Author Archives: Yogi Matsyendranatha

What is the correct mantra?

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What is the correct mantra to be practiced by a sādhaka following the traditional path? I suggest referring to one śloka from the Gurugītā:

ध्यानमूलं गुरुर्मूर्तिः पूजामूलं गुरुर्पदम् ।
मन्त्रमूलं गुरुर्वाक्यं मोक्षमूलं गुरूर्कृपा ॥

dhyānamūlaṁ gurormūrtiḥ pūjāmūlaṁ gurupadam |
mantramūlaṁ guruvākyaṁ mokṣamūlaṁ gurukṛpā ||

The image of the Guru is the basis of meditation, 
The feet of the Guru is the basis of worship,
The basis of mantra is Guru’s speech, 
The basis of liberation is Guru’s grace.

It may seem to someone that this is said for a beautiful word, but in reality it is not. In deed, as it is said in this śloka, it is so. However, the meaning of this śloka lies in the correct attitude towards the guru, which is not characteristic of many, especially in the Western environment, including among the so-called “spiritual practitioners”. This happens for the reason that those who declare themselves sādhakas in the West are subject to the trends of the general environment, where a lot of mass delusions are cultivated. But, if you know deeply the topic of mantras, then the mantra is the Deity, and the guru is a good practitioner. A good practitioner is one who has realised the mantra (i.e. the Divine in himself). Accordingly, the transfer of the mantra, of course, occurs from the guru to the disciple, but essentially it is the Deity itself that “transmits” itself through the guru to the disciple. I propose to think about how important, deep and sacred this process is. Therefore, it is necessary to come to the guru precisely for this kind of process. But of course, this does not happen as simply and primitively as many imagine it to be, the level of devotion and understanding of what it is must be extremely high.

About Dhūmra Gaṇapati

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The Gaṇeśa Purāṇa as well as the Mudgala Purāṇa refers to धुम्रवर्ण गणेश (dhumravarṇa gaṇeśa) and धूम्रकेतु गणेश (dhūmraketu gaṇeśa). That is a smoky or ash-coloured Gaṇeśa (which is associated with bhasma), so this form is deeply connected to Goddess Dhūmāvatī. The Mudgala Purāṇa lists eight forms of Gaṇapati and the last of them is धुम्रवर्ण गणेश (dhumravarṇa gaṇeśa). There is a mention of another form in the Gaṇapati Purāṇa, one of the four, which is called धूम्रकेतु गणेश (dhūmraketu gaṇeśa). The first form is called महोत्कट विनायक (mahotkaṭa vināyaka) and manifests itself in the satya yuga, the form मयूरेश्वर विनायक (mayūreśvara vināyaka) is manifested in the tretā yuga, गजानन (gajānana) – in the dvāpara yuga, and धूम्रकेतु विनायक (dhūmraketu vināyaka) – in the kali yuga. It is completely normal for different forms of Gaṇapati to be worshipped at certain time periods. That is traditionally performed every month at chaturthi tithi, according to the Indian almanac (pañcāṅga).

1. In the month of Māgha,  भालचन्द्र गणेश (bhālacandra gaṇeśa) is worshipped.
2. In the month of Phālguna, हेरम्ब गणेश (heramba gaṇeśa) is worshipped.
3. In the month of Caitra, विकट गणेश (vikaṭa gaṇeśa) is worshipped.
4. In the month of Vaiśākha, वक्रतुण्ड गणेश (vakratuṇḍa gaṇeśa) is worshipped.
5. In the month of Jyeṣṭha, रथ गणेश (ratha gaṇeśa) is worshipped.
6. In the month of Āṣāḍha, लम्बोदर गणेश (lambodara gaṇeśa) is worshipped.
7. In the month of Śrāvaṇa, विनायक गणेश (vināyaka gaṇeśa) is worshipped.
8. In the month of Bhādrapada, एकदन्त गणेश (ekadanta gaṇeśa) is worshipped.
9. In the month of Aśvīna, कृष्ण गणेश (kṛṣṇa gaṇeśa) is worshipped.
10. In the month of Kārtika, पिंग गणेश (piṃga gaṇeśa) is worshipped.
11. In the month of Mārgaśīrṣa, गजानन गणेश (gajānana gaṇeśa) is worshipped.
12. In the month of Puṣyā, लम्बोदर गणेश (lambodara gaṇeśa) is worshipped.

In general, according to the Gaṇeśa Purāṇa, धूम्र गणेश (dhūmra gaṇeśa) is worshipped. He is described with a vāhana in the form of a blue horse, which differs from the common popular version where he has a vāhana in a form of a mouse. In this form he is associated with Kalki-avatār, a form of Viṣṇu. However, we must bear in mind that in India, followers of different Sampradāyas may see their principal Deity as the highest. So it is not surprising that for some of them Viṣṇu is a manifestation of Śiva, for some – Viṣṇu and even some forms of Śiva are manifestations of the Mother Goddess, and that is also true for the worshippers of Gaṇapati. Dhūmra Gaṇapati is therefore a form of Gaṇeśa, which is the counterpart of Kalki-avatār in Vaishnavism. Although, there are ślokas describing Dhumravarṇa Gaṇapati sitting on a mouse (आखु / ākhu):

धुम्रवर्णावतारश्चाभिमानासुरनाशकः ।
आखुवाहन एवासौ शिवात्मा तु स उच्येत ।।

dhumravarṇāvatāraścābhimānāsuranāśakaḥ ।
ākhuvāhana evāsau śivātmā tu sa ucyeta ।।

The avatāra who has the smoky colour, the one who is also the destroyer of abhimanasura (the demon of pride). The one whose means of transport is in the form of a mouse, who is actually to be called the essence of Śiva.

Accordingly, it is very common in India to reduce all individual forms of Gaṇeśa or some other Deity to the most popular forms and their attributes at first. And then, to the yogic experience in general, as for example, in the Nātha-sampradāya, where Gaṇeśa has a human face, not an elephant-headed one. That is not because he originally had a human face before Śiva gave him an elephant’s head in the famous story. It is simply that for a yogin the human form is closer and the aim of all practices is to realise the divinity in own body, which is what all practices in tantrism lead to. The aim of realisation of a particular mantra (which is one with its Deity) is that your whole psychophysical being becomes a permanent carrier of the reality of that Deity. Continuous total abiding in God means eternity – the nature of ātman, which is the goal of yoga. However, Dhūmra Gaṇapati, like Goddess Dhūmāvatī, is the symbolic end of the spiritual path. It is a symbol of the burned-out worldly aspirations (saṃskāra), the residing of consciousness in the mundane (vāsanā), and in general – of the fire of any passion for life (kāmāgni). The worldly man is constantly engaged in a bubbling life full of fire, the last sign of which is the smoke of the funeral pyre, it’s grey ashes (bhasma). He who has forsaken all the useless fuss of the world, strives for the silencing of all ‘vṛitti‘ (the endless cycle of thoughts) in the mind. Such a devotee strives unceasingly towards the eternity of his true Self (ātman), seeing all worldly things transformed into the nectar of bhasma, the symbol of emptiness from which all forms, all activities (‘pravṛitti’), have emerged. Such yogins are in no hurry to go anywhere. Even if they do stay in this world, they are in a very nominal contact with everything. Dhūmra Gaṇapati and Dhūmāvatī properly represent the nature of Ketu and Śani in jyotiṣa. Śani is the slowest of all planets, so it constrains the exaggeration in our activities, the same is with Ketu. But these grahas could be helpful to those who choose discipline and aspiration towards mokṣa.

Yogic nature of Dhūmāvatī Goddess

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My congratulations on the upcoming event that celebrates the birth of the Hindu Goddess Dhūmāvatī. We should observe Dhūmāvatī first and foremost as a Goddess with the profound symbolism. Officially she doesn’t have her own Bhairava, because she and he are one and the same. She is associated with the upper cakras, the upper āmnāya (transmission of knowledge), which leads to mokṣa and is the essence of all āmnāyas. Her energy is associated with the renunciation from the world, with nirvikalpa–samādhi. Dhūmāvatī symbolises the moment when the power of kuṇḍalinī rises upwards, reaches ājñā-cakra and then dissolves into Paramaśiva. I will give you an interesting excerpt from the Siddha-siddhānta-paddhati, which describes the practices involved in realisation of various guidelines in yoga. In describing of the inner lakṣya, I suggest that you pay attention to this passage from the second part:

अथवा ललाटोर्ध्वे कोलोलाटमण्डपे स्फुरत्काराकारं लक्षयेत्।
athavā lalāṭordhve kololāṭamaṇḍape sphuratkārākāraṃ lakṣayet।

Or, one must contemplate a pulsating flash in space above the forehead.

अथवा भ्रमरगुहामध्ये आरक्तभ्रमराकारं लक्षयेत्।
athavā bhramaraguhāmadhye āraktabhramarākāraṃ lakṣayet।

Or, contemplate an image like a red bee in the bhramara-guha (bee cave) area.

अथवा कर्णद्वयं तर्जनीभ्यां निरोधयेत् ततः शिरोमध्ये धूं धूं कारं नादं श्रृणोति।
athavā karṇadvayaṃ tarjanībhyāṃ nirodhayet tataḥ śiromadhye dhūṃ dhūṃ kāraṃ nādaṃ śrṛṇoti।

Or, one should cover both ears with two thumbs and then listen to the sound “dhūṃ dhūṃ” धूं धूं (Dhūmāvatī bīja-mantra) in the middle of the head.

अथवा चक्षुर्मध्ये नीलज्योतिरूपं पुतल्याकारं लक्षयेदित्यन्तर्लक्ष्यम् ॥२७॥
athavā cakṣurmadhye nīlajyotirūpaṃ putalyākāraṃ lakṣayedityantarlakṣyam ॥27॥

Or, between the eyes, contemplate a glowing blue image. These are the inner guidelines of contemplation.

Blue is often associated with various types of Goddesses, it can represent the energy of Tārā (Nīlasaraswati), Śyāmalā (Mātaṅgī), Kālī, which in many ways could also correspond to Dhūmāvatī, as blue slightly resembles the color of smoke. In fact, bījas, Dhūmāvatī mantras, her vibrations in the head, which lead to the dissolution are described here. I will share some personal experience. Although many believe that she represents a withering power, I think that such a view is deceptive and the worldly person does not see the most important thing about her. This Goddess, although depicted as a symbol which is close to the end of life, is also a symbol of the full unfolding of life’s whole potential. It’s a total bloom that, for many, seems daunting and ominous. Its withering contains an infinite blossoming of energy, it is kuṇḍalinī at the very peak of unfolding into infinity. Dhūmāvatī eliminates two kinds of fear, which are essentially one – the fear of life-death.

How are pūjās performed in Navrātri related to yoga?

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Many people ask me this question, so I decided to answer simply and accessibly, using examples. To obtain siddhi (success) performing sādhanā, the Deity (the Goddess in this case) must be satisfied. It is as if you have met a very influential person who is satisfied with your communication, then he or she will help you succeed in this world. It remains to understand what the Divine is and what it means to be satisfied, as in the case of the Goddess? The Goddess is a power that is present in the entire universe, we, as particles of this universe (microcosm), also have the representation of this Goddess inside ourselves. She is represented in us in the form of Kuṇḍalinī Śakti. When you honor the Goddess outside and She is pleased with your offerings, you feel tremendous powers in the outside world that help you and contribute to your progress in activities. But, since the Goddess is outside and inside us (like kuṇḍalinī), She also opens up, awakens, wakes up inside. Usually, this is what is called the awakening of the kuṇḍalinī power.

Now, let’s look at what awakening and non-awakening mean. This is a very psychological process, much like in communication, when you do not have a very trusting relationship with someone and the person is closed in relation to you. If the relationship isn’t good, then the person is tense and tight when meeting you. But, if the relationship is good, the person is open and calm in your presence. The same thing happens in your psychophysics, if you remove the psychological tightness, you release all blocks in the psyche. What happens when you release your energy and reveal yourself? As a result – a state of rest. First, a strong release of strength, then a state of peace. That is, you untie your blockages in three granthis, as a result of which you realise a natural state of calm, deep meditation. When you are satisfied, you also experience a state of calm, this is what yoga and tantrism call nirvikalpa–samādhi, nirvāṇa, mukti. It is for this purpose that the Goddess is satisfied, Her powers are revealed, for this, practices are done in Navarātri and in other special periods, or they are performed regularly, like nitya–sādhanā (daily practice).

Summary of my online talk on the International conference on Global Contribution of the Nath Panth on March 21st 2021. The Nath Tradition on Foreign Land.

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Guruji ko Adesh! Adesh to all the great devotees of our Tradition! Blessings from Guru Gorakhnath to all those who have a genuine interest in our unique Tradition, which is highly important for India and beyond!

I’ll try to be concise and cover the requested topics in 20 minutes. First and foremost, it is a promotion of the Natha Tradition in the West, which I feel the need to pay special attention to. Undoubtedly, this subject is not an easy one as it involves many different areas of our lives. 

It has been 35 years since I started practicing yoga and 15 years since I began promoting the Natha Tradition in the West, and I have faced many challenges in the process. The first point I would like to make is a cultural one. Westerners, trying to take the easy way, attempt to take something from such a complex phenomenon as the Natha Sampradaya without taking into account the environment in which it was formed. My Guru said that the tradition is like a potion made from various ‘aushadhi’ (plants) put together. We can’t say that it is the same as it was before, but we can’t say that the ‘plants’ are not there either. For many centuries, the Natha tradition has existed in the cultures of the Vedas, Puranas, Tantras, of the many various Sampradayas (Shramana, Shaiva, Shakta, Vaishnava, Buddhist, Jaina and others). We know that India has been partly influenced by Abrahamic Traditions as well, even though they may look very ambiguous in India. And I have found that very few people in the West are interested in all that, which makes it difficult for westerners, including those in the Natha Tradition, to understand the realities of India. We also know very well that western Indology would not be funded by Western governments if it did not show eastern doctrines in a diminished way in comparison to what they consider traditional. Moreover, India’s colonial past is also reflected in the fact that many Indian leaders show a lack of sovereignty. Probably some of my Indian friends think that this would be good for western followers of the Natha Sampradaya. However we do not come to India to join the globalised yoga movement that has flooded the West. Many of my students want to communicate on the themes of yoga which is traditional for sincere Indians who love their country and their culture. Now the world has changed and yoga has become so superficial, that it is very difficult even to call it ‘yoga’ anymore. To tell you the truth, sometimes I am embarrassed to call what I see with that term. But it is not just about yoga, today we face a world where corporations are trying to suppress everything natural in humans. And I think we all know what I am talking about. There is a lot of low-quality food in the world, something that harms people’s health is passed off as a medicine – they are trying to take us away from nature. But yoga is oriented on a natural state of a human being. We live in a world of very aggressive media and now more than ever we need to learn to empty our minds. I am not saying that we don’t need modern technologies at all, but the way I see it, it is good when they are utilised as our tools but not the other way around. So I would like the western followers of the Tradition and those who live in India to think about it. I have sincerely embraced the way of yoga, the way of Shiva, and I wish that the great history, the great guidelines of this tradition would not fade into oblivion. It is very important for us to keep our values sincere and pure.

Meaning of Ādeś salutation

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There is its own Sūkṣma-veda in the Nātha Sampradāya, which is called the Gorakh Sabadī. There is also the Gorakṣopaniṣad and analogues of Vedanta (ātma-jñāna, brahma-jñāna), the Gorakh Gītā, the Gorakh Purāṇa and the Gorakh Tantra. Of course, all of this often differs from what most people see in it, and although essentially it is one whole, it should be better discussed separately. There is also its own nirukta – the interpretation of terms. For instance, according to nirukta, a term ‘ādeś‘ means the following:

आदेश नाम योग – योगेश्वरों का, नाम सत रुप नाथों का, आदेश नाम पूर्ण सिद्धों का आदेश नाम आत्मा, परमात्माऔर जीवात्मा की एकता का । आदेश नाम एक अन्तर आत्मा से दूजा अन्तर आत्मा में योग बनया ज्योति स्वरुप आत्मा को नमस्कार । आदेश नाम अद्वैत आत्मा आदेश नाम निर्गुण निराकार अविनाशी आत्मा को इतना आदेश शब्द निरुक्त सम्पूर्ण भया श्री नाथ जी गुरूजी को आदेश ।

Ādeś is the name of the Lords of yoga and yoga itself, the true state of the Nāthas. Ādeś is the name of realised siddhas, of the unity of ātma (an individual soul as it is), paramātma (an omnipresent soul) and jivātma (a soul incarnated in a body). Ādeś is the name of the unity of a soul (within a person) with another soul, reverence for the luminous nature of the soul. Ādeś is the name of the non-dual ātman, which is beyond qualities, formless and indestructible. This is the full interpretation of the term ‘ādeś’. May there be respect and will (teaching) of Śrī Nātha ji Guruji!

However, according to the Machhindra Gorakh Bodh (6), we see the following explanation of the term ‘ādeś‘:

मछिंद्र: अवधू आदेस का अनुषम उपदेस, सुंनि का निरंतर बास ।
सबद का परचा गुरु कथंत मछिन्द्र नाथ ।

Oh disciple, the guidance (upadeśa) in the immeasurable ‘ādeś’ transmission (anusham), where the infinity (nirantar) lives (vāsa) in the emptiness (śūnya). Speech is a manifestation of the guru (śabd kā paricaya guru) (obviously here is the connection of the guru with vāgbhava bīja “aiṃ”), This is what guru Matsyendranāth says.

That is, ādeś or, in Sanskrit, ādeśa means a certain transmission from a guru to a disciple or from a deity to a practitioner in a special form, where an instruction and the highest essence, or the meaning are inseparable. That is the subtle knowledge which guru reveals in a student, which is, in fact, the yogic experience. Since that is not an ordinary knowledge obtained in universities, it is rather revealed in a meditative state, in a state of utmost peace of mind and feelings, so this transmission may often be a non-verbal one. It frequently occurs even in silence between some yogis or gurus and those who receives śaktipāt from them. This is a relationship of a kind that a student understands a guru giving only a small hint, half the words, on a deeply intuitive level. As a rule, that is accompanied by the deep psychophysical transformation of the student’s nature.

We can find this term in other sources, for example, in Vedanta, in the Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad (2.3.6):

अथात आदेशो ‘नेति नेति’।

So, the instruction, which is not this (and) not that.
(That is, the truth is outside of the scope of discursive thinking, the nature of the ātman is beyond any description).

Probably, this is where the origin of the Nāthas‘ focus on freedom from the inadequacy of duality or even non-duality, from any extreme, which is destructive and disharmonious comes from.

Thus, ādeś (or ādeśa) means the transfer of essential knowledge, for the sake of the deep spiritual transformation, where a disciple, being in a state of deep respect and utmost attentiveness, both in relation to himself and the guru, discovers the silent truth. We may call it the highest form of the mystical experience, leading to the total transformation, the transformation from a person to a God-man. This is the state of yoga in its essential, unified form and also in its many basic aspects, therefore there could be a connection with any kind of traditional yoga or religious practices here.

Many may consider the greeting ‘Ādeś!‘ among nāthas as an analogue to the well-known ‘namaste‘. ‘Namah‘ – means ‘respect’ and ‘te‘ – means ‘you’. However, as I see it, ‘ādeś‘ has a deeper meaning, it is rather the very essence of ‘namaste‘. By namaste, you honor a guru or a deity or someone you have respect for. It is kind of a pūjā. But why a pūjā is performed? It is performed for the sake of the inclusion in the nature of the divine and the descent of prasādam or śaktipāt. Here ādeś is, rather, the second stage, following the namaste, it is not just a pūjā as an action, but it is a successful performance. Such efficiency actually means staying in goodness, sometimes it can reveal some siddhis as accompanying side effects. Although the siddhis are definite indicators, in this case, it is not them that matters, but the state of siddha puruṣa, a pure perfect being. Whatever the pūjās are performed: vedic, purāṇic, tantric (including non-standard ones, like pañchamakāras), none of them have any meaning if there is no pure grace (prasādam). Therefore, ādeś, for a yogin, is a transforming inner spiritual purity and knowledge, it is more important than any, even the most seemingly exclusive religious techniques. This is not to say that they are good or bad, they may or may not work, as for example, a computer may be useful when it is connected to the Internet and, moreover, to electricity. In the same way, simply put, there is ādeś, in relation to all types of spiritual techniques and systems.

The Amṛtasiddhi as a Nātha text

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Not long ago student of mine sent me a curious article by Kurtis R. Schaeffer The Attainment of immortality: from Nāthas in India to buddhists in Tibet. It is dedicated to a text, which James Mallinson identified as ‘buddhist one’, which is, in my opinion, not quite correct. I also find his another claim, when during an online interview he said that the Haṭha-yoga-pradīpikā is the Vīraśaiva text only because Allama Prabhudeva is mentioned there, to be also incorrect. An attempt to take only one name related to Vīraśaivism from a huge number of listed names, ignoring all the others, and attribute the whole text to Vīraśaiva, seems very strange to me. Especially when the text itself is quite distant from the main doctrine of Vīraśaivism and its goals. The same thing is with the text Amṛtasiddhi, a conclusion that this is a Buddhist text is based on the fact that it contains several Buddhist elements, at the same time completely ignoring the huge number of Śaiva elements. This text is more Nātha related, and Virūpakṣanāth (one of the famous Nāthas) could add some elements from Buddhism there. I believe that texts of this kind should be judged primarily by the number of prevailing elements of a particular tradition. And it is obvious there, that the elements of Nāthism are dominant. But for me, even without reading the article, it is clear that the text is not Buddhist, not least because there was the Mahāmudrā practice in Buddhism in those times and it was not in the form of haṭha-yoga practice. All Vajrayāna Buddhists perfectly understand what it is. So what was the point in calling completely different levels of practice in Vajrayāna with the same term? Here is another example from the Amṛtasiddhi:

म्रियन्ते मेरुवेधेन  ब्रह्माद्या देवता ध्रुवम्
आदौ संजायते क्षिप्रं वेधो ऽयं ब्रह्मग्रन्थितः॥

mriyante meruvedhena  brahmādyā devatā dhruvam 
ādau saṃjāyate kṣipraṃ vedho ‘yaṃ brahmagranthitaḥ॥

By piercing Meru (suṣumnā with prāṇa), Brahma and other Gods are getting killed.
First, this (prāṇa) quickly pierces the Brahma-granthi (Brahma knot).

ब्रह्मग्रन्थिं ततो भित्त्वा विष्णुग्रन्थिं भिनत्यसौ
विष्णुग्रन्थिं ततो भित्त्वा रुद्रग्रन्थिं भिनत्यसौ ॥

brahmagranthiṃ tato bhittvā viṣṇugranthiṃ bhinatyasau
viṣṇugranthiṃ tato bhittvā rudragranthiṃ bhinatyasau॥

Thus, when the Brahma-granthi is pierced, the Viṣṇu-granthi (Viṣṇu knot) is pierced.
When the Viṣṇu-granthi is pierced, the Rudra-granthi (Rudra knot) is pierced.

रुद्रग्रन्थिं ततो भित्त्वा छित्वा मोहमयीं लताम्
उद् घाटयत्ययं  वायुर्ब्रह्मद्वारं सुगोपितम् ॥

rudragranthiṃ tato bhittvā chitvā mohamayīṃ latām 
ud ghāṭayatyayaṃ  vāyurbrahmadvāraṃ sugopitam ॥

Thus, piercing the Rudra-granthi, the “vines of illusion” (the intricacies of Māyā) are getting cut off. Further, ascending upward, Vāyu (air) penetrates into the super secret, Brahmadvāra (the door of Brahma).

The question is, what is so ‘Buddhist’ in these images of Purāṇic Devatās, and where in Buddhism such names of granthas are being mentioned?

There are also many other arguments in the article, for example, mentions of jīvanmukti, when a practitioner is likened to Śiva in yogic realisation etc. That is why I consider the statement of attribution of the text to Buddhism to be incorrect. Of course, some borrowings could come to Indian yoga or tantra from Buddhism, but we also have to consider the main goals of different sampradāyas. For instance, we cannot call Pancharātra ‘a yogic tradition’, if it is in fact a Vaiṣṇava bhakti oriented sect full of its specific karma–kāṇḍa etc. If I take, let’s say, Yogi Bhajan’s Kundalini-yoga and claim that it belongs to a Sikh tradition, it will be an incorrect statement. Even if you find a Sikh lineage Sant Mat, where meditation on light and sound is practiced, it doesn’t make it the main practice of the whole tradition. And again, we cannot conclude from this that it is the rationale for what Yogi Bhajan developed while living in California. Just as it is not entirely accurate to say that the Ashtanga Vinyasa style is a ‘tradition’, it is more correct to say that it is rather a modern yoga style. It could be called a tradition being spread in the West on the condition Iyengar or Pattabhi Jois would have transmitted the same sacred threads (janeū), which they had from their Gurus – to their students. Which didn’t happen, and most likely couldn’t have happened. But, if this did happen, I doubt that such disciples would have the same discipline and practice that they exercise on masse today. And although these teachers were good innovators, we should not confuse a style and gymnastic exercises with dīkṣā, discipleship, nitya sādhanā and etc. For those who want to seriously understand these things, I highly recommend taking these factors into account, although there are actually a lot of them.

The role of suṣumṇā in the mantra realisation

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Looking through the Bengali text, the Bṛhattantrasāra, written by Guru Kṛṣṇānandāgamavāgīśa, I found an interesting point regarding the mantra practice, where the Gautamīya-tantra is quoted. We know that there is a classical practice of puraścaraṇa in the form of japa, homa, tarpaṇa, mārjana and brāhmaṇa bhojana. However, it speaks of a certain “exception”, which, in my opinion, is a transitional moment of sādhanā, “joining” in itself the goals of vāmācāra and yoga of the Nāthas (vajrolī). I decided to share this piece of text with you, maybe it will give someone an additional understanding of the tantra and Nātha yoga practice.

गौतमीये –
पशुभावे स्थिता मन्त्राः प्रोक्ता वर्णास्तु  केवलाः ।
सौषुम्ने  ध्वन्युच्चरिता  प्रभुत्वं प्राप्नुवन्ति ते
मन्त्राक्षराणि चिच्छक्तौ प्रोतानि परिभावयेत्
तामेव परमव्योम्नि परमामृतबृंहिते
दर्शयत्यात्मसद्भावं पूजाहोमादिभिर्व्विनेति
मूलमन्त्रं प्राणबुद्ध्या सुषुम्नामूलदेशके
मन्त्रार्थं तस्य चैतन्यं जीवं ध्यात्वा पुनः पुनः

In the Gautamīya Tantra:

The mantras practiced in the paśu bhava are recited only at the letter level. The Suṣumṇā-related, practiced sounds are overflowing with power. During jāpa, the mantrāksharas should be fully connected to the power of consciousness. That (mantra) in the highest space is nourished by the highest bliss. Pūjā, homa and etc. are not required for this type of practice, practice the main mantra* through the power of consciousness in the root area (the base) of suṣumṇā (genitals). Practice meditation over and over again with that mantra essence, the consciousness of a living being.

* Mūla–mantra (the root mantra) is the main mantra of a Deity. For example, Śiva’s mantra is oṃ namaḥ śivāya, Gaṇeśa’s mantra is oṃ gaṃ gaṇapataye namaḥ, etc.

Whether foreigners can follow the Vedic tradition or not?

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As to whether a foreigner can follow something Indian or not. To clarify this, I will quote from the Yajurveda. I specifically take the Veda, since there is an opinion that one can receive initiation only in Tantrism, the Bhakti or the Nātha traditions, but not in the Vedic one, etc. Here is a śloka from the Śukla Yajurveda (Vājasaneyī Saṃhitā), from which follows that there is no absolute radicalism towards foreigners even in Vedism:

यथे॒मां वाचं॑ कल्या॒णीमा॒वदा॑नि॒ जने॑भ्यः।
ब्र॑ह्मराज॒न्या॑भ्याँ शू॒द्राय॒ चार्या॑य च॒ स्वाय॒ चार॑णाय। (यजु ० २६। २)

I have transmitted the auspicious words of the Vedas for people like brāhmaṇas, for kṣatriyas, vaiśyas, śūdras and for araṇāyas (foreigners).

Forceful yoga of the Sun and Moon

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The term haṭha-yoga as “an effort or force” has very ancient roots associated not only with the ferocious cults of Yoginis, but also with earlier sources originating in the Vedas. And the understanding of haṭha-yoga, as the yoga of the Sun and Moon, borrowed by such nāthas as Gorakṣanāth and others from the kaula tantra teachers like Matsyendranāth and Ādināth. If you look at popular dictionaries, then ह ‘ha’ is identical to Viṣṇu and Śiva, especially Bhairava, which indicates annihilation. In jyotiṣa (the Indian astrology), in addition to Mars and Saturn, the Sun can also be considered as one of the aggressive planets. In haṭha-yoga, the Sun is a fire eating the nectar of life and leading to death consequently. This is all symbolism indirectly indicating the Sun. If you look at ठ ‘ṭha‘, one of the meanings is “disk of the moon” in the Monier Williams’s dictionary. Also, the bīja ठं ‘ṭhaṃ‘ in tantrism is used as the mantra of nectar, which essentially indicates the nature of the Moon. The Moon has a creative nature, and the Sun is destructive one, together they harmonise each other.