Baba Gorakhnath Aarti – Jai Gorakh Deva Lyrics, Meaning & Significance
Baba Gorakhnath Aarti Lyrics (हिंदी में)
जय गोरख देवा, जय गोरख देवा ।
कर कृपा मम ऊपर, नित्य करूँ सेवा ॥
शीश जटा अति सुंदर, भाल चन्द्र सोहे ।
कानन कुंडल झलकत, निरखत मन मोहे ॥
गल सेली विच नाग सुशोभित, तन भस्मी धारी ।
आदि पुरुष योगीश्वर, संतन हितकारी ॥
नाथ नरंजन आप ही, घट घट के वासी ।
करत कृपा निज जन पर, मेटत यम फांसी ॥
रिद्धी सिद्धि चरणों में लोटत, माया है दासी ।
आप अलख अवधूता, उतराखंड वासी ॥
अगम अगोचर अकथ, अरुपी सबसे हो न्यारे ।
योगीजन के आप ही, सदा हो रखवारे ॥
ब्रह्मा विष्णु तुम्हारा, निशदिन गुण गावे ।
नारद शारद सुर मिल, चरनन चित लावे ॥
चारो युग में आप विराजत, योगी तन धारी ।
सतयुग द्वापर त्रेता, कलयुग भय टारी ॥
गुरु गोरख नाथ की आरती, निशदिन जो गावे ।
विनवित बाल त्रिलोकी, मुक्ति फल पावे ॥
Baba Gorakhnath Aarti – Transliteration (English)
Jai Gorakh Deva, Jai Gorakh Deva.
Kar kripa mam upar, nitya karun seva.
Sheesh jata ati sundar, bhaal chandra sohe.
Kaanan kundal jhalkant, nirakhat man mohe.
Gal seli vich naag sushobhit, tan bhasmi dhaari.
Aadi purush yogishwar, santan hitkari.
Naath naranjan aap hi, ghat ghat ke vaasi.
Karat kripa nij jan par, metat yam phaansi.
Riddhi siddhi charno mein lotat, maya hai daasi.
Aap alakh avadhuta, utrakhand vaasi.
Agam agochat akath, arupi sabse ho nyaare.
Yogeejan ke aap hi, sada ho rakhwaare.
Brahma Vishnu tumhara, nishdin gun gaave.
Narad Sharad Sur mil, charnan chit laave.
Charo yug mein aap viraajat, yogi tan dhaari.
Satyug Dwapar Treta, Kalyug bhay taari.
Guru Gorakh Naath ki aarti, nishdin jo gaave.
Vinwit Baal Triloki, mukti phal paave.
Meaning & Significance
The Baba Gorakhnath Aarti is an eight-stanza devotional hymn honouring Guru Gorakhnath, the revered master of the Nath Sampraday. It opens with "Jai Gorakh Deva" - a triumphant salutation - followed by a personal prayer for the Guru's grace and the resolve to serve him daily. The second verse paints Gorakhnath's appearance with the precision of spiritual iconography: matted locks (jata), a crescent moon on the forehead, gleaming earrings in stretched ears - the unmistakable image of a Nath yogi. A serpent graces his neck, ash covers his body: these are the markings of Shiva's lineage and the Nath ascetic tradition. The aarti then moves into the depths of his nature; he is the Adiya Purush (the primordial being), dwelling in every heart (ghat ghat ke vaasi), cutting the bonds of death (yam phansi) for his devotees. Riddhi and Siddhi (supernatural powers and prosperity) are his servants; he himself stands beyond maya. The seventh verse echoes the cosmic esteem: Brahma, Vishnu, Narada, and Saraswati all sing his praises unceasingly. The final verse announces that whoever sings this aarti day and night - here addressed as Baal Triloki - shall attain liberation (mukti).
About Baba Gorakhnath
Guru Gorakhnath (also spelled Gorakshanath) is the supreme figure of the Nath Sampraday, a powerful medieval yogic tradition that spread across the Indian subcontinent from approximately the 9th to 12th centuries CE. He is considered the disciple of Matsyendranath and is revered not merely as a great yogi but as a mahayogi and an avatara of Lord Shiva. His teachings systematized Hatha Yoga, Kundalini Yoga, and the philosophy of the immortal body (kayasiddha). The sacred city of Gorakhpur in Uttar Pradesh is named in his honour, and the Gorakhnath Math there is the living centre of the tradition. Devotees across North India, Nepal, and Pakistan venerate him as a guardian deity, granting protection from illness, fear, and evil.
Benefits of Reciting the Baba Gorakhnath Aarti
- Regular recitation is said to grant the Guru's protective blessings and help overcome fear, disease, and life's obstacles.
- It is believed to awaken the dormant spiritual energy (shakti) within the practitioner and accelerate progress on the yogic path.
- Devotees report that singing the aarti daily creates a shield of divine protection around the household.
- The aarti is considered especially powerful for those seeking initiation into the Nath Sampraday or Shaiva traditions.
- The closing verse promises liberation for anyone who recites the aarti with sincerity morning and night.
How to Perform the Aarti (Pooja Vidhi)
- Bathe at dawn or dusk and sit facing east or north at a clean altar with an image of Baba Gorakhnath.
- Light a ghee lamp and dhoop (incense), and offer fresh flowers, particularly white ones associated with ascetic purity.
- Apply a tilak of vibhuti (sacred ash) on the forehead as a mark of the Shaiva tradition before beginning.
- Ring a bell (ghanta) to begin the aarti, then sing the verses while gently waving the lamp before the image.
- After the aarti, offer kheer (rice pudding) or panjiri as prasad, and share it among those present.
- Conclude with a moment of prostration and a personal prayer for the Guru's grace in one's yogic and daily life.
Best Day & Time to Recite
The Baba Gorakhnath Aarti is traditionally performed at sunrise and sunset. Among all days, Monday (Somvar) - sacred to Lord Shiva, of whom Gorakhnath is an avatar - is the most auspicious for his worship. Shivratri and Guru Poornima are the two annual occasions when this aarti is performed with great ceremony at Gorakhnath Math. The festival of Makar Sankranti is particularly celebrated at the Gorakhpur shrine. Ekadashi (the eleventh lunar day) is also considered favourable for deeper Nath Sampraday observances.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Gorakhnath considered an avatar of Shiva?
Within the Nath Sampraday and in the broader Shaiva tradition of North India and Nepal, Guru Gorakhnath is indeed revered as a manifestation of Lord Shiva. His iconography mirrors that of Shiva - matted hair, serpent ornament, ash-covered body, and crescent moon. Many devotees approach him with the same reverence as they would approach Shiva or Dattatreya.
What is the significance of "Alakh Niranjan" in Nath tradition?
"Alakh Niranjan" is the sacred invocation of the Nath yogis: Alakh means the imperceptible, the unmanifest; Niranjan means the stainless, the one untouched by maya. Nath yogis greet one another and their deity with this salutation, affirming the formless nature of ultimate reality - even as they venerate Gorakhnath in his form-bearing aspect as Guru.
Where is the main Gorakhnath temple located?
The principal shrine of Baba Gorakhnath is the Gorakhnath Mandir in Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh. The temple complex encompasses a vast math (monastery), sacred ponds, and shrines to various Nath masters. It is a living institution that maintains the yogic and scholarly traditions of the Nath Sampraday and welcomes thousands of pilgrims year-round.
Jai Gorakh Deva: the Nath Sampraday's living flame of yoga and renunciation
Baba Gorakhnath - or Gorakshanath - is among the most revered and historically influential siddhas in the Indian spiritual tradition. He is the foundational master of the Nath Sampraday, a lineage of yogis that emphasises hatha yoga, kundalini sadhana, renunciation, and direct realisation of the formless absolute. Gorakhnath is believed to have lived many centuries ago, and while the precise historical details of his life remain the subject of scholarly discussion, his spiritual presence remains vividly alive in countless temples and monasteries - most prominently the Gorakhnath Temple in Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh. The aarti Jai Gorakh Deva is sung by both resident monastics and lay devotees, especially on Shiva-related festival days and on the occasion of Guru Purnima, which holds particular significance in the Nath tradition.
What sets this aarti apart from mainstream Vaishnava or Shakta devotional hymns is its yogic atmosphere: the rasa evoked is not sweetness or awe before a personal deity but the quiet, powerful reverence of a disciple before a master who has conquered time itself. In Nath philosophy, Gorakhnath is seen as the embodiment of the living guru-principle - the inner guide who awakens the seeker's own dormant shakti. For followers of the Nath path, offering this aarti is an act of alignment with that lineage: a moment of pause in which the practitioner reaffirms their commitment to the arduous and liberating path of yoga that Baba Gorakhnath exemplified and transmitted.