Topic started by vaidyanathan (@ 202.153.41.190) on Mon Jun 2 11:45:14 .
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it needs to be pointed out that unorthodox hinduism was also widely prevalent in the north.quite often the seers of these schools were brahmins like gorakhnath,bhogar etc.in the present times we had sheshadri swamigal.but the fact was that these seers never discussed in casteist or racist terms.they worshipped god shiva and shakti unlike the real buddhists(who were reluctant about the word god).but the real question is that would it be right to use the word UNORTHODOX for these people.read below and make up your mind.
dattatreya
Lord Dattatreya demonstrated through His teachings and His way of life, the harmonious relation that exists between creation and sustenance and destruction.
Sage Atri undertook penance. Brahma, Vishnu and Maheshwara appeared before Sage Atri and offered themselves. As a consequence of this, a strange boy with three heads and six arms was born immediately. This boy started calling Sage Atri as "father". Sage Atri did not like the way in which his son was born. Therefore, the self-born son immediately merged back into nature. Saraswati, Lakshmi and Parvati once wanted to test the strength of Anasuya. They sent the Trimurtis to test her. But, the power of penance of Mata Anasuya converted the Trimurtis into infants. Mother Anasuya was happy. But she neither accepted nor rejected the infants because they were not bestowed upon her. Subsequently, the three goddesses came and requested Mata Anasuya to give them back their husbands. Mata Anasuya agreed and thus, the three babies disappeared.The power of Sumati"s penance guided the creation towards destruction. But the power of Anasuya Mata prevented the catastrophe. As a result of this, Mata Anasuya became eligible for receiving the boons of the Trinity. Now she wished for a son. Thus, Lord Datttatreya was born only when both Atri and Anasuya aspired for the same boon. It can be seen that in the first instance, Datta was born as a Samashti Murthi (collective form) while in the second instance, he manifested as Vyashti Murthi (individual form). In the third instance, Lord Dattatreya manifested as an individual form, but with the aspect of collective form. By doing so, He symbolically demonstrated the link between Creation-Sustenance-Destruction. Lord Dattatreya"s mention can be found in various Upanishads like Shandilya Upanishad and Dattatreya Upanishad. In these Upanishads, there is clear exposition of the oneness of Tattva.In Srimad Bhagavata, we come across the episode of Prahlada, a great devotee of Lord Vishnu. In his old age, Prahlada experienced dissatisfaction. He did not have peace of mind. He decided to go on pilgrimage. In the forest, Lord Dattatreya appeared to him in the form of an ascetic and preached him the True Principle. Prahlada was able to experience the True Principle and was freed from misery. This "darshan" was no less significant than the "Narasimha" incarnation of Lord Vishnu. Thus, Prahlada attained peace because of the realisation of True Principle.The main work attributed to Dattatreya is the Avhadhuta Upanishad, which describes the conditions of the liberated soul, one who is unfettered by dogma, habit, ritual or conventional morality. According to Dattatreya, the liberated one need not have any particular appearance, lifestyle, religion or social role. He/she may be a naked yogi or a prince, may appear pious or blasphemous, ascetic or hedonistic. The important thing is that, for the liberated soul, there is no "doer" of an action, and no beneficiary. One acts without thinking "this will give me pleasure" or "this is what I ought to do." Because of this, Dattatreya is often regarded as antinomian, i.e. outside morality. He is often depicted as sitting naked in a cremation ground, embracing his shakti (goddess/female energy), drinking wine and eating pork (which is as abhorrent to Hindus as it is to Muslims or Jews). Nevertheless, followers of Dattatreya (such as the Nathas) normally adhere to the principle of ahimsa or non-violence, since a liberated soul would have no reason to harm others. Similarly there can be no egotism or selfishness, since there is no ego or self to experience these things. What Dattatreya, like other Tantriks, is opposed to is morality without function: the laws of religious or political dogma which are adhered to simply because they are there. Performing forbidden acts (like the cremation ground party) has a certain value in breaking taboos, but such acts in themselves have no value; the wine-drinker is not superior to the teetotaller, the lover is not superior to the celibate - or vice versa. For example, in this overly health-conscious age, there is a certain liberating value in smoking the occasional cigarette, but this doesn't mean that nicotine is good for you.
Gorak Natha
Almost nothing is known of the historical Gorakhnath. His personality was quickly distorted by myth and magical folklore and deified and there are countless legends about him in western and northern India. It seems he was an ascetic yogi who lived sometime around the 9th to 12th century. He established a new synthesis between Pasuhupata Shaivism, Tantra, and the so-called Teachings of the Siddhas. He was closely linked with Vajrayana (Tantric) Buddhism, and is also credited with the authorship of a lost treatise, called simply Hatha Yoga, and with the foundation of the movement of that same name. His teachings also involve the so-called 'Left-Hand path" of Tantra, which involves sexual tantra with a partner, as opposed to simple visualisation (the "right-hand" path). Texts by Goraknatha include the Goraksha Shataka (extant) and the Hatha Yoga (now lost)Gorakh Nath literally means a person who has mastered his indriyas (senses) and has complete control over the five vikritis or negative characteristics in human nature - that is kaam (sexuality), krodh (temper), mad (ego), lobh (greed) and moh (worldly attachment). By doing so, wants and desires get stabilized, leading to peace and contentment within. He believed that God existed in onself, the five elements of jal (water), vayu (air), akash (aether), agni (fire) and prithivi (earth), by which the body is made, become a part of the cosmos through meditation and proper conductGuru Gorakhnath Ji had Nav Naths and 84 Siddhas (accomplished beings) as disciples, human forms created by his own yogic powers to spread his message of yoga and meditation to the world. The Nath Sampradaya spread, through the centuries, all over the world. References have been found in the Vedas (holy books of the Hindu scriptures over 5000 years old), the Dabistan I Mazahib, the prophet Mohammad is reported as meeting him, Buddha (6th to 7th century), the kings Gopichand and Baratari (8th to 11th century) were disciples, Kabir Das (14th century) mentions Gorakhnath in the Kabir Granthvali and through all the ages. The sun in the yogic texts represents the element of change and destruction and the moon represents the element of creation and preservation. There are 72,000 nadis, channels in the subtle body, for prana, life energy, to flow. The main one is sushumna in the centre of the spinal column, with two major nadis parallel to the spinal column, ida, left, and pingala, right, which start at the respective nostrils. The left nostril is the moon and the right nostril is the sun. It is by balancing the ida and pingala that Hatha Yoga, which is union of ha, sun, and tha, moon, takes place by the passing of the kundalini, the coiled serpent energy at the base of the spine, up the sushumna. The moon is associated with Shiva, which is the part of the body above the navel, and the sun is associated with Shakti, which is the part of the body below the navel.
Yoga raises the Shakti from the lowest region of change to the head, the highest region of rest, to unite with Shiva. Shakti as kundalini raises through nine cakras, lotuses or wheels, which are energy vortices of the subtle body, from the Muladhara cakra, the lowest earth cakra, via the sushumna to the Sahasrara cakra in the head, the thousand-petalled lotus (the Goraksa-sataka mentions seven cakras). There are practices to open the bandhas, locks, to release the kundalini. This union produces the siddhis, supernatural powers, and attainment of anaman, 'nameless,' meaning supreme reality. The yogin is equal to Shiva after twelve years of practice.Salutations to him appear in the Sri-goraksa-sahasra-nama-stotra (hymns of the thousand names of Sri-goraksa), the Kalpa-druma-tanta, and Brahmanda-purana.
There are many fascinating legends about him from all over India. Bengal literature describes him as the purest and strongest of yogins. The goddess Durga was put to shame by Gorakhnath's purity and strength. Medieval saints such as Kabir composed songs to him and one tradition says they held a religious discourse together. He is said to have had a discourse with Guru Nanak of the Sikhs. Nath literature says that traditions throughout India saw Gorakhnath as the supreme Guru. Because of this mass of accumulated legends it is impossible to construct a historical account of the life and teachings of Gorakhnath.Lorenzen equates Nath Jogis with Siddhas and Kanphata Jogis and says "A few Nath Jogis still exist, although the influence of the sect continues mainly through the diffusion of hathayoga into the mainstream of Hinduism and beyond" (Lorenzen in Eliade 1987, Vol. 13, 10).
The most important of the yogic practices is khecari mudra when the tongue is turned backwards into the hollow above. This seals the tenth door of the body and prevents amrita, soma or nectar, flowing from the moon in the Sahasrara cakra to be burnt up by the sun below. This amrita is the quintessence of the visible body and flows down a curved duct called the banka nala. The khecari mudra enables the yogin to drink the amrita, and by this he becomes immortal.
No Samadhi (tomb) has ever been found, though the caves where he meditated Gorakh Gufa (now in Nepal), Gorakh Tilla (now in Pakistan), and Girnar, where Guru Gorakhnath's dhooni still exists, (in India) are places of worship.
He is considered to be ever-existent by Nath Yogis and their followers, and the Nath Ashrams continue to practice his teachings
Everywhere in Nepal are many sites connected with the Mahasiddhas, especially holy places and temples of Mina-Matsyendra and Gorakshanatha. There are many Nath ashrams and monasteries (math) everywhere in the country: Many are very famous places, like the Gorakh-Cave in Gurkha, or the large monastery in Danda where big drums are continually beaten the whole day to announce the Yoga-magic of the Naths. There are whole villages, where every inhabitant is a Nath yogi, all householders with families.One very important place of pilgrimage for all Hindus is the temple of Pashupatinath. The legend relates that the Linga worshipped there is a self-originated Linga, one which emerged from the earth by itself. (svayambhu linga).Two important "gods" of this mixed cult are Matsyendranath and Minanath. Matsyendranath is looked upon as an incarnation of Lokeshwara (or Lokanatha) better known in the west, due to the influence of Tibetan Buddhism, as Avalokiteshwara, who in fact is just one form of Lokeshwara.Because of the Natha influence, there are also many temples of Dattatreya in Kathamandu and Nepal
Aghor siddhas of kashi(need to find relevant material)
TANTRAS
whilst both the orthodox and unorthodox follow the tantras,they started as a vedic practise.customs like pottu or kumkum were conceapts revealed by the followers of tantra.
Tantras are the ancient scriptures, which were meant to spread the light of knowledge of our True Self and bring the humanity out of ignorance. They are also known as Agamas - revelations. They trace their origin from the Vedas and the Upanishads, and in fact do not deviate from the teachings contained in them. Like Vedanta, the Tantra has its own followers in the true spirit of inquiry and realization of the cosmic unity and power of the Self. The authorship of the Tantras is credited to Lord Shiva who is believed to have granted this knowledge to his Power - the Shakti - Parvati. She, in turn, made them available to the mankind; Macchindranath and Gorakhnath were the earliest Gurus -Teachers - of this branch of knowledge.Original Tantras are divided into three main groups according to the deity chosen for worship. Thus, related to Vishnu, Shiva, and Shakti came into existence Vaishnava, Shaiva, and Shakta Agamas respectively. However, today, when we talk of Tantras, we mostly mean Shakta - related to Shakti - Tantras. Further, the Tantras are divided into three parts, viz.
Sadhana - spiritual practices, rituals, and worship,
Siddhis - attainment of special powers through such practices, and
The philosophical base of the Tantras.
thus the siddhas are followers of tantras.so should they be called disbelievers in vedas?
The basic philosophical teachings of the Tantras do not much differ from the other currents of ancient Indian thought. They are non-dual in their essence, but in place of Atman or Brahman of Vedanta, the Tantras accept combine of Shiva and Shakti as the unifying Principle of Absolute Truth. There is an essential unity in diversity, and identity of the individual soul with this Shiva-Shakti Principle.
one point must be made clear; this Shakti or God the Mother is not distinct from Shiva, the Absolute. Like sun and its rays, like fire and its power to burn, like coiled snake and snake in motion these two are inseparable. While Shiva is Knowledge-Existence-Bliss Absolute, the Shakti is the manifestation of the Principle at immanent plane as the reality of the whole universe, both sentient and insentient. In the Upanishads this is illustrated as the female spider and her web; the spider weaves her thread out of herself and then lives upon it. God the Mother is both contained and the container! through the period of dominance of Buddhism and Jainism. Probably, the banning of ritualistic worships and animal sacrifices etc. forced the sadhakas of Tantra to undertake their sadhana in secrecy, and the mystery soon shrouded their methods and means. Secondly, as with every religious practice, entry of persons of lesser caliber and knowledge, including those who practiced these methods for achieving personal material gains etc., caused the Tantras to degenerate in many instances at the cost of blemish on the system as a whole. The third cause may be the repulsive techniques used in the practice, such as a) meditation in lonely place like burial ground, b) use of animal and human skull, and blood, etc. c) involvement of sexual practices as in sadhana of Veera Bhava, and 4) use of narcotic or similar drugs by the sadhakas. Spiritual and mental levels of growth vary from person to person; accordingly, the rituals adopted also are different. For instance, those people with dominant animal instincts must avoid all temptations, those in whom human and spiritual tendencies are well balanced may take up practices of heroic -Veera - Bhava, and the pure in the heart should take up the highest sadhana of Divya Bhava or Godly practices.The people indulging in Vamachara or wine and women practices etc. are like those, if one may say so, who try to enter the Palace through the path of drainage pipes! One would reach the destination, but the route adopted is dirty and dangerous. Sri Ramakrishna says, 'why enter the Mansion from backdoor like a thief? Instead, take the royal road of japa and devotion, which is the right approach to the Golden Gate of the Mansion! One purpose of advent of Sri Ramakrishna on this earth was to establish the authenticity of the Tantras, no doubt, but in addition he showed the simpler and the purer ways to undertake such Tantric sadhanas. He has shown that there is no need to take help of wine and woman; other equally effective but less dangerous methods are available like worship of chosen ideal in the cavity of the heart, repeating Holy name of the deity of our choice, seeing every female as Divine Mother, and association with pure and holy men.
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