Bharthari' vairag panth of Nath Samprday

In Indian history and folklore, 'Raja Bharthari', also known as "Sant" Bharthari, in many parts of India is the hero of many folk stories in North India. He was the ruler of Ujjain in the 1st century BC, before renouncing the world and abdicating in the favor of his younger brother Vikramaditya and became a follower of Guru Gorakhnath and along with his nephew Gopi Chand went to the Guru's hill abode in northern Punjab. He is sometimes identified with Bhartṛhari a 7th-century poet.

Stories of Bharthari and his nephew King Gopi Chand of Bengal (Hindi: गोपीचन्द), who are considered Nath panth yogis, abound in the Indian folklore of Punjab, Haryana, Bihar. Uttar Pradesh, Chhatisgarh and West Bengal. Much of the details about the lives of Bharthari and his brother Vikramaditya are from the tales of Baital Pachisi (Twenty five tales of Baital), translated as 'Vikram and The Vampire' by Sir Richard Francis Burton in 1870.

When Bhartrhari was king of 'Ujjayani' (modern day Ujjain) in his state there lived a Brahman who after years of austerities was given, the fruit of immortality, from the celestial tree of Kalpavriksha. The Brahman presented the same to his monarch, Raja Bhartrhari, who in turn, passed it on to his love, the beautiful, Pinglah Rani or Ananga Sena( as per Maha Kavi Kalidas), Raja Bhartrhari's last and youngest wife. The queen, being in love with the Head police officer of the state, Mahipaala, presented the fruit to him, who further passed it on to his beloved, Lakha, one of the maids of honour Eventually, Lakha being in love with the king presented the fruit back to the king. Having completed the circle, the fruit revealed the downsides of infidelity to the king, he summoned the queen and ordered her beheading, and ate the fruit himself. After that he abdicated the throne, to his younger brother Vikramaditya, and became a religious mendicant.He later became a disciple of 'Pattinathar' (Swetharanyar or pattinathu chettiyar is poorvashram name of this saint from poompuhar,Tamil Nadu) who first indulged in argument about samsari and sanyasi with king Bhartrhari later during the conversation pattinathar said that all women's have 'dual mind' it might be true case even with parameswari. King conveyed this news to rani pingalah and she ordered pattinathar to get punished and to sit in 'kalu maram' ( Tree, whose top portion would be sharpened like a pencil and whole tree is fully painted with oil,person who are allowed to sit in the top will split into 2 pieces), They tried pattinathar but kalu maram started burning and nothing happened to pattinathar, the king came to know this news and went directly to pattinathar and asked him to get ready to die the next day, but pattinathar repllied i'm ready even now to die, The next day king came with tears in his eyes and released saint from jail because he actually noticed queen pingalah having sex with horsemen that night, He threw away his empire,wealth, even full coat dress and dressed simple kovanam (cloth that covers only the organ), The king became disciple of pattinathar and got mukthi(salvation) in Kalahasthi temple.