mahApAshupateshvara

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mahApAshupateshvara

 

By Sri Kamakoti Mandali on Feb 3, 2009 | In Srividya

 

svayaM maheshaH shvashuro nageshaH sakhA dhaneshaH tanayo gaNeshaH |

tathApi bhikShATanameva shambhoH balIyasI kevalamIshvarecChA ||

 

The greatness of mahAdeva as related to mokSha has been stated by

shrImannArAyaNa in mahAbhArata:

 

nAhaM saMsAramagnAnAM sAkShAt saMsAramochakaH |

brahmAdidevatAH sarve na hi saMsAramochakAH ||

sarvamanyaM parityajya shivaM sAmbaM sadA bhaja ||

 

It is stated elsewhere:

 

mahAdeva mahAdeva mahAdeveti yo vadet |

ekena muktimApnoti dvAbhyAM shambhU R^iNI bhavet ||

 

For the mandAdhikArin, the worship of mahAdeva prescribed involves

saguNa mUrti dhyAna. Meditating on the panchamukha svarUpa of Lord

pashupati grants one puruShArtha chatuShTaya.

 

panchabrahmAtmako yasmAttena panchamukhaH smR^itaH ||

 

As mahAkAmeshvara is panchabrahmAtmaka (aggregate of brahmA, viShNu,

rudra, Ishvara and sadAshiva), indicated through his five faces, he

is described in the shAstras as panchamukha (five-faced). This is

also indicative of the pancha krityas executed by him: sR^iShTi,

sthiti, saMhAra (laya), tirodhAna and anugraha, thus establishing

anuShThAna sAmya between mahAkAmeshvara and mahAkAmeshvarI.

 

The five faces of the Lord are described thus:

 

IshAnaH puruSho.aghoraH vAmaH sadyastathaiva cha |

brahmANyaitAni devasya mUrtayaH pancha vishrutAH ||

 

The directional aspects of the five faces of mAhadeva are described

as below:

 

pashchime tu mukhe sadyo vAmadevastathottare |

pUrve tatpuruShaM vidyAdaghoraM chApi dakShiNe |

IshAnaH pa~nchamo madhye sarveShAmupari sthitaH ||

 

pashchima mukha: sadyojAta

uttara mukha: vAmadeva

pUrva mukha: tatpuruSha

dakShiNa mukha: aghora

Urdhva mukha: IshAna

 

As varNa visheSha of these mukhas is useful to know for the sake of

practical meditation, we should examine the following verse:

 

sadyojAtaM bhavecChuklaM vAmadevaM tu pItakam |

raktastatpuruSho j~neyaH aghoraH kr^ishNa eva saH ||

IshAnaH pashchimatteShAM sarvavarNasamanvitaH ||

 

sadyojAta: shukla varNa

vAmadeva: pIta varNa

tatpuruSha: rakta varNa

aghora: kR^iShNa varNa

IshAna: sarvavarNa or nAnAvarNAtmakaH

 

It is a well-known fact that the five deities of the panchAyatana

scheme represent the five elements:

 

AkAshasyAdhipo viShNuH agneshchaiva maheshvarI |

vAyoH sUryaH kShiterIshaH jIvanasya gaNAdhipaH ||

 

AkAsha: mahAviShNu

vahni: ambikA

vAyu: Aditya

kShiti: mahAdeva

jala: gaNapati

 

As the five faces of the Lord also represent the five elements, it

can be deduced that the panchamukha svarUpa is also representative of

the panchAyatana and the five deities. In the Urdhva pAshupata vidhi

of the sixteenth AvaraNa of sundarI krama, worship to panchAyatana

devatas along with their parivAra, astra, anugraha and

angapratyangopAnga devatas are offered in vyaShTi to the five faces

of pashupati and in samaShTi to mahApAshupateshvara. The samayA

devatA named upa bhAsA kUTAtmikA, who represents sR^iShTi-samhAra

mahAkAmeshvarI vilIna sR^iShTi-samhAra nirvana chAmuNDA, represents

mahApAshupteshvara and thus pAshupata darshana, in sR^iShTi krama. In

samhAra krama, the deity assumes a male form and is worshipped as

mahApAshupateshvara with the same mantra but a different dhyAna mUrti.

 

Lord describes the significance of the five faces to girijA thus:

 

aindraM mukhamidaM pUrvaM tapashcharyAparaM sadA |

dakShiNaM me mukhaM divyaM raudraM samharati prajAH ||

lokakAryakaraM nityaM pashchmimaM me mukhaM priye |

vedAnadhIte satataM adbhutaM chottaraM mukham ||

 

The five faces or the pancha brahma mUrtis represent the following:

 

1. bhUta panchaka

2. tanmAtra panchaka

3. karmendriya panchaka

4. jnAnendriya panchaka

5. tattva panchaka (puruSha, prakR^iti, buddhi, ahaMkAra, manas)

6. kalA panchaka (nivR^itti, pratiShThA, vidyA, shAnti, shAntyatItA)

7. mUrti panchaka (brahmA, viShNu, rudra, Ishvara, sadAshiva)

8. sAdAkhya panchaka (panchashivasAdAkhya mUrta, sAdAkhya mUrta,

sAdAkhya kartR^I, sAdAkhya karma) etc.

 

Apart from panchamUrtayaH, eight forms of the Lord are also described

in the shastras:

 

tasya shambhoH pareshasya mUrtyaShTakamayaM jagat |

tasmin vyApya sthitaM vishvaM sUtre maNigaNA iva ||

sharvo bhavastathA rudro ugro bhImo pashoH patiH |

IshAnashcha mahAdevo mUrtayashchAShTa vishrutAH ||

 

sharva: kShiti mUrti

bhava: jala mUrti

rudra: vahni mUrti

ugra: vAyu mUrti

bhIma: AkAsha mUrti

pashupati: yajamAna mUrti

IshAna: sUrya mUrti

mahAdeva: Chandra mUrti

 

The eight forms of mahAdeva are alternately described in shaivAgamas

thus:

 

1. shiva

2. maheshvara

3. rudra

4. viShNu

5. pitAmaha

6. saMsAravaidya

7. sarvaj~na

8. paramAtmA

 

The shatarudra samhitA of shiva purANa describes the ekAdasha mUrtis

of mahAdeva thus:

 

ajaikapAdahirbudhnyaH virUpAkShaH sureshvaraH |

jayanto bahurUpashcha tryambako.apyaparAjitaH |

vaivasvatashcha sAvitro haro rudrA ime smR^itAH ||

 

These eleven rudra mUrtis are worshipped along with mahArudra and

rudrANi in the AvaraNa of mahApAshupateshvara in sR^iShTi krama.

These are replaced by the corresponding yoginIs in the samhAra krama.

The other chief parivAra devatas of mahApAshupata mUrti are the sapta

tANDava mUrtis:

 

1. Ananda tANDava mUrti

2. sandhyA tANDava mUrti

3. umA tANDava mUrti

4. gaurI tANDava mUrti

5. kAlikA tANDava mUrti

6. tripura tANDava mUrti

7. saMhAra tANDava mUrti

 

Again, when the krama changes from samhAra, the deities also change:

 

1. uddaNDa tANDava mUrti

2. Urdhva tANDava mUrti

3. savya tANDava mUrti

4. mahA tANDava mUrti

5. brahmANDa tANDava mUrti

6. visphoTa tANDava mUrti

7. mahApraLaya tANDava mUrti

8. mahogra tANDava mUrti

9. paribhramaNa tANDava mUrti

 

The description of these mUrtis can be seen in chidambara tantra.

 

The dhyAna shlokas for the five faces of mahAdeva are as below:

 

prAleyAchalamindukundadhavaLaM gokshIraphenaprabhaM

bhasmAbhya~Ngamana~NgadehadahanajvAlAvalIlochanam |

viShNubrahmamarudgaNArchitapadaM R^igvedanAdodayaM

vande.ahaM sakalaM kala~NkarahitaM sthANormukhaM pashcimam ||

 

gauraM ku~Nkumapa~NkitaM sutilakaM vyApANDugaNDasthalaM

bhrUvikShepakaTAkShavIkShaNalasat saMsaktakarNotpalam |

snigdhaM bimbaphalAdharaM prahasitaM nIlAlakAla~NkR^itaM

vande yAjuShavedaghoShajanakaM vaktraM harasyottaram ||

 

saMvartAgnitaTitpradIptakanakapraspardhitejoruNaM [or bAlArkAgni]

gambhIradhvanisAmavedajanakaM tAmrAdharaM sundaram |

ardhendudyutilolapi~NgLajaTAbhAraprabaddhoragaM [prabaddhodakaM]

vande siddhasurAsurendranamitaM pUrvaM mukhaM shUlinaH ||

 

kAlAbhrabhramarA~njanadyutinibhaM vyAvR^ittapi~NgekShaNaM

karNodbhAsitabhogimastakamaNiprodbhinnadaMShTA~Nkuram |

sarpaprotakapAlashuktishakalavyAkIrNamAshekharaM

vande dakShiNamIshvarasya vadanaM chAtharvanAdodayam ||

 

vyaktaavyaktanirUpitaM cha paramaM ShaTtriMshatatvAdhikaM

[shuddhAMshasattvAdhikaM]

tasmAduttaratatvamakSharamiti dhyeyaM sadA yogibhiH |

[tasmAduttamatattvamakSharamidaM]

OMkArAdisamastamantrajanakaM sUkshmAtisUkshmaM paraM

vande pa~nchamamIshvarasya vadanaM khavyApi tejomayam ||

 

tava tattvaM na jAnAmi kIdR^isho.asi maheshvara |

yAdR^isho.asi mahAdeva tAdR^ishAya namo namaH ||

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