Of Scholarship and Bengali Nāth Literature
Event details: “Is the Bengali Nāth literature really Nāth?” by Lubomír Ondračka, 13th January, 2021.
Event recording: YouTube
This post written by: Sabbi Lall
Lubomír Ondračka provided much food for thought during his talk at the SOAS Center for Yoga Studies. “Is the Bengali Nāth literature really Nāth?” examined possible links between Bengali Nāth literature, Nāth yogis more broadly, and the modern-day Bengali Nāth caste. His research does not provide much evidence of yoga, but as a result, reveals much about historical research, which often relies on sparse datasets and previous scholarly conclusions.
The Nāth yogis revere Gorakhnāth but his stories are also broadly popular. These stories are recounted in Bengali literature dating 18th-19th century, and are also revered by the current Bengali householder Nāth caste. By the mid-20th century, links between this Nāth literature, and the broader Nāth tradition, were assumed by scholars, for example:
“As an all-India movement Nāthism enjoyed and is still enjoying immense popularity. The religious and literary history of Nāthism in Bengal is, therefore intimately connected to that of many other provinces of India.” (Das Gupta 1946:191).
These links were picked up by subsequent scholarly works and have thus, so to speak, become accepted history.
Examining Pillars of Support
Ondračka identified four pillars of evidence that have been used to argue that Nāth yogis were present in Bengal by the 12th century CE, and that they influenced broader local traditions. One such pillar is that Buddhist siddhas were present in East India in the 8th-12th century CE under the Pāla Empire. This is undisputed, and interesting given links between the earliest haṭha yoga texts and Vajrayāna Buddhist ideas (Mallinson 2020). However, some past scholars have assumed that when the Pāla empire receded, it left behind lay practitioners that are forerunners of modern-day Bengali Nāth householders. Ondračka pointed out that there is no evidence to support this assumption. This weakens our first pillar of evidence to support the ancient presence of Nāths in Bengal.
Ondračka secondly examined literary evidence, questioning the attribution of Bengali Nāth texts to Nāth yogis. He further questioned the presence of yogic practices in said texts. Scholars invariably point to the “Victory of Gorakhnāth” and a poetic work on Gopīcandra as central to this literary tradition. The ‘Victory of Gorakhnāth’ tells the popular story of Gorakhnāth rescuing his teacher Mīnanāth from the world of sensory pleasures. While this poem is centered around a revered Nāth, Ondračka pointed out that there are few yogic practices in this or the tale of Gopīcandra, chipping away at this pillar of evidence.
Perhaps, however, one would not expect narrative poetry to overtly share practices. Ondračka himself explained how he was drawn into Gopīcandra’s story, turning the pages to seek an path to immortality, which was (spoiler alert) ultimately not revealed. While there is no English translation of the full narrative, Grierson has provided some partial translations. The narrative includes a transformation into bees that defy the god Yama and protective boons:
“This Mayanā hath obtained a boon from Gorakh Nāth. Fire doth not burn her, nor doth she sink in water. Were the three worlds to come to an end, she would not go to Yama’s abode.” (Grierson 1878:76)
The intention of this type of text may not be to teach yoga, but to create mythologies around key protagonists, attracting practitioners toward a hinted at, but unrevealed path. Whatever the role of narrative poetry, this would weaken previous assumptions that Bengali Nāth literature is Nāth.
Research Impacts
Ondračka openly declared that this research is at an early stage, and discussing such interesting ideas in process was stimulating . But what will happen if evidence continues to support Ondračka’s findings? This research could affect current Bengali Nāth caste members, who have gone by the label jugī (linked to Sanskrit yogī). Despite this name, householder Nāths have a range of occupations and tend not to practice yoga or have links to ascetic Nāths. Nevertheless, Nāth householders have a sense of historical identity built on their connection to the Bengali Nāth literature. Indeed, Ondračka points to a lost bardic subcaste that once performed Gopīcandra narratives during marriages and village celebrations. This subcaste had a very limited geographical presence, but the link between Bengali Nāth literature and celebration illustrates the depth of reverence of one jugī subcaste for these poems. As scholars how can we say (and who are we to say) that this connection is misplaced if Bengali Nāths so intimately share and revere this literature? Many people in the west call themselves yogis and are attached to yogic texts. The multigenerational connection between the Nāth caste and the Bengali literature has deep roots if measured this way.
Further interesting questions arise in response to Ondračka’s talk: if a text mentions Gorakhnāth can scholars assume Nāth yogis composed it? And if scholars say the literature is not Nāth, what are the repercussions for Nāth householders that embrace these texts as their heritage? In addition to its potential impact on these householders, Ondračka’s research is a cautionary tale for scholars of yoga. Four pillars supporting a scholarly argument might seem like strong, orthogonal support for the ancient presence of Nāths in Bengal. But in the absence of a strong and shared foundation an argument built on such pillars is a house of cards.
Acknowledgements
Thank you to Lubomír Ondračka for comments, feedback, and to him and Dr. Daniela Bevilacqua for sharing the unpublished version of a relevant upcoming book chapter.
Sabbi Lall is currently studying for the MA Traditions in Yoga and Meditation at SOAS. She lives and teaches yoga in the Boston area at MIT and for Down Under Yoga, and is a teaching assistant for the online learning platform ‘Yogic Studies’. She is also freelance editor of scientific manuscripts and grants, holding a D. Phil. in Biochemistry from the University of Oxford.
Bibliography:
- Das Gupta, Shashibhusan. 1946. “The Nāth Cult”. In Obscure Religious Cults. Calcutta: Firma KL Mukhophadyay.
- Grierson, G.A. 1878. The Song of Mānik Chandra. Calcutta: Baptist Mission Press.
- Ondračka, Lubomír. 2021. “The Search for the Jugi Caste in Pre-Colonial Bengal”. Forthcoming in The Power of the Nāth Yogis: Yogic Charisma, Political Influence and Social Authority. Daniela Bevilacqua and Eloisa Stuparich (eds.), Amsterdam: Amsterdam University Press.
- Mallinson, James. 2020. “The Amṛtasiddhi: Haṭhayoga’s Tantric Buddhist Source”. In Śaivism and the Tantric Traditions: Essays in Honour of Alexis G.J.S. Sanderson. (Accessed on February 7 2021 https://www.academia.edu/43937946/The_Am%E1%B9%9Btasiddhi_Ha%E1%B9%ADhayoga_s_Tantric_Buddhist_Source_Text).