Gorakhnath and the Kanphata Yogis c8.59

c8.59

(1) The Hāṇḍī Bharaṅ (Bharaṅ, Śaraṅnāth, Hāṇḍī Bhiraṅ, Cand Bharaṅ [?]) The explanation of this name is given in the following legend. Śakkarnāth, disciple of Gorakhnāth, in his wanderings, came to a land ruled by a low-caste rāja, who seized him and ordered him to cause a rain of sugar, on pain of torture. Śakkarnāth performed the miracle and then buried the rāja alive. Twelve years later the Yogī returned and found the king a skeleton, but restored him to life and made him his disciple and cook. (Another version of the story states that the rāja was struck blind, and that after twelve years Śakkarnāth restored his sight.) The rāja, however, was not reformed as the result of his punishment. One day he took out some of the pulse he was cooking and tasted it. Bhāirom chanced to appear that day in person and refused the food. The reason was discovered and the rāja was punished by having the pot (haṇḍī) hung about his neck. He was obliged to wander the livelong day, getting food out of the pot. His punishment lasted four years, after which he was pardoned, but his followers still bear the name, Hāṇḍī Bharaṅ.² A most interesting version of this story is told at Trimbak. At that place Yogīs show a stone samādh, said to be that of Aurangzeb. The legend is that Aurangzeb became a disciple of Gorakhnāth, but that the other Yogīs refused to eat with him; so he buried himself alive. After twelve years he came out of his tomb as Mṛtaknāth (Lord of Death). He was only a skeleton when he came forth, but after his reappearance flesh came upon his bones. Afterwards, Gorakhnāth ordered him to cook food for the Yogīs present. He did so, but, when the food was ready, he tasted it to see if it were properly seasoned.