INTRODUCTION
A Short Account of the Natha Yogis
The Natha Yogis have played a very important role in the history of mediaeval Indian mysticism. These Yogis worshipped God as 'Natha' or the Supreme Master, who according to their faith, transcends not only the finite, but the infinite as well. The worshippers of Natha were adepts n Yogic cult, which was supposed to give them supernatural powers. Among them, Sree Guru Matsyendranath and his most able disciple Sree Gorakhnath or Goraksanath have been known throughout India for their marvellous performances of miracles. Legends of the superhuman powers of the Natha gurus ( spiritual teachers ) abound in Indian Literature - Sanskrit, Hindi, Marathi, Gujrati, Oriya, Nepalese and extensively in Bengali. Matsyendranath, the foremost of the Natha gurus was born in Bengal and some scholars mention that Goraksanath too hailed from Eastern Bengal. Thus the Natha gurus must have profoundly influenced the religious fe of the people of Bengal in the mediaeval period and their cult naturally found expression in Bengali literature.
Besides popular legends and ballads, the contributions to Natha philosophical texts, both in prose and poetry, by the Natha gurus themselves are by no means negligible. Luipada or Minanath, which were other names by which Matsyendranath was known, was one of the first verse writers in Bengali in the tenth century, and Gorakhnath was probably the first prose writer in Hindi. Other important works by these two gurus are found in Sanskrit.
The Natha gurus taught their doctrines to the rich and the poor alike. Kings have given up their thrones to preach the doctrines of the Natha sect. The renunciation of king Gopichandra of Bengal, in the eleventh century, created a sensation all over India, which even at this distance of time continues to be echoed in poems and dramas, and in popular ballads sung by minstrels amongst rural folk. King Bhar- trhari of Ujjain in Western India also became a Yogi. Bhartrhari's renunciation of wealth and enjoyment to take the wow is associated with the same popular pathos as that of
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