12] Nayak, Pabitra Mohan Nayak (2006). The Literary Heritage of Sonepur. Orissa Review. May, 2006. Source:
(accessed: Friday March 5, 2010)

Luipa

[13] Bandyopadhyay, P. K. (1992). Natha Cult and Mahanad.

page 73, Delhi, India: B.R. Publishing Corporation.

Matsyendranath

[14] ShantiKuteer Ashram, Bhausaheb Maharaj

Gorakshanath

[15] Simple Wikipedia, Shri Gurudev Mahendranath

Baba Balak Nath

7.4

Past teachers

Nisargadatta Maharaj (18971981) - past master of

the Navnath Sampradaya, student of Siddharameshwar Maharaj

[16] Mahendranath, Shri Gurudev. The Ultimate Promulgation & Pronunciamento of H.H. Shri Gurudev Mahendranath in The Open Door: Newsletter of the International
Nath Order, originally published in Mahendranath (1990).

9 Sources

Satguru Sivaya Subramuniyaswami - a past Guru of

the Nandinatha Sampradaya

Adityanath (2002). Nath FAQ. Retrieved Oct. 20,

2004.

Shri Madhavnath Maharaj (18571936)

Berntsen, Maxine; Zelliot, Eleanor (1988). The Experience of Hinduism: Essays on Religion in Maharashtra. Albany, N.Y: State University of New York
Press. p. 338. ISBN 0-88706-662-3.

7.5

Living teachers

Adityanath the abbot of the Gorakhnath Math[7]

Bodhinatha Veylanswami Sannyasin and Satguru
of the Nandinatha Sampradaya
Narayan Nath a householder Nath who is the current head of the Vairag panth[7]

[8] Shenoy, Gopalkrishna. Discipleship

Notes

[1] Mallinson, James (2011) 'Nth Sapradya.' In: Brill Encyclopedia of Hinduism Vol. 3. Brill, pp. 407-428.
[2] Deshpande, M.N. (1986). The Caves of Panhale-Kaji.
New Delhi: Archaeological Survey of India, Government
of India.

Boucher, Cathy (n.d.), The Lineage of Nine Gurus.

The Navnath Sampradaya and Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj
Davisson, Sven (2003). Shri Kapilnath Interview in
Ash: Journal of Experimental Spirituality, Vol. 2,
No. 4, Winter 2003.
Gold, Daniel and Ann Grodzins Gold (1984). The
Fate of the Householder Nath in History of Religions, Vol. 24, No. 2 (Nov., 1984), pp. 113-132.
Mahendranath, Shri Gurudev (1990). The Scrolls
of Mahendranath. International Nath Order. Retrieved Mar. 6, 2006.

[3] Mahendranath (1990), Notes on Pagan India

Mahendranath, Shri Gurudev. The Tantrik Initiation in The Occult World of a Tantrik Guru. International Nath Order. Retrieved Nov. 18, 2006.

[4] nisargadatta.org, Navnath Sampradaya

About Nath/Jogis: Jogi. Retrieved Feb. 06, 2010.

10

External links

General
The Great Natha Siddhas, Natha Sampradaya
Inchegari
Three Lineages. The Navnath Sampradaya and
Shree Nisargadatta Maharaj
Gurudev R.D Ranade
Disciples of Nisargadatta Maharaj
Gurudev Mahendranath
International Nath Order
Other Nath-lineages
Jayant M. Gaitonde
Guru Bhuvani Nath

11

11
11.1

TEXT AND IMAGE SOURCES, CONTRIBUTORS, AND LICENSES

Text and image sources, contributors, and licenses

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