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Gurunath is a family name and also a given name for males in India and Bangladesh. Some notable persons named Gurunath include:

• Gurunath Sengupta (1848–1914) - a Sanskrit scholar and writer from Bangladesh
• Gurunath Vidyanidhi (1862–1931) - a Sanskrit scholar, writer and poet from Bangladesh
• Gurunath Siddhanath (b. 1944) - a spiritual name adopted by Himalayan yogi Sidhoji Rao Shitole, which is commonly preceded by his title, Yogiraj

Other meanings

Gurunath is also a 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 Gurudev and it circumvents any religious or Eastern connections."

Shri Gurudev Mahendranath believed that the word Gurunath was not previously attested as a title in India, though it has been used as a proper name (see above). The usual title for a Guru is Gurudev, which is typically applied to a sannyasin or renunciate. In creating a sect of lay or householder Naths, Shri Gurudev Mahendranath felt that he needed some title other than Gurudev to designate the Guru-status of his sishyas or students when they had attained it. The use of the word Gurunath was his solution.

Shri Gurudev Mahendranath bestowed this title on at least two members of his lineage, Shri Gurunath Lokanath (1986) and Shri Gurunath Kapilnath (1989).

Notes

1. Mahendranath, Shri Gurudev. Personal correspondence, 1 Jan 1987 in The Open Door. International Nath Order, 2006.
2. Mahendranath, Shri Gurudev. Personal correspondence, 1987–1989 in The Open Door. International Nath Order, 2006.

References

• Mahendranath, Shri Gurudev in The Open Door. Retrieved March 8, 2006.

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