Matsyendranath
Encyclopedia
Matsyendranatha or Machindranath (9th-10th century) was one of the eighty-four Mahasiddha
s. He was the guru
of Gorakshanath
, with whom he founded the school of Hatha yoga
. He is considered as the author of the Kaulajñānanirṇaya ("Discussion of the Knowledge Pertaining to the Kaula Tradition"), one of the earliest texts on Hatha Yoga in Sanskrit. He is revered by both Hindus and Buddhists. Machindranath is believed to be the founder of the Natha Pantha
. Machindranath is called "Vishwayogi" because his teachings are universal.
He was popularly known as Minanatha and was an inhabitant of either Chandradwip (Barisal) or sandwip in Bengal
.
. Machhindra Nath Mandir, Inside Ambagate, Amravati.
Mahasiddha
Mahasiddha is a term for one who cultivates those teachings that lead to becoming perfect. They are a type of eccentric yogini/yogi in both Sanatan Dharma and Vajrayana Dharma, given by Siddhartha. Mahasiddhi are those practitioners, or tantrikas who have gained sufficient understanding and are so...
s. He was the guru
Guru
A guru is one who is regarded as having great knowledge, wisdom, and authority in a certain area, and who uses it to guide others . Other forms of manifestation of this principle can include parents, school teachers, non-human objects and even one's own intellectual discipline, if the...
of Gorakshanath
Gorakshanath
Gorakshanath was an 11th to 12th century Hindu Nath yogi, connected to Shaivism as one of the two most important disciples of Matsyendranath, the other being Caurangi. There are varying records of the spiritual descent of Gorakshanath. All name Adinath and Matsyendranath as two teachers preceding...
, with whom he founded the school of Hatha yoga
Hatha yoga
Hatha yoga , also called hatha vidya , is a system of yoga introduced by Yogi Swatmarama, a Hindu sage of 15th century India, and compiler of the Hatha Yoga Pradipika....
. He is considered as the author of the Kaulajñānanirṇaya ("Discussion of the Knowledge Pertaining to the Kaula Tradition"), one of the earliest texts on Hatha Yoga in Sanskrit. He is revered by both Hindus and Buddhists. Machindranath is believed to be the founder of the Natha Pantha
Nath
The Sanskrit word nāthá or नाथ, is the proper name of a Hindu initiatory tradition and the word itself literally means "lord, protector, refuge"...
. Machindranath is called "Vishwayogi" because his teachings are universal.
Birth
According to the popular belief, Swami Machhindranath was created from a fish. But the fact is that neither was he created from a fish nor was he born from a womans' womb because Lord Shiva wanted to create him from absolute purity and absolute purity can be found in the five elements of life: fire, water, sky, earth and air. Lord Shiva took a certain percentage from each of the 5 elements and created Swami Machhindranath and gave Him a human form. Another reason why he created Swamiji from the 5 elements was because Lord Shiva wanted his creation to be more powerful than Lord Brahma (one of the gods of the Hindu trinity) . Since Swamiji was created from the 5 elements he is indestructible. After creating Swamiji Lord Shiva gave him all his knowledge, thoughts, philosophies. Swamiji is a Sanyasi in the true sense because apart from being born out of purity he was endowed with pure qualities like 'Tyag' or 'Sacrifice'. 'Bhakti and Shraddha', 'Gyan or Knowledge', 'Yog and Rishimayta'.He was popularly known as Minanatha and was an inhabitant of either Chandradwip (Barisal) or sandwip in Bengal
Bengal
Bengal is a historical and geographical region in the northeast region of the Indian Subcontinent at the apex of the Bay of Bengal. Today, it is mainly divided between the sovereign land of People's Republic of Bangladesh and the Indian state of West Bengal, although some regions of the previous...
.
Spiritual Seats
- Kadri Manjunath TempleKadri Manjunath TempleThe Kadri Manjunatha Temple located in Mangalore in the state of Karnataka, India, dates back to approximately 1068 The square temple built with nine water tanks, nestles at the foot of the highest hill at Kadri in Mangalore.-Description:...
in MangaloreMangaloreMangalore is the chief port city of the Indian state of Karnataka. It is located about west of the state capital, Bangalore. Mangalore lies between the Arabian Sea and the Western Ghat mountain ranges, and is the administrative headquarters of the Dakshina Kannada district in south western...
, KarnatakaKarnatakaKarnataka , the land of the Kannadigas, is a state in South West India. It was created on 1 November 1956, with the passing of the States Reorganisation Act and this day is annually celebrated as Karnataka Rajyotsava... - Madyar Sri Parashakthi temple (Sri Parashakti Temple is situated at Madyar, near MangaloreMangaloreMangalore is the chief port city of the Indian state of Karnataka. It is located about west of the state capital, Bangalore. Mangalore lies between the Arabian Sea and the Western Ghat mountain ranges, and is the administrative headquarters of the Dakshina Kannada district in south western...
in Dakshina KannadaDakshina Kannada- Geography :The district geography consists of sea shore in the west and Western Ghats in the east. The major rivers are Netravathi, Kumaradhara, Phalguni, Shambhavi, Nandini or Pavanje and Payaswini which all join Arabian sea. Vast areas of evergreen forests which once covered this district, have...
District of KarnatakaKarnatakaKarnataka , the land of the Kannadigas, is a state in South West India. It was created on 1 November 1956, with the passing of the States Reorganisation Act and this day is annually celebrated as Karnataka Rajyotsava...
) - Viratnagar in RajasthanRajasthanRājasthān the land of Rajasthanis, , is the largest state of the Republic of India by area. It is located in the northwest of India. It encompasses most of the area of the large, inhospitable Great Indian Desert , which has an edge paralleling the Sutlej-Indus river valley along its border with...
- Hellapatnam in BengalBengalBengal is a historical and geographical region in the northeast region of the Indian Subcontinent at the apex of the Bay of Bengal. Today, it is mainly divided between the sovereign land of People's Republic of Bangladesh and the Indian state of West Bengal, although some regions of the previous...
- Chitrakoot Karvi (Border of Madhya PradeshMadhya PradeshMadhya Pradesh , often called the Heart of India, is a state in central India. Its capital is Bhopal and Indore is the largest city....
and Uttar PradeshUttar PradeshUttar Pradesh abbreviation U.P. , is a state located in the northern part of India. With a population of over 200 million people, it is India's most populous state, as well as the world's most populous sub-national entity...
near the banks of the river Piyushini. - Gumbahatta in Kalimpong, Dist. Darjeeling, West Bengal.
Disciples
- Shri KanifnathKanifnathKanifnath, also known as Kanoba, is one of the nine Mahayogi of Navnath Sampradaya.Lord Kanifnathji is a Avtar of Prabuddha Narayan in one of Nav narayan was a son of shri vrushabh dev in mahabharta....
Maharaj - Shri GorakshanathGorakshanathGorakshanath was an 11th to 12th century Hindu Nath yogi, connected to Shaivism as one of the two most important disciples of Matsyendranath, the other being Caurangi. There are varying records of the spiritual descent of Gorakshanath. All name Adinath and Matsyendranath as two teachers preceding...
Maharaj - Shri Madhavnath MaharajShri Madhavnath MaharajShri Madhavnath Maharaj was a Hindu saint, of Karvi, Chitrakoot, Madhya Pradesh, who continued the Nath Sampradaya of the famous Navnaths in India.-Birth and early life:...
- Shri Mangalnath MaharajShri Mangalnath MaharajYogeshwaranand Shri Mangalnath Maharaj is a disciple of Swami Machindranath. Shri Mangalnath Maharaj leads the Chitrakoot Gadi of the famous Chitrakoot Math-Birth and History:Yogeshwaranand Shri Mangalnath Maharaj was born on 12 August 1936...
- He has eight disciples, They along with Matsyendranath are called as Navanathas.
Machindranath Temples
- Toyu (white) Machindranath temple in Kathmandu.
- Macchendranath Guru Peeth in Sri Guru Parashakthi Kshethra, Madyar, Mangalore.
- Hyangu (red) Machindranath temple in Patan
- Vishwayogi Swami Machindranath Mandir, Mitmita, AurangabadAurangabad, BiharAurangabad is a city and a municipality in Aurangabad district in the state of Bihar, India. Aurangabad is the district headquarters of the Aurangabad district. It is situated on the Grand Trunk Road. The people of this region primarily speak Magahi. Due to lack of industrialization, people are...
- The samadhi place of Machindranath is in UjjainUjjainUjjain , is an ancient city of Malwa region in central India, on the eastern bank of the Kshipra River , today part of the state of Madhya Pradesh. It is the administrative centre of Ujjain District and Ujjain Division.In ancient times the city was called Ujjayini...
, Madhya Pradesh(India). - Mayamba Temple ( Garbhagiri Pravat as mentioned in Navnath Grantha) at Shri Kshetra Machindranath Devasthan at Sawargaon, Tal: Ashti, Dist: Beed.
. Machhindra Nath Mandir, Inside Ambagate, Amravati.
Popular culture
There are a few films about this legend in Indian cinema.- The first film entitled Maya Machhindra was made in 1932 in Hindi and Marathi languages by Prabhat Film CompanyPrabhat Film CompanyPrabhat Film Company popularly known as Prabhat Films was an Indian film production company and film studios, formed in Kolhapur, Maharashtra, India in 1929, towards the end of silent films' era, by the noted film director V. Shantaram, along with V.G. Damle, K.R. Dhaiber, S. Fatelal and S.B...
and directed by V. ShantaramV. ShantaramV. Shantaram is a renowned Indian filmmaker, film producer and actor. He is most known for his films like Dr...
. Govindrao TembeGovindrao TembeGovind Sadashiv Tembe, popularly known as Govindrao Tembe was a harmonium player, stage actor, and music composer....
portrayed the role of Machhindranath. - The second film was made in 1939 in Tamil languageTamil languageTamil is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by Tamil people of the Indian subcontinent. It has official status in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and in the Indian union territory of Pondicherry. Tamil is also an official language of Sri Lanka and Singapore...
directed by Raja Chandrasekhar and starring N. S. KrishnanN. S. KrishnanNagerkoyil Sudalaimuthu Krishnan , popularly known as Kalaivanar and also as 'NSK' was a leading Tamil film comedian, drama artist, playback singer and writer in the early stages of the Tamil film industry - in the 1940s and 1950s....
and M. G. RamachandranM. G. RamachandranMaruthur Gopalan Ramachandran , popularly known by his initials , was an Indian film actor, director, producer and politician....
. - Third film in Telugu languageTelugu languageTelugu is a Central Dravidian language primarily spoken in the state of Andhra Pradesh, India, where it is an official language. It is also spoken in the neighbouring states of Chattisgarh, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Orissa and Tamil Nadu...
was made P. PullaiahP. PullaiahP. Pullaiah or P. Pullayya B.A. is a Telugu film director and producer. He was recipient of Raghupathi Venkaiah Award for his contributions to Telugu cinema. He married veteran actress P. Santha Kumari in 1937...
in 1945 starring Jandhyala Gourinatha Sastry, Addanki Srirama Murthy and Kannamba. - The fourth film was again made in Hindi and Marathi languages in 1951 directed by Aspi Irani.
- The fifth film was made in Hindi language by Babubhai Mistri in 1960/61.
- The sixth film was made in Telugu language in 1975 starring N. T. Rama RaoN. T. Rama RaoNandamuri Taraka Rama Rao , also known as NTR and fondly referred to as Anna Garu, was an Indian film actor, director, producer, and a politician...
and directed by Kamalakara Kameswara Rao.
External links
- Mahendranath, Shri Gurudev. Ecstasy, Equipoise, and Eternity. Retrieved Mar. 7, 2006.
- Mahendranath, Shri Gurudev. Notes on Pagan India. Retrieved Mar. 7, 2006.