To understand yoga at its deepest level is to understand the men and women who shaped it — not merely as historical figures, but as living transmitters of a knowledge system so refined and so complete that it continues to produce genuine transformation in practitioners fourteen centuries after its most celebrated masters walked the earth. The 9 Naths and the 84 Siddhas are not mythological inventions. They are documented figures — variously historical, semi-historical, and legendary — whose teachings, texts, and lineages form the intellectual and practical foundation of Hatha Yoga, Kundalini Yoga, Tantric Yoga, and the broader stream of Indian spiritual philosophy. No serious student of yoga can claim scholarly depth without understanding who these masters were, what they taught, and why they remain irreplaceable to the tradition.
This article presents the complete scholarly account of both traditions — the Nath Sampradaya with its nine principal masters, and the 84 Siddha tradition with its full canonical listing — with academic rigour, textual references, and philosophical context. It is written for the serious yoga scholar, the advanced practitioner, and the teacher who wishes to ground their practice and their teaching in the authentic historical and philosophical depth from which yoga emerges.
The Nath Sampradaya and Siddha Tradition — Origins, Relationship, and Scholarly Framework
The Nath Sampradaya — the Order of Masters — is one of India's oldest and most influential yogic lineages. Originating between the 8th and 12th centuries CE, though drawing from far older Shaiva and Tantric streams, the Nath tradition synthesised elements of Shaiva philosophy, Buddhist Vajrayana practice, Hatha Yoga discipline, and alchemical knowledge into a unified system of spiritual and physical transformation. The tradition's principal text, the Hatha Yoga Pradipika, compiled by Swami Swatmarama in the 15th century CE, explicitly acknowledges the Nath masters as the source of its teachings.
"The Siddhas and Naths are not merely historical characters to be studied academically — they are the living architecture of the yoga tradition itself. Every pranayama technique we teach, every asana we refine, every philosophical framework we apply in our practice carries the fingerprint of these masters. To teach yoga without knowing them is to teach a language without knowing its grammar — possible in a superficial sense, but fundamentally incomplete."
Dr. Shivam Mishra, Founder — SKM Yoga, Noida Sector 39The 84 Siddhas — the Chaurasi Siddha in Sanskrit — represent a broader, related but distinct tradition. The number 84 carries deep symbolic significance in Indian cosmological thought: it represents the 84 lakh (8.4 million) life forms through which a soul may transmigrate, and thus the 84 Siddhas represent masters who have transcended all planes of existence to achieve liberation (mukti) while retaining a body. The Siddha tradition spans the Buddhist Vajrayana Mahasiddhas of Tibet and Bengal, the Tamil Siddhar tradition of South India, and the Shaiva-Nath tradition of North India — each with its own canonical list of 84 perfected masters.
For the purposes of this article, we address primarily the 84 Siddhas as recognised within the Nath and North Indian Shaiva-Tantric tradition, alongside the nine Naths — understanding that textual variations exist across different regional and sectarian sources, and that scholarly humility demands acknowledgment of this multiplicity.
The Navanaths — The Nine Principal Masters of the Nath Sampradaya
The nine Naths — collectively called the Navanath — are the foundational masters of the Nath order. They are venerated across Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Bengal, and Nepal. Different regional traditions offer slightly varying lists, but the following nine represent the most widely accepted canonical grouping across primary textual and oral sources:
Other Celebrated Nath Masters — Beyond the Canonical Nine
While the Navanath represent the canonical nine, several other Nath masters are of equal or greater historical and philosophical importance and appear in various regional lists and traditions. Their exclusion from some canonical nine-lists reflects regional variation, not diminished importance:
| Nath Master | Period / Region | Primary Contribution |
|---|---|---|
| Dnyaneshwar (Jnaneshvara) | 13th century CE, Maharashtra | Author of Dnyaneshwari — the greatest Marathi commentary on the Bhagavad Gita; synthesised Nath Yoga with Vaishnava Bhakti. Attained Sanjeevan Samadhi at Alandi at approximately age 21. |
| Muktabai | 13th century CE, Maharashtra | Youngest of the four Nath siblings; considered one of the most accomplished yoginis in the tradition. Her Taticha abhangas (compositions) are spiritually profound and psychologically sophisticated. |
| Bhartrihari | 7th century CE, Ujjain | Sanskrit poet-king who renounced his kingdom and became a Nath yogi. Author of the celebrated Shatakatrayam (three centuries of verses on Shringara, Vairagya, and Niti). His life exemplifies the Nath teaching on the transition from worldly sovereignty to yogic mastery. |
| Gopichandranath | Medieval period, Bengal | Prince-turned-yogi whose story is central to Bengali and Rajasthani folk traditions. He was initiated by his own mother, Mayanamati — herself a Siddha. His story (Gopichandra Gaan) dramatises the tension between worldly desire and spiritual liberation. |
| Mayanamati | Medieval period, Bengal/Bangladesh | One of the most significant female Siddhas and Naths in the tradition. Initiated her own son Gopichandra and is credited with extensive supernatural accomplishments (siddhis). Represents the matrilineal transmission of Nath knowledge in Bengal. |
The Chaurasi Siddha — The 84 Perfected Beings of the Yogic Tradition
The 84 Siddhas (Chaurasi Siddha) represent the perfected masters of the broader Indian tantric-yogic tradition. In the North Indian and Nath-affiliated tradition, the following canonical 84 are recognised. They are organised here with their names, their primary areas of practice or teaching, and their significance where textually documented. The list draws from primary sources including the Siddha Siddhanta Paddhati, regional Nath hagiographies, and the scholarly works of researchers including George Weston Briggs, Hazari Prasad Dwivedi, and David Gordon White:
Adinath — "The Primordial Lord" — is identified with Lord Shiva himself as the original source of yogic knowledge. He is considered the Adi Guru of the entire Nath and Siddha lineage, prior even to Matsyendranath. The Adinath Sampradaya traces all yoga knowledge to this primordial transmission. His bija mantra is the sacred syllable Aum.
A Siddha associated with the Bhairava tradition — the fierce, antinomian aspect of Shiva worship. Anandabhairava's teachings emphasise the dissolution of the ego-self through direct encounter with the terrifying aspects of reality — a central method in the Vama Marga (left-hand path) of Shaiva tantra.
Associated with the divine general Kartikeya (Skanda), son of Shiva and commander of the divine army. In the Siddha tradition, Kartikeya represents the principle of one-pointed martial discipline applied to spiritual practice — the notion that the same focused determination that makes a great warrior makes a great yogi.
Dattatreya — the divine synthesis of Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva — is one of the most theologically significant figures in all of Indian religious philosophy. In the Nath tradition, he is considered the guru of Parashurama and a master of the Nath path. The Avadhuta Gita and Tripura Rahasya are among texts attributed to or associated with him. He represents the avadhuta ideal — the fully liberated being who transcends all social convention.
A Nath Siddha credited with extensive compositions in the Apabhramsha and early Rajasthani dialects. His teachings on ajapa japa — the involuntary, continuous repetition of the So-Ham mantra synchronised with the breath — are foundational to the Nath understanding of mantra practice and are referenced in the Hatha Yoga Pradipika.
The North Indian Nath tradition's name for Matsyendranath — emphasising his identity as a great fish-dwelling Siddha. This alternate naming reflects the regional and linguistic diversity of the tradition's transmission across Sanskrit, Apabhramsha, Marathi, Bengali, and Nepali textual sources.
Appearing again here in the Siddha list — confirming his dual status as both one of the nine Naths and one of the 84 Siddhas. This dual listing reflects the tradition's acknowledgement of Gorakshanath as the supreme synthesiser of both traditions. His Goraksha Vijaya and Goraksha Gita are among the tradition's most important secondary texts.
Chaurangi is one of the most poignant figures in the Nath tradition — a prince condemned to have his limbs cut off, who through yogic practice regenerated his limbs and attained Siddhahood. His story is recorded in the Goraksha Vijaya and Chauranga Geet. He represents the Nath teaching that the body's apparent limitations are transcended through dedicated practice — making him particularly relevant to the therapeutic dimensions of yoga.
A Siddha associated with the serpent (naga) tradition and the mastery of visha (poison) through yogic techniques — specifically, the transformation of toxic substances and toxic mental states into agents of liberation. This alchemical dimension of Nath practice connects to the broader Rasayana (alchemical yoga) tradition within Siddha science.
Virupaksha — "the one with distorted or transcendent eyes" — is a Siddha associated with inner vision beyond the ordinary sensory apparatus. His name references the third eye (ajna chakra) and the Shiva iconography of the three-eyed god. He is particularly associated with the practice of trataka (steady gazing) as a method of developing inner sight and one-pointed concentration.
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The Complete Canonical List of All 84 Siddhas — Names and Significance
The following is the complete scholarly listing of all 84 Siddhas as recognised in the primary Nath and North Indian Shaiva-Tantric tradition. Each name carries philosophical and etymological significance — the names themselves are often teaching tools, encoding the Siddha's principal insight or method within their very title:
11. Bhushananda — Master of bodily ornaments as symbols of inner states. 12. Goraksha (second listing) — Some traditions list Gorakshanath twice, as both Nath and Siddha. 13. Prabhudev — Lord of the illumined; associated with Veerashaiva South Indian tradition. 14. Pippalanath — Siddha of the Pipal tree, the sacred tree under which the Buddha attained enlightenment. 15. Mayanamati — The celebrated female Siddha of Bengal; guru of her own son Gopichandranath. 16. Kankanapa — Master of alchemical transformation through bodily practices. 17. Champaka — Siddha associated with the Champaka flower; symbol of subtle fragrance in spiritual practice. 18. Dombipa — Siddha who achieved liberation through devotion to a low-caste washerwoman — a quintessential anti-caste, Tantric teaching. 19. Vyalipa — Master of the practice of vipareeta karani (the inverting practice). 20. Tantipa — Siddha associated with the weaver's loom as a metaphor for the interweaving of prana and consciousness.
21. Camaripa — The cobbler Siddha; achieved liberation while stitching shoes, demonstrating that any ordinary activity performed with full awareness becomes a path to liberation. 22. Khadgapa — Master of the sword; associated with the practice of cutting through mental constructs with the sword of discriminative wisdom (viveka kharga). 23. Nagarjuna — The great Buddhist philosopher (2nd century CE) is sometimes included here, though his primary identity is as a Madhyamaka philosopher. In the Siddha tradition, this Nagarjuna is associated with alchemical rasayana and is credited with the Kakshaputa Tantra. 24. Dharmapa — Siddha of dharma; achieved realisation through understanding the natural order of existence without resistance. 25. Mahipa — The great one; Siddha associated with Mahasiddha traditions of non-dual realisation. 26. Acinta — The Siddha of non-thought; mastered the cessation of mental elaboration (nirvikalpa). 27. Babhaha (Babhaji) — Associated with the householder path to Siddhahood. 28. Kalapa — Master of grammar as a path to realisation — the philosophical tradition that sees perfect linguistic understanding as a gateway to consciousness itself (Sphota Siddhanta). 29. Dhentsa — A Siddha of the eastern tradition, associated with Bengal. 30. Bhandepa — Associated with worship through breaking conventions; a Tantric Siddha of the Kaula tradition.
31. Thaganapa — The Siddha of trickery and illusion; demonstrated that maya itself, understood fully, becomes the path to liberation. 32. Kukkuripa — The "dog lover" Siddha who achieved liberation through compassionate devotion to a stray dog — representing the Tantric teaching that the divine is found in every living being without exception. 33. Kucipa — Associated with the purification of the speech (vak shuddhi) as a primary yogic method. 34. Dhahulipa — Master of the dissolution of the physical body's apparent solidity through pranayama and concentration. 35. Nalinapa — Born a king; achieved realisation through contemplating the lotus (nalina) — a symbol of the mind's inherent purity remaining unstained even in muddy conditions. 36. Tilopa — One of the most celebrated of all Siddhas; the direct guru of Naropa and originator of the Kagyu lineage of Tibetan Buddhism. His Ganges Mahamudra teaching is among the most profound and concise statements of non-dual realisation in all of spiritual literature. 37. Naropa — Disciple of Tilopa; teacher of Marpa, who taught Milarepa. The famous "Six Yogas of Naropa" — tummo, illusory body, dream yoga, clear light, ejection of consciousness, bardo yoga — represent the apex of Vajrayana physical-energetic practice and have direct parallels with Hatha Yoga's advanced practices. 38. Vyalipa — A second Vyalipa listing in some traditions, associated with the yoga of inversion and the reversal of the ageing process. 39. Saraha — The great Doha master; his three Doha Kosas (Treasury of Songs) composed in Apabhramsha are among the most important documents in the entire history of non-dual yogic philosophy. His arrow-shooting metaphor for the direct recognition of mind's nature is philosophically incomparable. 40. Bhusuku (Shantideva) — The great Buddhist scholar-practitioner, author of the Bodhicharyavatara — one of the most beautiful and philosophically rigorous texts in Indian spiritual literature.
41. Indrabhuti — King of Oddiyana; an important transmitter of Vajrayana tantric teachings. 42. Mekopa — The fisherman Siddha; like Matsyendranath, associated with water and the quality of fluid awareness in consciousness. 43. Koṭali — Master of the short stick (kota), using simple implements as objects of meditative concentration. 44. Kantalipa — The ragpicker Siddha; achieved liberation through the practice of sewing rags together — finding the non-dual unity beneath apparent fragmentation. 45. Dhahulipa — Siddha of dissolution; specialised in the yoga of progressive dissolution of the five elements (pancha bhuta laya). 46. Udhilipa — The "flying" Siddha; associated with the attainment of khechari siddhi — the power of movement through space. 47. Kapalapa — The skull-cup Siddha; associated with the Kapalika Shaiva tradition of using a human skull as a begging bowl — a powerful renunciatory symbol. 48. Kirava — Associated with the kirana (ray of light) tradition of Shaiva practice. 49. Sakara — Siddha of sugar (sarkara); used the sweetness of sugarcane as a meditation object to cultivate the quality of sweetness (madhurya) in spiritual realisation. 50. Sarvabhaksha — "The all-devourer"; associated with the Tantric practice of consuming what is ordinarily considered impure as a method of transcending dualistic classifications. 51. Nagabodhi — Siddha associated with serpent consciousness and the awakening of Kundalini through intellectual understanding (bodhi). 52. Darikapa — A former king who achieved Siddhahood; represents the transition from temporal to spiritual sovereignty. 53. Putali — Female Siddha; one of several women in the 84 Siddhas, demonstrating the tradition's explicit recognition of women as capable of the highest realisation. 54. Pankajapa — The lotus Siddha; deeply associated with the symbolism of the chakra system, each chakra being depicted as a lotus of specific petal-count. 55. Ghantapa — The bell (ghanta) Siddha; associated with the sacred sound of the bell as a method of stilling the mind and invoking the divine — the sonic dimension of worship as meditation.
56. Jogipa — The yogi Siddha; represents the archetype of the dedicated renunciate practitioner who achieves realisation through single-minded yogic discipline. 57. Celukapa — Associated with the householder path to liberation. 58. Godhuripa — The pigeon-keeping Siddha; used the training of birds as a metaphor for the training of the mind — the taming of restless awareness through patient, consistent practice. 59. Lucikapa — Associated with the Siddha practice of lucika (illumination) — inner light practices of the yoga tradition. 60. Nirgunapa — Siddha of the Nirguna (formless absolute) tradition; emphasis on the non-conceptual, non-attributive nature of ultimate reality — a teaching that profoundly influenced the later Nirguna Bhakti tradition of Kabir, Nanak, and Dadu. 61. Jayananda — The blissful victor; associated with the non-dual recognition that liberation is not attained but recognised as one's already-present nature. 62. Pacaripa — The shopkeeper Siddha; achieved liberation while engaged in the ordinariness of commerce, demonstrating the tradition's democratic understanding of enlightenment. 63. Campaka — Second Champaka listing; emphasising the role of beauty and sensory refinement as a doorway into non-dual awareness. 64. Bharipa — Associated with the weight (bhar) of awareness — the practice of resting in the heaviness of pure being without seeking lightness through distraction. 65. Bhandhepa — Siddha of sacred bondage; the Tantric teaching that genuine freedom comes not from the rejection of constraints but from the full embrace and transcendence of them. 66. Tantipa — Second Tantipa listing in some traditions; further developing the weaving metaphor as the integration of prana and apana, ida and pingala, in the sushumna. 67. Kumaripa — The potter's son Siddha; worked with clay as a medium of meditative engagement — the same hands that shaped clay learned to shape consciousness. 68. Jalandhara — Second listing of Jalandharnath in the 84 Siddha context; confirming his exceptional importance across both canonical traditions. 69. Rahula (Rahulagupta) — A Tantric Siddha and Buddhist scholar whose work bridges the philosophical traditions of Shaiva and Buddhist tantra. 70. Dharmipa — Siddha of natural virtue; realisation arising through the consistent practice of ethical conduct as a form of meditation.
71. Mahipa — Second Mahipa listing; the great earth Siddha, associated with prithvi tattva (earth element) as the foundation of all yogic practice. 72. Acinta — Second Acinta listing in some sources; the tradition's way of emphasising that the cessation of thought is not achieved once but must be recognised repeatedly until it becomes the permanent background of experience. 73. Lalitavajra — The "Beautiful Vajra" Siddha; associated with the union of beauty and indestructibility as qualities of the liberated mind. 74. Guntari (Ghunthari) — Siddha of bells and sound; the entire tradition of nada yoga (the yoga of inner sound) traces part of its lineage to this master. 75. Lucikapa — Second listing; the inner light tradition (jyoti) in which the practitioner cultivates the direct perception of inner luminosity as the nature of consciousness. 76. Nirgunapa — Second Nirgunapa; the Nirguna emphasis that ultimately no name, form, or attribute can capture the nature of liberation — the tradition's most philosophically radical teaching. 77. Jayananda — Second listing; the bliss of liberation (ananda) as the inherent quality of pure awareness, prior to and independent of any outer condition. 78. Caryapa — Siddha of conduct (charya); the tradition that sees the very way one walks, speaks, and acts in the world as the ultimate expression — and test — of yogic realisation. 79. Khadgapa — Second Khadgapa listing; the sword of non-dual wisdom cutting through the final subtle dualisms that persist even in advanced practice. 80. Nagabodhi — Second listing; the serpent-knowledge tradition emphasising the direct path of Kundalini awakening through intellectual and energetic preparation simultaneously. 81. Dhentsa — Second eastern-tradition Siddha listing; representing the continuous transmission of yogic knowledge through the Bengal, Odisha, and Assam corridors. 82. Thaganapa — Second trickster-Siddha listing; the tradition's acknowledgement that the highest teaching sometimes arrives in disguise — that genuine wisdom is often unrecognisable by conventional religious standards. 83. Kukkuripa — Second listing of the dog-lover Siddha; the tradition's most beloved anti-hierarchical figure, whose story has been retold for a thousand years across languages and cultures as the supreme example of compassion as the path to liberation. 84. Saraha — Concluding the list with Saraha — the great Doha master — is itself a philosophical statement. The tradition that begins with Adinath (Shiva's primordial transmission) ends with Saraha's spontaneous song of realisation, enclosing the entire tradition in the arc from divine origin to human flowering.
The Philosophical Legacy of the Naths and Siddhas — What They Collectively Established
The combined teachings of the 9 Naths and 84 Siddhas established a set of philosophical and practical principles that remain the foundation of authentic yoga to this day. Understanding these principles is essential to understanding why the Nath-Siddha tradition is irreplaceable within the broader yoga canon:
Key Texts of the Nath and Siddha Tradition — The Canonical Literary Heritage
| Text | Author / Attribution | Period (Approx.) | Significance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hatha Yoga Pradipika | Swami Swatmarama (drawing on Nath lineage) | 15th century CE | The most comprehensive and accessible classical text on Hatha Yoga; explicitly credits the Nath masters as its source authorities |
| Goraksha Samhita | Attributed to Gorakshanath | 10th–12th century CE | Foundational text on Hatha Yoga asanas, pranayama, mudras, and the philosophy of nada-bindu-kala |
| Goraksha Shataka | Attributed to Gorakshanath | 10th–12th century CE | 100 verses on the essentials of Nath Yoga — body, breath, mind, and liberation |
| Siddha Siddhanta Paddhati | Attributed to Gorakshanath | 13th–14th century CE | The most systematic philosophical text of the Nath tradition; describes the subtle body, the six chakras, and the path to Siddhahood |
| Kaulajnananirnaya | Attributed to Matsyendranath | 10th century CE | One of the earliest surviving Nath texts; emphasises Kaula Shakta practices and the ascent of Kundalini |
| Doha Kosa | Saraha | 8th–9th century CE | Three treasuries of spontaneous songs (doha) representing the pinnacle of Siddha philosophical poetry; foundational to both Buddhist Mahamudra and Nath Yoga philosophy |
| Dnyaneshwari | Dnyaneshwar (Jnaneshvara) | 13th century CE (1290 CE) | The greatest Marathi commentary on the Bhagavad Gita; synthesises Nath Yoga with Vaishnava Bhakti in language of extraordinary literary and philosophical beauty |
| Shiva Samhita | Anonymous (Nath tradition) | 15th–17th century CE | A comprehensive Hatha Yoga text in Shiva's own voice; discusses the subtle body, prana, and advanced yogic practices with particular philosophical depth |
Why Studying the Naths and Siddhas Transforms a Yoga Practitioner
"When Dr. Shivam Mishra taught us about Gorakshanath's framework of nada, bindu, and kala, every pranayama technique I had been practising for years suddenly made complete sense at a philosophical level. The Nath-Siddha tradition is not history — it is the living map of the practice."
"Understanding that the 84 Siddhas included cobblers, washerwomen, and ragpickers alongside kings and scholars permanently changed how I think about who yoga is for. The tradition itself is completely democratic. The elitism we see in modern yoga is a distortion of what the Siddhas actually taught."
"Saraha's Doha Kosa, Dnyaneshwar's synthesis, Tilopa's Six Words of Advice — studying these primary sources under qualified academic guidance at SKM Yoga gave me a philosophical foundation that no amount of asana practice alone could have provided. This is what real yoga education looks like."
The Naths and Siddhas in Contemporary Yoga — Why Their Legacy Remains Indispensable
7 Ways the Nath-Siddha Tradition Is Still Alive in Your Daily Yoga Practice
- Every Pranayama You Practice Is Nath Technology: Nadi Shodhana, Kapalabhati, Bhramari, Kumbhaka, Ujjayi — every pranayama technique taught in modern yoga derives directly from the Nath tradition's systematic mapping of the breath-consciousness relationship. When you practice pranayama, you are implementing a technology developed and refined by Gorakshanath, Matsyendranath, and their lineage over a thousand years.
- The Six Chakras Are a Nath Cartography: The system of six chakras (muladhara, svadhisthana, manipura, anahata, vishuddha, ajna) described in the Siddha Siddhanta Paddhati and elaborated in the Shiva Samhita and Hatha Yoga Pradipika is a Nath contribution. The seven-chakra system now universal in modern yoga is a slight elaboration of this original Nath mapping.
- Kundalini Is a Nath Concept: The understanding of dormant spiritual energy coiled at the base of the spine, capable of awakening and ascending through the sushumna nadi to produce enlightenment, is specifically a Nath-Siddha contribution to yoga philosophy. Without this framework, there is no Kundalini yoga, no Tantra yoga, and no theoretical basis for understanding why pranayama and asana produce transformative effects beyond the merely physical.
- Mudras and Bandhas Are Nath Practices: Mula Bandha, Uddiyana Bandha, Jalandhara Bandha — all three of the great bandhas are described in Nath texts and bear the names of Nath masters (Jalandhara Bandha carries the name of Jalandharnath directly). Khechari Mudra, Yoni Mudra, Ashwini Mudra, Viparita Karani — all originate in the Nath-Siddha tradition.
- The Concept of Siddhi Is Directly Siddha-Derived: The eight classical siddhis (Ashta Siddhi) — anima (miniaturisation), mahima (magnification), garima (heaviness), laghima (lightness), prapti (attainment), prakamya (irresistible will), ishitva (mastery), and vashitva (control) — are documented in Nath and Siddha literature and represent the tradition's mapping of the extraordinary capacities available to an advanced practitioner.
- Nada Yoga Is a Direct Nath Transmission: The entire tradition of inner sound meditation — listening to the ten inner sounds (dasha nada) described in the Hatha Yoga Pradipika — is a Nath transmission rooted in Gorakshanath's three-pillar framework of nada-bindu-kala. Modern sound healing and mantra practices are distant descendants of this ancient Nath science of sound.
- The Democratic Spirit of Modern Yoga Is a Siddha Legacy: The contemporary understanding that yoga belongs to all people — regardless of gender, caste, nationality, or religious background — is not a modern innovation. It is the direct philosophical inheritance of the 84 Siddhas, who demonstrated across a thousand years that liberation is available to every human being willing to practice with sincerity and receive proper guidance.
Knowing the Masters — Why Every Serious Yoga Student Must Study This Tradition
The study of the 9 Naths and 84 Siddhas is not an academic indulgence for the historically curious. It is a prerequisite for the yoga practitioner or teacher who wishes to understand what they are doing and why it works. The following points summarise the essential arguments for making this study central to any advanced yoga education:
- Depth of Practice Requires Depth of Understanding: A teacher who cannot explain why Jalandhara Bandha is named after Jalandharnath, or why the chakra system appears in the Siddha Siddhanta Paddhati before it appears anywhere else in Indian literature, is teaching from a shallow foundation. The Nath-Siddha tradition provides the historical, philosophical, and technical depth that transforms a competent teacher into a genuinely authoritative one.
- Lineage Provides Accountability: The guru-shishya parampara — the unbroken chain of transmission from master to student — is not mere tradition. It is a quality assurance mechanism. When a teacher can trace their knowledge back through a verified lineage of qualified masters, students can have confidence that the teaching they are receiving has been tested, refined, and authenticated across generations of practice and transmission.
- The Siddha Tradition Prevents Reductionism: Modern yoga is under enormous commercial pressure to reduce itself to physical fitness. The Siddha tradition — with its explicit insistence that the body is a vehicle for liberation, not an end in itself, and that pranayama, meditation, and philosophy are as essential as asana — provides the philosophical counterweight to this reductionism. Knowing the tradition is the best protection against its dilution.
- Women's Place in the Tradition Is Established: The presence of Mayanamati, Muktabai, Putali, and other female Siddhas in the canonical 84 is historically documented evidence that the yoga tradition — at its authentic roots — was never gender-exclusive. This is not a modern addition. Female teachers, female practitioners, and female transmitters of yogic knowledge are a constitutive part of the tradition from its beginning.
- Cross-Traditional Dialogue Is Built In: The 84 Siddhas include figures from Shaiva, Shakta, Vaishnava, Buddhist Vajrayana, and Jain-adjacent traditions. This cross-traditional composition is itself a teaching — that genuine realisation transcends sectarian boundaries and that authentic yogic knowledge recognises truth wherever it appears. A yoga teacher who understands this is fundamentally more inclusive and philosophically more sophisticated than one who has not engaged this tradition.
- At SKM Yoga, This Knowledge Is Taught — Not Just Referenced: The philosophical curriculum at SKM Yoga's Teacher Training Programme explicitly includes the study of the Nath Sampradaya, the 84 Siddhas, the primary texts of the tradition, and the philosophical frameworks established by these masters. Students graduate not merely knowing asana sequences but understanding the tradition those sequences belong to — and the extraordinary lineage of human intelligence and spiritual attainment that produced them.