Kaula Jnana Nirnaya (Calcutta Sanskrit Series) (1934) - Page 24

(d) it was further believed at that time, amongst other supernatural stories, that the Kulāgama was stolen from Candradvīpa by Kārttikeya in the form of a mouse, thrown into the sea where it was devoured by a big fish from the belly of which it was recovered by Matsyendranātha; the latter thus won the name of Matsyaghna—the killer of fish. This part of the story might have either grown from popular legends or symbolical indications.

(ii) The Bengali legend—It is mainly preserved in late texts like Gorakṣavijaya Victory of Goraksha, Mīnacetana Awakening of Mina etc. It tells us that Śiva and the four Siddhas—Mīna, Hāḍiphā, Gorakhnāth and Kānuphā were born from the creator. A girl named Gaurī was given to Hara. Gorakh became the servant of Mīna and Kānuphā of Hāḍiphā. Once while Śiva was delivering the secret knowledge to his consort on a platform in the midst of the sea, Mīna in the form of a fish overheard it from underneath the platform. Śiva on discovering it cursed him that he would forget the knowledge. Subsequently when Śiva put his disciples to test through his consort he found out that all except Gorakṣa was unchaste in mind. At Devī's bidding, therefore, Mīnanātha went to the country of women called Kadali and there fell into the snares of women. He forgot all about his previous career and began to pass his days in amusement with the 1600 women of the country. He was later on rescued from there from the snares of women by his disciple Gorakhnāth who entered the palace of women as a dancer and in the form of a bee unnoticed by others reminded Mīna of his previous career. In this version Mīnanātha is often called Mocandar, a colloquial form of Matsyendra.

(iii) The Nepalese Legends: In Nepal two sets of legends are current about Matsyendra of which one is of Buddhist inspiration and the other Brahmanical. In the Buddhist legend Matsyendranātha is identified with Avalokiteśvara (Cf. S. Lévi, Le Nepal