Matsyendranath (also Matsyendra, Macchindranath or Minanath in different contexts) is a foundational teacher revered in many Nath lineages and commonly remembered as Gorakhnath's guru. Nath narratives connect him with yogic insight and the transmission of teachings associated with Shiva. He also appears in histories of Shaiva and tantric traditions.
His identity crosses regional and religious boundaries. In parts of Nepal, forms associated with Macchindranath are honoured in Hindu and Buddhist settings; a Smithsonian artwork explicitly identifies Rato Matsyendranath with Avalokiteshvara. Such identifications are meaningful in their local contexts, not evidence that every Nath lineage teaches precisely the same theology. Accounts of his birth, exact dates and deeds are largely hagiographic and should not be presented as settled biography.