The places on Earth where divine work is carried out are not chosen randomly. Divine forces themselves prepare and energize such sacred locations. Although Guru-work is performed on Earth through a physical body, the place from where that work is conducted must also hold divine presence, purity, and power. Such places become so spiritually charged that even an ordinary person simply stepping there receives subtle spiritual energy—whether he realizes it or not.

The Guru-lineage, the Divine, and the cosmic forces decide how such a sacred place should be created. Nath Gurus often shape their own spiritual seats (nij-sthan) through symbolic, mystical actions. For the Nath tradition, Devgaon Rangari later became the sacred seat of Vyankatnath Maharaj, the 15th Nath in the uninterrupted Nath lineage beginning from Shri Machchindranath.

Before this shift, most Nath Gurus after Jnaninath worked from Karvir–Chitrakoot. It was the traditional, powerful centre of the Nath Sampradaya. Many ancient Nath yogis had stored weapons, astras, sacred ash, and powerful divine objects there in a secret protected location. No ordinary person could enter that place. If anyone attempted to, they would first be met by blazing fire capable of burning a person to ash within minutes. If someone still crossed that barrier, giant serpents guarded the deeper chamber, killing instantly with their bite.

This was the Nath tradition’s mystical protection system—ensuring that the secret place remained untouched for ages.

Madhavanath Maharaj was enthroned at Chitrakoot. But due to the rising influence of the Kali Yuga, the mindset of local people was deteriorating. The sacred environment of Chitrakoot was no longer suitable for conducting the tradition’s work. A change was becoming necessary—and divine signals began to appear.

Lightning struck the temple premises. The front hall collapsed. Many pillars broke. The stone platform shattered. The roof tiles vanished. The temple door cracked.

Only the inner sanctum and the idol remained unharmed.

Even the location where Madhavanath was born, and where his Paramguru Vitthalnath Maharaj once lived, was completely destroyed. Nearby, the structure around Gupta-Nath’s samadhi also began to collapse. It became beyond repair. These were not ordinary events; they were cosmic messages.

If the divine forces wished, they could have easily prevented the storm, the lightning, or the destruction. But they did not. This was a clear signal that the spiritual power of the place was being withdrawn. The language of the five elements—earth, water, fire, air, space—is the language of the cosmos. Nath yogis understand it well.

Older devotees, disciples, and even Gurumai (the wife of Vishwanath Maharaj) also insisted that Madhavanath should leave. Gurumai said sharply: “Enough! Leave now. How long will you cause trouble for this sacred seat?”

Thus, Madhavanath received unmistakable signs that Chitrakoot had to be abandoned.

He once said, “Wherever I stand upon a rock, there I will build a temple.” Soon after, one night, with only the clothes he was wearing, he walked away from Chitrakoot. While leaving, he said:

“This land is now cursed. I will never return. The work of the tradition will reveal itself in time. All sacred objects and ancient Nath instruments will later be removed by sky-path (ākāś-mārga). I will not touch the ground when I retrieve them. Until then, the Nath powers will continue to protect this place fully. Anyone attempting to enter will die instantly.”

Such is the Nath power—complete mastery over the five elements and the cosmos.

Because of the advancing age of Kali Yuga, a shift in the traditional seat had become necessary. And so, naturally and divinely, the spiritual centre of the Nath tradition moved away from Chitrakoot.

To ordinary people, this may appear as a simple physical event. But in the Nath tradition, everything is guided by the Guru-lineage. The spiritual logic is not the same as worldly logic. Without understanding spiritual principles, forming opinions about the Guru’s decisions only reveals an immature mind.

A Guru is never free to act on whim. The entire Guru-lineage constantly watches over the one performing the Guru-work. Instructions are given from within and from beyond. What looks like “their decision” is in truth the decision of the entire Nath parampara.

In the Nath tradition, Gurus who have taken samadhi are not dead—they are eternally active as one unified Nath-Shakti. They guide disciples, respond to their calls, and appear when needed. They also continuously guide the Guru who is carrying out the living work.

Thus, the ancient seat of Chitrakoot was dissolved, and under the command of Lord Vishnu, a new centre would soon be revealed. How and where this happened will be explained in the next chapter.