Gorakhnath
Gorakhnath (also known as Goraksanath, c. early 11th century) was a Hindu yogi, saint who was the founder of the Nath Hindu monastic movement in India. He is considered one of the two disciples of Matsyendranath. His followers are known as Jogi(yogi) , Gorakhnathi, Darshani or Kanphata.
Gorakhnath | |
|---|---|
Statue of Gorakhnath performing yogic meditation in lotus position at Laxmangarh temple, India | |
| Personal | |
| Religion | Hinduism |
| Sect | Nath Sampradaya (sect of Shaivism) |
| Known for | Hatha yoga, Nath Yogi organisation, Guru, Gorakhpur |
| Founder of | Nath monasteries and temples |
| Philosophy | Hatha yoga |
| Religious career | |
| Guru | Matsyendranath |
| Honors | Mahayogi |
He was one of nine saints, or Navnath, and is known in Maharashtra, India. Hagiographies describe him to be a person outside the laws of time who appeared on earth during different ages. Historians agree that Gorakhnath lived sometime during the first half of the 2nd millennium CE, but there is some disagreement about which century he lived. Estimates based on archaeological and textual evidence range from Briggs' estimate of the 11th to 12th century to Grierson's estimate of the 14th century.
Gorakhnath is considered a Maha-yogi (or "great yogi") in Hindu tradition. He did not emphasise a specific metaphysical theory or a particular Truth, but emphasised that the search for Truth and the spiritual life is a valuable and normal goal of man. Gorakhnath championed Yoga, spiritual discipline and an ethical life of self-determination as a means to reaching samadhi.
Gorakhnath, his ideas, and his yogis have been popular in rural India, with monasteries and temples dedicated to him found in many states of India, particularly in the eponymous city of Gorakhpur.