GORᾹKHNĀTH, also known by the Sanskrit form of his name, Gorakṣanātha, was a teacher of haṭhayoga who lived sometime between 900 and 1225 CE. A leading Hindi scholar, Hazariprasad Dwivedi, has observed that "since the time of Śaṅkarācārya there has not been anyone in India as influential or as great" as Gorakṣanātha. There is still no consensus about either his dates or the compositions that may be correctly attributed to him.

Scholars who favor an early date for Gorakhnāth base their claim mainly on indications of an early date for his guru, Matsyendranāth. They focus especially on a reference made by Abhinavagupta (tenth century?), in which he identifies a Matsyendranāth as his own guru. Some sources call Gorakhnāth's guru Mīnanāth (both mina and matsya signify "fish...