Fans pick 64 books like Philosophy of Gorakhnath

By Akshaya Kumar Banerjea,

Here are 64 books that Philosophy of Gorakhnath fans have personally recommended if you like Philosophy of Gorakhnath. Shepherd is a community of 12,000+ authors and super readers sharing their favorite books with the world.

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Book cover of The Alchemical Body: Siddha Traditions in Medieval India

Gordan Djurdjevic Author Of Sayings of Gorakhnāth: Annotated Translations of the Gorakh Bānī

From my list on the Nāth Yogis.

Why am I passionate about this?

I was drawn to the subject of Yoga already as a teenager. Much later, I did my Ph.D. Thesis on the subject of the Nāths. I find fascinating the wealth of esoteric ideas and assumptions at the root of their project: the search for the elixir of immortality through internalization of the principles of alchemy. I admire their ethos, their stories, and the whole fabric of legends that surrounds them. I have done some work on translating the poetry attributed to their founder, guru Gorakhnāth, and that made me appreciative of their wisdom and their views, even when I disagreed with some of those.   

Gordan's book list on the Nāth Yogis

Gordan Djurdjevic Why did Gordan love this book?

I love the extraordinarily intricate ideology of the Nāth Yogis, or Siddhas, magisterially described in this study brimful with historical and religious data.

This is one of those books that blow your mind and leave you in awe. I am especially captivated by the efforts to translate the methodology of Indian alchemy into the practice of Yoga that the book describes. “As in metal, so in the body” was the motto of Indian Siddha practitioners who strived to imitate the process of perfecting the metals by perfecting the body.

It was exactly this book that set me on the path of doing Ph.D. research with a focus on the Nāth Yogis.  

By David Gordon White,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Alchemical Body as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

David Gordon White excavates and seeks to centre within its broader Indian context the lost tradition of the medieval Siddhas. This comprehensive study draws upon the ancient Sanskrit and medieval Hindu materials and asserts medieval traditions of Hindu alchemy and "hatha yoga" were practiced by one and the same people, and that they can only be understood when viewed together.


Book cover of The Khecarīvidyā of Ādinātha: A Critical Edition and Annotated Translation of an Early Text of Hathayoga

Gordan Djurdjevic Author Of Sayings of Gorakhnāth: Annotated Translations of the Gorakh Bānī

From my list on the Nāth Yogis.

Why am I passionate about this?

I was drawn to the subject of Yoga already as a teenager. Much later, I did my Ph.D. Thesis on the subject of the Nāths. I find fascinating the wealth of esoteric ideas and assumptions at the root of their project: the search for the elixir of immortality through internalization of the principles of alchemy. I admire their ethos, their stories, and the whole fabric of legends that surrounds them. I have done some work on translating the poetry attributed to their founder, guru Gorakhnāth, and that made me appreciative of their wisdom and their views, even when I disagreed with some of those.   

Gordan's book list on the Nāth Yogis

Gordan Djurdjevic Why did Gordan love this book?

I am humbled by Mallinson’s scholarship and the breadth of erudition displayed in this study. We have grown accustomed to associate Haṭha Yoga with what is, properly speaking, “modern postular Yoga,” and Mallinson’s book is one of those recent studies where the difference between the two is starkly demonstrated with his focus on an early text belonging to the former category and its subject matter.

I admire his attention to textual and historical details, attentiveness to the context, and deep understanding of the religious, cultural, and philosophical ideas and associated practices related to the subject matter. There is a whole world of erudition couched between the pages of this extraordinary book. 

By James Mallinson,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Khecarīvidyā of Ādinātha as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Describing one of the most important practices of hathayoga (khecarimudra), the Khecarividya of Adinatha is presented here to an English-speaking readership for the first time. The author, James Mallinson, draws on thirty Sanskrit works, as well as original fieldwork amongst yogins in India who use the practice, to demonstrate how earlier tantric yogic techniques developed and mutated into the practices of hathayoga. Accompanied by an introduction and an extensively annotated translation, the work sheds light on the development of hathayoga and its practices.


Book cover of Monastic Wanderers: Nāth Yogi Ascetics in Modern South Asia

Gordan Djurdjevic Author Of Sayings of Gorakhnāth: Annotated Translations of the Gorakh Bānī

From my list on the Nāth Yogis.

Why am I passionate about this?

I was drawn to the subject of Yoga already as a teenager. Much later, I did my Ph.D. Thesis on the subject of the Nāths. I find fascinating the wealth of esoteric ideas and assumptions at the root of their project: the search for the elixir of immortality through internalization of the principles of alchemy. I admire their ethos, their stories, and the whole fabric of legends that surrounds them. I have done some work on translating the poetry attributed to their founder, guru Gorakhnāth, and that made me appreciative of their wisdom and their views, even when I disagreed with some of those.   

Gordan's book list on the Nāth Yogis

Gordan Djurdjevic Why did Gordan love this book?

I find extremely interesting the mix of historical scholarship and anthropological fieldwork so vividly presented in this study, as in the other work, by Véronique Bouillier.

She has a particular penchant to focus on and engage with the tension in the ideology and lived experience of her chosen subjects, be it between ancient stories about the Yogis and the lifestyle of the contemporary ascetics or between the ethos of the warriors and the ethos of the renouncers (as the former, in particular kings, become the latter, in popular legends), which gives particular attraction to her elegant and learned exposition.  

By Véronique Bouillier,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Monastic Wanderers as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

How have the premodern Shaiva ascetic sect of the Nath Yogis (known also as the Yogis with splitted ears) succeeded in maintaining its presence and importance until today? This book intends to give a general survey of this sampradaya which is said to have been founded by the Siddha Gorakhnath, known for his strong link to Hatha Yoga. However, rather than to Yoga, the history and expansion of the Nath sect are linked to its rich legendary corpus. Dealing first with the marks of belonging (such as the huge earring worn by the fully initiated Yogis) which give the sect…


Book cover of Yogi Heroes and Poets

Gordan Djurdjevic Author Of Sayings of Gorakhnāth: Annotated Translations of the Gorakh Bānī

From my list on the Nāth Yogis.

Why am I passionate about this?

I was drawn to the subject of Yoga already as a teenager. Much later, I did my Ph.D. Thesis on the subject of the Nāths. I find fascinating the wealth of esoteric ideas and assumptions at the root of their project: the search for the elixir of immortality through internalization of the principles of alchemy. I admire their ethos, their stories, and the whole fabric of legends that surrounds them. I have done some work on translating the poetry attributed to their founder, guru Gorakhnāth, and that made me appreciative of their wisdom and their views, even when I disagreed with some of those.   

Gordan's book list on the Nāth Yogis

Gordan Djurdjevic Why did Gordan love this book?

What I like about this collection of essays on the Nāth Yogis is its breadth and diversity: scholars from five countries engage historical, religious, philosophical, folkloristic, textual and anthropological fields of pertinent inquiry. The reader is left with a feeling of truly coming closer to understanding the Nāths, once a very influential religious denomination that often considers itself separate from the dominant Hindu and, to a lesser degree, Muslim environments.

I admire the sense of self-esteem and self-identity displayed, for example, in the ideas about the inner worlds, the whole cosmos contained within the Yogi’s body, as described in David White’s contribution to the anthology. To my mind, the Nāths’ conceptions about the hidden properties of the human body represent the South Asian esotericism par excellence. This collection offers an insight into their world that truly abounds in erudite riches.  

By David N. Lorenzen (editor), Adrian Munoz (editor),

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Yogi Heroes and Poets as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

This book provides a remarkable range of information on the history, religion, and folklore of the Nath Yogis. A Hindu lineage prominent in North India since the eleventh century, Naths are well-known as adepts of Hatha yoga and alchemical practices said to increase longevity. Long a heterogeneous group, some Naths are ascetics and some are householders; some are dedicated to personified forms of Shiva, others to a formless god, still others to Vishnu.

The essays in the first part of the book deal with the history and historiography of the Naths, their literature, and their relationships with other religious movements…


Book cover of The Bhagavad Gītā

Stephen H. Phillips Author Of Yoga, Karma, and Rebirth: A Brief History and Philosophy

From my list on yoga philosophy and psychology.

Why am I passionate about this?

As a professional sanskritist and academic, I have travelled to India well more than twenty times, for fellowships, conferences, and (fortunately) months of study with a traditional Sanskrit pundit, the great N.S. Ramanuja Tatacharya. But my first trip was when I was twenty, dropping out of college and travelling from a kibbutz in Israel to India (overland no less, after a flight from Tel Aviv to Istanbul in 1971) where I was graciously admitted into a yoga-ashram school. There I began learning Sanskrit as well as various yoga techniques. I stayed that time for two years. “All life is yoga,” says Sri Aurobindo, and I have long wished my life to be that since “yoga” is for me practically a synonym for “right living.”

Stephen's book list on yoga philosophy and psychology

Stephen H. Phillips Why did Stephen love this book?

Bhagavad Gītā. This is an indispensable primary source for yoga philosophy and practice, and there are many translations: by Edgerton, Easwaran Eknath, Van Buitenen, Sargeant, A. Mahadeva Sastri, H. Maheshwari, Mascaro, and others.

Unfortunately, the Gītā has been used for political ends, but I daresay it transcends politics. It continues the traditions of meditation of older Upanishads—jñāna-yoga, the “yoga of knowledge”—and introduces karma-yoga, the “yoga of action,” with principles that can be applied in practically every endeavor of life. No longer does practice require seclusion. Although the context is a battle, Krishna, the yoga teacher, urges ahiṃsā, “non-injury,” and other yogic values that can be put into play in practically anything that you do. Bhakti-yoga, the “yoga of devotion and love,” is a third broad type of practice laid out in the Gītā. Eliade disparages bhakti as yoga for the masses but surely it…

By Winthrop Sargeant (translator),

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Bhagavad Gītā as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

An interlinear edition of the spiritual classic that provides devanagari, transliterated Sanskrit, and English versions of the Gītā.


Book cover of Translating Wisdom

Mohammed Rustom Author Of The Essence of Reality: A Defense of Philosophical Sufism

From my list on Sufi philosophy.

Why am I passionate about this?

I am a Professor of Islamic Thought and Global Philosophy at Carleton University in Ottawa, Canada. Perpetually drawn to ideas and concepts that seek to explain the underlying nature of things, I predictably read and write books on such topics as consciousness, self-awareness, mysticism, God, philosophy of religion, metaphysical poetry, and virtue ethics. The titles listed here are in my own area of expertise (Sufi philosophy). Intellectually rigorous and spiritually informed, they each represent perfect points of entry into Sufism, which is an ocean without a shore.  

Mohammed's book list on Sufi philosophy

Mohammed Rustom Why did Mohammed love this book?

The findings in this book have opened my eyes to a truly unique moment in the history of cross-cultural translation and non-Western philosophy by showing how pre-modern Indian metaphysical teachings in Sanskrit were refashioned by the Persian Sufi philosophical tradition in early modern South Asia. I particularly recommend Translating Wisdom because it clearly points to an alternative quest for wisdom for those who wish to escape the stranglehold of Anglo-American and European epistemic systems.

By Shankar Nair,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Translating Wisdom as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

A free open access ebook is available upon publication. Learn more at www.luminosoa.org.

During the height of Muslim power in Mughal South Asia, Hindu and Muslim scholars worked collaboratively to translate a large body of Hindu Sanskrit texts into the Persian language. Translating Wisdom reconstructs the intellectual processes and exchanges that underlay these translations. Using as a case study the 1597 Persian rendition of the Yoga-Vasistha-an influential Sanskrit philosophical tale whose popularity stretched across the subcontinent-Shankar Nair illustrates how these early modern Muslim and Hindu scholars drew upon their respective religious, philosophical, and literary traditions to forge a common vocabulary…


Book cover of The Bhagavadgita

A.A. Vora Author Of Spin of Fate

From my list on ethics in age appropriate ways for kids.

Why am I passionate about this?

I’m of Indian ethnicity and Japanese nationality, so it felt natural to write a book that drew inspiration from both cultures without being adjacent to either one. Like me, my book is a mixed bag. It features an original mythology with a unique religion and mythical beasts that you’ve (hopefully) never seen before. It’s also pretty heavy on themes and tries to provide some context to questions that baffled me as a kid: Why do bad things happen to good people? Why do war and violence exist? I can’t say that I’ve answered those questions, but I hope I’ve provided a multifaceted perspective into the conversation around them.

A.A.'s book list on ethics in age appropriate ways for kids

A.A. Vora Why did A.A. love this book?

My mother introduced me to the Bhagavad Gita at a young age, but this particular translation and commentary was my most recent read.

One of my favorite concepts is the idea that our lives are moral battlegrounds for self-betterment and that our soul reincarnates through various lives to improve upon itself; and of course, karma yoga (the theory of karma), which is intrinsically linked with the concept of reincarnation.

I find it difficult to speak further about this book because I really cannot do the Gita or its themes justice in my own words. Those interested should try it out for themselves and understand it in their own way.

By S Radhakrishnan,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Bhagavadgita as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Sanskrit text in English translation, with notes,commentary, and introductory essay by author. Helps those who seek to understand Hinduism. A classic.


Book cover of The Yoga Sutras of Patañjali: Translation, and Commentary

Daniel Simpson Author Of The Truth of Yoga: A Comprehensive Guide to Yoga's History, Texts, Philosophy, and Practices

From my list on the truth of yoga.

Why am I passionate about this?

I've been studying yoga in various forms since my first trip to India in the 1990s. I began as a curious tourist, attending the world's biggest human gathering (the Kumbh Mela). After working as a foreign correspondent—initially for Reuters then The New York Times—I returned to university, earning a master's degree in Traditions of Yoga and Meditation. I've since taught courses at the Oxford Centre for Hindu Studies, on yoga teacher trainings, and via my website. The Truth of Yoga is the book I wish I'd found when I started exploring.

Daniel's book list on the truth of yoga

Daniel Simpson Why did Daniel love this book?

The most insightful guide to the best-known text about yoga philosophy. Among other things, it explains why yoga isn't all about "eight limbs", since the main technique is one-pointed focus and physical contortions are later inventions. Patañjali’s pithy one-liners are hard to interpret without more context. Instead of filling in the gaps to fit modern assumptions, Bryant draws on traditional commentaries to clarify meanings. 

By Edwin F. Bryant,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Yoga Sutras of Patañjali as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Written almost two millennia ago, Patanjali's work focuses on how to attain the direct experience and realization of the purusa: the innermost individual self, or soul. As the classical treatise on the Hindu understanding of mind and consciousness and on the technique of meditation, it has exerted immense influence over the religious practices of Hinduism in India and, more recently, in the West. Edwin F. Bryant's translation is clear, direct, and exact. Each sutra is presented as Sanskrit text, transliteration, and precise English translation, and is followed by Bryant's authoritative commentary, which is grounded in the classical understanding of yoga…


Book cover of Grow Long, Blessed Night: Love Poems from Classical India

Maria Heim Author Of Words for the Heart: A Treasury of Emotions from Classical India

From my list on helping you identify emotions you didn’t know you had.

Why am I passionate about this?

I love words, their sound, and their power. When I was a little girl, I would adopt one and make it my own. My parents long recalled my love affair with “nonsense,” which I would wield like a wand when hearing anything silly or irrational. I think words are interwoven with what we feel in a deep and inextricable way. I am also fascinated with how Indian thought offers millennia of wide and deep explorations of human experience in ways that trouble the basic assumptions of the modern West. 

Maria's book list on helping you identify emotions you didn’t know you had

Maria Heim Why did Maria love this book?

I love beautiful things and have been able to share beautiful things with my students with the help of Martha Selby’s translations and discussions of love poetry in three languages: Sanskrit, Prakrit, and Tamil.

This book explores the subtle joys and sorrows of love–love shared and love thwarted, love enduring and love grown stale, love that is playful and love that is cruel. The women’s voices, in particular, leap off the page. Readers are invited to feel the ways that these ancient poems still resonate, as well as to discern the specificity and distinctiveness of these Indian conceptions.

By Martha Ann Selby (translator),

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Grow Long, Blessed Night as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

This book presents new English translations of 150 erotic poems composed in India's three classical languages: Old Tamil, Maharastri Prakit, and Sanskrit. The poems are derived from large anthological collections that date from as early as the first centruy CE to as late as the eight century. In Martha Selby's masterful translations, the poems both stand on their own as poems in English and maintain the flavours of the original verses as reflected in idiom and structure. The poems are grouped according to themes, and annotated whenever a brief gloss is necessary. The book begins with several scholarly essays on…


Book cover of Thirteen Plays of Bhasa

Anand Neelakantan Author Of Asura: Tale of the Vanquished: The Story of Ravana and His People

From my list on Indian mythology.

Why am I passionate about this?

Anand Neelakantan is an Indian author, columnist, screenwriter, television personality, and motivational speaker. He has authored eight fiction books in English and one in Malayalam. His debut work Asura, The Tale of the Vanquished is based on the Indian epics of Ramayana. His next book series was Ajaya-Roll of the Dice, Ajaya – Rise of Kali based on the two books on the epic Mahabharata told from Kaurava perspective. Anand's books voice the suppressed party or the defeated party. In his fifth book Vanara, the legend of Baali, Sugreeva, and Tara also follow the same pattern of expressing the defeated side.

Anand's book list on Indian mythology

Anand Neelakantan Why did Anand love this book?

Bhasa, the ancient Indian poet and dramatist, who lived two thousand two hundred years ago, was perhaps the first one to think of an alternative ending to Mahabharata in his play, Pancharatra. His Oorubhanga was the first play to be sympathetic to Duryodhana, the antagonist of Mahabharata. In Pratihna- Yaugandharayanam, one of the classical Sanskrit plays in this collection, a wooden elephant in which soldiers hide is used, making us wonder whether the Trojan horse was inspired by this ancient play or vice versa. No one has reimagined Mahabharata more boldly than this dramatist of antiquity.

By A.C. Woolner (translator), Lakshman Sarup (translator),

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Thirteen Plays of Bhasa as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

This translation is of thirteen Sanskrit plays discovered in South India by the late Pandit Ganapati Sastri and edited by him in the Trivandrum Sanskrit Series. It comprises the following titles: 1.Pratijnayaugandharayana, 2.Svapnavasavadatta, 3.Carudatta, 4.Pancaratra, 5.Madhyamavyayoga, 6.Pratima-nataka, 7.Dutavakya, 8.Dutaghatotkaca, 9.Karnabhara, 10.Urubhanga, 11.Avimaraka, 12.Balacarita, and 13.Abhiseka. Sastri attributed all the thirteen plays to Bhasa and the prevailing opinion of the scholars is in agreement with him, though the available evidence is not conclusive and so the question still remains open. The translation was done by two eminent Sanskrit scholars. It was published s early as 1930 and a reprint is now…


Book cover of The Alchemical Body: Siddha Traditions in Medieval India
Book cover of The Khecarīvidyā of Ādinātha: A Critical Edition and Annotated Translation of an Early Text of Hathayoga
Book cover of Monastic Wanderers: Nāth Yogi Ascetics in Modern South Asia

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