Goraksha

Goraksha

Goraksha or Gorakhnath ( Sanskrit : गोरक्ष Gorakṣa m. “ Cattle Shepherd ”; Hindi: गोरखनाथ Gorakhnāth m. ) Was an Indian yogi and is considered the founder of Hatha Yoga . He was a student of Matsyendra and probably lived in the 7th century , both are said to have been born in Bengal . In his Tantra Aloka Abhinavagupta greeted Matsyendra as his guru , from this it is assumed that Matsyendra lived before the middle of the 10th century. Goraksha was the author of several works on yoga , including the Gorakshashataka . Goraksha is often depicted as a cattle herder in ancient pictures. The Gorakshasana is named after him, a less well-known asana in Hatha Yoga. He is considered to be the founder of the Kanpatha school of the Nathas, a line of tradition that emerged from Shivaist Tantrism.

Legends

There are numerous legends about Goraksha that make it impossible to recognize historical features of Goraksha.

birth

The legend tells how Matsyendra came as a beggar to a woman who was sad because she could not have children. So he gave her a piece of ashes and told her to swallow it and then give birth to a son. But since all the neighbors laughed at her about it, she threw the ashes on the dung heap.

Twelve years later, Matsyendra came back to this woman and asked her about her son. Amazed, she said that she had never had a child. When Matsyendra asked about the ashes, she remembered and confessed what she was doing. Matsyendra went to the dung stick and put the dung aside and in it sat a twelve year old boy who was meditating. The woman immediately wanted to hug the boy and adopt him as a son, but Matsyendra would not allow this, called the boy Goraksha and accepted him as his student.

Goraksha and Chaurangi

Goraksha was a cattle herder. As a teenager, Matsyendra hired him to care for the mutilated Chaurangi. When he had reached the final knowledge after twelve years, Goraksha was initiated into all teachings by Matsyendra and became a great yogi. On the advice of his teacher, he made a vow not to become perfect until he had redeemed a hundred times a hundred thousand. After he had also initiated the unworthy, Shiva warned him to choose his disciples more carefully.

Goraksha as a yogi

When Goraksha became a great master after several years, he sometimes even surpassed his teacher and several legends tell of this relationship. One of them tells how Goraksha killed two sons of Matsyendra, but later resuscitated them at his request. In Nepal, it is said that Goraksha triggered a twelve-year drought by sitting on the twelve rain snakes. The Nepalese called for Matsyendra, who was out of the country. When he came back, Goraksha bowed to his teacher in deference and the rain snakes could escape and the drought was over.

The Chiranjivi

Goraksha was an accomplished mahayogin who overcame death and lives on as Chiranjivi , who can appear to his followers. That is why conversations with the medieval mystic Kabir or with Guru Nanak , the founder of Sikhism , can be ascribed to him.

Adoration

Goraksha is especially revered in northern India. The city of Gorakhpur , north of Varanasi , is named after him and his footprints are shown in the temple. Here he spent his last time before he was raptured to the Himalayas. In the 13th century the temple was converted into a mosque and a new temple for Goraksha was built, but it was also converted into a mosque in the 17th century , so a third temple was built.

There are several places dedicated to Goraksha, especially in Panjab and Gujarat .

Goraksha is also venerated in Nepal and the city of Gorkha is said to be named after him. It was the ancient home of the Gurkhas , who are derived from Goraksha.

Students and sects

Goraksha had twelve students. The most famous among them are King Bhartrihari , his sister Mayana Mati and their son Gopichandra. Many sects of the Kanphata yogins are derived from Goraksha himself or from one of his students .

literature

• Fausta Nowotny: The Gorakṣaśataka . Cologne (1976).
• Jyotishman Dam: Shiva Yoga: India's great yogi Gorakshanatha . Munich: Diederichs Yellow Row 142 (1998). ISBN 3-424-01393-5

References and comments

1. ↑ According to other information, the 11th to 12th century AD is given
2. ↑ Eckard Wolz-Gottwald: Yoga-Philosophy-Atlas. Experience of primordial awareness. Via Nova, Fuld 2006, ISBN 978-3-936486-04-9 , p. 137
3. ↑ Georg Feuerstein : The Yoga Tradition. History, literature, philosophy & practice. Foreword by Ken Wilber. Yoga-Verlag, Wiggensbach 2008, ISBN 978-3-935001-06-9 , p. 591 f