Siddha Siddhanta Paddhati

Author(s): Kalyani Mallik
Publisher: Poona Oriental Book House Poona

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INTRODUCTION
A Short Account of the Natha Yogis The Nātha Yogis have played a very important role in the history of mediaeval Indian mysticism. These Yogis worshipped God as “Nätha' or the Supreme Master, who according to their faith, transcends not only the finite, but the infinite as well. The worshippers of Nätha were adepts in Yogic cult, which was supposed to give them supernatural powers. Among them, Sree Guru Matsyendranāth and his most able disciple Sree Gorakhnāth or Goraksanāth have been known throughout India for their marvellous performances of iniracles. Legends of the superhuman powers of the Natha gurus (spiritual teachers ) abound in Indian Literature - Sanskrit, Hindi, Marathi, Gujrati, Oriya, Nepalese and extensively in Bengali. Matsyendranāth, the foremost of the Nātha gurus was born in Bengal and some scholars mention that Goraksanāth too hailed from Eastern Bengal. Thus the Natha gurus must have profoundly influenced the religious life of the people of Bengal in the mediaeval period and their cult naturally found expression in Bengali literature.
Besides popular legends and ballads, the contributions to Nātha philosophical texts, both in prose and poetry, by the Nātha gurus themselves are by no means negligible. Luipada or Minanāth, which were other names by which Matsyendranāth was known, was one of the first verse writers in Bengali in the tenth century, and Gorakhnāth was probably the first prose writer in Hindi. Other important works by these two gurus are found in Sanskrit.
The Nātha gurus taught their doctrines to the rich and the poor alike. Kings have given up their thrones to preach the doctrines of the Nátha sect. The renunciation of king Gopichandra of Bengal, in the eleventh century, created a sensation all over India, which even at this distance of time continues to be echoed in poems and dramas, and in popular ballads sung by minstrels amongst rural folk. King Bhartshari of Ujjain in Western India also became a Yogi. Bhartshari's renunciation of wealth and enjoyment to take the yow is associated with the same popular pathos as that of
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