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Bhartrhari as the brother of Queen Maynamati, and the uncle of Gopichandra.
Cauranginanth, another disciple of Matsyendranath, belonged to the Pala Dynasty of Bengal. Cauranginath's step mother had his hands and feet cut off and his body thrown into a forest. Here he was discovered by Matsyendranath, initiated by him and restored to his former self after twelve years of self-discipline by Yoga. This story is narrated in the form of a drama Purnachandra written in Bengali by the well-known dramatist Late Girish Chandra De. Cauranginath is believed to be the son of Devapal, and queen Maynamati the sister of Devapal. This same Maynamati encouraged Ramai Pandit in the worship of Dharma, a later form of Buddhism adopted at the tinm of conflict with the Muslims. Buddhist contacts with the Natha cult are numerous. In Bengal Hadipa, Gorakh and Matsyendra are claimed as Buddhist Saints and they are supposed to be related to the Dharma movement. One of the Yogi castes of Bengal are still known as the Dharmaghori Yogi. In Nepal, Matsyendranath is identified with Avalokitesvara, the fourth divine Bodhisattva, and his annual festival there is connected with an ancient Buddhist image. In a hymn composed in Bengali in honour of the god Dharma who is of a non--Hindu origin, we find the meeting of the Saints Haipa, Kanupa, Gorakhnath and Caurangi described. Ramai Pandit is the chief priest of this Dharma worship and the composer of its tenets known as Sunya- Purana.
From Marathi tradition we know that there was an old connection between Gorakhnath and Jnanesvar's grandfather Govindpanth. Jnanesvar was the famous commentator of the Gita, known as Jnanesvari, and he was initiated into the Natha cult by his elder brother Nivrttinath. Jianesvar was born in 1290. Bhave in his Maharastra Saraswat mentions that the Natha sect was well-known throughout Maharastra in the twelfth century. Bhave also repeats the tradition of Govind- panth's connection with Gorakhnath and says that Govind- panth's father, who worked under Jaitrapal of Bira in 1207, had his mind turned to religion by Guru Gorakhnath.
(Vol. I. p. 30 ).
