The Wire
Two recently rediscovered teachings illustrate that prior to the 20th century, the Nath community spoke to a Muslim audience and opted to acquire power through religious inclusivity.
The Erased 'Muslim' Texts of the Nath Sampradāy
Rare illustrations from 1715CE Nath manuscript located at the Wellcome Collection, London (ccby4).
by C. Marrewa Karwoski
23/Mar/2018
These last few weeks have been arduous for Uttar Pradesh’s chief minister Adityanath. Crisscrossing India, this mahant of the Gorakhnath temple in Gorakhpur has been using his spiritual standing to garner votes for BJP candidates from Tripura to Karnataka. While it is by no means unusual for Nath yogis to involve themselves in political matters, the manner in which Adityanath is using right-wing Hindu rhetoric to woo voters defies the more traditional tenets of his faith.
Two recently rediscovered and never before printed Nath teachings, the Avali Silūk and the Kāfir Bodh, illustrate in detail that although Adityanath polarises communities in order to gain political influence, prior to the 20th century, members of the Nath sampradāy opted to acquire power through religious inclusivity. [ . . . ] .
FULL TEXT HERE: https://thewire.in/religion/the-erased-muslim-texts-of-the-nath-sampraday/
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