| References to
Brahmagiri are in abundance and are contained mostly in the literature of Marathi saints.
This Brahmagiri was a centre of the Nath Sampradaya. Gorakhanath (Circa 1100-1200 A.D.),
the founder of the Sampradaya had spent his early years in the eaves and shelters of this
mountain. All his meditation and the attainment of final knowledge had taken place in a
cave-Gumpha-in the same hills.Today a small crevice is pointed out as
‘Gorakhagumpha’, the abode of Gorakhanath. Gahininath, the pupil of Gorakhanath
and next in standing to the founder had also stayed here several years. While this
Gahininath was living here, one day a small frightened boy rushed into his cave. He was
trying to hide from a big tiger he had seen and was one of the four children who had
accompanied their father on the pradakshina of Brahmagiri. This young lad so impressed Gahininath that he asked the boy to stay with him,
The boy did stay there and received spiritual attainment through Gahininath. The boy was
none other than Nivrittinath, the elder brother and spiritual Guru of the famous Marathi
saint Jnyan- eshvar. The latter himself had in later years visited this source of Godavari
or Gautami Ganga, while on a pilgrimage of the tirths of the region. From here he went to
Bhima shankar, as Namdev testifies in his well- known lyrics, tirthavali’. The
Patala- khand of the Padma-purana contains a chapter on Tryambaka- mahatmya. This Padma
purana is of an uncertain date, though it is roughly assigned to the late medieval
period. And to make matters worse, all the editions of this Purana do not contain this
Tryambak- mahatmya. A mahatmya of Godavari is found in the Brahma purana, but there
also date and authenticity are equally doubtful. As one comes down - wards in time
scale and arrives at the end of the first half of the eighteenth century, references begin
to appear that pertain directly to the shrine and deity of Tryamba- keshvar. |
