Matsyendra Samhita: Ascribed to Matsyendranatha Part-1
Book Details
Author(s)Debabrata Sensharma
PublisherThe Asiatic Society (Calcutta)
ISBN / ASINB001D1EX5S
ISBN-13978B001D1EX55
Sales Rank6,304,071
MarketplaceUnited States 🇺🇸
Description
Pages: 212
Foreword
Bengal has been home of Tantrism from ancient times. Many practitioners of the Tantrika mode of spiritual discipline lived in Bengal and they propagated the Sakta religious thought and practices among the masses. Many spiritual practitioners hailed from the backward classes, nonetheless they were held in high esteem by the people for their deep spiritual experiences which they preached. Among them the most illustrious and legendary figure was Siddha Matsyendranatha who belonged to this part of the country. His fame as a great Siddha endowed with super-human yogic powers travelled far and wide. He is venerated as a great yogin, a Siddha par excellence both in the Hindu and the Buddhist traditions in this' country, Nepal and Tibet. He is considered to be the founder of powerful Kaula religious tradition, an offshoot of the Sakta Tantrism. Though Kaulism became deeply entrenched in the valley of Kashmir during the 9 - l Oth century A D, it held sway allover the country, its influence percolating in the religious life of people, especially of Kashmir.
The late Professor Prabodh Chandra Bagchi came across manuscripts of four Tantra works ascribed to Matsyendranatha in Nepal. He published them more than flfty years ago. The editor of this text ascribed to Matsyendranath discovered its manuscripts in the library of the Wellcome Institute for History of Medicine, London. It is unique manuscript .which remained un- noticed all these years. The edit obtained a microfilm copy of t?e text which has been edited by him on the basis one single copy of the text ..
I have great pleasure in making this rare and un- published Tantra text available to scholarly world. The work is being issued in the Bibliotheca Indica Sanskrit series of the Society.
I am thankful to the authorities of the Wellcome Institute for History of Medicine, London for kindly granti
Foreword
Bengal has been home of Tantrism from ancient times. Many practitioners of the Tantrika mode of spiritual discipline lived in Bengal and they propagated the Sakta religious thought and practices among the masses. Many spiritual practitioners hailed from the backward classes, nonetheless they were held in high esteem by the people for their deep spiritual experiences which they preached. Among them the most illustrious and legendary figure was Siddha Matsyendranatha who belonged to this part of the country. His fame as a great Siddha endowed with super-human yogic powers travelled far and wide. He is venerated as a great yogin, a Siddha par excellence both in the Hindu and the Buddhist traditions in this' country, Nepal and Tibet. He is considered to be the founder of powerful Kaula religious tradition, an offshoot of the Sakta Tantrism. Though Kaulism became deeply entrenched in the valley of Kashmir during the 9 - l Oth century A D, it held sway allover the country, its influence percolating in the religious life of people, especially of Kashmir.
The late Professor Prabodh Chandra Bagchi came across manuscripts of four Tantra works ascribed to Matsyendranatha in Nepal. He published them more than flfty years ago. The editor of this text ascribed to Matsyendranath discovered its manuscripts in the library of the Wellcome Institute for History of Medicine, London. It is unique manuscript .which remained un- noticed all these years. The edit obtained a microfilm copy of t?e text which has been edited by him on the basis one single copy of the text ..
I have great pleasure in making this rare and un- published Tantra text available to scholarly world. The work is being issued in the Bibliotheca Indica Sanskrit series of the Society.
I am thankful to the authorities of the Wellcome Institute for History of Medicine, London for kindly granti
