Gorakhnath and the Kanphata Yogis c17.13

c17.13

Practices which are included in Yoga run very far back, and some of them may have had their origin in non-Aryan sources.² They antedate all systems of philosophy. Ascetic practices, by which it was believed that men could come into intimate relations with the spirit-world and obtain power to change the natural course of things, contributed to the origin of the praxis. And Yoga is associated with asceticism and the acquirement of supernatural powers, and Yoga practices are very old,³ even though they may not be much in evidence in the earliest literature.⁴ The Brāhmaṇas⁵ and the Upaniṣads are familiar with Yoga ideas. From early times the ascetic has been looked upon as a wonderful magician. Fasts, mortifications and ascetic disciplines generally fall within the province of Yoga practice. Bodily discipline became a means to further mental control.⁶ Both Jains and Buddhists witness to the practice of Yoga, which, however antedates them both.⁷