Gorakhnath

Gorakhnath (also known as Gorakshanath (Sanskrit: Gorakṣanātha) (Devanagari : गोरक्षनाथ / गोरखनाथ), c. early 11th century) was a Hindu yogi, mahasiddha and 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, Gorakhnathi, Darshani or Kanphata.

Gorakhnath is considered a Maha-yogi (or "great yogi") in Hindu tradition. He was one of nine saints, or Navnath, in the spiritual lineage of nine masters with Shiva as their first direct teacher. Hagiographies describe him to be a person outside the laws of time who appeared on earth during different ages. 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. Gorakhnath championed Yoga, spiritual discipline and enlightened guidance of a realized master (Guru) as the means to reaching samadhi or spiritual liberation.

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

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. Abbott argues that Baba Farid documents and Jnanesvari manuscripts place Gorakhnath in the 13th century. Grierson, relying on evidence discovered in Gujarat, suggests the 14th century. Gorakhnath is referenced in the poetry of Kabir and of Guru Nanak of Sikhism, which describe him as a very powerful leader with a large following.

Historical texts imply that Gorakhnath was a Buddhist in a region influenced by Shaivism, but then converted to Hinduism, championing Shiva and Yoga. Gorakhnath led a life as an exponent of ideas of Kumarila and Adi Shankara that championed the Yogic and Advaita Vedanta interpretation of the Upanishads. Gorakhnath considered the controversy between dualism and nondualism in medieval India as useless from a practical point of view. According to Banerjea, He emphasised that the choice is that of the yogi, and that spiritual discipline and practice by either path leads to "perfectly illumined samadhi state of the individual phenomenal consciousness."

The hagiography on Gorakhnath describe his appearance on earth several times. The legends do not provide a birth time or place, and consider him to be superhuman. North Indian hagiographies suggest he originated from northwest India (Punjab, with some mentioning Peshawar). Other hagiographies in Bengal and Bihar suggest he originated from eastern region of India (Assam).

Available hagiographies offer varying records of the spiritual descent of Gorakhnath. All name Adinath and Matsyendranath as two teachers preceding him, though one account lists five gurus preceding Adinath, and another lists six teachers between Matsyendranath and Gorakhnath. Current tradition has Adinath placed with Shiva as the direct teacher of Matsyendranath, who was himself the direct teacher of Gorakhnath.

The Nath existed before Gorakhnath, however the writings and works attributed to Gorakhnath are an important part of the Nath Jogi/Yogi heritage. It has been purported^{[weasel words]} that Gorakhnath wrote the first books on Laya yoga. In India there are many caves, many with temples built over them, where it is said that Gorakhnath spent time in meditation. According to Bhagawan Nityananda, the samadhi shrine (tomb) of Gorakhnath is at Nath Mandir near the Vajreshwari temple about one kilometre from Ganeshpuri, Maharashtra, India. Legends state that Gorakhnath and Matsyendranath did penance in Kadri Temple at Mangalore, Karnataka. They were also instrumental in laying Shivlingam at Kadri and Dharmasthala.