''Pashupata-sutra'' (

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

: Pāśupatasūtra) is a

Sanskrit Sanskrit (; attributively , ; nominally , , ) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in South Asia after its predecessor languages had diffused there from the northwest in the late ...

-language text regarded as

revelation In religion and theology, revelation is the revealing or disclosing of some form of truth or knowledge through communication with a deity or other supernatural entity or entities. Background Inspiration – such as that bestowed by God on the ...

by the

Pashupata Pashupata Shaivism (, sa, पाशुपत) is the oldest of the major Shaivite Hindu schools. The mainstream which follows Vedic Pasupata penance are 'Maha Pasupatas' and the schism of 'Lakula Pasupata' of Lakulisa. There is a debate about ...

Shaivite Shaivism (; sa, शैवसम्प्रदायः, Śaivasampradāyaḥ) is one of the major Hindu traditions, which worships Shiva as the Supreme Being. One of the largest Hindu denominations, it incorporates many sub-traditions rangin ...

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 (; sa, शिव, lit=The Auspicious One, Śiva ), also known as Mahadeva (; ɐɦaːd̪eːʋɐ, or Hara, is one of the principal deities of Hinduism. He is the Supreme Being in Shaivism, one of the major traditions within Hindu ...

enters the dead body of a

Brahmana The Brahmanas (; Sanskrit: , ''Brāhmaṇam'') are Vedic śruti works attached to the Samhitas (hymns and mantras) of the Rig, Sama, Yajur, and Atharva Vedas. They are a secondary layer or classification of Sanskrit texts embedded within ea ...

, which comes to life as

Lakulisha Lakulisha ( sa, लकुलीश ) (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 ...

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 (, , ) are a large body of religious texts originating in ancient India. Composed in Vedic Sanskrit, the texts constitute the ...

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, usually for religious reasons. It is often in association with the role of a religious official or devotee. In its narrow sense, the ...

, 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 Antisocial behavior is a behavior that is defined as the violation of the rights of others by committing crime, such as stealing and physical attack in addition to other behaviors such as lying and manipulation. It is considered to be disrupti ...

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

sins In a religious context, sin is a transgression against divine law. 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 considered immoral, selfish, s ...

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 virtue or Charity (practice), charity. The act of providing alms is called almsgiving, and it is a widespread p ...

* 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 Shmashana outside Indian village A ''śmaśāna'' (Devanagari: श्मशान) 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 ...

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

References

{{reflist Sanskrit texts Shaiva texts Revelation 1st-millennium texts

Contents

References