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    29 views14 pages

    Unit 11

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    unit11

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    194 UNIT 11 GURU GORAKHANATHA AND YOGI SHYAMACHARANA LAHIRI Structure 11.0 Objectives 11.1 Introduction 1.2 Guru Gorakhanatha 113. Yogi Shyamacharana Lahiri 11.4 — Let UsSumUp ILS Answers to Check Your Progress 11.0 OBJECTIVES Dear students, we are going through the life and message of great Yogis in this series, Inthis unit we will study about Guru Gorakhanatha (]6 TRA Tei) © hisbirthplace and period; ‘© understand the teachings and works of Guru Gorakhanatha; © the Natha (12) tradition. Yogi Shyamacharana Lahiri (af vararary eet) © the early life and versatile personality of Yogi Shyamacharana Lahiri; © how Lahiriji was introduced to Kriya yoga and his dedication for his Guru; and © thetea ngs of Lahiriji. 11.1 INTRODUCTIO! Guru Gorakhanatha Guru Gorakhanatha was a great Yogi with several magnificient qualities. His birth, life, and his literary contributions are noteworthy. Guru Gorakhanatha was born ata time when the society was influenced with concocted misinterpreted religious practices; it was a time of great spiritual declination, when Buddhism had flourished. Buddhism was divided into several branches and moved in to a direction quite contrary to what Buddha (§&) had proposed. It is during this time that Guru Gorakhanatha propagated the message of yoga and removed the false practices associated with it. In this unit we willook into the life and works of this great yogi. Yogi Shyamacharana Lahiri Another remarkable Yogi is Yogi Shyamacharana Lahririji, Guru (#8) and disciple of Mahavatar Babaji. Yogiraj and Kashibaba are some of his popular names. He isa perfect example ofa balanced householder cum- Yogi. He revived Krivayoga as he Learnt it from Mahavatar Babaji in 1861 A.D. He is the one who propagated the forgotten Abhyasa of Krivayoga to the masses, at a time when the society was spiritually subjugated under the thumb rule of the British Government. Itwas the time when the Rishi tradition was not reaching to the generation of that time because of the severe turmoil in various sectors of the society. Yogi Shyamacharana Lahiriji, with his unbiased teaching of Kriyayoga, reached to people irrespective of their caste, ereed, culture or community, He was the messenger of the Rishis of the 19® century. The modem history of Yoga began inthe year 1857 A.D. ands still continuing, In this period Lahiri introduced the masses to Rishiyoga through the technique of Kriyayoga. Kriyayoga which is a Abhyasa (848) of highest order, recommended by Yogeshwara (8018) Shri Krishna to Arjuna, described by Maharshi Patanjali as a practice for the Sadhakas to eradicate Kleshas, was further propagated by Lahiriji, who was popularly known as Mahashaya (#874) which means large minded. 11.2. GURU GORAKHANATHA The third period in the history of Yoga is called as the period of Tikas (Ee) and Vertis (af) (600 A.D.-1200 A.D.) (Source: World Yoga Encyclopaedia, Pg. no.-19), Itis also called as the pre-middle period in terms of Indian history. It is during this period that Buddhism started dectining and Shaiva (@a) tradition gained emergence. In the years to come, Shaiva tradition got divided into five branches: Karunika (6frl), Kapalika (wafer), Pashupat (FYI), Maheshvara (788m) and Lakulisha (wefeeM), Inall these branches, Yogeshwara Shiva was the revered Adi (nf) gurw (the primordial master). Yogis belonging to these branches were called as Siddhas (fran). Guru Gorakhanatha/Gorakshanatha was a highly notable Siddha of this Natha tradition. Gorakshashataka (TRENT), Siddhasiddhantapaddhati (Rreferagafe) and Yogabeeja (d1alsi) were some of his greats works which presented the secrets of Yoga in the most lucid and authentic way. Guru Gorakhanatha and Yogi Shyamacharana Lahiri 195 Contribution of Yogis 196 Guru Gorakhanatha extracted the knowledge of Yoga which was beneficial for ‘the mind and body, scattered in Jantric(«tif3) literatures. This practice was called as Hathayoga (ES) a practice to control the mind by controlling the body. We call this as bottom-up mechanism now. Stories related to birth of Guru Gorakhnatha Both birth and work of Guru Gorakhanatha were extraordinary. The popular story related to the birth of Guru Gorakhanatha is very interesting : The Guru of Gorakhanatha, Guru Matsyendranatha was once passing by a village named Chandragiri on the banks of river Narmada. He was collecting bhiksha (Pe) from the villagers as a part of the requisites of Samnyasa dharma. During the process of collecting bhiksha he came actoss a lady who ‘was immersed in sorrow for not having a child, Matsyendranatha gave her sacred vibhuti (fff) and asked her to eat, then she would have a baby boy. Because of societal fear, the lady threw the vibhuti in the heap ofcow dung. After twelve years when Matsyendranatha visited the lady again and asked for the grown up boy, she narrated to him how she had thrown the vibhuti ina heap of cow dung. When Matsyendranatha visited the heap of cow dung, he saw a healthy and beautiful boy appearing fiom the cow dung. Another story links the association of Gorakhanatha with Nepal. In Nepal Guru Gorakhanatha is revered as the national Guru. Gorakha (®&1) is a community from Nepal who are known for their fierce warfare skills. People of this community say that Gorakhanatha spent twelve ‘years in tapasya (er) (austerity) in their place. His place of tapasya is thus named Gorakha. The community thus flourished here and is known as Gorakha. He has long been named as the rastradevata ({1%@aq1) (lord of state) of Nepal \with his name appearing on numerous versions of Nepalese coins and currency notes. Gorakha, a historical district of Nepal is named after him. Fig. 11.1: Guru Gorakhanatha Dr. Rangeya Raghava considers Matsyendranatha to have lived during the mid 9 century. As Gorakhanatha was his disciple and both were together till Matsyendranatha attained samadhi, so it can be said that Gorakhanatha was born during the mid 9*-10* century. Though there may be various views regarding the birthplace and birthdate of Guru Gorakhanatha, stillit can be surely said that he definitely took birth and enlightened people with pure knowledge. The proof of his birth is justified by looking at the Shrivigraha (#hf828) installed in various places of Nepal, Uttarakhanad, Uttar Pradesh, Bengal, Assam, Odisha, Kamataka, Saurashtra, Punjab and other states. A magnificent statue of Gorakhanatha is erected in Gorakhanatha mandir. iti Guru Gorakhanatha and The Natha Tradition Yogi Shyamacharana Lahiri The word ‘Nathru’ (*TeR6) when suflixed with ‘A’ forms the word ‘Natha’. In Goraksha Siddhanta samgraha (axe ferqgict GE) it is said: ‘Shri mokshadanakshatvannatha (da) brahmanubodhanatha. Sthagitajnanavibhvacdeenatha iti geeyate. (Goraksha Siddhanta samgraha) Itmeans the syllable ‘Na’ of ‘Natha’ represents one who is able to bless the ‘Sadhaka with Moksha and its knowledge, while ‘Tha’ means the establisher of Jnana. The term ‘Na’ means the sakshatkara (G11) of Brahma and ‘Tha’ means to stop the flow of ajnana (8191), hence this tradition is called Natha tradition. The term ‘Natha’ (=) is symbolic of Shiva (fra) and Shakti, (efi) While ‘Na’ represents Shiva, ‘Tha’ means Shakti. Shivo’api rahitah kartum shakton na kinchana (Siddhasiddhantapaddhati-pg. no-15) Itmeans without Shakti, Shiva has no meaning i.e. Shakti can never be kept separate from Shiva. In this way, Natha is symbolic to the unity of Shiva and. ‘Shakti. Shiva tesides in the Brahmarandhra (7X) while the position of ‘Shakti is Mooladhara (4g). Shiva here is symbolic to Ishwara whereas Shakti refers to Kundalini (Gf) shakti. Guru Gorakhanatha is believed to be the founder of Natha sampradaya (e75r@Ta) and it is believed that the nine naths and 84 siddhas are all human forms created as Yoga avatars (471 344) (appearances) to disseminate the message of yoga and meditation to the world, Itis they who revealed the samadhi to the mankind. Teachings Guru Gorakhanatha propagated the knowledge of Hathayoga, as taught to him by his Guru Matsyendranatha and presented the theory that by controlling the body the mind can be controlled as well. In Goraksha-samhita-1.4, he has said that a controlled mind paves the way for Moksha. 1. Gorakhanatha has given special emphasis to Prana (411) sadhana. In his various literatures, he has mentioned how through Prana sadhana (91° ert!) Kundalini can be awakened. He has said that the source of generation of nadis (TS) through which prana flows is Mulakanda (4) /perineum. According to him, the total number of nadis is seventy two thousand,, as- Urdhva medhadadhonabheh kandayonih khagandavat. Tatranadya samutpannah sahasranam dvisaptih Guru Gorakhanatha and Yogi Shyamacharana Lahiri (Goraksha-shataka-25) It is after the Kundalini is awakened; the Apana (8107?) vayu (7G) travels through the Sushumna (QS) nadi and reaches the Sahashrara (WEAR) 197 Contribution of Yogis 198, chakra (#56). This union of Apana (319) and Pranavayu (91° ag) is called Hathayoga. 2. According to Guru Gorakhanatha, the human body is a miniature model ofthe entire cosmos. In his book ‘Siddha siddhanta paddhati’ (Ra Riga wala) Rishivara (AR) Gorakhanatha has stated which part of the body corresponds to an element of the cosmos. Observance of Dhyana (chintana) (F®C*)) for a long period of time enables a Yoga sadhaka to see the entire cosmos in him. In this way, the Sadhaka is able to know the various truths of the Cosmos. 3. Guru Gorakhanatha, in is invaluable treatise on Yoga called Goraksha

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