The Nava-Naths were the attendants of Lord Narayana Himself. Even Time (Kala) considers them his masters. Their power is unparalleled, radiant, and extraordinary. That is why Lord Krishna—an avatar of Vishnu—summoned them and established the Nath Sampradaya. This lineage was created by the desire of the Supreme Cosmic Power, and its brilliance was so immense that both Lord Shiva and Lord Vishnu desired to participate personally in the work of the tradition. They took birth as Nivruttinath and Dnyaneshwar (Dnyan-Nath) to continue the mission. Thus, up to their time, the Nath Sampradaya remained an incomparable, powerful, and spiritually perfected tradition.
Some people may wonder whether the Nath Sampradaya still holds the same power today. The answer is yes — the same strength, the same Siddhis, the same purpose for the welfare of the world continue unchanged.
Therefore, the life stories of the Yogeshwar saints after Dnyaneshwar, especially Chitrakoot’s Chaitanya Yogabhyanand Madhavanath Maharaj, should be understood with devotion. Madhavanath upheld the continuous Guru–Shishya tradition.
Pangri Budruk in Nashik district is the original homeland of this sacred lineage. The founding forefather of this family was Shri Yoganand Shrodhan Maharaj, a great intellectual and rationalist Brahmin endowed with exceptional wisdom. He had three sons: Ramchandra, Bapu, and Vaneshwar.
Ramchandrarao: A highly respected personality in Nashik district, Ramchandrarao was well-versed in Ayurveda, Brahmavidya (spiritual knowledge), and ascetic practices. Because of his mastery, he was regarded as a spiritual luminary.
Malhardada: Ramchandrarao’s son Malhardada was deeply religious and of a calm disposition. He worked as a clerk in Korpakhli. He was married to Mathurabai (Mathura Hiraani). Mathurabai’s brother, Bhagwantrao, was a valiant commander in the Gwalior princely state.
Malhardada and Mathurabai had children named Narayanrao, Madhavnath (Annakaka), Bapukaka, Purushottamkaka, and two daughters. An incident prior to Madhavnath’s birth is considered extremely significant:
While Mathurabai was performing worship, a wandering ascetic gave her, from his cloth bag, an idol of Shiva–Parvati with Nandi as prasad and blessed her saying: “You will have five sons and one daughter. Of these, the second child will become invisible, and the third will emerge as a benefactor of humanity and a radiant spiritual figure.” After saying this, the saint disappeared. That idol still remains in the Devgaon Rangari temple. Later, according to both the saint’s prophecy and Vitthalnath’s divine plan, Mathurabai gave birth to an extraordinary child—Madhavanath—in Chitrakoot on Gudhi Padwa, Shaka 1779 (1857 CE).
As Madhavanath grew, Mathurabai worried about his future. Guided by intuition, she took him to meet Dewanath Maharaj, a highly respected Nath saint and officer in Satana.
When Dewanath Maharaj saw the child, he immediately recognized him as the divine blessing of Ujjain. He instructed Mathurabai to take great care of him, saying: “This child is a Nath. He belongs to a great gaddi and a powerful lineage. In three months you will see signs of this. Take him to Chitrakoot.”
Soon after returning to Pangri, Mathurabai received a letter from Balkrishna-bua of Chitrakoot requesting that Madhavanath be brought immediately. Thus, Madhavanath was taken to Chitrakoot, where destiny awaited him.
Vitthalnath Maharaj knew that his divine part (amsha) would be born as Madhavanath and eventually take over the lineage. Before taking samadhi in 1859, he entrusted the work temporarily to Vishwanath, knowing that Madhavanath would take the gaddi when the time was right.
After Vishwanath’s samadhi, the gaddi remained vacant for almost a year. Balkrishna-bua, a close disciple of Vitthalnath, knew the divine plan. To select the successor, several children were brought to the temple, and lots (chits) were prepared.
A small child visiting the temple that day was asked to draw a chit from the divine lot. The chit contained the name Madhavanath. Thus, on Gudhi Padwa, Madhavanath was placed on the Chitrakoot gaddi — exactly as Vitthalnath had foretold.
From here, Madhavanath carried forward the uninterrupted Nath lineage dating back to Lord Dattatreya’s initiation of Machhindranath, Gorakhnath, Gahininath, Nivruttinath, Dnyaneshwar, and eventually Vitthalnath.
Madhavanath continued the work until the Nath Shashti of 1936.
Devgaon, in Aurangabad district, is considered extremely sacred. According to Puranic lore, the gods once resided here, hence the name “Devgaon” (village of the gods). The presence of Gorakhnath’s samadhi, Ghrishneshwar Jyotirlinga (one of the twelve Jyotirlingas), the Ellora caves, and the historic Daulatabad Fort lends this region immense spiritual and historical significance.
Devgaon was earlier known as Devpuri. A devout Shaiva Brahmin once lived here, immersed in uninterrupted worship. Pleased by his devotion, Lord Shiva granted him a vision of Kashi Vishweshwar at this very spot.
After renouncing Chitrakoot, Madhavnath intended to build a temple of Dattatreya at a holy site. However, Lord Balaji (Venkatesh) appeared to him in the form of an ascetic and entrusted him with an idol of Venkatesh. Subsequently, at the same location where the Shaiva Brahmin had the divine vision, Madhavnath established the Shri Venkateshwar Temple in Devgaon.
Built of black stone, this temple remains the spiritual nucleus of Devgaon. Every year, on Phalgun Shuddha Dashami and Nath Shashthi, a grand festival is celebrated here with ritual abhishekas, Vedic chanting, Harikirtan, bhajans, and Mahaprasad, immersing the entire region in devotional bliss.
Madhavnath Maharaj left his mortal body in 1936 at Hinganghat, but consciously departed through the Brahmarandhra and attained Samadhi at Indore. Prior to this, he appointed Vyankatnath Maharaj as his spiritual successor and enthroned him on the sacred seat.
Many people ignored Madhavanath’s teachings and his instructions. Even though he clearly directed that: