''Pashupata-sutra'' (

IAST The International Alphabet of Sanskrit Transliteration (IAST) is a transliteration scheme that allows the lossless romanisation of Brahmic family, Indic scripts as employed by Sanskrit and related Indic languages. It is based on a scheme that ...

: Pāśupatasūtra) is a

Sanskrit Sanskrit (; stem form ; nominal singular , ,) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in northwest South Asia after its predecessor languages had Trans-cultural ...

-language text regarded as

revelation Revelation, or divine revelation, is the disclosing of some form of Religious views on truth, truth or Knowledge#Religion, knowledge through communication with a deity (god) or other supernatural entity or entities in the view of religion and t ...

by the

Pashupata Pashupata Shaivism (, ) is one of the oldest major Shaivite Hindu schools. The mainstream which follows Vedic Pāśupata penance are 'Mahāpāśupata' and the schism of 'Lakula Pasupata' of Lakulisa. There is a debate about the origin of this s ...

Shaivite Shaivism (, , ) is one of the major Hindu traditions, which worships Shiva as the supreme being. It is the second-largest Hindu sect after Vaishnavism, constituting about 385 million Hindus, found widely across South Asia (predominantly in ...

sect of ancient India. Dated between 400 and 550 CE, it is the earliest surviving text of the Pashupatas. Kauṇḍinya wrote a commentary called ''Panchartha-bhashya'' (IAST: ''Pañcārtha-bhāṣya'') on the text.

In the text,

Shiva Shiva (; , ), also known as Mahadeva (; , , Help:IPA/Sanskrit, ɐɦaːd̪eːʋɐh and Hara, is one of the Hindu deities, principal deities of Hinduism. He is the God in Hinduism, Supreme Being in Shaivism, one of the major traditions w ...

enters the dead body of a

Brahmana The Brahmanas (; Sanskrit: , International Alphabet of Sanskrit Transliteration, IAST: ''Brāhmaṇam'') are Vedas, Vedic śruti works attached to the Samhitas (hymns and mantras) of the Rigveda, Rig, Samaveda, Sama, Yajurveda, Yajur, and Athar ...

, which comes to life as

Lakulisha Lakulisha ( ) (Etymology: लगुड (staff) or लकुट (mace) + ईश (lord) = meaning, the lord with a staff or mace or club or stick) was a prominent Shaivite revivalist, reformist and preceptor of the doctrine of the Pashupatas, one ...

and imparts teachings to four disciples. According to the text, a Pashupata ascetic must be a Brahmana male who does not speak with people from the low castes or women. He transcends to a stage beyond the four stages of life of the

Vedic upright=1.2, The Vedas are ancient Sanskrit texts of Hinduism. Above: A page from the '' Atharvaveda''. The Vedas ( or ; ), sometimes collectively called the Veda, are a large body of religious texts originating in ancient India. Composed ...

tradition, by undertaking various observances in three stages. In the first stage, a person aspiring to be Pashupata ascetic should: * reside in the environs of a Shiva temple * bear the mark of a Pashupata ascetic, that is, the ashes in which he bathes thrice daily * worship with "song, dance, laughter, and mantra repetition" * develop virtues such as not stealing,

celibacy Celibacy (from Latin ''caelibatus'') is the state of voluntarily being unmarried, sexually abstinent, or both. It is often in association with the role of a religious official or devotee. In its narrow sense, the term ''celibacy'' is applied ...

, not harming creatures etc. The aspirant ('' sadhaka'') thus gradually purifies himself, and enters the second stage. He leaves the temple, and engages in

anti-social behavior Anti-social behaviours, sometimes called dissocial behaviours, are actions which are considered to violate the rights of or otherwise harm others by committing crime or nuisance, such as stealing and physical attack or noncriminal behaviours ...

in order to attract verbal and physical abuse. The text states that the aspirant's

sins In religious context, sin is a transgression against divine law or a law of the deities. Each culture has its own interpretation of what it means to commit a sin. While sins are generally considered actions, any thought, word, or act considere ...

pass over to his abusers, and their merits pass over to him. Examples of these anti-social behaviors include: * pretending to be asleep in public places * making one's limbs tremble and pretending to be paralyzed * limping * pretending to be mad * engaging in

lewd Lascivious behavior is sexual behavior or conduct that is considered crude and offensive, or contrary to local moral or other standards of appropriate behavior. In this sense, "lascivious" is similar in meaning to "lewd", "indecent", "lecherous", ...

behavior towards young women Next, the aspirant enters the third stage, where he should: * reside away from the public in a deserted house or cave * live off

alms Alms (, ) are money, food, or other material goods donated to people living in poverty. Providing alms is often considered an act of Charity (practice), charity. The act of providing alms is called almsgiving. Etymology The word ''alms'' come ...

* meditate upon the five sacred mantras of Shiva and the syllable Om The text states that after following these practices, the aspirant unites his soul with Shiva. After six months in this union, he starts living in a

cremation ground A shmashana outside an Indian village A shmashana () is a Hindu crematory ground, where dead bodies are brought to be burnt on a pyre. It is usually located near a river or body of water on the outskirts of a village or town; as they are usually ...

, survives on whatever is available, and finally dies. He thus unites with Shiva, and ends all his sorrows through Shiva's grace.

References

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External links

Pāśupatasūtra
Göttingen Register of Electronic Texts in Indian Languages (GRETIL) Sanskrit texts Shaiva texts Revelation 1st-millennium texts

Contents

References

External links