Macchanda

Macchanda · macchanda, “Macchanda, the yogī of Haridvāra”

Macchanda is a yogī who lived at Haridvāra, a pūjaka (worshipper) of Bhagavān Śambhu and the guru of Gorakha. The Pratisarga Parva of the Bhavishya Purāṇa tells that from the tejas of Pinākī placed in his mouth a son was born, the scholar Nāthaśarmā.

His account

Sūta tells a muni that Pinākī produced his excellent aṃśa from his own mouth, and caused his tejas to enter the mouth of a yogī named Macchanda, who lived at Haridvāra. This Macchanda was a pūjaka of Bhagavān Śambhu and the guru of Gorakha.

From that tejas was born a son named Nāthaśarmā, a great scholar, excellent and handsome. He conquered all the scholars of the earth, came to Kāśīpurī and became a śishya of Śaṅkarācārya.

Source: Bhavishya Purāṇa, Pratisarga Parva, Khaṇḍa 4, Chapter 12

Sources

• Bhavishya Purāṇa, Pratisarga Parva, Khaṇḍa 4, Chapter 12