Nath 1572114 225385375 2008-07-13T11:58:12Z Redtigerxyz 2970597 /* Natha Sampradaya */ link {{for|the star known as El Nath|Nath (star)}} The Sanskrit word '''Nātha''' ([[Hindi]] ''Nath'') is the proper name of a [[siddha]] [[sampradaya]] (initiatory tradition) and the word itself literally means "lord, protector, refuge". The related Sanskrit term [[Adi Natha]] means first 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 manifestations of consciousness. The Nath tradition is a heterodox [[siddha]] tradition containing many sub-sects. It was founded by [[Matsyendranath]] and further developed by [[Gorakshanath]]. These two individuals are also revered in Tibetan Buddhism as [[Mahasiddha]]s (great magicians) and are credited with great powers and perfected spiritual attainment. ==Natha Sampradaya== The '''Natha [[Sampradaya]]''' is a development of the earlier '''[[Siddha]]''' or '''[[Avadhuta]] Sampradaya''',<ref name=Despande>Deshpande, M.N. (1986). ''The Caves of Panhale-Kaji''. New Delhi: Archaeological Survey of India, Government of India.</ref> an ancient lineage of spiritual masters. Its founding is traditionally ascribed as an ideal reflected by the life and spiritual attainments of the god [[Dattatreya]], who was considered by many to have been a human incarnation of Lord [[Shiva]].<ref name=notes>Mahendranath (1990), ''[http://www.mahendranath.org/paganindia.mhtml Notes on Pagan India]''</ref> The establishment of the Naths as a distinct historical sect purportedly began around the [[8th century|8th]] or [[9th century]] with a simple fisherman, [[Matsyendranath]] (sometimes called Minanath, who may be identified with or called the father of Matsyendranath in some sources).<ref name=White>White, David Gordon (1996). ''The Alchemical Body''. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.</ref> One story of the origin of the Nath teachings is that Matsyendranath was swallowed by a fish and while inside the fish overheard the teachings given by [[Shiva]] to his wife [[Parvati]]. According to legend, the reason behind Shiva imparting a teaching at the bottom of the ocean was in order to avoid being overheard by others. In the form of a fish, Matsyendranath exerted his hearing in the manner required to overhear and absorb the teachings of [[Shiva]]. After being rescued from the fish by another fisherman, Matsyendranath took initiation as a [[sannyasa|sannyasin]] from Siddha Carpati. It was Matsyendranath who became known as the founder of the specific stream of [[yogi]]s known as the Nath Sampradaya. Matysendranath's 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 influential of the ancient Naths. He is also reputed to have written the first books dealing with [[Laya yoga]] and the raising of the [[kundalini|kundalini-shakti]].<ref name=notes/> 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]]s. According to tradition, his samadhi shrine and gaddi (seat) reside at the [[Gorakhnath Temple]] in [[Gorakhpur]]. However, [[Bhagawan Nityananda|Nityananda]] stated that the samadhi shrines (tombs) of both Matsyendranath and Gorakshanath reside at Nath Mandir near the [[Vajreshwari temple]] about a kilometer from Ganeshpuri, [[Maharashtra]], [[India]].<ref>Shenoy, Gopalkrishna. [http://www.bhagawannityananda.org/bn5.html Discipleship]</ref> The Natha Sampradaya does not recognize caste barriers, and their teachings were adopted by outcasts and kings alike. The heterodox Nath tradition has many sub-sects, but all honor Matsyendranath and Gorakshanath as the founders of the tradition. ===The twelve traditional Natha Panthas=== The Natha Sampradaya is traditionally divided into twelve streams or ''Panths''. According to [[David Gordon White]], these ''pantha''s 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.<ref name=White/> According to the ''Shri Amrit Nath Ashram'' website, the twelve Natha Panthi are as follows: *Satya natha *Dharam natha *Daria natha *Ayi Panthia *Vairaga kea *Rama ke *Kapilani *Ganga nathi *Mannathi *Rawal ke *Paava panth *Paagala panthi However, there have always been many more Natha sects than will conveniently fit into the twelve formal ''panths''.<ref name=White/> Thus less populace [[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''. Reference to the [[Adinath Sampradaya]] is pointed out by Rajmohan Nath (1964) in the following list of the twelve sub-sects:<ref name=Bandyopadhyay>Bandyopadhyay, P. K. (1992). ''Natha Cult and Mahanad''. page 73, Delhi, India: B.R. Publishing Corporation.</ref> *Adinath *Minanath *Gorakhnath *Khaparnath *Satnath *Balaknath *Golaknath *Birupakshanath *Bhatriharinath *Ainath *Khecharanath *Ramachandranath ===Modern Natha lineages=== A recent modern Natha of the [[Adinath Sampradaya]] was [[Shri Gurudev Mahendranath]] ([[1911]]-[[1991]]), who received initiation in [[1953]] from H.H. Shri Sadguru Lokanath, the [[Avadhut]] of the [[Himalayas]]. In [[1978]], he founded the [[International Nath Order]] in order to make the Natha way of life available in the West. He wrote many essays and articles, some of which were collected as ''The Scrolls of Mahendranath'', first published in [[1990]]. His successor, Shri Kapilnath, continues to teach and initiate sincere seekers.<ref>Mahendranath, Shri Gurudev. [http://opendoor.nathorder.org/1989/07/18/the-ultimate-promulgation-pronunciamento-of-hh-shri-gurudev-mahendranath/ 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).</ref> The Chitrakut Math parampara, made famous in the modern times by [[Shri Madhavnath Maharaj]] is currently being led forward by Shri Mangalnath Maharaj, who succeeded Shri Madhavnath Maharaj and has a large following. Shri Mangalnath Maharaj has established a Machchhindranatha temple and Ashram at Mitmita, near [[Aurangabad]], Maharashtra.{{Facts|date=March 2008}} ==Initiation== The Natha Sampradaya is an initiatory [[Guru-shishya tradition]]. Membership in the [[sampradaya]] is always conferred by initiation ''([[diksha]])'' by a ''diksha-guru''&mdash;either the lineage-holder or another member of the sampradaya whose ability to initiate has been recognized by his ''diksha-guru''. The Natha initiation itself is conducted inside a formal ceremony in which some portion of the awareness and spiritual energy ''([[shakti]])'' of the [[Guru]] is transmitted to the ''[[shishya]]'' (student). The neophyte, now a Nath, is also given a new name with which to support their new identity. This transmission or "touch" of the Guru is symbolically fixed by the application of ash to several parts of the body. In ''The Phantastikos'', [[Shri Gurudev Mahendranath]], the final Guru of the [[Adinath Sampradaya]], wrote, :"The passage of wisdom and knowledge through the generations required the mystic magick 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."<ref>Mahendranath (1990), ''[http://www.mahendranath.org/phantastikos.mhtml The Phantastikos]''</ref> ==The aims of the Nathas== According to Paul Eduardo Muller-Ortega, the primary aim of the ancient Nath Siddhas was to achieve liberation or ''[[mukti|jivan-mukti]]'' during their current lifespan.<ref name=Muller-Ortega>Muller-Ortega, Paul Eduardo (1989). ''The Triadic Heart of Shiva.'' Albany, NY: State University of New York Press.</ref> According to a recent Nath Guru, [[Shri Gurudev Mahendranath]], another aim was to avoid [[reincarnation]]. In ''The Magick Path of Tantra'', he wrote about several of the aims of the Naths, :"Our aims in life are to enjoy peace, freedom, and happiness in this life, but also to avoid rebirth onto this Earth plane. All this depends not on divine benevolence, but on the way we ourselves think and act." <ref>Mahendranath (1990), ''[http://www.mahendranath.org/magickpath.mhtml The Magick Path of Tantra]''</ref> ==See also== ===Concepts=== *[[Sahaja]] *[[Sama]] *[[Samarasa]] *[[Sampradaya]] *[[Svecchachara]] ===Sub-sects=== *[[Adinath Sampradaya]] *[[Nandinatha Sampradaya]] *[[Navnath Sampradaya]] ===Legendary Naths=== *[[Adi Nath]] *[[Luipa|Minanath]] *[[Matsyendranath]] *[[Gorakshanath]] *[[Baba Balak Nath]] ===Past teachers=== *Shri Bhambhulnath - late abbot of the Nath Siddha monastery at [[Haridwar]]<ref name=White/> *[[Shri Gurudev Mahendranath]] - final [[Guru]] of the [[Adinath Sampradaya]] *[[Nisargadatta Maharaj]] (1897-1981) - past master of the [[Navnath Sampradaya]] *[[Satguru Sivaya Subramuniyaswami]] - a past Guru of the [[Nandinatha Sampradaya]] *Shankar Maharaj - a Nath Avadhuta<ref>Shirvaikar, V. V. [http://www.dj6qo.de/dnyg/Maharaj.htm Yogiraj Shri Shankar Maharaj]</ref> * [[Shri Madhavnath Maharaj]] ===Living teachers=== *Shri Avedyanath - abbot of the [[Gorakhnath Math]] <ref name=White/> *Shri Kapilnath - current head of the ''Intl. Nath Order'' of [[Shri Gurudev Mahendranath|Shri Mahendranath]] *[[Shri Amrit Nath Ashram|Shri Naharinath]] - current master of the [[Shri Amrit Nath Ashram]] *Shri Narayan Nath - a householder Nath who is the current head of the Vairag-panth <ref name=White/> *[[Bodhinatha Veylanswami]] - [[Sannyasin]] and [[Satguru]] of the [[Nandinatha Sampradaya]] *Shri [[Yogi Matsyendranth]] - founder of russia school of [[Natha Sampradaya]] ==Notes== {{reflist|2}} ==References== *Adityanath (2002). [http://www.mahendranath.org/faq.mhtml Nath FAQ]. Retrieved Oct. 20, 2004. *Davisson, Sven (2003). [http://www.ashejournal.com/index.php?id=174 Shri Kapilnath Interview] in ''[http://www.ashejournal.com/index.php?id=167 Ashé: Journal of Experimental Spirituality], Vol. 2, No. 4, Winter 2003. *Gold, Daniel and Ann Grodzins Gold (1984). [http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0018-2710(198411)24%3A2%3C113%3ATFOTHN%3E2.0.CO%3B2-G The Fate of the Householder Nath] in ''History of Religions'', Vol. 24, No. 2 (Nov., 1984), pp. 113-132. *[[Shri Gurudev Mahendranath|Mahendranath, Shri Gurudev]] (1990). ''[http://www.mahendranath.org/ The Scrolls of Mahendranath]''. International Nath Order. Retrieved Mar. 6, 2006. *[[Shri Gurudev Mahendranath|Mahendranath, Shri Gurudev]]. [http://www.mahendranath.org/%7Ekapil/tantrikguru2.html The Tantrik Initiation] in ''The Occult World of a Tantrik Guru''. International Nath Order. Retrieved Nov. 18, 2006. ==External links== *[http://www.nathorder.org/ International Nath Order] ([http://opendoor.nathorder.org/ INO Newsletter]) *[http://www.shivashakti.com/werner.htm The Cult of Maysendra-Mina and Gorakhnath in Nepal] *[http://www.amritnath.org/ Shri Amrit Nath Ashram] *[http://davidgodman.org/interviews/nis1.shtml Remembering Nisargadatta Maharaj] * [http://www.dharmanathi.ru/component/option,com_frontpage/Itemid,1/lang,en/ Natha's tradition] * [http://www.omaadesh.org.np Dang Natha-yogi Ashram] [[Category:Hindu traditions]] [[Category:Shaivism]] [[nl:Nath]] [[ru:Натха]]