{{Short description|Spiritual title given to a householder Nath Guru}} '''Gurunath''' is a commonly used term when praising what is considered by devotees the ultimate source of compassion, love and truth - irrespective of sectarian divides whether they may be devotees of [[Shiva]], the Lord of Transformation in the Hindu pantheon ([[Shaivaite]]) or of [[Vishnu]], the Lord of Preservation and Sustenance in the Hindu pantheon ([[Vaishnav]]) or any other devotee ([[bhakta]]) of a Hindu God or Goddess.
The first part of the refrain "''Bolo Sri Sat Gurunath Maharaj ki''" is chanted by the leader of the ''[[kirtan]]'', ''[[bhajan]]'', devotional chanting of religious scriptures or highly devotional compositions made by individuals respectively, or devotional discourse. Then the congregation responds in unison with "''Jai!''". This refrain, which is normally chanted at the end of a ''bhajan'' or ''kirtan'', may be translated from [[Sanskrit]] as "Say/Chant/Proclaim ("''Bolo''") the name of the Spiritual Mentor who is the essence of Truth ("''Sri Sat Guru''") who is Lord ("''Nath''") and King ("''Maharaj''")..."Yes!""<ref>Swami Tejomayananda. Shreemad Bhagawatam (Audio Discourse on the [[Srimad Bhagavatam]]), Hanuman Chalisa (Audio Discourse), A Seeker's Journey (Audio Discourse and Bhajan/Kirtan), The Glory of Krishna (Audio Discourse and Kirtan/Bhajan), Naam and Ram (Audio Discourse), Geetavali Ramayan (Audio Discourse and Kirtan/Bhajan) [http://www.chinmayamission.com/] [http://www.chinmayauk.org/ebookshop/] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303181221/http://www.chinmayauk.org/ebookshop/ |date=2016-03-03 }}</ref>
==Spiritual title== Gurunath is also a spiritual title given to a householder [[Nath]] [[Guru]] by Shri Gurudev Mahendranath, who wrote that he had coined the term in 1986: "So I have coined a word—Gurunath ... This word can be the Western term for the same thing as [[Guru]]dev and it circumvents any religious or Eastern connections."<ref>Mahendranath, Shri Gurudev. [http://opendoor.nathorder.org/1987/01/01/from-a-letter-to-kapilnath-of-1-january-1987/ Personal correspondence, 1 Jan 1987] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070315045531/http://opendoor.nathorder.org/1987/01/01/from-a-letter-to-kapilnath-of-1-january-1987/ |date=15 March 2007 }} in ''[http://opendoor.nathorder.org The Open Door] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070210111848/http://opendoor.nathorder.org/ |date=2007-02-10 }}''. International Nath Order, 2006.</ref> Shri Gurudev Mahendranath bestowed this title on at least two members of his [[Parampara|lineage]], Shri Gurunath Lokanath (1986) and Shri Gurunath Kapilnath (1989).<ref>Mahendranath, Shri Gurudev. [http://opendoor.nathorder.org/index.php?s=gurunath Personal correspondence, 1987–1989] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070309054755/http://opendoor.nathorder.org/index.php?s=gurunath |date=2007-03-09 }} in ''[http://opendoor.nathorder.org The Open Door] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070210111848/http://opendoor.nathorder.org/ |date=2007-02-10 }}''. International Nath Order, 2006.</ref>
==Name== '''Gurunath''' is a [[family name]] and a [[given name]] for males in [[India]] and [[Bangladesh]]. Some notable persons named Gurunath include: * [[G. A. Kulkarni|Gurunath Aabaji Kulkarni]] (1923–1987) - a short story writer in Marathi * [[Gurunath Sengupta]] (1848–1914) - a Sanskrit scholar and writer from Bangladesh * [[Gurunath Vidyanidhi]] (1862–1931) - a Sanskrit scholar, writer and poet from Bangladesh
==See also== {{Portal | Hinduism |Religion}} {{div col |colwidth=12em}} * Lineage ** [[Guru]] ** [[Guru–shishya tradition]] ** [[Parampara]] ** [[Sampradaya]] ** [[Lineage (Buddhism)]] ** [[List of Hindu gurus]] * Lifestyle ** [[Akhara]] ** [[Apprenticeship]] ** [[Chillum (pipe)|Chillum]] ** [[Darśana|Darshan]] ** [[Gurukula]] ** [[Kaupinam]] ** [[Kacchera]] ** [[Langota]] * Others ** [[Aghori]] ** [[Charismatic authority]] ** [[Godman (India)|Godman]] ** [[Guru Gita]] ** [[Hindu reform movements]] ** [[Lama]] ** [[Lifestyle guru]] ** [[Nath]] ** [[Religious conversion]] ** [[Shramana]] ** [[Sikh gurus]] ** [[Sifu]] ** [[Sensei]] {{div col end}}
==Notes== {{reflist}}
==References== * Shri Gurudev Mahendranath|Mahendranath, Shri Gurudev in ''[https://web.archive.org/web/20070210111848/http://opendoor.nathorder.org/ The Open Door]''. International Nath Order. Retrieved 8 March 2006
[[Category:Surnames of Indian origin]] [[Category:Indian masculine given names]] [[Category:Masculine given names]]