For the weapon in Hindu mythology, considered most destructive, see Pashupatastra.
Pashupata Shaivism (Pāśupata, Sanskrit: पाशुपत) is the oldest of the major Shaivite Hindu schools.[1] The mainstream which follows Vedic Pasupata penance are 'Maha Pasupatas' and the schism of 'Lakula Pasupata' of Lakulisa.
There is a debate about pioneership of this schism and the Goan school of Nakulish darshan believes that Nakulish was pioneer and Lakulish and Patanjalinath were his disciples while Gujarat school believes that Nakulish and Lakulish are one. Sarvadarśanasaṅgraha written by Vidyaranya (sometimes also known as Madhavacharya) mentions it as "Nakulish Darshan" not as "Lakulish Darshan". Both sub schools are still active in their own areas. The philosophy of the Pashupata sect was systematized by Lakulīśa also called Nakulīśa[2]) in the 2nd century CE.
The main texts of the school are Pāśupatasūtra with Kauṇḍinya's Pañcārthabhāṣya, and Gaṇakārikā with Bhāsarvajña's Ratnaṭīkā. Both texts were discovered only in the twentieth century. Prior to that, the major source of information on this sect was a chapter devoted to it in Vidyāraṇya's Sarvadarśanasaṅgraha.
The date of foundation of the school is uncertain. However, the Pashupatas may have existed from 1st century CE.[3] Gavin Flood dates them to around the 2nd century CE.[4] They are also referred to in the epic Mahabharata which is thought to have reached a final form by the 4th century CE.[5][full citation needed] The Pashupata movement was influential in South India in the period between the 7th and 14th century.[6]
Pashupata Shaivism was a devotional (bhakti) and ascetic movement.[6][8] Pashu in Pashupati refers to the effect (or created world), the word designates that which is dependent on something ulterior. Whereas, Pati means the cause (or principium), the word designates the Lord, who is the cause of the universe, the pati, or the ruler.[9] To free themselves from worldly fetters Pashupatas are instructed to do a pashupata vrata. Atharvasiras Upanishsad describes the pashupata vrata as that which consists of besmearing one's own body with ashes and at the same time muttering mantra — "Agni is ashes, Vayu is ashes, Sky is ashes, all this is ashes, the mind, these eyes are ashes."[10]
Haradattacharya, in Gaṇakārikā, explains that a spiritual teacher is one who knows the eight pentads and the three functions. The eight pentads of Acquisition (result of expedience), Impurity (evil in soul), Expedient (means of purification), Locality (aids to increase knowledge), Perseverance (endurance in pentads), Purification (putting away impurities), Initiation and Powers are[9] —
The three functions correspond to the means of earning daily food — mendicancy, living upon alms, and living upon what chance supplies.[9]
Philosophy
Pashupatas disapprove of the Vaishnava theology, known for its doctrine servitude of souls to the Supreme Being, on the grounds that dependence upon anything cannot be the means of cessation of pain and other desired ends. They recognize that those depending upon another and longing for independence will not be emancipated because they still depend upon something other than themselves. According to Pashupatas, spirits possess the attributes of the Supreme Deity when they become liberated from the 'germ of every pain'.[11] In this system the cessation of pain is of two kinds, impersonal and personal. Impersonal consists of the absolute cessation of all pains, whereas the personal consists of development of visual and active powers like swiftness of thought, assuming forms at will etc. The Lord is held to be the possessor of infinite, visual, and active powers.[12]
Pañchārtha bhāshyadipikā divides the created world into the insentient and the sentient. The insentient is unconscious and thus independent on the conscious. The insentient is further divided into effects and causes. The effects are of ten kinds, the earth, four elements and their qualities, colour etc. The causes are of thirteen kinds, the five organs of cognition, the five organs of action, the three internal organs, intellect, the ego principle and the cognising principle. These insentient causes are held responsible for the illusive identification of Self with non-Self. The sentient spirit, which is subject to transmigration is of two kinds, the appetent and nonappetent. The appetent is the spirit associated with an organism and sense organs, whereas the non-appetent is the spirit without them.[13]
Union in the Pashupata system is a conjunction of the soul with God through the intellect. It is achieved in two ways, action and cessation of action. Union through action consists of pious muttering, meditation, etc. and union through cessation of action occurs through consciousness.[13]
Rituals and spiritual practices were done to acquire merit or puṇya. They were divided into primary and secondary rituals, where primary rituals were the direct means of acquiring merit. Primary rituals included acts of piety and various postures. The acts of piety were bathing thrice a day, lying upon sand and worship with oblations of laughter, song, dance, sacred muttering etc.
Cowell, E. B.; Gough, A. E. (2001). The Sarva-Darsana-Samgraha or Review of the Different Systems of Hindu Philosophy: Trubner's Oriental Series. Taylor & Francis. ISBN978-0-415-24517-3.
Flood, Gavin, ed. (2003). The Blackwell Companion to Hinduism. Malden, MA: Blackwell Publishing Ltd. ISBN1-4051-3251-5.
Michaels, Axel (2004). Hinduism: Past and Present. Princeton, New Jersey: Princeton University Press. ISBN0-691-08953-1.
January 20, 2023
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For the weapon in Hindu mythology considered most destructive see Pashupatastra Pashupata Shaivism Pasupata Sanskrit प श पत is the oldest of the major Shaivite Hindu schools 1 The mainstream which follows Vedic Pasupata penance are Maha Pasupatas and the schism of Lakula Pasupata of Lakulisa There is a debate about pioneership of this schism and the Goan school of Nakulish darshan believes that Nakulish was pioneer and Lakulish and Patanjalinath were his disciples while Gujarat school believes that Nakulish and Lakulish are one Sarvadarsanasaṅgraha written by Vidyaranya sometimes also known as Madhavacharya mentions it as Nakulish Darshan not as Lakulish Darshan Both sub schools are still active in their own areas The philosophy of the Pashupata sect was systematized by Lakulisa also called Nakulisa 2 in the 2nd century CE The main texts of the school are Pasupatasutra with Kauṇḍinya s Pancarthabhaṣya and Gaṇakarika with Bhasarvajna s Ratnaṭika Both texts were discovered only in the twentieth century Prior to that the major source of information on this sect was a chapter devoted to it in Vidyaraṇya s Sarvadarsanasaṅgraha Contents 1 Date 2 Overview 3 Philosophy 4 Rituals 5 See also 6 Notes 7 ReferencesDate EditThe date of foundation of the school is uncertain However the Pashupatas may have existed from 1st century CE 3 Gavin Flood dates them to around the 2nd century CE 4 They are also referred to in the epic Mahabharata which is thought to have reached a final form by the 4th century CE 5 full citation needed The Pashupata movement was influential in South India in the period between the 7th and 14th century 6 One of the last surviving influential Vedic Pasupata mathas was the Eka Veerambal matha which existed up to the late 18th century administering the Jambukeswarar Temple Thiruvanaikaval temple near Trichy and the Ramanathaswamy Temple 7 Overview EditPashupata Shaivism was a devotional bhakti and ascetic movement 6 8 Pashu in Pashupati refers to the effect or created world the word designates that which is dependent on something ulterior Whereas Pati means the cause or principium the word designates the Lord who is the cause of the universe the pati or the ruler 9 To free themselves from worldly fetters Pashupatas are instructed to do a pashupata vrata Atharvasiras Upanishsad describes the pashupata vrata as that which consists of besmearing one s own body with ashes and at the same time muttering mantra Agni is ashes Vayu is ashes Sky is ashes all this is ashes the mind these eyes are ashes 10 Haradattacharya in Gaṇakarika explains that a spiritual teacher is one who knows the eight pentads and the three functions The eight pentads of Acquisition result of expedience Impurity evil in soul Expedient means of purification Locality aids to increase knowledge Perseverance endurance in pentads Purification putting away impurities Initiation and Powers are 9 Acquisition knowledge penance permanence of the body constancy purityImpurity false conception demerit attachment interestedness fallingExpedient use of habitation pious muttering meditation constant recollection of Rudra apprehensionLocality spiritual teachers a cavern a special place the burning ground RudraPerseverance the differenced the undifferenced muttering acceptance devotionPurification loss of ignorance loss of demerit loss of attachment loss of interestedness loss of fallingInitiations the material proper time the rite the image the spiritual guidePowers devotion to the spiritual guide clearness of intellect conquest of pleasure and pain merit carefulnessThe three functions correspond to the means of earning daily food mendicancy living upon alms and living upon what chance supplies 9 Philosophy EditPashupatas disapprove of the Vaishnava theology known for its doctrine servitude of souls to the Supreme Being on the grounds that dependence upon anything cannot be the means of cessation of pain and other desired ends They recognize that those depending upon another and longing for independence will not be emancipated because they still depend upon something other than themselves According to Pashupatas spirits possess the attributes of the Supreme Deity when they become liberated from the germ of every pain 11 In this system the cessation of pain is of two kinds impersonal and personal Impersonal consists of the absolute cessation of all pains whereas the personal consists of development of visual and active powers like swiftness of thought assuming forms at will etc The Lord is held to be the possessor of infinite visual and active powers 12 Panchartha bhashyadipika divides the created world into the insentient and the sentient The insentient is unconscious and thus independent on the conscious The insentient is further divided into effects and causes The effects are of ten kinds the earth four elements and their qualities colour etc The causes are of thirteen kinds the five organs of cognition the five organs of action the three internal organs intellect the ego principle and the cognising principle These insentient causes are held responsible for the illusive identification of Self with non Self The sentient spirit which is subject to transmigration is of two kinds the appetent and nonappetent The appetent is the spirit associated with an organism and sense organs whereas the non appetent is the spirit without them 13 Union in the Pashupata system is a conjunction of the soul with God through the intellect It is achieved in two ways action and cessation of action Union through action consists of pious muttering meditation etc and union through cessation of action occurs through consciousness 13 Rituals EditThis section does not cite any sources Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources Unsourced material may be challenged and removed November 2019 Learn how and when to remove this template message Rituals and spiritual practices were done to acquire merit or puṇya They were divided into primary and secondary rituals where primary rituals were the direct means of acquiring merit Primary rituals included acts of piety and various postures The acts of piety were bathing thrice a day lying upon sand and worship with oblations of laughter song dance sacred muttering etc See also EditIndian philosophy Kashmir Shaivism Shaiva SiddhantaNotes Edit For the Pasupatas as the oldest named Saiva group see Flood 2003 p 206 Cowell and Gough p 108 For dating as 1st century CE with uncertainty see Michaels 2004 p 62 For dating from probably 2nd century CE see Flood 2003 p 206 Buitenen 1973 pp xxiv xxv a b Lorenzen David N Saivism An Overview in Gale s Encyclopedia of Religion vol 12 2005 ISBN 0 02 865981 3 Sadasiva Brahmam a Pasupata at Tiruvanaikka For Pasupata as an ascetic movement see Michaels 2004 p 62 a b c Cowell and Gough p 104 105 Indian History V K Agnihottri 2003 ISBN 81 7764 393 2 Cowell and Gough p 103 Cowell and Gough p 106 a b Cowell and Gough p 107References EditCowell E B Gough A E 2001 The Sarva Darsana Samgraha or Review of the Different Systems of Hindu Philosophy Trubner s Oriental Series Taylor amp Francis ISBN 978 0 415 24517 3 Flood Gavin ed 2003 The Blackwell Companion to Hinduism Malden MA Blackwell Publishing Ltd ISBN 1 4051 3251 5 Michaels Axel 2004 Hinduism Past and Present Princeton New Jersey Princeton University Press ISBN 0 691 08953 1 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Pashupata Shaivism amp oldid 1125520701, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
