Matsyendra

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Matsyendra or Matsyendranatha ( Sanskrit : मत्स्येन्द्र , Matsyendra m .; Pali : Macchanda; Hindi: Macchendranath) is a legendary Indian saint and founder of Kaula Tantra . He was the teacher of Goraksha and probably lived in the 6th or 7th century, but possibly only in the 10th to 11th century, both are said to have been born in Bengal . An asana is named after Matsyendra : the Matsyendrasana , a simplified version of it is the Ardha Matsyendrasana .

In his Tantra-Aloka Abhinavagupta greeted him as his guru , from which it is assumed that Matsyendra lived before the middle of the 10th century.

Names

Matsyendra or Matsyendranatha appears under many forms of names, most of which are dialect forms, such as Macchendar . As usual with the Kanpatha yogins , the word Natha “master” is added to the name. He is also called Minanatha “fish master”, a name whose meaning is identical to Matsyendra, which can be translated as “fish master”. In Tibetan Buddhism, it is also called Lui Pa .

Life and legend

There are many legends surrounding Matsyendra and his students that make it impossible to determine which features are historical and that also make it difficult to date Matsyendra. There are many indications that he came to Nepal around the year 600.

He was a fisherman in Bengal and lived on the island of Chandradvipa ("Moon Island"). He is mentioned for the first time in the 10th century as Macchanda in the book Tantraloka by Abhinavagupta, who pays him great veneration in his work.

The incarnation of Shiva

A legend from 10./11. Century tells that Shiva incarnated as a fisherman Matsyendra to catch the fish that had swallowed his sacred tantra textbook after Karttikeya had thrown it into the sea. Afterwards he passed the teaching on to several students in this incarnation. Since he belonged as a fisherman to a lower caste, he accepted students from all classes, the noblest of whom was King Colendranatha, while his main student Goraksha belonged to the lower class.

The fish

A common legend reports how Shiva introduced his wife Parvati to the secret doctrine of Tantra on the beach on the island of Candradvipa. The fisherman Matsyendra, however, turned into a big fish and listened attentively to the teaching discussion. One version says that Matsyendra sat down in a huge fish and was able to listen to the secret conversation without being noticed. After a while Parvati nodded off and Shiva asked: "Are you sleeping?" Matsyendra replied, eager for the subject matter: "No, I'm awake!" Shiva now noticed the big fish and recognized Matsyendra. Pleased with the cunning and attentiveness, he decided to impart the teaching to the Matsyendra instead of the Parvati. He also sat down in the fish and initiated Matsyendra into the tantric teaching for twelve years.

Matsyendra's sons

Six sons are ascribed to Matsyendra, two of whom he had from the Queen of Sri Lanka, with whom he had a love affair for several years. These two, Nimnath and Parashnath, are believed to be the founders of Jinism . In truth, however, they are to be regarded as the founders of two sects of the Kanphata yogins that have adopted Jinist ideas.

Adoration

Matsyendra has been widely worshiped since it was first mentioned in the 10th century. In Nepal, where he is venerated by the Buddhists as Avalokiteshvara , he is considered the patron god of the country, who celebrates a chariot festival every spring, asking for plenty of rain for the seeds. Matsyendra is also revered as the founder of some sects of the Kanpatha Yogins.

Works

Matsyendra is considered the author of the Kaulajnananirnaya.

literature

  • Fausta Nowotny: The Gorakṣaśataka . Cologne (1976).
  • Jyotishman Dam: Shiva Yoga: India's great yogi Gorakshanatha . Munich: Diedrichs Yellow Row 142 (1998). ISBN 3-424-01393-5

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Eckard Wolz-Gottwald: Yoga-Philosophy-Atlas. Experience of primordial awareness. Via Nova, Fuld 2006, ISBN 978-3-936486-04-9 , p. 137
  2. ↑ Georg Feuerstein : The Yoga Tradition. History, literature, philosophy & practice. Foreword by Ken Wilber. Yoga-Verlag, Wiggensbach 2008, ISBN 978-3-935001-06-9 , p. 591


personal data
SURNAME Matsyendra
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Matsyendranatha; मत्स्येन्द्र (Sanskrit)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Indian saint and founder of Kaula Tantra
DATE OF BIRTH 6th century or 7th century
DATE OF DEATH 7th century