NAATHA SAMPRADAYA

Naatha Sampradaya worships Lord Shiva, and is a firm believer that Shiva is the Guru (guide) of all. The sampradaya believes that the Shiva incarnates himself into human Gurus and works for the uplifting of the universe. Gorakshanatha has said that Aadhinatha Shiva is the Shiva bestowed with power. That means the divine power is not separate from Shiva, it is within and is solely responsible for the origin, the present condition and decline of the universe and Shiva without the power is just like a corpse. That is the I in the Shiva refers to the power. They are close related to each other like the Moon and the stars. In this way the Naathapantha is worshipper of Shiva and hence the Naathapanthiya yogis ask for alms while chanting “Jaishankar Bholenath” or “Alakh Niranjan”. All the four streams of Knowledge, Yoga, Dharma and Worship culminate in the Naatha Sampradaya and the Sadhaka becomes the achiever and receives the treasure of ultimate freedom throughout his/her life. And hence this pantha is called as the Pantharaj. This sampradaya is also known by the name of Avadhootmat, Avadhoot Sampradaya, Yogamarga, Siddhamat, Siddhamarga, and Siddhasampradaya.

The Navnath Sampradaya or 'Navnath Parampara', is a Hindu sampradaya, and a parampara, tradition based upon the lineage of the nine gurus Navnaths , from the Nath Sampradaya (lineage) of Hindu mythology. This tradition, believes Rishi Dattatreya, an incarnation of the Holy trinity Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva to be its first teacher . NavnathsThe nine teachers collectively known as Navnaths are consider the representative of great teachers in this tradition or parampara :* Matsyendranath * Gorakhnath * Jalandharnath * Kanifnath * Gahininath * Bhartrinath * Revananath * Charpatnath * Naganath

The Natha Sampradaya Marathi: नाथ संप्रदाय is a development of the earlier Siddha or Avadhuta Sampradaya,[1] an ancient lineage of spiritual masters. Its founding is traditionally ascribed as an ideal reflected by the life and spiritual attainments of the guru Dattatreya, who was considered by many to have been a human incarnation of Lord Shiva.[2] The establishment of the Naths as a distinct historical sect purportedly began around the 8th or 9th century with a simple fisherman, Matsyendranath (sometimes called Minanath, who may be identified with or called the father of Matsyendranath in some sources).[3]One story of the origin of the Nath teachings is that Matsyendranath was swallowed by a fish and while inside the fish overheard the teachings given by Shiva to his wife Parvati. According to legend, the reason behind Shiva imparting a teaching at the bottom of the ocean was in order to avoid being overheard by others. In the form of a fish, Matsyendranath exerted his hearing in the manner required to overhear and absorb the teachings of Shiva. After being rescued from the fish by another fisherman, Matsyendranath took initiation as a sannyasin from Siddha Carpati. It was Matsyendranath who became known as the founder of the specific stream of yogis known as the Nath SampradayaMatysendranath's two most important disciples were Caurangi and Gorakshanath. The latter came to eclipse his Master in importance in many of the branches and sub-sects of the Nath Sampradaya. Even today, Gorakshanath is considered by many to have been the most influential of the ancient Naths. He is also reputed to have written the first books dealing with Laya yoga and the raising of the kundalini-shakti