Siddha Siddhanta Paddhati

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

Page 31

Bhartshari as the brother of Queen Maynāmati, and the uncle of Gopichandra.
Caurangināth, another disciple of Matsyendranāth, belonged to the Pala Dynasty of Bengal. Caurangināth's step mother had his hands and feet cut off and his body thrown into a forest. Here he was discovered by Matsyendranath, initiated by him and restored to his former self after twelve years of self-discipline by Yoga. This story is narrated in the form of a drama Purnachandra written in Bengali by the well-known dramatist Late Girish Chandra De. Caurangināth is believed to be the son of Devapāl, and queen Maynāmati, the sister of Devapāl. This same Maynāmati encouraged Rāmãi Pandit in the worship of Dharma, a later form of Buddhism adopted at the time of conflict with the Muslims. Buddhist contacts with the Nātha cult are numerous. In Bengal Hādipă, Gorakh and Matsyendra are claimed as Buddhist Saints and they are supposed to be related to the Dharma movement. One of the Yogi castes of Bengal are still known as the Dharinaghori Yogi. In Nepal, Matsyendranath is identified with Avalokitesvara, the fourth divine Bodhisattva, and his annual festival there is connected with an ancient Buddhist image. In a hymn composed in Bengali in honour of the god Dharma who is of a non--Hindu origin, we find the meeting of the Saints Hācipā. Kānupă, Gorakhnãth and Caurangi described. Rāmāi Pandit is the chief priest of this Dharnia worship and the composer of its tenets known as SunyaPurana.
From Marathi tradition we know that there was an old connection between Gorakhnāth and Jñāneśvar's grandfather Govindpanth. Jñānesvar was the famous commentator of the Gita, known as Jianesvari, and he was initiated into the Nātha cult by his elder brother Nivrttināth. Jñānesvar was born in 1290. Bhave in his Mahārāstra Saraswat mentions that the Nātha sect was well-known throughout Mahārăstra in the twelfth century. Bhave also repeats the tradition of Govindpanth's connection with Gorakhnāth and says that Govindpanth's father, who worked under Jaitrapal of Bira in 1207, had his mind turned to religion by Guru Gorakhnath. (Vol. I. p. 30).