Nath

Traditions-- A brief
Introduction

Vasan Sri

Nath tradition or Nath 'sampradaya' is a

religious and spiritual tradition within the
Hindu fold , practiced for several centuries.
Dattatreya is considered the "adi Guru" of this
tradition. It has overtones of siddha traditions
in different parts of India, perhaps starting
from 4th century BC.
Sage Matsyendra Nath and his disciple Sage
Gorakhnath are the recent masters who founded
the Nath tradition as we know today. Gorakhpur
in UP is the place of Gorakhnath's ministry.
There are several 'samhitas' or treatises

attributed to these masters.

We are familiar with some recent masters of
Nath tradition who are great gurus and venerated
with shrines throughout India. Nisargadattta
Maharaj, a disciple of Siddharameshwar, was a
Nath yogi, dwelling in Mumbai in a small
tenement in the busy part of the great city.[You
may be familiar with his teachings through the
book :"I am That" edited by Maurice Frydman,
originally published by Chetana Books. He
attracted a large number of western followers
who have written numerous books.]
Shirdi Sai Baba ,a great venerated god-saint in
numerous temples, is considered as avatar of
Dattatreya ,called Datta Avaduta.

Dattatreya

Dattatreya is a syncretic God , with three faces

of Brahma,Vishnu and Siva [the creator ,the
sustainer and the destroyer] of the Hindu
pantheon. He was followed by four
dogs,representing four Vedas. Nath traditions
always take Datta Guru as the first in the line
of Nath gurus. Then there were nine more gurus,
called Navanaths. Nisargadatta did mention about
them and this tradition at many times.

Avaduta Gita
This text ,on advaitic disposition of
meditation, is attributed to Dattatre
ya . It is a must read for Nath followers.
You may find the English translation of Avaduta
Gita by Hari Prasad Sastry and by Swami
Ashokananda [ of RK Mission.]
Swami Vivekananda was asked by Sri Ramakrishna

to read this text.

Practical Aspects of Nath

tradition

Nath traditions are based on Guru-sishya

parampara or lineage. You must be initiated by a
guru with proper diksha ceremony. You must
follow the guru's injunctions for life. There is
no questioning or arguing with Guru on any
aspect.
Nath traditions go beyond caste and religious
restrictions. The sishya may belong to any caste
or religion.
Nath traditions uphold the life of a wandering
monk or nun---that is the meaning of "avaduta".
But nath followers may be householders at the

instruction of one's guru. Nisargadatta was a

householder, like many other Nath gurus. They
may leave the family at certain times in their
lives.
Sai Baba was a wandering sadhu and never
revealed his lineage.
Most Nath gurus would not reveal their lineage
or their place of birth or date of birth. These
are irrelevant details about them.

Naked or not?

Many Nath sannyasis [monks] went about

naked...it was accepted. Nakedness gave a
certain sense of freedom during meditation. You
may find a large number of naked sadhus near the
Himalayas even today. But householder nath munis
did not follow nudity.

Nath tradition rituals

Nath tradition emphasized japa [singing and

chanting] and meditation on Gods and on abstract
Unitary god or Brahman. This included worship of
Shakti or Mother Goddess.
But worship practiced by Tantriks , left handed
vamachara ,with bizarre sexual modes of worship
of a naked woman, idolized as shakti, is far cry
from Nath traditions. Some yogis in recent times
have professed tantrik worship with nath
traditions. This is not proper nath tradition
but a distorted version for gaining popularity.

Awakening the kundalini or the serpent power at
the base of the spine and elevating it through
the seven chakras to reach the cranium [the 1000
petalled lotus at the head] is the path of
kundalini yoga. While most yogis attempt this
with hatha yoga [asanas and pranayamas] Nath

yogis achieve the same by japa and meditation

with the help of a guru at appropriate time.

Shakti Worship
Again some nath traditions included
worship/meditation of Shakti in burial grounds
to imbibe the spirit of destruction as part of
life cycle or existence on earth and to
reinforce the thoughts of impermanence in this
world and to foster renunciation. They may use
and play with or dance with human skull and
bones.
While these forms of worship and rituals did
exist in India, they have largely disappeared
and are practiced only in a limited way in Nepal
and Tibet and some parts of Bihar [a state in
India.]
For the most part, nath traditions focus on
singing the hymns of Shakti in benign form.

Shakti is portrayed as Parvati, the mountain

Queen of Lord Shiva, the God of destruction---a
Goddess of Beauty and Intellect.
For such rituals nath yogis use puranic tales
and situations ---mainly mythological
anecdotes---for attuning the mind. Note that
nath yogis would dwell on the attributeless
Brahman [nirguna brahman] during contemplation.

[There had been an accusation that nath panthis
or clans may have practiced cannibalistic
sacrifices with human flesh or infants. These
are not the main stream of Nath yogis but
perverted ones.]
The reader may be confused with different
forms of worship and practices under the name of
Nath traditions. The variations are resolved by
a guru and given to a sishya or disciple in

specific procedures. This is the importance of

one's lineage or parampara.[It is like the
doctor giving specific medications out of
hundreds of medicines and procedures available.]
Often the Nath sannyasins lead a simple
,austere lifestyle ,without a large ashram and a
monastery of hundreds of monks. This aspect is
the one that attracted many followers to nath
traditions. Their lifestyle is different from
that of matathipathis or abbots of large
monasteries.
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