Matsyendrasamhita, Matsyendrasaṃhitā, Matsyendra-samhita: 2 definitions

Introduction:

Matsyendrasamhita means something in Hinduism, Sanskrit. If you want to know the exact meaning, history, etymology or English translation of this term then check out the descriptions on this page. Add your comment or reference to a book if you want to contribute to this summary article.

In Hinduism

Shaivism (Shaiva philosophy)

[«previous next»] — Matsyendrasamhita in Shaivism glossary
Source: Brill: Śaivism and the Tantric Traditions

Matsyendrasaṃhitā (मत्स्येन्द्रसंहिता) is a Kubjikā-Tripurā oriented Tantric Yoga text of the Ṣaḍanvayaśāmbhava tradition, probably from thirteenth-century South India.

Shaivism book cover
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Shaiva (शैव, śaiva) or Shaivism (śaivism) represents a tradition of Hinduism worshiping Shiva as the supreme being. Closely related to Shaktism, Shaiva literature includes a range of scriptures, including Tantras, while the root of this tradition may be traced back to the ancient Vedas.

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Yoga (school of philosophy)

[«previous next»] — Matsyendrasamhita in Yoga glossary
Source: Google Books: The Khecarividya of Adinatha

Matsyendrasaṃhitā (मत्स्येन्द्रसंहिता) is a long treatise in 55 paṭalas on Śaiva Tantric ritual and Haṭhayoga. It is ascribed to Matsyendranātha, the second in the traditional list of gurus of the Nātha order with which the Khecarīvidyā is usually affiliated. [...] The layers of narrative in the text are complex—it is a dialogue between Śiva and Pārvatī which was overheard by Matsyendranātha while in the belly of a fish and which he then told to an unnamed Cola king who had it written down. Khecarīvidyā as a dialogue between Śiva and the goddess fits neatly into the didactic section of the text but appears to have been added to an earlier layer. At the beginning of the Matsyendrasaṃhitā when Pārvatī asks Śiva for instruction in śāmbhava-yoga she lists the subjects about which she wants to know.

According to Csaba Kiss:—“The Matsyendrasaṃhitā seems to be a remarkable text, or collection of texts, of a relatively late phase of the Śaiva tradition, particularly of its yogic teachings. It is long, detailed and mostly rather well-preserved. [...] The Matsyendrasaṃhitā is an encyclopaedic compilation of yogic techniques: from āsanas and prāṇāyāma to visualisation and mudrās, from mantra techniques to maṇḍalas, the text describes a whole world of religio-psychological practices and rites... its Kaula layer might not be the central or earliest one. It might contain some material from other, e.g. Saiddhāntika, sources. No doubt, the [Matsyendrasaṃhitā] also incorporates later haṭha-yogic material”.

Yoga book cover
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Yoga is originally considered a branch of Hindu philosophy (astika), but both ancient and modern Yoga combine the physical, mental and spiritual. Yoga teaches various physical techniques also known as āsanas (postures), used for various purposes (eg., meditation, contemplation, relaxation).

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