Siva and Parvati, who embody Universal Consciousness and Infinite
Energy, are said to live on Mount Kailas in western Tibet. The story goes that
one lovely warm summer day, when the sun was shining and they had a respite
from the snows of the long winter, they decided to go on a picnic.
They sat in a peaceful grove of trees, with a small stream
running through it. After lunch, Siva started to tell Parvati about the
discoveries he had been making in understanding the great mystery that lies behind the
apparent reality of world. He had found that the energies within each
person, the microcosm, correspond to those of the Universe, the macrocosm – and
he had devised techniques for unleashing the dormant potential, which he called
“yoga”.
Siva was very excited; he talked on and on for hours. Parvati
couldn’t get a word in, other than to shake her head and mutter “I know”. It
being a hot afternoon, after a while, Parvati became bored and fell asleep.
Although he was disappointed that his number one student was
not paying attention, Siva realised that he had been telling the “secrets” of
the universe to the Cosmic Mother Herself. He had been describing the Infinite
Powers within the created universe to the power who had created it. He had been
explaining how to raise the dormant potential to the Kundalini Shakti herself.
But, Siva had another, more attentive, student. He noticed
that in the nearby stream, a fish (matsya) had his head up and was listening
intently. When turned into a human being, this “lord” of fishes (matsyendra)
became the first practitioner of yoga. Known as Masyendranath, he is credited
as being the first in the lineage of hatha yoga gurus, who have handed down their
teachings to present day yoga practitioners.
