Goraksha Samhita: Also Known As Goraksha Paddhati

ISBN: 1521732493

Author: Vishnuswaroop, Swami

Condition: New

The name of the great Yogi Goraksanatha is not unfamiliar at all. Renowned spiritual masters in the East have highly acknowledged and honored him as a Siddha Yogi for many centuries. His name is mentioned by Svami Svatmarama in his classical text Hatha Yoga Pradipika (Chapter One, Verses 4 and 5). He is also one of the Masters mentioned in the Puranas and yogic texts. He is well known as Guru Gorakhanath and a highly respected, revered, and worshipped spiritual master in India and Nepal. The followers of the Nath Tradition worship him as the incarnation of Lord Siva and say that the nine Naths and eighty-four Siddhas belong to Adinatha, Lord Siva. So, he is also called Siva Goraksa, the founder of the Natha Siddha tradition. It is said that Hatha Yogi Mastsyendranath was the Guru of Goraksanatha. Yogi Mastsyendranath received Yoga Vidya (knowledge/wisdom) directly from the mouth of Lord Siva through Parvati. It was Guru Goraksanatha who summarized the yogic subject matters in two hundred verses, which he had received from his Guru Mastsyendranath, based on the teachings of Sri Adinatha (Lord Siva). This summarized text by Goraksanatha is called Goraksa Samhita (compendium) which is also known as Gorakhsa Paddhati (method).Goraksa Samhita highly emphasizes on purification of the body, prana, and the mind. It is believed that total purification of all impurities on the both physical and pranic levels is absolutely necessary in order to purify the mind. When these impurities are eliminated from the body and the energy blocks are removed, then the foundation for the awakening of the Sakti is prepared. Therefore, Guru Gorakhanath in Goraksa Samhita clearly outlines the various aspects of the Hatha Yoga practices e.g. asana, pranayama, mudra, bandha, and dhyana, etc., which serve as the solid foundation for the preparation and practice of Raja Yoga. Originally, the science of Hatha Yoga was discovered for the expansion and evolution of human consciousness and for the accomplishment of the ultimate goal of human life and Yoga, Moksa (liberation) and Samadhi (the superconscious state) respectively. According to Goraksa Samhita, the objective of Hatha Yoga is to create a harmonious balance between the physical body, prana (the vital energy) and the mind. It is said that when the impulses generated by this harmonious balance stimulate the awakening of the Ku??ali Sakti, only then the evolution of consciousness or union between Siva and Sakti is possible. This accomplishment is the sole objective of the teaching of Goraksa Samhita by Guru Goraksanatha.