It is my paper on Nath sampradaya in the 3rd international dharma dhamma conference

1. 3rd International Dharma-Dhamma Conference
Nature, Gender and Social Justice:
In context of Nath Yogi Sampradaya and
Folk Deities of Rajasthan
Dr Vikas Pareek , Associate Professor(Comp. Sc.)
Dr. Urvashi Pareek, Research Associate(Music)
Banasthali Vidyapith, Rajasthan-304022.

2. Dharma has been a way of life in India. From the
concept of Vedic “Rit” to the new age religions,
it has always been an all-encompassing
presence around us. Here dharma is not
restricted to few scriptures, but it permeates
the entire life. And the best thing about
Sanatan dharma is its universality. This
universality is not due to any claim of absolute
truth, but due to its inclusive nature and its
toleration towards diversity.

3. We, therefore ,have people worshipping
trees, snakes, idols,rivers , even graves, and
still co-existing peacefully. From the
Rigvedic “एकं सद विप्रा बहुधा िदन्ति” to the
call for universal brotherhood by
Vivekananda, we see a incessant tradition of
mutual respect, quest for truth and love for
life in all its forms.

4. And this quest of truth is an important part of
Indian religion. From Vedic rishis, Buddha to
Gorakhnath and subsequent bhakti saints,we
see an unbroken chain of a burning desire to
know the truth. Asceticism is an integral part of
religion here. Breaking the bonds of desire is
not an easy thing. Leaving the luxuries of
household behind, to wander in forests, and to
beg for food is not a cakewalk.So sannyasis are
revered by everybody.That’s why such a high
regard is given to Jogis, fakirs and saints even
today.

5. There is a dilemma also.
“बन खंड जाऊं िो क्षुध्दा ब्यापे नगरी जाऊं िो माया”
(Gorakh Bani)
(If I go to forest, hunger torments me; and if I
remain in city, desire binds me.)
In the story of Raja Bhartrihari and Pingala(As in
Jogi Mat Ja), we see this dilemma between the
ascetic life and worldy luxuries.
In this paper, we examine the role of N

6. In this paper, we examine the role of Nath
sampradaya and subsequent folk religious
figures like Ramdevji, Tejaji, Devnarayanji,
etc. We see that Both the Nath tradition, and
the subsequent sects ,have given a very high
importance to the care for nature, gender
equality and emancipation of women.

7. Having a paper on both Nath sampradaya
and folk deities of Rajasthan is not an
arbitrary choice. There is a very good
rationale behind it. The entire sant
parampara is indebted to Nath sampradaya
in some form of other. Gorakh bani has
inspired Kabir, Nanak, Mirabai, Gyaneshwar,
Namdev and many other luminaries of the
sant movement.

8. The religious figures in Rajasthani folklore
are essentially linked with Gorakhnath and
other Nath ascetics. Be it the story of
Devnarayan or of Ramdev ji, the guru of the
hero is almost always, Goraknath. And even
their teachings are based on the tenets of
Nath sampradaya.

9. For example, Gogajee is believed to born by
blessings of Guru Gorakhnath, who gave 'Gugal'
fruit as a prasad to gogga's mother Bachhal.
Since the fruit of Guggal was cause of his birth,
he was referred as Gogga. (Gogaji is popular as
a Devta who protects his followers from snakes
and other evils. )Almost every village in
Rajasthan has a Than (sacred place,generally a
small temple) dedicated to him.

10. • Gorakhnath is so deeply embedded in the
psyche of Indians that from Kashmir to
Kamakhya, from Sindh to Nepal, one finds
footprints of Gorakhnath every where.
• “The historical reason for the wide-spread
popularity of the Nath literature throughout
India is that the Nath movement was, and
still is, an all-Indian movement “- Obscure
Religious Cults, Dasgupta

11. We would like to give a personal example. Our
native place is Gulabpura (in Bhilwara district
of Rajasthan.) It was named in memory of a
famous Gorakhnathi saint Gulabnath ji. And
importantly Gulabpura is situated in a area
important even in Bagrwat mahagatha. We
have a temple and a stepwell in the memeory
of Devnarayan. Similarly throught Rajasthan,
one will find memorials of Nath jogis along
with the folk deities. The Nath panth has
provide the theological basis for these folk
sects.

12. Nath sampradya has its origin in the distant
past. From the Adinath as the Mahadeva Shiva
himself, and then through Matsyendranath,
Gorakhnath and other Jogis, their impact on
Indian religious horizon is still visible in the
modern Hindu religion. Nath jogis influenced
Hinduism in many aspects. Their emphasis on
simple living, yogic lifestyle and love for nature
is evident in many texts available. Many
examples are available in Gorakhbani and other
Nathpanthi texts.

13. • Gorakhnath and Mastyendranath are also revered in
Tibetan Buddhism as Mahasiddhas (great adepts)
and are credited with great powers and perfected
spiritual attainment.
• Although the exact dates of Gorakhnath and other
yogi saints cannot be ascertained , from available
literary and historical resources, one can conjecture
that he was born around or close to tenth century.
There are references to Islam found even in
Gorakhbani.So he must have been born around or
after the arrival of Islam in India.

14. See:
“A true dervish is one who knows the divine
gate.
Who inverts the five breaths.
Who stays conscious, day and night
That dervish truly belongs to the class of
Allah” (Sabadi, 182 in Gorakh Bani Ed. By
Barathwal)

15. And Nath sampradaya is not hostile to
Islam.Many terms in Gorakh bani are of Sufi
and Persian origin.In fact Sufi tradition has
had a lot of interaction with Nath
sampradaya.

16. In the medieval text- Dabistan-e-Majahib,
one finds a mention of Jogis. Similarly in the
story “Kissa char dervesh” by Mir Aman
Dehlavi, we see the bani of jogis at many
places.
This religious tolerance finds a prominent
place in folk religions also. Folk heroes
didn’t believe in distinctions like
relgion,caste, gender,etc.

17. • Ramdevji is called Ramsa pir by
Muslims.Gogaji is given high regard by
muslims.
• This inclusiveness is found in all the folk
religions. There is no caste barrier in
visiting shrines of these deities. Fairs held
annually at Ramdevra, Gogamedi and
sursura are examples of harmony and
brotherhood.

18. Gender and Social Inclusiveness
• Ramdevji, Tejaji and Devnarayanji (despite
being from feudal high class families) never
believed in the class elitism , and stood for
social inclusion. They had disciples in
lower-caste hindus also, and even muslims.

19. • Dalibai ,for example, was a woman from
downtrodden class who was a close disciple
of Ramdevji. She was from Meghwal
community, and an ardent follower of
Ramdevji who is buried near his grave.And
it is no surprise that people from backward
strata of society give a lot of respect to
Ramdevji and Nath jogis.

20. Even today thousands of lower class devotees
throng to Ramdevra. Many of them walk
hundreds of miles on foot to reach
there.Similarly other folk deities like Tejaji,
Pabuji, etc. are popular among socially
backward sections of society. Though all of
them are worshipped by all Hindus, and even
to some extent by Muslims, Tejaji and
Devnarayanji are worshipped mainly by Jats,
Gurjars, and other peasant and working class
people.

21. We have Pemal (wife of Tejaji) who was a Jat
and Lachha Gujri, a gurjar as best friends in
the folklore. Even a dacoit (referred to as
Meena Sardar) is the rakhi brother of the
mother of Pemal. It’s a testimony of the fact
that different social classes were co-existing
and inter mingling with each other.
Evidently, the saints and folk heroes played
a vital role in cementing the bonds.

22. In Bagdwat Mahagatha,a treatise on the life of
Devnarayan ji and his ancestors, the mighty
Bagdawats, we find an interesting character-
Patu Kalali. She sells liquor at a local tavern.
But she is so wise and her discussions with
Bagdawats are full of interesting insights into
human life and contemporary culture. Despite
being form a lower social class, she is given a
high regard by Bagdawats because of her
wisdom and etiquettes.

23. Nature
• One can see a lot of natural imagery like animals
(snakes and horses prominently), trees (Neem as in
the case of devnarayanji),natural and rural ambience
in their folklore.
• Gogaji’s shrine, referred as medi, consists of a one-
room building with a minaret on each corner and a
grave(Mazar) inside, marked by a Nishan( A symbol,
a sign), which is made up of a long bamboo with
peacock plumes, a coconut, some colored threads
and some handpankhas with a blue flag on the
top.They have helped a great deal in preserving
nature. One can find gazelles and deer roaming
freely around Bishnoi settlements till date.

24. The sect of Bishnois (literally observers of
twenty nine oaths) founded by Jambhoji
places a great deal of importance on
preserving the nature. Some of their oaths
are : Not to fell green trees, To provide a
common shelter (Thhat) for goat/sheep to
avoid them being slaughtered in abattoirs,
Not to have bulls castrated In rural India.

25. During the Goga meri fair, It is a common sight
to see people with snakes lying around their
nakes. It is common belief among devotees
that Gogaji will protect them from snakes. It
is believed that if someone picks up even a
stick from johra,it would turn into a snake.
Devotees of Gogaji worship him when they
get a snake bite and apply sacred ash
(bhabhoot) on the bite as an immediate
remedy.

26. • We observe that the religious system of
Nath jogis and other folk sects was very
close to nature and helped immensely in the
inclusion of downtrodden into the
mainstream religion through their simple
spiritualism and pious lifestyle.

27. The folk religious sects present a rich
spectrum of religious lifestyle sans any
complicated epistemology. They were close
to the rural common life. Away from the
sophistication of cities, simple, close to the
mother earth and caring. Nath sampradaya
and these sects provide us a path towards a
universal religion devoid of any bigotry or
complicated theology.

28. “आसान दृढ़ आहार दृढ़ , जे ननद्रा दृढ़ होए.
नाथ कहे सुनो रे बालक मरे न बूढा होए.” (Gorakh
Bani)
Proper posture, proper nutrition and proper
sleep. (If you observe this), Nath says you
will not suffer from aging.

29. • In the coming new age, we all will feel a greater
need for preserving the heritage of Nath
sampradaya and these getting-fast-sanskritized
religious sects.
• A continuous lineage from Buddha to Vajrayani
siddhas to Nav Naths to sants and folk heroes,
we see an unbroken tradition of free spirit, of
asceticism, of seeking truth to the puzzle of life.
And this stream has been flowing sometimes
parallel to the mainstream religion, sometimes
together and sometimes has revolted against it.

30. • The modern Hinduism owes a lot to the
Nath sampradaya and folk religions. Any
study of Religion will remain incomplete
without these.
• Here you will find gems from Shaiva, Shakta,
Vaishna and naturalist , all the traditions, in
perfect harmony.

31. बबनु गुरु पंथ न पाइए भूले से जो भेंट
जोगी ससद्ध होइ िब जब हो गोरख से भेंट

32. References:
• Gorakhnath and the Kanphata Yogis, George Weston
Briggs,Motilal Banarsidass; 6 edition (2009)
• Philosophy of Gorakhnath with Goraksha-Vacana-Sangraha,
Akshaya Kumar Banerjea, Motilal Banarsidass;(1999)
• Gorakhbani, Compiled by Dr. Pitamber Datt Bartahwal,
Hindusatani Academy, Allahabad (1971)

33. • Dabestan-e Mazaheb, Frederic P. Miller, VDM
Publishing, 2010
• Rajasthan: An Oral History - Conversations with
Komal Kothari, Rustom Bharucha, Penguin, 2003
• Kabir, Hazari Prasad dwivedi, Rajkamal Prakashan,
2012
• Bagrawat Mahagatha, Compiled by Rani Lakshmi
Chundawat, Pink City Publishers, Jaipur

34. • Nectar gaze and poison breath : an analysis and translation of
the Rajasthani oral narrative of Devnārāyaṇ, Aditya Malik,
Oxford University Press, 2005.
• Jogi Mat Ja, Bishwambhar Nath Upadhyaya, Rajpal and Sons,
1989.
• Rahasthan mein Dharm, Sampraday va Asthaen, 2004, Prof.
Pema Ram,,Navjeevan Publishers, Jaipur
• Maro he Jogi Maro, by Acharya Rajneesh aka Osho, Diamond
Pocket Books