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The yoga
system of physical, psychical and spiritual self-discipline, along with
traditions about Maha-Yogiswara Shiva, as the supreme teacher of yoga-sadhana
and the supreme ideal of yoga-siddhi, appears to be as old as Hindu culture.
Since the earliest days Bharat (India) has been known to other countries as the
land of yoga. The Himalayan regions were particularly renowned for the yoga
culture. Shiva has been traditionally believed to have his permanent abode on
the Himalayas. This is why earnest spiritual aspirants, having renounced their
worldly concerns, would usually retire to the Himalayan for the purpose of
devoting their whole time and energy to the practice of yoga under the expert
guidance of enlightened Maha yogis who would always be found in these regions.
The merciful Maha-yogis would occasionally come down to the plains to awaken the
spiritual consciousness of the worldly men and lead them to the path of yoga
amidst their worldly duties and also to help them with sound advice and
miraculous power in times of distress and crisis. |
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It may be
remembered here that the ‘gurus’ like Ramdev, Ravisankar etc. have borrowed
their concepts obviously from the Nath-yogis and have been exhibiting their
feats not freely but in lieu of lakhs of rupees. Ramdev has got the formulas of
ayurvedic medicines, the treatment and diagnosis of diseases from Patanjali and
other sages who discovered the innumerable herbals and invented the methods of
applications.
Matsyendranath and his more illustrious disciple Gorakhnath were the historical
founders of the Nath yogi sampradaya. They brought down the ancient yoga system
from the Himalayan heights to the plains and made it popular among all sections
of spiritual aspirants, not only in India, but also in the countries around it.
They did not claim to create any system of spiritual discipline or propagate any
new Meta physical view, but they created a mighty monastic organization of
all-renouncing yogis amidst social surroundings for the propagation of the
supreme yogic ideal of human life among classes of people, not excluding even
those who were occupied with domestic and social duties. They carried message of
the Himalaya Siddha-yogis to all strata of the society, through their
all-renouncing monastic disciples, who having attained spiritual attainment
through systematic practice of yoga under expert guidance, would move about
in all parts of the country with nothing but tattered rags and begging bowls in
their possession and set before the people- living example of yogic life-the
life of purity, tranquility ,renunciation and self mastery, universal love and
un disturbed peace of mind . They would demonstrate to the people what
miraculous powers are dormant in every man, a power which could be developed and
activated through the practice of yoga and how even the forces of nature could
be made to yield to the will-power of a yogi. Occasionally they made the use of
their miraculous powers for the benefit of the distressed people and this
naturally enhanced the faith of the people in the wonderful efficacy of yoga
even in practical life. Besides, creating the monastic organization for the
popularization of the yogic ideal of life and the yogic method of spiritual
discipline Matsyendranath and Gorakhnath and their disciples and followers also
widely popularized the worship of Shiva, and placed Shiva with Shakti immanent
in him before the imagination of all classes of people – house – holders, and
sannyasishs alike, as representing supreme ideal of yogic life and spiritual
fulfilment. But all of them were Avadhuta and ‘Brahmacharies’ in their food,
dress and ways of life. They were all unlike some of the modern so called gurus,
a few of whom left no stone unturned to project themselves as god himself,
though they have ‘wives’, sons, grandsons and host of descendants for whom they
or he accumulated huge wealth, palatial buildings of pomp and luxury. In some
others the monks are habituated to ‘rajasik’ and tamasic food consisting of
meat, fish and other rich victuals. Most strangely thousands of so called
disciples rush to them to receive spiritual enlightenment. I don’t know , and I
don’t think, they receive anything spiritual though they have been paying daily
or monthly ‘pranamis’ as subscription and thus helping the monastic
institutions as the centre of ‘monarchic’ organizations. It is very amazing to
think how people of the 21st century , some of whom are literate
having university degrees, can be so much superstitious and fanatic devotees of
such money-covetous so called gurus, who have agents to initiate(to give diksha)
others. They are something like licensee or authority to act as the agents or
sub-agents and a chain of agents preoccupied with the lucrative agency of
preaching the ‘sublime’ greatness of their ‘god’ (Krishna himself) and
persuading the prospective disciples to be initiated and thus being able to earn
something extra in addition to their usual income. Reports go that if any such
agents can fulfill the ‘quota’ – the particular number of disciples, he will be
entitled to be gifted with the license to do the job of initiation himself. Fact
is stranger than fiction.
By-
Mr. Ramani Mohan Nath
(Retired Teacher)
(To be
continued...) |