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Nath
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The Sanskrit word nathá (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.
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The Sanskrit word nathá (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 Mahasiddhas (great adepts) and are credited with great powers and perfected spiritual attainment.
The twelve traditional Natha Panthas
The Natha Sampradaya is traditionally divided into twelve streams or Panths. According to David Gordon White, these panthas 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. 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. 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.
Reference to the Adinath Sampradaya is pointed out by Rajmohan Nath (1964) in the following list of the twelve sub-sects:
- 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.
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.
Initiation
The Natha Sampradaya is an initiatory Guru-shishya tradition. Membership in the sampradaya is always conferred by initiation (diksha) by a diksha-guru—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, a 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."
The aims of the Nathas
According to Paul Eduardo Muller-Ortega, the primary aim of the ancient Nath Siddhas was to achieve liberation or jivan-mukti during their current lifespan. 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."
See also
Concepts
Sub-sects
Legendary Naths
Past teachers
Living teachers
- Shri Avedyanath - abbot of the Gorakhnath Math
- Shri Kapilnath - current head of the Intl. Nath Order of Shri Mahendranath
- 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
- Bodhinatha Veylanswami - Sannyasin and Satguru of the Nandinatha Sampradaya
- Shri Yogi Matsyendranth - a Guru of the Nath Sampradaya established in Russia
External links
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