The shaiva-s: The pAshupata-s

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Soem relevant notes on kApAlika-s:

â€The inscription from Nirmand village in the Kangra district in

Himachal Pradesh states that the king sharvavarman installed a li~nga

of kapAleshavara in around 576-580 AD. His successor samudrasena in

the 600s provided the nirmaNDa agrahAra to a school of atharvavedic

brahmins for preserving the atharvaNa shruti and maintaining the

kApAla rites. Thus, pointing out to relatively early associations of

brahmins with the kApAlika stream.â€

 

In some inscriptions they are described as “Sprinkled with ashes,

adorned with six insignia and with khaTvAnga and kapAla. Ocean of

generosity and a treasury of truth and asceticismâ€.

 

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The early evolution of the shaiva fold is a topic of tremendous

interest (I am only grazing the surface with regards to a few points

here. One may see some other notes on this topic elsewhere on this

site). We obviously have no strong traces of its para-vedic elements.

But there are several texts that pertain to the branching point of

shaiva from within the old vedic tradition. These texts include

chiefly the rudra pa~nchavaktra mantra-s and the shvetAshvatara of

the kR^iShNa yajurvedic tradition and the atharvashiras and the

nIlarudra of the atharvavedic tradition. Many principal elements of

the shvetAshvatara and the nIlarudra derive from the vedic rudra

sUktaM-s seen in the R^ig, yajur and atharvan saMhitAs. In the

mahAbhArata we already have sections that are clearly of a

generalized shaiva origin and express their clear connection to the

vedic tradition including the importance of the shatarudriya hymns

borrowed from the classical vedic ritual tradition. In addition, they

provide an important hymn resembling the shatarudriya in many ways,

which is the ajAnana virachita rudra stuti. The paurANic, classical

and inscriptional evidence one can discern that the shaiva fold had

already differentiated into multiple distinct streams.

 

While the naming system of these streams is varied and sometimes

confused the following can be made out:

1) pAshupata (this name is almost an invariant). 2) kApAlika (this

stream may be called the saumya or somasiddhAntin-s after their

connection with the soma sacrifice. They may in some accounts also be

be called mahAvrata-dhara). 3) The lAkula after their founder lAkula

or lAkulIsha (this name is often misspelt in different sources, and

may often be known by their later name kAlAmukha-s). Some source may

also call them mahAvrata-dhara). 4) The tantric shaiva-s. This group

originally further diversified to 5 lineages or srotas with their

texts being: the bhUta, vAma, bhairava, garuDa and siddhAnta tantras.

The originally shAkta tantric lineage, the trika tantras or the

siddhayogeshvarI-mata shaivized (most likely in the Tamil country and

spread to Kashmir where it underwent an efflorescence) and added to

the tantric shaiva stream. The popular bhakti stream of shaiva was

closely linked to the lAkulIsha stream and appears to have been a

public ofshoot for the general populace supported by the lAkula

AchAryas. To a lesser extant it incorporated the pAshupata-s too.

The “Elephanta†caves built by the kalachuri king kR^iShNa rAja

(around mid 500 AD) and the closely linked finalized shiva purANa are

closely linked to the lAkulIsha shaivas. dakSiNa-kedAreshvara in

Karnataka is another major temple built under the instigation of the

later lAkula-s, the kAlAmukha-s. The lAkula-s were a pan-India

phenomenon. Seen in many spots in south India down to the Tamil

country, in somanAtha in Gujarat, Mathura (both major centers) and

Kashmir.

 

The lAkula-s were clearly related to the pAshupata-s and may have

shared a common ancestral development and then diverged. Their

ancestor seems to be a very early shaiva branch with clear links to

the vedic texts. The pAshupata sUtra itself is attributed to the

founder of lAkula-s, lAkulIsha. lAkulIsha’s disciple musalendra wrote

a work termed hR^idyapramANa of which only fragments survive in a

later lAkula commentary. Another successor of lAkulIsha, a kauNDinya

composed the pa~nchArtha bhAShya of the pAshupata sUtras. These works

seem to be chiefly the texts of the lAkula-s and later kAlAmukhas and

are principally highly ascetic in nature. The common follower is

merely asked to perform japa of the pa~nchAkShari. The lAkula ascetic

may follow many strange ways. He may if he wishes wander entirely

naked or with just a kaupIna. He has ash baths and performs penances.

He meditates in rudra shrines and may perform aTTahAsa or sing and

dance loudly showing lewd gestures. He sleeps on ashes and worships

the lAkulaugha AchAryas starting with lAkulIsha when bathing. He

utters huDukAra 3 times before uttering the pa~nchAkShari. He shuns

women entirely and observes strict celibacy. The path is only for

dvijas. If he touches a woman he must purify himself with prANAyAmas

and the rudra gAyatrI. They also may perform praNava japa to gain

greater asceticism. Thus, the lAkula shaiva is different from the

classical tantric shaiva-s in that he observes entirely orthodox

vedic elements and strict celibacy despite the outward facade

of “contrary behaviorâ€.

 

The classical pAshupatas in contrast seem to derive directly from

none other shvetAshvatara and we get information about their early

history chiefly from the analysis of the most ancient version of the

pAshupata vrata provided in the parishiShTa 40 of the atharvan

literature. Their links to the atharva tradition is also established

by the use of a particular rudra mantra that is unique to

Atharvavedins (though not recorded in any extant saMhitA):

rudraM kruddhAshanimukhaM devAnAM IshvaraM paraM |

shveta-pi~NgalaM devesham prapadye sharaNAgataH ||

 

yasya yuktA rathe siMhA vyAghrAsh cha viShamAnanAH |

tam ahaM pauNDarIkAkShaM devaM AvAhaye shivaM ||

 

The pAshupata-s also deploy the atharvedic dvaya rudra formulae for

the ghee offerings.

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