Philosophy of Gorakhnath

Philosophy of Gorakhnath

Author: Akshaya Kumar Banerjea

Publisher: Motilal Banarsidass

Published: 2017-01-01

Total Pages: 397

ISBN-13: 8120805356

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This volume contains the essence of the writings and teachings of Mahayogi Gorakhnath. It is well pointed out that while the ultimate object of the search is the same for a Yogi and a philosopher, their modes of approach are different, the latterês being intellectual and the formerês intuitive and spiritual. The task of a Yogi does not require any subtle intellectual speculation or the framing of hypotheses and theories. The quest of the Yogi is a direct spiritual experience of truth on a high plane of consciousness. The highest state of Samadhi attained by the Yogi is neither purely subjective nor objective. It transcends both categories and it is an integrated experience beyond formal description. Such a transcendent state of consciousness is alone called Samadhi. This book analyses in detail the nature of Samadhi Experience. The term –Experience” is perhaps inaccurate because, in this state of Samadhi, there is no relation between subject and object, the experiencer and the experienced. It is the fulfilment of life as described in the Yogasutras. The Yogi who comes back from Samadhi may not have attained Kaivalya or Moksha, but he is illuminated by his experience. If he assumes the role of a teacher or preacher, he gives expression to his experience in such forms as may be easily intelligible to the people at large. Gorakhnath was a Maha-Yogi. The cult of the Kanphata Yogis is a definite unite within Hinduism, and its study is essential for understanding this phase of the religious life of India. the book is divided into three sections. The first two sections comprising chapters 1 - 13 deal with the cult and history of this sec. the third section containing chapters 14 - 16 opens with the Sanskrit Text Goraksastaka and its English rendering and annotations. The book is fully documented. It has a preface, Glossary, Bibliography, Plates and General Index. This book is an attempt to present a systematic and consistent account of the philosophical background of the spiritual culture associated with the names of Yogi Gorakhnath and other adepts of the Natha school.


The Gorakhnath Enlightenment

The Gorakhnath Enlightenment

Author: Jayraj Salgaokar

Publisher: HarperCollins

Published: 2018-12-25

Total Pages: 312

ISBN-13: 9353024854

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While yoga is accessible to all, the path to becoming a true yogi is known only to a few. An esoteric practice, it requires years of learning, dedication, willpower and the thirst for a connection with the universal consciousness. This mystic science owes everything to two esoteric cults - the Siddhas and the Buddhas, to Hatha Yoga and Buddhist Tantra. The philosophies, paths and deities of these two cults are intimately connected. A blend of these two paths can escalate an individual's consciousness and help one realise one's true potential. There are striking differences and similarities between these two cults, bound together by the heterogeneous spiritual thread of Gorakhnath, who devoted himself to the prolific knowledge of yoga and emerged as the greatest yogi ever.The Gorakhnath Enlightenment seeks to explore the teachings and philosophy of Gorakhnath.


Sayings of Gorakhnath

Sayings of Gorakhnath

Author:

Publisher: Oxford University Press

Published: 2019-02-15

Total Pages: 241

ISBN-13: 0190935103

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Sayings of Gorakhnath presents a translation of late-medieval texts in Old Hindi, traditionally attributed to one of the founders of the Order of Nath Yogis. The Naths are associated with the creation and development of hatha yoga, with important historical and ideological links to Hindu tantra and alchemy. The texts gathered in this collection on the one hand provide a criticism of religious authority based on external knowledge lacking personal experience, while on the other hand they celebrate the path of yoga and its methods of engagement with the subtle body and its centres of occult energy and miraculous powers. The ultimate goal of the style of yoga described in the Sayings of Gorakhnath concerns the attainment of immortality and divinization of its adepts. This is achieved by redirecting the trajectory of the seminal fluid, which in the process transforms into the elixir, the amrt. In order to accomplish that goal, a regime of yogic practices is suggested, consisting of the assumption of a steady posture, breathing exercises, mantra chanting, and meditation. Djudjevic and Singh's translations are preceded by an introduction and accompanied by notes, which contextualize and elucidate the subject matter.


Gorakhnāth and the Kānphaṭa Yogīs

Gorakhnāth and the Kānphaṭa Yogīs

Author: George Weston Briggs

Publisher: Motilal Banarsidass Publ.

Published: 1989

Total Pages: 416

ISBN-13: 9788120805644

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The cult of the Kanphata Yogis is a definite unit within Hinduism, and its study is essential for understanding this phase of the religious life of India. In analysing the different aspects of this cult the author has drawn upon various sources, such as the legends, folk-lore and the formulated texts of this sect. The book is divided into three sections. The first two sections comprising chapters 1-13 deal with the cult and history of this sect. The third section containing chapters 14-16 opens with the Sanskrit Text Goraksasataka and its English rendering and annotations. It proceeds with the analysis of physiological concepts, chief aims and methods and then comes to conclusion. The subject matter of this study has been so arranged that the first two sections serve to illustrate the third. The book is fully documented. It has a Preface, Glossary, Bibliography, Plates and General Index.


The Socially Involved Renunciate

The Socially Involved Renunciate

Author: Kamala Elizabeth Nayar

Publisher: State University of New York Press

Published: 2012-02-01

Total Pages: 200

ISBN-13: 0791479501

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The Socially Involved Renunciate is an in-depth analysis and an original English translation of the Siddh Goṣṭ, a fundamental philosophical text of the Sikh tradition. The work reflects the distinctive worldview of Sikhism, the only major Indian religion that does not regard asceticism as a legitimate path to liberation. Composed by Guru Nānak, a medieval, north Indian saint-poet and venerated founder of the Sikh tradition, the Siddh Goṣṭ is a dialogue between Guru Nānak and several Nāth yogis who had been pursuing a rigorous path of hath-yoga as renunciates of the material world. Through their dialogue, Guru Nānak teaches the Nāth yogis a spiritual path that also includes involvement in the social world and offers a practical way to achieve liberation. In The Socially Involved Renunciate, Kamala Elizabeth Nayar and Jaswinder Singh Sandhu provide background on Sikhism, highlight the ethical teachings expounded in the Siddh Goṣṭ, and demonstrate how Guru Nānak reconciles the polarities of the ascetic and householder ideals.


Yogi Heroes and Poets

Yogi Heroes and Poets

Author: David N. Lorenzen

Publisher: State University of New York Press

Published: 2011-11-01

Total Pages: 249

ISBN-13: 1438438923

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This book provides a remarkable range of information on the history, religion, and folklore of the Nāth Yogis. A Hindu lineage prominent in North India since the eleventh century, Nāths are well-known as adepts of Hatha yoga and alchemical practices said to increase longevity. Long a heterogeneous group, some Nāths are ascetics and some are householders; some are dedicated to personified forms of Shiva, others to a formless god, still others to Vishnu. The essays in the first part of the book deal with the history and historiography of the Nāths, their literature, and their relationships with other religious movements in India. Essays in the second part discuss the legends and folklore of the Nāths and provide an exploration of their religious ideas. Contributors to the volume depict a variety of local areas where this lineage is prominent and highlight how the Nāths have been a link between religious, metaphysical, and even medical traditions in India.


Yoga in Practice

Yoga in Practice

Author: David Gordon White

Publisher: Princeton University Press

Published: 2012

Total Pages: 414

ISBN-13: 0691140863

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An anthology of primary texts drawn from the diverse yoga traditions of India, greater Asia, and the West. Focuses on the lived experiences in the many world of yoga.


Goraksha Samhita

Goraksha Samhita

Author: Swami Vishnuswaroop

Publisher:

Published: 2016-01-06

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13:

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Goraksha Samhita is composed by the great Yogī Gorakśanātha. Renowned spiritual masters in the East have highly acknowledged and honored him as a Siddha Yogī for many centuries. His name is mentioned by Svāmi Svātmārāma in his classical text Hatha Yoga Pradipīkā (Chapter One, Verses 4 and 5). He is also one of the Masters mentioned in the Purānas and yogic texts. He is well known as Guru Gorakhanāth, and a highly respected, revered and worshipped spiritual master in India and Nepal. The followers of the Nāth Tradition worship him as the incarnation of Lord Śiva, and say that the nine Nāths and eighty-four Siddhas belong to Adinātha, Lord Śiva. So, he is also called Śiva Gorakśa, the founder of the Natha Siddha tradition. It is said that Gorakśanātha was an Eighth Century Siddha Yogī. But some say that his physical presence occurred somewhere from the 8th to 11th century. According to the Nath Siddha tradition, Guru Gorakhnāth is an immortal sage and takes care of human beings and their welfare. It is said that Hatha Yogī Mastsyendranāth was the Guru of Gorakśanātha. Yogī Mastsyendranāth received Yoga Vidyā (knowledge/wisdom) directly from the mouth of Lord Śiva through Parvati. It was Guru Gorakśanātha who summarized the yogic subject matter in two hundred verses, which he had received from his Guru Mastsyendranāth, based on the teachings of Śri Ādinātha (Lord Śiva). This summarized text by Gorakśanātha is called Gorakśa Samhitā (compendium) which is also known as Gorakhsa Paddhati: Yogic Path of Guru Gorakhanātha. Gorakśa Samhitā highly emphasizes the purification of the body, prāna and the mind. It is believed that total purification of all impurities on both the physical and prānic levels is absolutely necessary in order to purify the mind. When these impurities are eliminated from the body and the energy blocks are removed, then the foundation for the awakening of the Śakti is prepared.