The Natha Cult

Gorakhpur, 28th January 1984

Baba visited a temple at Gorakhpur on the northern outskirts of the city.

Baba asked whether the priest was a Natha panthi or Dashana’mi. We could not answer.

Baba was told that according to local folklore Bhiima had visited here, He noted that Hastinapur was not very far from this place:

Na’tha Pantha’ is a blending of Shaevism and Buddhism. Its preceptor, Matsyendranath, was a Bengali prince.

The birthplace of Gorakhanatha is still unconfirmed. But it is well known that he was born in the Bhojpuri-speaking area.

People believed that Gorakhanath was an incarnation of Shiva.

• This speaks of the influence of Shacvism.

Shiva was accepted as the deity of Puranicism when Puranic faith prevailed after Shankaracarya.

Tantrik literature can be found in both Sanskrit and Bhojpuri languages around Gorakhpur.

Natha yogis used to narrate folkstories and parables in old Bhojpuri language.

Tantrik literature written on old palm leaves can also still be found in this area.

Baba implied that the caste of the priest of the Natha temple depended on Puranicism.

Wherever Puranicism predominated, the priest was a Brahman.

But where it was not dominant, anyone of any caste could be a priest.

The Joshis were Buddhist priests and later they were given the status of Brahmans.

The Joshis have fair complexion and are of medium height.

Nathism grew to become a transformed form of Buddhism, an appendage of the latter. More- over there was ideological conflict between Matayendranatha and Gorakhanatha.

Matsyendranath propagated the Natha cult in Nepal and later went to Ka’maru’pa. Gorakhanatha went to Nepal and created a new Gorakhapanthi group amongst the Indo-Tibetan tribes residing there.

Centers of Nath cult extended over a vast area from Kashi Rajya to Assam. Nathnagar in Bhagalpur, Bihar was one of the most powerful centres of the Nath Cult.

Several villages with ‘Nath’ suffix can be found in this area. The followers of the faith took the title ‘Na’tha’ or ‘Devana’tha’. While some Natha followers were socially ostracized, in Kashi Rajya caste consciousness was not so powerful.

Amongst the Kayasthas those using ‘Munshi’ title were pro-Nath and those having ‘Akhauri’ title were pro-Shaeva.

Bhartrihari was a powerful king and a great Nath Yogi. He composed songs in Bhojpuri, which formed the nexus of the rich Bhojpuri literature dating back 800 to 900 years.

Bhojpuri literature can also be collected from palm leaves found in the mathas (centres) of the Nath cult. The sayings and couplets of Gorakhanath and Bhartrihari are valuable sources of Bhojpuri literature.

These should be collected and printed and would be ample proof that Bhojpuri is a full-fledged language and not merely a dialect, Bhojpuri dates back nearly 1200 years

23

Gorakhpur January 29, 1984

Today Baba went to a garden near Railway Colony.

Gorakhpur, in east India, when He made the following observa-

Bhojpuri is a highly developed language. It has dialects:

1. Khart
2. Camparani
3. Dumraon
4. Kashika

The Dumraon dialect is the standard Bhojpuri.

Gorakhpur was included in Kashirajya and Bhojadeva was one of its most famous Kings.

He was:

• a Brahman and a great scholar who wrote a commentary on Samkhya philosophy
• widely recognized for his erudition

Some Brahmans became jealous of him and started agitating against him causing the emergence of 2 groups.

Those who supported Bhoja were driven out from their caste and took the title Raj.

Raj is derived from the Namakria word ‘Raja’.

• In Magadhi Prakrta it became ‘Raya’
• Demi Magadhi it became Rai although some people say Raii as in Raghuraii

Raj is also the title of a group of Bhumihars.

2,000 years ago, there were no Bhumihars. But today, they use titles such as Pandey, Dubey, Tiva’ri all Brahman titles.

Bha’numail, the wife of Bhoja was a tantrika.

She started Bajigari or Jadugari, a sort of magic.

Bajiigara was previously a Sanskrit word which evolved into the word ‘Ba’jikara’.

‘Kara’ is a Persian suffix, as exemplified in Karkha’na (factory).

‘Karigara for factory worker) and ‘Beka’ra’ (meaning one without a job). Terms such as Bhojba’jii and ‘Pet’a’ra’ or Bha’numati became popular due to Bha’numatii, the coveted

Later, King Bhoja left Kashi and established himself at a place which is at present situated in the Bhojpur district of Bihar… He chose to keep his political capital separate from the famous spiritus cultural place of Ka’shii, which was regularly visited by many people from far and wide in those days.

1,200 years ago, a convention of Brahmans was organised at Prayag (Allahabad).

During this convention two groups of Brahmans emerged:

1. The group of Kashi
2. The group of Kaoshal

A third group comprising members from both these groups was known as the Kanyakubja group.

In this convention, 5 sections of Gauriya (or North Indian Brahmans) and 5 sections of Dravida (or South Indian Brahmans) gained recognition.

The 5 Gauriya sections were :

1. Sa’rasvata Brahmins of Punjab and Kashmir
2. Kan’yakubja Brahmins of West and East U.P.
3. Gaorha Brahmins of South Punjab and Rajasthan
4. Maethil Branmins of Mithila
5. Na’gar Brahmins of Gujarat (these people invented the Nagri script)

The 10 groups became the recognised Brahmins, although marriage was prohibited between the northern and southern groups.

In Buddha’s time, there was no such distinction.

Marriages between the children of one’s maternal uncle and one’s paternal aunt were allowed.

Yashodhara, the wife of Siddhartha, was the latter’s maternal sister. Such marriages were prohibited by the Praya’ga convention.

‘Itiha’sa’ is:

• very different from general history or factual narration
• educative

“Iti hasati ityarthe itihasah.

Itihasah discusses why a particular event happened, and also discusses its consequences. It is social history.

Conventions such as the one at Prayag are glittering examples of ‘Itiha’sa,’ as they depict ancient traditions which have far-reaching social consequences.

During the time of King Prasenjit, Kashi and Kaoshal were not separate kingdoms.

Lucknow and Kanpur were under Kaosal Raja. After the spread of Islam in India, the culture and traditions of Hindus and Muslims remained very close.

For example, the women of both these communities wear coloured bangles and put vermillion in their hair to signify that they are married.

In the Alwar state of Rajasthan, certain Rajput families who were converted to Islam adopted the title Meye Rajput, a word derived from Mia-Rajput. Moreover they still use the word “Singh” as a title in their names, exemplified in names like Ikbal Singh, Alibaksh Singh, etc.

Meyo-Rajput follow the Hindu marriage system; afterwards their marriage is solemnized by a Maulavi, and they confine their marriage rela tionships to Meyos only.

25

The Hindus and the Muslims also have close linguistic links.

The mother tongues of Indian Muslims and Hindus were not Urdu and Hindi respectively, as both groups spoke Bhojpuri, Avadhi, Punjabi, Angika, etc., according to the area they live in.

While there was a cultural blending and change after the spread of Islam in India the cultural links between Muslims and Hindus grew strong. Moreover social evils like the caste system and untouchability became prevalent amongst Hindus, and Muslims were also infected with prejudicial attitudes and social intolerance. British imperialsm deliberately drove a wedge between Hindus and Muslims by adopting a dividing policy in India. Sectarianism was exploited by the British to further the cause of imperialism.

Racially, both Hindus and Muslims have the same complexion and their physical features are also similar.

For example, Hindu Brahmans, Vaeshnavas and Jains and Muslim Khojas, Shias and Sunnis in Gujrat have similar physical struc- tures they are round-headed Aryans with faces like a betel leaf.

These Shias migrated to India from Persia and their language is Urdu. The Sunnis of the Bhojpuri area speak Bhojpuri.

A detailed survey of the entire country will reveal a comprehensive blending of races at different places, indicating an affinity and similarity amongst all the groups in India.

If Indian historians had understood all the factors affecting the development of our ancient culture, the two-nation theory could never have been propounded.

While history, tradition and culture depict a close link between Hindus and Muslims, differences also exist within and between these communities.

India has a rich cultural heritage.

In the same community, for example, there are differences in pronunciation and religious rituals.

Many Brahmans from Kashi are Rgvediya while many from Kaoshal are Yajurvediya. Their systems of recitation of Mantra and Mudras (postures while doing worship) also differ.

The Brahmans of Rarh and West Bengal also belong to two groups-Sa’mavedi’ya and Va’rendrii.

Should the difference divide them into further castes and sub-castes ? Differences in cultural expression should firmly unite people rather than divide them. A proper under- standing of India’s ‘Itihasa’ and strongly integrated cultural heri- tage would teach people that differences within and between communities are merely superficial and that a subterranean unity binds the Indian people together.

The history of Indian civilisation is characterised by cultural blending and synthesis.

India still exists because it evolved according to the principle of ‘give and take’.

It has lived through many changes, manifesting the subterranean flow of humanity for at least the last 5,000 years.

Without flexibility, India would not have endured.

• It would have vanished like the Egyptian and other ancient civilisations.