Matsya means something in Hinduism, Sanskrit, Jainism, Prakrit, the history of ancient India.
Ancient history and geogprahy
Matsya in India history glossary
Matsya (मत्स्य) refers to one of the sixteen Mahājanapadas of the Majjhimadesa (Middle Country) of ancient India, as recorded in the Pāli Buddhist texts (detailing the geography of ancient India as it was known in to Early Buddhism).—The Matsya country comprises the modern territory of Jaipur; it included the whole of the present territory of Alwar with a portion of Bharatpur. From the Aṅguttara Nikāya we know that the Matsya country was included in the traditional list of the sixteen Mahājanapadas. The country of the Matsyas lay to the south or south west of Indraprastha and to the south of Sūrasena. The capital of the Matsya country was Virāṭanagara or Vairat, so called because it was the capital of Virāṭa, King of the Matsyas.
The Janavasabha Suttanta tells us of the Matsyas or Macchas in connection with the account of the Buddha’s stay at Nādika. In the Vidhura Paṇḍita Jātaka we read that the Macchas witnessed the dice-play of the King of the Kurus with the Yakkha Puṇṇaka.
Source: Ancient Buddhist Texts: Geography of Early Buddhism
Matsya Purana
Matsya Purana in Hinduism glossary.
Matsya Purana (“the ancient chronicle of Matsya”) is one of the oldest of the 18 post-Vedic Hindu scriptures called the Puranas. The scripture is a composite work dated to c. 250–500 CE. It narrates the story of Matsya, the first of ten major Avatars of the Hindu god Vishnu. During the period of mahapralaya (The great flood ), Lord Vishnu had taken Matsya Avatar (fish incarnation) to save the seeds of all lives and Manu(the grandfather of generation ). Matsya Purana contains a comprehensive description of Manu and Matsya avatar. The Padma Purana categorizes Matsya Purana as a Tamas Purana (Purana of darkness or ignorance).
This Purana is the story of the Matsya Avatar (incarnation) of Lord Vishnu, Manu who was the King of Dravida desa, and the first Mahapralaya (Great Deluge). In the end, Manu and all those he saves are safe in a large ship that he builds, atop the high Malaya Mountains.
A number of Hindu scholars have taken the progression of forms assumed by Vishnu in the narrative, from fish to turtle to boar to “half-man and half-lion”, to dwarf human, to human with an axe, to princely human, to Krishna (bringer of scripture) to Buddha (the enlightened one)
to Kalki (the future human yet to come), as an analogy for evolution.
Purana and Itihasa (epic history) of Matsya:-
Matsya in Purana glossary…
Matsya (मत्स्य):—One of the sons of Uparicara Vasu (son of Kṛtī, who was the son of Cyavana).
(see Bhāgavata Purāṇa 9.22.6)Source: Wisdom Library: Bhagavata Purana
Matsya (मत्स्य).—The first and foremost incarnation of Mahāviṣṇu.
Matsya (मत्स्य).—An ancient country of Purāṇic fame. The people of this country are called Matsyas. The details available regarding Matsyadeśa from the Mahābhārata are given below:
- The Pāṇḍavas wandering through the forests came to Matsyadeśa. (Śloka 2, Chapter 155, Ādi Parva).
- The people of Matsyadeśa in fear of Jarāsandha migrated from the north to the south. (Śloka 28, Chapter 14, Sabhā Parva).
- Bhīmasena during his victory march to the east conquered this country. (Śloka 8, Chapter 30, Sabhā Parva).
- Sahadeva during his victory march to the south conquered the people of Matsyadeśa. (Śloka 4, Chapter 31, Sabhā Parva).
- Matsyadeśa was one of the countries suggested by Arjuna to spend their life incognito. (Śloka 12, Chapter 1, Virāṭa Parva).
- Virāṭa was the chief of Matsyadeśa during the time of Mahābhārata. (Śloka 17, Chapter 1, Virāṭa Parva).
- In the Kurukṣetra battle Virāṭa, King of Matsyadeśa, came to the help of Yudhiṣṭhira with an Akṣauhiṇī (army). (Śloka 12, Chapter 18, Udyoga Parva).
- The Pāṇḍavas spent a year of their life incognito at the palace of Virāṭa, king of Matsyadeśa. (Chapter 7, Virāṭa Parva).
- Matsyarājya was one of the prominent kingdoms of ancient Bhārata. (Śloka 40, Chapter 9, Bhīṣma Parva).
2) Droṇācārya killed at a stretch five hundred Matsyas in the great battle. (Śloka 31 Chapter 190, Droṇa Parva).
The people of Matsyadeśa were honest and charitable.
(Chapter 45, Śloka 28, Karṇa Parva).
Matsya (मत्स्य).—A King. He was the brother of Satyavatī, mother of Vyāsa. Satyavatī and Matsya were both found in a fish by the same fisherman.
Source: archive.org: Puranic Encyclopaedia
Matsya purāṇa; a mahā purāṇa consisting of 14000 ślokas, styled as Purāṇa Samhita with details of Sānkhya, Yoga and Karma narrated by Matsya vishnu to king Satyavrata the manu king of Dravida during the deluge.
A trible; country of the; placed on the East of the Gomanta hill by Jarāsandha; enlisted by Jarāsandha against the Yadus; followed Bhīma in his conquests; rose against Śiśupāla; heard of Kṛṣṇa going to Mithilā and met him with presents; their king was Virāṭa; he went to Syamantapañcaka for the solar eclipse.
Source: Cologne Digital Sanskrit Dictionaries: The Purana Index
Matsya (मत्स्य) is a name mentioned in the Mahābhārata (cf. I.144.2) and represents one of the many proper names used for people and places. Note: The Mahābhārata (mentioning Matsya) is a Sanskrit epic poem consisting of 100,000 ślokas (metrical verses) and is over 2000 years old.
Source: JatLand: List of Mahabharata people and places
Natyashastra (theatrics and dramaturgy)
Matsya in Natyashastra glossary….
Natyashastra (theatrics and dramaturgy)
1) One of the saṃyutta-hastāni (Twenty-four combined Hands).—Matsya (fish): Patāka hands face downwards, the thumbs and little fingers extended.
Note: The palm of one hand on the back of the other, the fingers along the fingers, and the two little fingers and thumbs moved to and fro.
2) One of the Daśāvatāra (Hands of the Ten Avatars of Vishnu).—Matsya: the Matsya hand is shown, then both hands Tripatāka level at the shoulders.
Source: archive.org: The mirror of gesture (abhinaya-darpana)
Natyashastra (नाट्यशास्त्र, nāṭyaśāstra) refers to both the ancient Indian tradition (śāstra) of performing arts, (nāṭya, e.g., theatrics, drama, dance, music), as well as the name of a Sanskrit work dealing with these subjects. It also teaches the rules for composing dramatic plays (nataka) and poetic works (kavya).
Discover the meaning of matsya in the context of Natyashastra from relevant books on Exotic India
Shilpashastra (iconography)
Matsya in Shilpashastra glossary…
- Matsya (मत्स्य) refers to one of the many varieties of the Śālagrāma (ammonite fossil stones).—
- The Matsya is long and lotus-bud-shaped; golden-hued; line at the opening; three spots (bindu-traya).
- Śālagrāma stones are very ancient geological specimens, rendered rounded and smooth by water-currents in a great length of time. They (eg., Matsya stones) are distinguished by the ammonite (śālā, described as “vajra-kīṭa”, “adamantine worms”) which having entered into them for residence, are fossilized in course of time, leaving discus-like marks inside the stone.Source: archive.org: Pratima Kosa Encyclopedia of Indian Iconography – Vol 6
Discover the meaning of matsya in the context of Shilpashastra from relevant books on Exotic India
Chandas (prosody, study of Sanskrit metres)
Matsya in Chandas glossary….
Matsya (मत्स्य) refers to one of the 23 types of dohā metres (a part of mātrā type) described in the 1st chapter of the Vṛttamauktika by Candraśekhara (17th century): author of many metrical compositions and the son of Lakṣmīnātha Bhaṭṭa and Lopāmudrā.
Source: Shodhganga: a concise history of Sanskrit Chanda literature
Relevant definitions
Below you will find the 15 most relevant articles:
| Matsyasana | Matsyāśana (मत्स्याशन).—1) a king-fisher. 2) one who eats fish. Derivable forms: matsyāśanaḥ (म… | |
| Matsyavatara | Matsyāvatāra (मत्स्यावतार) or Matsya is one of the daśāvatāra (ten incarnations) of Viṣṇu, is f… | |
| Matsyodari | Matsyodarī (मत्स्योदरी).—f. (-rī) 1. A name of Satyavati, the mother of Vyasa. 2. A place of pi… | |
| Matsyaraja | Matsyarāja (मत्स्यराज).—m. (-jaḥ) 1. The Rohtai, a sort of fish, (Cyprinus Rohita, Ham.) 2. The… | |
| Matsyanyaya | Mātsya-nyāya.—(EI 4), ‘the law of the fish’; anarchy. Note: mātsya-nyāya is defined in the “Ind… | |
| Matsyapurana | Matsyapurāṇa (मत्स्यपुराण).—One of the eighteen Purāṇas. This Purāṇa was told to Manu Satyavrat… | |
| Matsyapitta | Matsyapittā (मत्स्यपित्ता).—f. (-ttā) A medicinal plant, commonly Katki. E. matsya a fish, and … | |
| Matsyakshi | Matsyākṣī (मत्स्याक्षी).—f. (-ścī) The moon-plant, (Asclepias acida.) E. matsya a fish, akṣa an… | |
| Pakamatsya | Pākamatsya (पाकमत्स्य).—m. (-tsyaḥ) Fish sauce. E. pāka cooking, matsya fish. | |
| Alikamatsya | Alīkamatsya (अलीकमत्स्य).—m. (-tsyaḥ) A cake of beans fried with Sesamum oil. E. alīka unreal, … | |
| Matsyajala | Matsyajāla (मत्स्यजाल).—n. (-laṃ) A fishing-net. E. matsya fish, and jāla net. | |
| Matsyada | Matsyāda (मत्स्याद).—mfn. (-daḥ-dā-daṃ) Who or what feeds upon fish. E. matsya, and ada who eat… | |
| Matsyanashana | Matsyanāśana (मत्स्यनाशन).—m. (-naḥ) An ospray. E. matsya a fish, and nāśana destroyer. | |
| Matsyanashaka | Matsyanāśaka (मत्स्यनाशक).—m. (-kaḥ) An ospray. E. matsya a fish, and nāśaka destroyer. | |
| Matsyaghata | Matsyaghāta (मत्स्यघात).—m. (-taḥ) Catching fish. E. matsya, and ghāta killing. |
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