Nath Yogis: Masters of Existence

Dr. Robert explores the origins and significance of the original nine Nath yogis, their mastery, and miraculous births.

Key Takeaways

Nath yogis are masters of yoga and existence with a lineage tracing back to nine original figures.
These original Naths underwent transformations that granted them extended longevity or immortality.
Matsyendranath and Gorakhnath are central figures with miraculous origin stories.
The Nath tradition is deeply connected to Shiva worship and secret yogic knowledge.
Understanding the original nine Naths is essential to grasp the full significance of the Nath yogi tradition.

What the video covers

The video discusses two groups of Nath yogis: current human practitioners and the original nine Naths.
The original nine Naths are legendary figures who mastered yoga, penance, and existence itself.
Key figures among the nine include Matsyendranath, Gorakhnath, and Jalandharnath.
The term 'Nath' means 'master' in Sanskrit, referring to those who have achieved mastery over existence.
These original Naths were once human but transformed into immortal or semi-immortal beings.
There are differing opinions about who the first Nath was, with candidates including Machchindranath, Shiva, and Dattatreya.
Matsyendranath is said to have been born in the womb of a fish and received secret knowledge from Shiva.
The story of Gorakhnath’s miraculous birth from a dung heap after consuming blessed ash is highlighted.
The Nath yogis are considered worthy of devotion due to their supernatural powers and spiritual achievements.
The video emphasizes understanding the original nine Naths to appreciate the broader Nath tradition.

Chapters

Who were the original nine Nath yogis?

The original nine Nath yogis were legendary masters of yoga and penance, including Matsyendranath, Gorakhnath, and Jalandharnath, who transformed into immortal beings.

What does the term 'Nath' mean?

'Nath' is a Sanskrit word meaning 'master,' referring to individuals who have mastered existence, yoga, and penance.

What is the significance of Matsyendranath in Nath tradition?

Matsyendranath is considered one of the original Nath yogis, famously said to have been born in the womb of a fish and to have received secret yogic knowledge directly from Shiva.

Full Transcript — Download SRT & Markdown

Speaker A

Namaste. I'm Dr. Robert, and today on Five-ish Minutes with Dr. Robert, my subject is Nath yogis.

Speaker A

Now, there's really two groups of Nath yogis. One are the human beings who identify as Naths, and there are many of these still existing, almost exclusively in India.

Speaker A

But I'm focusing today on the original Neeva Nath, the original nine Naths, and these nine Naths—there are different lists of the nine, but the three most important are Matsyendranath, Gorakhnath (or Gorakshnath), and Jalandharnath.

Speaker A

And the word Nath in Sanskrit means a master. So these are individuals who have mastered existence.

Speaker A

They have mastered penance, they have mastered yoga, and their purpose in life is to make their mastery available to those who require it.

Speaker A

And they have made a number of disciples who made disciples, and that's why there are so many Nath yogis that are humans out there.

Speaker A

But in my opinion, it's important to begin by understanding the nature of these original nine Naths. It is, so far as we can tell, these nine Naths were originally human beings, but who went through transformations to

Speaker A

become something much more than human—immortal in a sense, in the sense of being able to delay the deterioration of their body substantially.

Speaker A

Machchindranath, some people say, was the first Nath. Though other people say that Shiva was the first Nath.

Speaker A

There is definitely an opinion that the Naths originally were worshipers of Shiva. Vimalananda was of the opinion

Speaker A

that Dattatreya was the original Nath and was the guru of all the other Naths. There are some who say that, particularly in North India and among academics, that this is impossible.

Speaker A

That Dattatreya was never connected with the Naths before a much later time in Western India.

Speaker A

But I follow what I was taught by Vimalananda. The Matsyendranath, the one that we think of as the original Nath, was originally a fish, was born in the womb of a fish.

Speaker A

And it is said that once, when Shiva was communicating a very, very secret knowledge to his wife, Parvati,

Speaker A

they elected—he elected to do so down on earth in a secluded location. But while he was communicating this, Machchindra in the womb of the fish was listening also and gained that knowledge at the same time that Parvati did.

Speaker A

And when Shiva said to Parvati, "Have you understood?" Machchindra piped up and said, "Yes, I have understood."

Speaker A

And Shiva said, "What?" And then he looked down and he saw that he had a new disciple in the form of a fish.

Speaker A

And he said, "Well, I see you have, because of the law of karma, become my disciple.

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Therefore, I'm going to bless you that you will become a great disciple, and we're gonna have Lord Dattatreya become your guru.

Speaker A

And that will be good." And Machchindranath became a great immortal being and did all kinds of wonderful things.

Speaker A

And different stories have different details, but one story, and the one Vimalananda endorsed, was that Matra had some ash and he blessed the ash that whoever consumed it would

Speaker A

give birth to a son, and he gave it to a woman who listened to her girlfriends, and they said, "Oh my God, don't do that.

Speaker A

You'll turn into a slave of this yogi. They're all magicians." And so she threw it on a heap of dung. And when Machchindranath came back 12 years later and said, "I'd like to see the son that you had

Speaker A

from me giving you that ash in the past," she said, "Man, I didn't do it.

Speaker A

I threw it on the dung heap." And Machchindranath said, "Uh, show me the dung heap, because that ash cannot possibly have failed."

Speaker A

And he said, "Okay, where are you?" And Gorakhnath said, "From down below, I am in the dung heap."

Speaker A

And out came Gorakhnath. And many of the Naths had these miraculous types of births, and they became miraculous yogis, and they are worthy of our devotion.

Topics:Nath yogisMatsyendranathGorakhnathJalandharnathyoga mastersimmortalityShiva worshipDattatreyayogic lineagemiraculous births

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