Gorakhpur of ‘Guru’, ‘city’ of Yogi: Gorakhnath, who lived in the heart of Baba Farid-Kabir-Gurunanak, was burnt 1000 years ago, whose ‘blessings’ made Adityanath UP CM

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath is in fray from Gorakhpur city in the assembly elections, 2022. With this announcement, Gorakhpur and Goraksha Peeth are in discussion. Gorakhnath Temple, which was the center of spirituality of Eastern Uttar Pradesh and which also irrigated the political ground. This is the area where Guru Gorakshanath, who had awakened the flames in the dying society, had stunned himself in the wilderness of Beyban. Such a dhuni who rejected all kinds of hypocrisy, evils and social discrimination. This area was named Gorakhpur after the name of the Guru. Let’s know those things about Baba Gorakhnath present in few pages of folklore and history, which gave a special identity to this city of eastern UP.

Thousands of devotees visit Gorakhnath temple on the occasion of Makar Sankranti.

Avatar taken in cow dung, stayed there for 12 years, awakened the master lying in love
The followers of Nathpanth are called Yogis. It is said that Guru Gorakhnath was born in cow dung, due to which he got the name Gorakhnath. The story behind this is that once the Guru of Gorakhnath, Matsyendranath, gave a woman desiring a child to eat prasad made from Jaw. Who threw Prasad behind a pile of dung nearby for fear of society. When Matsyendranath reached there after 12 years, the woman fearfully told him that thing. When Matsyendranath called on this, a 12-year-old bright boy came out from behind the dung heap, which became Gorakshanath. It is said that Gorakhnath had rescued his guru Matsyendranath, who was tied in the captivity of the woman. Since then this proverb has become ‘Jag Machhandar Gorakh Aaya’.

Statues of all the Gurus and Yogis of the Nath Panth have been erected in the temple premises, narrating the comprehensive history of the entire Nath Panth. -Photo: Raj Mishra

Sometimes Baba Farid and sometimes Gorakhnath was seen in the speeches of Guru Nanak.
There is no single opinion on what era Guru Gorakhnath was in. Some consider him to be of Mahabharata period, while some say that he was the greatest saint of India after Adi Shankaracharya. Gorakhnath is also considered an incarnation of Shiva in the Nath panth. Historians are also divided. Some consider them to be of the 9th century and some consider them to be of the beginning of the 11th century. However, his influence is reflected in the speeches of the famous Sufi saint Baba Farid, Kabir who challenged the Delhi Sultanate and Guru Nanak, the Adi Guru of the Sikhs. Gorakhnath is mentioned in many works.

The burnt dhuni of Baba Gorakhnath is still burning today. It was not allowed to be extinguished for hundreds of years. It is considered a symbol of faith.

When Jwala Devi started preparing for making khichdi, Gorakhnath got absorbed in meditation.
It is said in the folklore that when Guru Gorakshanath went to the famous Jwala Devi temple in Kangra district of Himachal Pradesh seeking alms in Treta Yuga, the goddess appeared there and invited Gorakhnath. But Gorakhnath spoke of eating only rice and pulses received in alms. On this the goddess offered him water in a vessel to cook the grains he had received in alms.

The fair held in the temple premises is also an example of social harmony. There are a large number of Hindu and Muslim shops in the temple premises.

When Gorakhnath went out to beg for alms, he came to Gorakhpur via there and got absorbed in meditation at one place here. At that time, those who saw Gorakhnath absorbed in spiritual practice started pouring rice and pulses in his pot. When he could not fill the pot, people started becoming his followers considering it as a miracle of the Guru. Then this cycle started. At the same time, hot water is still boiling in the temple of Jwala Devi.

Every year a big fair is held here on the occasion of Makar Sankranti. There is a tradition of offering Khichdi to Gorakhnath on this occasion. There is a lot of activity here for a month.

The center of hatha practice built amidst dense forests on the banks of Rapti
Guru Gorakhnath made the place between the dense forests on the banks of the river Rapti the center of his hatha practice. The sages and saints who came here would then be stuck around the never extinguished Dhuni of Gorakshanath and would be absorbed in God’s sadhana. According to ‘Mehboob-ut-Tawarikh’ written by Syed Ahmed Alishah, Gorakhpur was earlier a deserted and quiet forest, where many saints and saints used to live. Guru Gorakhnath also meditated here. This is also acknowledged by the English scholar George Grierson, who has written a lot on the literature of Gorakhnath and Nathpanthis.

Statues and literature related to Nath Yogis have been kept in this building built in the temple premises.

After 12 years of severe penance, sannyasins are made, there is no tradition of taking the throne
There is no discrimination in the Nath sect. Anyone of any caste, varna and any age can adopt it at any time. After adopting the Nath sect, after going through 12 years of rigorous penance, initiation is given to the sannyasin, who has to follow strict rules for life.

Yogi Adityanath worshiping Baba Gorakhnath. file photo.

After initiation, a sannyasin should not take any royal post, nor is he allowed to eat food in the royal family. The pyre of Nath Yogis is not lit. It is believed that yoga purifies his body. These yogis also smoke ashes.

According to legends, Yudhishthira’s younger brother Bhima had come to invite the Rajasuya Yagya during the Mahabharata period. At that time Gorakhnath was absorbed in meditation. He rested here for some time.

Bhima had come to give an invitation, when he felt thirsty, he made a pond by pressing his thumb.
It is also said about Gorakhnath that Yudhishthira’s younger brother Bhima had come to invite the Rajasuya Yagya during the Mahabharata period. At that time Gorakhnath was absorbed in meditation. Bhima was tired and he was also thirsty. In such a situation, he had made a pond here by pressing his thumb and after drinking water, he rested here for some time. The lake of the temple is believed to be the gift of Bhima. There is also a lying statue of Bhima next to it.

It is said that this pond was made by Bhima with his toe.

…so did Kabir, Ravidas and Guru Nanak have food together
It is also said in folk tales that Guru Nanak Dev also visited Baba Gorakhnath Heeki Taposthali. It is also said that once during a famine, local people organized a bhandara on Kabir Dhuni in Magahar near Gorakhpur, in which Guru Gorakhnath, Kabir, Sant Ravidas and Guru Nanak also participated. However, this is only a public opinion because the era of the three saints was different.