Pashupati

Pashupati (Sanskrit: पशुपति, IAST: Paśupati) is a form of the Hindu deity Shiva, in his benign aspect as the five-faced herdsman of all creatures.^[1]^[2] Pashupati is traditionally considered to be the guardian deity of Nepal, described in texts such as the Nepala Mahatmya, found in regional versions of the Skanda Purana.^[3]

Etymology

Paśupati means "lord of the animals".^[4] Paśu indicates animal as well as a follower of Shiva.^[5] It was an epithet of Rudra in the Vedic period^[6] and is one of the epithets of Shiva.^[7]

History

The earliest claimed evidence of Pashupati comes from the Indus Valley civilization (3300 BCE to 1300 BCE), where the Pashupati seal has been said to represent a proto-Shiva figure.^[8]

Literature

Vedas

Pashupati was generally applied as an epithet of Rudra in the Samhitas and the Brahmanas. In the Atharvaveda, Rudra is described to be the lord of the bipeds and the quadrupeds, including creatures that inhabited the earth, woods, the waters, and the skies. His lordship over cattle and other beasts denoted both a benevolent and destructive role; he slew animals that incurred his wrath, but was also kind to those who propitiated him, blessing them with health and prosperity.^[9]

Nepala Mahatmya

Markandeya narrates the origin of Pashupati to the sage Jaimini. Accompanied by his consort Parvati, Shiva visited the Śleṣmātaka forest upon the banks of the Bagmati in the form of a deer, while she assumed the form of a doe. Brahma, Vishnu, and Indra, confounded by his absence, scoured the three worlds in search of him. When they finally discovered Shiva in the Himalayas, they were surprised to find him bearing one horn, three eyes, surrounded by his consort and a flock of deer. After they venerated him, they realised that he did not wish to return to his divine form. The deities attempted to subdue Shiva by holding his horn, which broke upon their touch into four parts as he leapt across the riverbanks. When the deities begged Shiva to return to his abode and his place in the universe, he told them that he would reside in the forest for all time in the form of the deer, and would henceforth be known as Pashupati. He stated that the four horns would be consecrated as four lingams across the region. He declared that those who worshipped him in this aspect would never be born as animals, and would be blessed with good virtues.^[10]

Iconography

The five faces of Pashupati represent the five forms of Shiva: Sadyojata (also known as Varuna), Vamadeva (also known as Uma Maheshvara), Tatpurusha, Aghora, and Ishana. They face the west, north, east, south and zenith respectively, representing the pancha bhuta (five basic elements) of the Hindu cosmos, namely earth, water, air, light and ether.^[11]

The Puranas describe these faces of Shiva as:

Sadyojata, Vamadeva, Tatpurusha, and Aghora are the four faces,
The fifth is Ishana, unknowable even to the seers.^[11]

By country

Nepal

Although Nepal is a secular state, its population is predominantly Hindu. Pashupatinath is revered as a national deity.^[12] The Pashupatinath Temple, located at the bank of the river Bagmati, is considered one of the most sacred places in Nepal. In mythology it is said that Pashupatinath started living in Nepal in the form of a deer because he was enchanted by the beauty of Kathmandu Valley.^{[citation needed]}

India

A Pashupatinath temple is sited on the banks of the Shivana river in Mandsaur, Madhya Pradesh, India. It is one of the most important shrines of Mandsaur, and Shiva in the form of Pashupati is its primary deity.

Pashupata Shaivism

Pashupata Shaivism is one of the oldest Shaivite sects that derives its name from Pashupati. The sect upholds Pashupati "as the supreme deity, the lord of all souls, and the cause of all existence".^[13]

References

^ Zimmer, Heinrich Robert (1990). Myths and Symbols in Indian Art and Civilization. Motilal Banarsidass Publishe. p. 171. ISBN 978-81-208-0751-8.
^ Coulter, Charles Russell; Turner, Patricia (6 December 2021). Encyclopedia of Ancient Deities. McFarland. p. 375. ISBN 978-0-7864-9179-7.
^ Pennington, Brian K.; Allocco, Amy L. (1 February 2018). Ritual Innovation: Strategic Interventions in South Asian Religion. SUNY Press. p. 25. ISBN 978-1-4384-6903-4.
^ Coulter, Charles Russell; Turner, Patricia (6 December 2021). Encyclopedia of Ancient Deities. McFarland. p. 375. ISBN 978-0-7864-9179-7.
^ Stutley, Margaret (9 April 2019). The Illustrated Dictionary of Hindu Iconography. Routledge. p. 268. ISBN 978-0-429-62425-4.
^ Kramrisch 1981, p. 479.
^ Śarmā 1996, p. 291.
^ Marshall 1931, p. ^{[page needed]}.
^ N. Venkata Ramanayya (1941). Rudra-Śiva. pp. 34–35.
^ Nirala Publictions. The Nepala Mahatmya Legends On The Sacred Places And Dieties Of Nepal By Jayaraj Acharya 1992 New Delhi Nirala Publictions. pp. 13–21.
^ ^a ^b Parmeshwaranand 2004, ^{[volume needed]}, p. 206
^ Feller & Mercel-Sanca, p. 148 ^{[year missing]}.
^ Dalal 2014, p. 923.

Sources

Dalal, Roshen (2014). Hinduism: an Alphabetical Guide. London: Penguin Books. ISBN 978-81-8475-277-9. OCLC 1132344222.
Feller, Tessa; Mercel-Sanca, Alan. Nepal: The Essential Guide to Customs & Culture. London: Kuperard.^{[year missing]}
Kramrisch, Stella (1981). The Presence of Śiva. Princeton, New Jersey: Princeton University Press. ISBN 0-691-01930-4.
Marshall, John (1931). Mohenjo Daro and the Indus Civilization: being an official account of archæological excavations at Mohenjo-Daro carried out by the Government of India between the years 1922 ad 1927. Vol. 1. London: A. Probsthain. OCLC 903502370 – via Internet Archive.
Parmeshwaranand, Swami (2004). Encyclopaedia of the Śaivism. New Delhi: Sarup & Sons. ISBN 978-81-7625-427-4. OCLC 54930404.
Śarmā, Rāmakaraṇa (1996). Śivasahasranāmāṣṭakam : eight collections of hymns containing one thousand and eight names of Śiva. Delhi: Nag Publishers. ISBN 9788170813507. OCLC 36990863. Includes Śivasahasranāmakoṣa, a dictionary of names. This work compares eight versions of the Śivasahasranāmāstotra. The preface and introduction (in English) by Ram Karan Sharma provide an analysis of how the eight versions compare with one another. The text of the eight versions is given in Sanskrit.