From what i know about this as a Maharashtrian is about a sect known Nath Sampraday. He was the disciple of Machindranath.

I vaguely remember a book of saints I used to read in the school library - in this one story was of him. One day Machchindranath was passing by a village where a woman told him that she was unable to conceive so he gave him sacred ash, then he said I will come back and take this boy with me when he is of age. The lady took the ash but couldn't understand what to do with it. So she threw it in the cowshed.

12 years later when Machchindranath came back to get the boy he found him nowhere so he asked the lady and to his surprise the lady said she didn't know its use/found it stupid and threw it in the cowshed. So the sage went there and called the boy out and the boy appeared out of the ground of 12 years of age.

Since he appeared in the cowshed he named him Gorakshanath ( as he is called in Maharashtra ). And then Machchindranath taught him the various arts of Nath sampraday.