The Grace of Machhindranath Upon Gorakshanath
Machhindranath secured divine blessings for Gorakshanath from every major deity. He enabled him to receive direct darshan of Narsha, Kalika, Mhəmada, Mahishasura, Dhoting, Vetala, Maruti, and Lord Shri Ramachandra. Lord Rama personally placed Goraksha on His own lap and blessed him, saying: *“May you be glorious, may you be renowned, and may the mission of the Nath Panth be fulfilled through you.”* The Ashta Bhairavas, the Matrikas, Ganapati, and Surya themselves descended to Earth to bless him. Ramachandra, Suryanarayana, the 52 Veers, Indra, Varuna, the Ashvinis, Gandharvas—all granted blessings and urged Machhindranath to put Goraksha into tapa-anushthan so that mantras, tantras, yantras, and astras would attain complete *tapa-siddhi* and increase his spiritual force.
The Birth of Gahininath Through Mantra-Shakti
One day, while Goraksha was performing the Sanjeevani mantra anushthan, Machhindranath was away and he was entirely alone. Village children wandered nearby while playing and were attempting to make a clay toy-cart but repeatedly failed. They approached Goraksha and requested him to make one for them. He agreed instantly, shaping the cart while the mantra continued in his mind. When the cart was ready, the children asked, *“Make a cart-driver too!”* Goraksha began shaping a clay figure. His mind remained absorbed in the mantra. The moment the figure was complete, life arose in it. The clay child became a living being—an ayonija birth, just as Goraksha himself had manifested without a womb. This extraordinary child, created solely through mantra-shakti, was named Karbhajan Nath, later renowned as Gahininath. Gahininath eventually became one of the most pivotal masters of the Nath lineage and performed immense work for the Panth. After the Navanarayanas completed their mission, they entrusted the entire Nath Panth—its power, discipline, practices, and purpose—to him. He then passed everything to Nivrittinath, the first Nath born into a family lineage, marking a transition from divine-born (ayonija) Nathas to household-born Nath masters.
The Living Continuity of the Nath Panth
From Gahininath onward, the Nath Panth continued in an unbroken Guru–shishya lineage with unchanged discipline, purpose, and spiritual authority. Before transmitting the lineage, Gahininath gave profound teachings for the people of Kali Yuga, describing the nature of the Yugas and the Divine’s manifestation within each.
Gahininath’s Teachings on the Four Yugas
Satya Yuga: The Divine appears white, four-armed, with matted locks, wearing bark garments, Krishna-deer skin, sacred thread, Rudraksha beads, staff, and water-pot. People are peaceful, desireless, compassionate, devoted to austerity, and worship God through meditation. Divine names include Hamsa, Suparna, Vaikuntha, Dharma, Yogeshwara, Amal, Ishwara, Purusha, Avyakta, Paramatya.
Treta Yuga: The Divine appears red, four-armed, with golden hair. Worship occurs through Vedic yajnas using ladles and vessels. People study and teach the Vedas, and worship Vishnu through sacrifice. Names include Vishnu, Yajna, Prishnigarbha, Sarvadeva, Urukrama, Vrishakapi, Jayanta, Urugaya.
Dvapara Yuga: The Divine appears dark-blue, adorned with Pitambara, bearing Shankha, Chakra, Gada, Padma, marked by Srivatsa and Kaustubha. People worship through both Vedic and Tantric rituals. Names include Vasudeva, Sankarshana, Pradyumna, Aniruddha, Narayana, Nara, Vishweshwara, Vishvarupa.
Kali Yuga: The Divine appears sapphire-dark, surrounded by Kaustubha, Sudarshan, and divine attendants. Liberation is primarily attained through Nama Sankirtana. Devotees worship the Lord’s feet as the destroyer of suffering, fulfiller of desires, and boat across samsara. Those who surrender without ego become free from all debts—divine, ancestral, social, and familial. Even if a devotee errs, the Lord residing within purifies him completely.
The Everlasting Grace of Gahininath
Such was the radiance and spiritual force of Gahininath (Karbhajan Narayan)—a being of immense power and compassion. His grace continues to uplift seekers even today, guiding countless souls through the Nath Panth toward purification, inner awakening, and liberation in the challenging era of Kali Yuga. The Nath masters gave these teachings so that people of Kali Yuga may walk the path of self-realization with clarity and strength.