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of Kadali represent the snares of everyday life. The story is an allegory, showing man's oblivion of his true immortal state. Gopichandra's renunciation also shows that the Yogi is in search of 'truth' and 'immortality' and as such women are thought of as hindrances on the path of Yoga.
Thus from various aspects the difference between the Sahajia Buddhists and the Natha Yogis is easily discernible, yet Luipa and Matsyendranath are thought of as identical. Luipa wrote the Dohas of the Sahajia cult, while Matsyendra called himself a Kaula. Rajmohan Natha suggests that there were two Matsyendras, one was also known as Luipa and wrote the Caryas and Kaula-jnana-nirnaya and advocated Sahaja. The other was Matsyendra-Minanath who was the first guru of the Natha cult, and adhered strictly to Natha- Yoga practices.
We would like to point out that in the Kaula-jnana-nirnaya both the names Minanath and Matsyendranath are found in the colophons, and also from different copies of 'Akula-Vira- Tantra' MSS. they have been proved by Dr. P. Bagchi to be identical persons. Probably Rajmohan Natha has overlooked this fact. It is true that the doctrine ascribed to Luipa the 'Sahaja' way, as opposed to Matsyendra's difficult practices but Matsyendra has also described the 'Sahaja' state in his Akula-Vira-Tantra. So not only Luipa, but Matsyendra also advocates Sahaja. In the vernacular literature of the Natha Yogis we very often find mention of Sahaja. This 'Sahaja' is the same as the Sahaja of the Sahajia Buddhist Dohas. But the Sahaja of Matsyendra school is the union of Siva and Shakti, which was known only to Kaulas who were Saivas. So there is no reason to call the Natha-Yogis Buddhists.
It is a fact that since the advent of Mahayana Buddhism in this country, in spite of differences in views, there was an innate harmony of all religious creeds. The Natha doctrine had many ideas in common with the Sants, the Sufis, the Sahajia Buddhists and others. In determining the special features of the Philosophical Doctrine of the Natha Sect and in following the steps of their 'sadhana' (practice), I have taken help mainly of the authentic texts belonging to the Natha school of yogis. The Tantric practices and also the
