Siddha Siddhanta Paddhati

Author(s): Kalyani Mallik
Publisher: Poona Oriental Book House Poona

Page 34

Saivism was introduced in Nepal through him. Gorakhnāth holds the same respect as Pasupatināth, who is the God of the Nepalese. The 'Gurkhās' of Nepal are named after Goraksa. Gorakhnāth's name is engraved in Nepalese coins. Gorakhpore in the U. P. is named after the great saint; temples in Gorakhpore and Chunar are dedicated to his name. In Bengal there is a place called Gorakh-Busuli near Dum Dum, and also a place called Tribeni near the river Hooghly where the Nātha Yogis assemble and worship Sree Gorakhnāth, uttering the mantra Siva-Gorakh.
The Historicity and date of
Matsyendranath Some MSS. found in Nepal have been published by Dr. P. Bagchi under the name of Kaula-jina-nirnaya. The author of these are Matsyendranāth and Minanāth as found in the colophons. Dr. Bagchi has proved them to be indentical, and also shown that the language is not later than that of the eleventh century, and is a form of old Sanskrit. In one place it is mentioned that Matsyendra was an Avatār or incarnation of Siva. It is generally supposed that when a person is considered to be an Avatar, he must have belonged to at least a century earlier. This fact, with that of the language, helps us to place Matsyendra sometime in the tenth century. Abhinava Gupta, the great scholar, in his treatise Tantrāloka salutes Matsyendra as his Guru and greets him as 'equal to Siva'. Dr. K. C. Pandey has discussed the time of Abhinava Gupta and placed him in the second half of the tenth century and his writings not later than that of the beginning of the eleventh century. This also helps us to place Matsyendra not later than the tenth century. Abhinava does not mention Gorakhnāth.
In the commentary of Tantraloka we find that Matsyendra was the founder of the fourth branch of a particular Advaita Tantrik Sect. This sect was founded in Kamarupa in Assam, where according to other traditions also, Matsyendranāth preached. This mention is made because Abhinava's great guru was also connected with this particular Tāntrik Sect.
Bagchi in his introduction to Kaula-irina-nirnaya has shown from a MS. that Matsyendra was born in Bengal and he was the founder of the fourth branch of Yogini Kaula and preached his doctrines in Kāmarupa.