Nath

(“lord”) Epithet of the god Shiva, based
on his power as the ultimate lord.
Among the Nathpanthis, a renunciant
ascetic community whose members are
devotees (bhakta) of Shiva, “Nath” is
added to the end of one’s name after
final ascetic initiation as a symbol of
membership. This practice apparently
dates from the Nathpanthis’ earliest
days, since according to tradition they
were founded by the sage Gorakhnath.