Gorakhnath

Gorakhnath
Statue of Gorakhnath performing yogic meditation in lotus position at Laxmangarh temple, India
Personal life
Flourished11th,12th, or 14th century
Known forHatha yoga,[1][2] Nath Yogi organisation, Guru, Gorakhpur
HonorsMahayogi
Religious life
ReligionHinduism
Founder ofNath monasteries and temples
PhilosophyHatha yoga
SectNath Sampradaya (sect of Shaivism)
Religious career
GuruMatsyendranath

Gorakhnath (also known as Gorakshanath (Sanskrit: Gorakṣanātha) (Devanagari : गोरक्षनाथ / गोरखनाथ),[3] c. early 11th century) was a Hindu yogi, mahasiddha and saint who was the founder of the Nath Hindu monastic movement in India.[4] He is considered one of the two disciples of Matsyendranath. His followers are known as Jogi, Gorakhnathi, Darshani or Kanphata.[5]

Gorakhnath is considered a Maha-yogi (or "great yogi") in Hindu tradition.[6] He was one of nine saints, or Navnath, in the spiritual lineage of nine masters with Shiva as their first direct teacher.[7] Hagiographies describe him to be a person outside the laws of time who appeared on earth during different ages.[8] He did not emphasize a specific metaphysical theory or a particular Truth, but emphasized that the unbiased search for Truth is a valuable and normal goal of man.[6] Gorakhnath championed Yoga, spiritual discipline and enlightened guidance of a realized master (Guru) as the means to reaching samadhi or spiritual liberation.[6]

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.[9][10] In Nepal, Gorakhnath is worshipped as the patron saint of the country[11], and until the abolition of monarchy in 2008, was also the official patron deity of the ruling kings in the kingdom.[12] The Siddhar tradition of Tamil Nadu in South India reveres Gorakhnath as one of the 18 esteemed Siddhars of yore. [13]

  1. ^ Guy L. Beck 1995, pp. 102–103.
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference Encyclopedia Britannica was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ Bruce M. Sullivan (1997). Historical Dictionary of Hinduism. Scarecrow Press. pp. 96, 149. ISBN 978-0-8108-3327-2.
  4. ^ Briggs 1938, p. 228.
  5. ^ Briggs 1938, p. 1.
  6. ^ a b c Akshaya Kumar Banerjea 1983, pp. 23–25.
  7. ^ Briggs 1938, pp. 228–250.
  8. ^ Briggs 1938, p. 249.
  9. ^ White, David Gordon (2012), The Alchemical Body: Siddha Traditions in Medieval India, University of Chicago Press, pp. 7–8
  10. ^ David N. Lorenzen and Adrián Muñoz (2012), Yogi Heroes and Poets: Histories and Legends of the Naths, SUNY Press, ISBN 978-1438438900, pp. x–xi
  11. ^ "Gurkha | Gurkha | Himalayan, Military, History | Britannica". www.britannica.com. Retrieved 27 July 2025.
  12. ^ "Twilight - Nepali Times". archive.nepalitimes.com. Retrieved 27 July 2025.
  13. ^ Cite error: The named reference :0 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
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