Yogi Heroes and Poets

David N. Lorenzen is Professor of Asian and African Studies at the College of Mexico. He is the author or editor of several books, including Praises to a Formless God: Nirguni Texts from North India, also published by SUNY Press, and Who Invented Hinduism: Essays on Religion in History. Adrián Muñoz is Associate Professor of Comparative Religion at the National Autonomous University of Mexico.

• PrefaceIntroductionDavid N. Lorenzen and Adrián Muñoz Part I: Yogis in History1. The Naths in Hindi LiteraturePurushottam Agrawal2. Religious Identity in Gorakhnath and Kabir: Hindus, Muslims, Yogis, and SantsDavid N. Lorenzen3. Drums in Gwalior: Maharashtrian Nath Heritages in a North Indian CityDaniel Gold 4. Influence of the Naths on Bhīma Bhoi and Mahima DharmaIshita Banerjee-DubePart II: Theology and Folklore 5. On the Magnitude of the Yogic BodyDavid Gordon White6. Awakening Generosity in Nath Tales from RajasthanAnn Grodzins Gold7. Matsyendra’s "Golden Legend": Yogi Tales and Nath IdeologyAdrián Muñoz8. What Should Mīnanāth Do to Save His Life?Lubomír Ondračka9. The Matsyendrasamṃhitā: A Yoginī-centered Thirteenth-century Text from the South Indian Śāmbhava CultCsaba Kiss NotesBibliography List of ContributorsIndex

"This book has three merits: it fosters the interest in Nāths, it provides a summative evaluation of previous studies and it presents on-going research … The many approaches … used in this book may give the impression of an intimidating and somehow discordant pluralism of interpretations. This reviewer, however, found such richness fitting the multifaceted essence of Nāthism itself." — Fabrizio M. Ferrari, Religions of South Asia"Several of the contributions cast new and important light on specific aspects of the Nāths and will be of great interest to scholars and students of a variety of Indian religious traditions." — Religious Studies Review"There is no book on the market now that can compete directly with this volume. It brings out new data for a fresh understanding of the religious landscape of medieval India." — Pashaura Singh, author of Life and Work of Guru Arjan"Yogi Heroes and Poets expands our knowledge of historical, textual, and ethnographic issues related to the Nāth Yogis. These essays provide a strong sense of the context that helped them emerge, as well as their later evolution." — Gurinder Singh Mann, author of The Making of Sikh Scripture