
Paśupati (, ) is a form of the Hindu deity
Śiva, in his benign aspect as the five-faced herdsman of all creatures. Paśupati is traditionally considered to be the guardian deity of
Nepal
Nepal, officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked country in South Asia. It is mainly situated in the Himalayas, but also includes parts of the Indo-Gangetic Plain. It borders the Tibet Autonomous Region of China Ch ...
, described in texts such as the ''Nepāla Māhātmya'', found in regional versions of the ''
Skanda Purāṇa''.
Etymology
''Paśupati'' means "lord of the animals". ''Paśu'' indicates animal as well as a
follower of Shiva. It was an epithet of
Rudra
Rudra (/ ɾud̪ɾə/; ) is a Rigvedic deity associated with Shiva, the wind or storms, Vayu, medicine, and the hunt. One translation of the name is 'the roarer'. In the ''Rigveda'', Rudra is praised as the "mightiest of the mighty". Rudra ...
in the
Vedic period
The Vedic period, or the Vedic age (), is the period in the late Bronze Age and early Iron Age of the history of India when the Vedic literature, including the Vedas (–900 BCE), was composed in the northern Indian subcontinent, between the e ...
and is one of the epithets of Shiva.
History
The earliest claimed evidence of Pashupati comes from the
Indus Valley civilization
The Indus Valley Civilisation (IVC), also known as the Indus Civilisation, was a Bronze Age civilisation in the northwestern regions of South Asia, lasting from 3300 BCE to 1300 BCE, and in its mature form from 2600 BCE ...
(3300 BCE to 1300 BCE), where the
Pashupati seal has been said to represent a proto-Shiva figure.
Literature
Vedas
Pashupati was generally applied as an epithet of Rudra in the ''
Samhitas'' and the ''
Brahmanas
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 ...
''. In the ''
Atharvaveda
The Atharvaveda or Atharva Veda (, , from ''wikt:अथर्वन्, अथर्वन्'', "priest" and ''wikt:वेद, वेद'', "knowledge") or is the "knowledge storehouse of ''wikt:अथर्वन्, atharvans'', the proced ...
'', 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.
Nepala Mahatmya
Markandeya narrates the origin of Pashupati to the sage
Jaimini. Accompanied by his consort
Parvati
Parvati (, , IPA: /Sanskrit phonology, pɑɾʋət̪iː/), also known as Uma (, , IPA: Sanskrit phonology, /ʊmɑː/) and Gauri (, , IPA: /Sanskrit phonology, gə͡ʊɾiː/), is one of the principal goddesses in Hinduism, revered as the Devi, ...
, 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
Brahma (, ) is a Hindu god, referred to as "the Creator" within the Trimurti, the triple deity, trinity of Para Brahman, supreme divinity that includes Vishnu and Shiva.Jan Gonda (1969)The Hindu Trinity, Anthropos, Bd 63/64, H 1/2, pp. 212– ...
,
Vishnu
Vishnu (; , , ), also known as Narayana and Hari, is one of the Hindu deities, principal deities of Hinduism. He is the supreme being within Vaishnavism, one of the major traditions within contemporary Hinduism, and the god of preservation ( ...
, and
Indra
Indra (; ) is the Hindu god of weather, considered the king of the Deva (Hinduism), Devas and Svarga in Hinduism. He is associated with the sky, lightning, weather, thunder, storms, rains, river flows, and war. volumes
Indra is the m ...
, confounded by his absence, scoured the
three worlds in search of him. When they finally discovered Shiva in the
Himalayas
The Himalayas, or Himalaya ( ), is a mountain range in Asia, separating the plains of the Indian subcontinent from the Tibetan Plateau. The range has some of the Earth's highest peaks, including the highest, Mount Everest. More than list of h ...
, 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.
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
Ishana (Sanskrit: ईशान, IAST: Īśāna), is a Hindu god and the '' dikpala'' of the northeast direction. He is often considered to be one of the forms of the god Shiva, and is also often counted among the eleven Rudras. He is venerated ...
. 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.
The ''
'' describe these faces of Shiva as:
By country
Nepal

Although Nepal is a secular state, its
population is predominantly Hindu. Pashupatinath is revered as a national deity. The
Pashupatinath Temple
Shri Pashupatinātha Temple () is a revered Hindu temple dedicated to Pashupati, a manifestation of the god Śiva. Located on the banks of the sacred Bagmati River in Kathmandu, Nepal, the temple is one of the oldest and most significant religiou ...
, 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
The Kathmandu Valley (), also known as the Nepal Valley or Nepa Valley (, Newar language, Nepal Bhasa: 𑐣𑐾𑐥𑐵𑑅 𑐐𑐵𑑅, नेपाः गाः), National Capital Area, is a bowl-shaped valley located in the Himalayas, Hima ...
.
India
A Pashupatinath temple is sited on the banks of the
Shivana river in
Mandsaur,
Madhya Pradesh
Madhya Pradesh (; ; ) is a state in central India. Its capital is Bhopal and the largest city is Indore, Indore. Other major cities includes Gwalior, Jabalpur, and Sagar, Madhya Pradesh, Sagar. Madhya Pradesh is the List of states and union te ...
,
India
India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...
. 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".
See also
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Potnia Theron
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Religion of the Indus Valley Civilization
References
Sources
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* 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.
Further reading
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{{Shaivism
Animal gods
Forms of Shiva
Hindu gods
Horned gods
Shaivism