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Shaivism (Sanskrit: ) is the oldest of the four major sects of Hinduism, the

others being Vaisnavism, Shaktism and Smartism. The Sanskrit word Siva (Devanagari )

is an adjective meaning kind, friendly, gracious, or auspicious.

Shaivism, also known as the Shaiva cult, is devoted to worship of the god Shiva. It isthe name given to a group of religious traditions which regard Lord Shiva as the SupremeSelf or Brahman. Shavians believe that Shiva is All and in all, the creator, preserver,destroyer, revealer and concealer of all. Followers of Shaivism regard Shiva as the father Godand Sakti as the mother Goddess.

Those who take the vow (Vratha) of service to Siva are called Bharatas (Servants) and Bhakthas (Devotees). (Acc. Gunaratna and Rajasekhara)

Shaivism is widespread throughout India, Nepal, and Sri Lanka, mostly. Areas notable forthe practice of Shaivism include parts of Southeast Asia, especially Malaysia, Singapore, andIndonesia. Over the course of time, many regional cults were amalgamated into the figure of Shiva as we know him today.

HISTORY OF SHAIVISM

Prehistory

Some people believe that artefacts from Mohenjo-Daro , Harappa and otherarchaeological sites of north-western India and Pakistan indicate that some early form of Shiva worship was practiced in the Indus. These artefacts include lingams and the " Pasupatiseal " that has been the subject of much study. The Indus Valley civilization reached its peak around 2500-2000 BC, when trade links with Mesopotamia are known to have existed,The civilization was in decline by 1800 BC, and faded away by 1500 BC.

A seal discovered during excavation of the Mohenjo-Daro archaeological site inthe Indus Valley has drawn attention as a possible representation of a "proto-Shiva"figure. This "Pasupati" (Lord of Animals) seal shows a large central figure that is surroundedby animals. The central figure is often described as a seated figure, possibly ithyphallic,surrounded by animals. Sir John Marshall and others have claimed that this figure is aprototype of Shiva, and have described the figure as having three faces, seated in a "yogaposture" with the knees out and feet joined. Semi-circular shapes on the head are ofteninterpreted as two horns. Gavin Flood characterizes these views as "speculative", saying that―while it is not clear from the seal that the figure has three faces, is seated in a yoga posture,or even that the shape is intended to represent a human figure, it is nevertheless possible that there are echoes of Shaiva iconographic themes, such as half-moon shapes resembling thehorns of a bull ‖.

Vedic Rudra

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Many of the historians think that Vedic Rudra is the first prototype of shiva and

As a proper name it means "The Auspicious One", used as a euphemistic name for Rudra

Emergence of Shaivism

In the grammarian Patanjali' s "Great Commentary" (Sanskrit: Mahābhasya )on Pāṇini's Sanskrit grammar (second century BC), he describe, a devotee of Shiva as dressedin animal skins and carrying an iron lance as the symbol of his God, perhaps a precursor of Shiva's Trident.

The two great epics of India, the Mahabharata and the Ramayana, deal extensivelywith stories of both Shiva and Vishnu, and there are references to early Shiva ascetics in theMahabharata.

The documentation of formal religious history, as opposed to archaeological evidenceor scriptural mentions, is marked by Gavin Flood's remark that:

―The formation of Shaiva traditions as we understand them begins to occur during the period from 200 BC to 100 AD‖.

The ŚvetāśvataraUpanishad (400 - 200 BCE) is the earliest textual exposition of asystematic philosophy of Shaivism.

As explained by Gavin Flood, the text proposes:... a theology which elevates Rudra tothe status of supreme being, the Lord (Sanskrit: Īśa) who is transcendent yet also has

cosmological functions, as doe s Śiva in later traditions.

Pauranic Shaivism

It is with the Puranas that Shaivism spread rapidly, eventually throughout thesubcontinent, through the singers and composers of the Puranicnarratives. The Puranic literature seems to have its origin in the later Gupta period (6thcentury) and develops during the 8th to 11th centuries, along with Smarta-Brahminic forms of worship. The convergence of various Shaiva and Vaishnava trends, as well as their growingpopularity, may have been partly the outcome of dominant dynasties like the Guptas

assimilating the resources and cultural elements of their conquered territories.

The bulk of the material contained in the Puranas may have been established duringthe reign of the Guptas, with incremental additions taking place to the texts up to latermedieval times.

There are eighteen major Puranas, and these are traditionally classified into threegroups of six each, with Shiva considered to be the central deity in the

1. Shiva Purana

2. Linga Purana

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3. Matsya Purana

4. Kurma Purana

5. Skanda Purana

6. Agni Purana

However this traditional grouping is inexact, because the Shiva Purana is stronglysectarian in its focus on Shiva, others are not so clearly sectarian and include material aboutother deities as well, particularly Vishnu.

The Puranic corpus is a complex body of materials that advance the views of variouscompeting cults,

As Gavin Flood explains:

Although these texts are related to each other, and material in one is found in another,they nevertheless each present a view of ordering of the world from a particular perspective.They must not be seen as random collections of old tales, but as highly selective and craftedexpositions and presentations of worldviews and soteriologies, compiled by particular groupsof Brahmins to propagate a particular vision, whether it be focused on Vi ṣṇu, Śiva, or Devī ,or, indeed, any number of deities.

For example, the Vishnu Purana (4th century CE) presents a Vaishnava viewpoint inwhich Vishnu awakens, becomes the creator of god Brahma to create the universe, sustains it,

and then destroys it as Rudra (Shiva).

Shaiva theism was expounded in the Agamas, which number two hundred includingthe Upagamas (the "Lesser" Agamas), which were composed before the 7th century AD. Inthe 7th century AD, Baanabhatta included the worship of Shiva in his account of theprominent religious sects of that time.

In the 7th century AD the great Chinese traveller Huen Tsang toured India and wrotein Chinese about the prevalence of Shiva worship at that time, describing Shiva temples atKanoj, Karachi, Malwa, Gandhar (Kandahar), and especially at Varanasi (Benares) where he

saw twenty large temples dedicated to Shiva.

The earliest Sanskrit philosophical literature in which we find a reference to Shaivismis a bhashya of Shankara (8 th century) on Brahmasoothra II.2.37. In the commentary of thissutra, Shankara refers to the doctrine of the Siddhanthas as having been written by LordMaheswara.

Earlier Shaivite texts

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The ŚvetāśvataraUpanishad (400 - 200 BCE) is the earliest textual exposition of asystematic philosophy of Shaivism. The ‗Shiva Rahasya Purana ’ , an Upapurana, is animportant scriptural text.

General features in Shaivism.

Sacred ash came to be used as a sign of Shaivism. Devotees of Shiva wear it as asectarian mark on their foreheads and other parts of their bodies with reverence. The Sanskritwords bhasma and vibhuti can both be translated as "sacred ash". A Shiva devotee is dressedin animal skins and carrying an iron lance as the symbol of his God, perhaps a precursor of Shiva's Trident, with him always.

Major schools of Shaivism

There are many sub sects in Shaivism, while they all acknowledge Lord Shiva as theSupreme deity, they differ from one another in respects of other details such as modes of worship, nature of Brahman, nature of individual soul, the relationship between the two, thenature of reality and the means of liberation. These schools of Shaivism primarily fall underone of the three schools of Hindu philosophy namely Advaita (monism), Visistaadvaita(qualified monism) and Dvaita (Dualism).

The following five are the most prominent sects

1. Pashupata Shaivism

2. Kashmiri Shaivism/ Pratyabhijna philosophy

3. Siddha Shaivism

4. Gorakshanatha samhita

5. Vira Shaivism

There are differences among different scholars about the type or sects of Shaivism.

Madhavacharya refers four school of Shaivism. They are

1. Nakulisa Pashupata

2. Shaiva, in that

a. Vira Shaivab. Shaiva Siddhanta

3. Pratyabhijna

4. Raseswara

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Vachaspathi Misra (840 AD) when commenting on the Bhashya of Shankara says that theMaheswaras consists of

1. Saivas

2. Pashupatas

3. Karunika Siddhanthas

4. Kapalikas

Ramanuja in his bhashya on Brahma sutra (2.2.37) mentions the Kapalikas and Kalamukhasas bearing the Shaiva sect of anti Vedic character.

Gunaratna the commentator of Hari Bhadra Soori‘sShad darshana samuchaya was a Jainawriter. He referred four kinds of Saivas such as,

1. Saivas

2. Pashupatas

3. Mahavrathadharas

4. Kalamukhas

(And their subsidiary divisions.)

The Vaamana Purana classifies the worshippers of Shiva Linga under four groups:

a. Shaivab. Pashupata or Mahapashupatac. Kaladamanad. Kapalika

Anandagiri a contemporary of Shankara and a biographer speaks of various sects of Saivaswith various marks and signs on their bodies and with different kinds of robes to distinguishthemselves from one another. Also speaks of two schools of Kapalika; one Brahminic andother non Brahminic.

It observes that all these sects had their origin in Brahma. The Pashupata sect wasrepresented by Maharishi Bharadvaja and his disciple, Raja Somakeshvara. The Shaiva sectwas led by Shakti, son of Vasistha and Guru of Gopayana. The Kaladamana sect wasrepresented by Apastambha, the guru of Kratheshvara. Dhanada or Kubera headed theKapalika sect and had a disciple named Arnodara, who was a Shudra by caste; Dhanada is

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described as a Mahavratin. It is also stated in the Shiva Purana that Vasudeva Krishna learntthe Pashupata system from Uamanyu, the elder brother of Dhaumya.

In the Sarvadarsana Samgraha of Madhava of the 14th century, accepts Nakulisa Pashupatasystem, the Shaiva system and the Pratyabhijna system of Kashmir. The Nakulisa Pashupatasystem is based on the Pashupata sutra and the bhashya of Kaundinya. Shaiva system basedon various Saivagamas and also on the Tatvaprakasa of Bhoja. The Agamic Shaivismprincipally belongs to Tamil country, the Pashupata to Gujarat and Pratyabhijna to Kashmirand the northern parts of India. The Vira Shaivism found mostly among the Kanaresespeaking countries

Shaivism has many different schools reflecting both regional and temporalvariations and differences in philosophy. Shaivism has a vast literature that includes texts

representing multiple philosophical schools, including non-dualist ( abheda ), dualist ( bheda ),and non-dual-with-dualism ( bhedābheda) perspectives.

Alexis Sanderson' s review of Shaivite groups makes a broad distinction into twogroups, with further subdivisions within each group.

1. Vedic, Puranic

2. Non-Puranic

These devotees are distinguished by undergoing initiation ( dīkṣa ) into a specific cultaffiliation for the dual purposes of obtaining liberation in this life ( mukti ) and/or obtainingother aims ( bhukti ). Sanderson subdivides these group further into two subgroups:

Those that follow the outer or higher path ( atimārga ), seeking only liberation.Among the atimārgagroups two are particularly important, the Pāśupatasanda sub-branch, the Lakula, from whom another important sect, the Kalamukhas,developed.

Those who follow the path of mantras ( mantramārga ), seeking both liberationand worldly objectives.

The following are concise summaries of some of the major schools of Shaivism.

1. Kashmir Shaivism:

Launched, perhaps, by Vasugupta (ca 800), this abheda --intensely monistic school — knownas Pratyabhijna Darshana, explains the creation of soul and world as God Shiva's shiningforth, in His dynamic first impulse. As the Self of all, Shiva is immanent and transcendent, areal but abstract creator-preserver-destroyer.

Another Kashmiri, Abhinavagupta was an important figure in this school.

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The label Kashmir Shaivism, though unfortunately now widely adopted, is really amisnomer, for it is clear that various quite different schools of Shaivism flourished togetherin Kashmir throughout most of historical time, prominent among them being the dualistschool known as the Shaiva Siddhanta, whose classical theology was systematised by tenth-

century Kashmiri exegetes such as Bhaṭṭa Nārāyaṇakaṇṭha and Bhaṭṭa Rāmakaṇṭha II. 2. Shaiva Siddhanta :

Highlighted areas are Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Sri Lanka.

In Rishi Tirumular' s monistic theism (sometimes dated as early as 200 BC andsometimes as late as 1300 AD), Shiva is material and efficient cause, immanentand transcendent. The soul, created by Shiva, is destined to merge in Him.In Meykandar' s pluralistic realism (ca 1200), God, souls and world are beginning less andeternally coexistent.

In this cult, Shiva is efficient but not material cause.

Thirugnana Sambanthar, Thirunavukkarasar, Sundaramoorthy Nayanar andManikkavasagar are sometimes today considered the gurus of Shaivism, but whether theywould have thought of themselves as belonging to the Shaiva Siddhanta is moot. The hymnssung by the first three are collected into a book called the Thevaram ( Tevaram ). These booksare reverentially worshipped and recited by the devotees. The first three are included amongthe 63 Nayanmars , legendary staunch devotees of Siva whose sculpted images are to befound in many South Indian Shaiva temples.

Nayanars (or Nayanmars), saints from Tamil Nadu, and the Vira Shaviansor Lingayats from Karnataka lead a multi-caste mass movement of devotional Shaiviteworship in early medieval South India. But although the hymns of the Thevaram are todayconsidered by some as belonging to the Shaiva Siddhanta, there is rather little evidence thatthey were so considered in their own time. As in the case of so-called Kashmir Shaivism, theoften asserted association of this school with one particular area of the sub-continent, theTamil-speaking South, is misleading. Sanskrit works of the Shaiva Siddhanta were written inthe North too, and a range of inscriptions of the seventh and eighth centuries from manydifferent parts of the sub-continent attest to the wide spread of this school in the earlymedieval period .

The earliest surviving manuscripts that transmit works of the Shaiva Siddhanta areNepalese, which is of course further evidence that it is only in recent centuries, and certainlyafter the twelfth, that the Shaiva Siddhanta came to be associated exclusively with the Tamil-speaking South.

3. Siddha Siddhanta:

Expounded by Rishi Gorakshanatha (ca 950), this monistic theism is known

as bhedābheda,embracing both transcendent Shiva Being and immanent Shiva Becoming.

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Shiva is efficient and material cause. The creation and final return of soul and cosmos toShiva are likened to bubbles arising and returning to water.

Siddha Siddhantai s influential in Nepal, Uttar , Bihar and West Bengal.

4. Lingayatism:

Made popular by Basavanna (1105 – 1167), this version of qualified non dualism,Shakti Visistaadvaita, accepts both difference and non difference between soul and God, likerays are to the sun. Shiva and the cosmic force are one, yet Shiva is beyond His creation,which is real, not illusory. God is efficient and material cause. The branch is influentialprimarily in Karnataka.

5. Shiva Advaita

This monistic theism, formulated by Shrikantha (ca 1050), is calledShiva Visistaadvaita. The soul does not ultimately become perfectly one with Brahman, butshares with the Supreme all excellent qualities. Appaya Dikshita (1554 – 1626) attempted toresolve this union in favour of an absolute identity — Shuddhadvaita. Its area of origin andinfluence covers most of Karnataka state.

6. Pashupata Shaivism:

The Pashupatas (Sanskrit: Pāśupatas) are the oldest named Shaivite group. ThePashupatas were ascetics.

Noted areas of influence include Gujarat, Kashmir and Nepal. But there is plentifulevidence of the existence of Pāśupata groups in every area of the Indian subcontinent.

Inscriptions of comparable date in various parts of South East Asia attest to the spread of Pāśupata forms of Śaivism before the arrival there of tantric schools such as theShaivaSiddhanta. The Pashupata movement was influential in South India in the period between the7th and 14th century, but it no longer exists

In the far South, for example, a dramatic farce called the Mattavilāsanaprahasana ascribed to a seventh- century Pallava king centres around a Pāśupata ascetic in the city of Kāñcīpuram whomistakes a Buddhist mendicant's begging bowl for his own skull-bowl.

According to another reference,

Various ancient Hindu texts list four different branches of the Shaivite tradition. Allsects that followed arose out of these four original branches.

1.

Pashupata2. Lakula

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3. Kapalika

4. Shaiva

The philosophy of the Lakula system tended to be dualistic-monism ( bhedābheda),

and there was strong emphasis on yoga. The sect was highly ascetic in nature, and inductedmembers only from the Vaishya, Brahmana and Kshatriya classes. There were, it is said, 28Agamas of the Lakulisha-Pashupata system, but the only major surviving text is thePashupata Sutras, attributed to Lakulisha.

Other texts from this branch in existence are attributed to other Acharyas (teachers)from Lakulisha's lineage including Musalendra and Kaundinya. Theancient temple of Pashupatinath in Nepal may its origins or links to the Pashupata orLakulisha-Pashupata branches of Shaivism.

In medieval South India, there was an influential sect called the Kalamukhas . Some believethat Kalamukha sect was derived from, or was another name for, the Lakulisha-Pashupatas.According to some sources, Basavadeva, the reformer of Vira Shaivism, was initiated by aKalamukha ascetic.

The Kapalika branch of Shaivism may also have its origins in the Veda. TheKapalikas are also called Soma-Siddhantins, as their practices are thought to be connectedwith the Soma ritual (Soma-Yajnas). Another interpretation says that they were called Soma-Siddhantins because they believed in worship of Shakti (Uma) with Shiva ( Soma = sa (with)+ Uma). The temple at Somanath in Gujarat may have some connection with the Soma-Siddhantins.

Not much is known about the true historical Kapalika ascetics, except what can begleaned from their portrayals and criticisms by other sects. It is fairly certain from extraneousinformation that they were practioners of Tantric rituals, and may be connected with anothersect called the Mahavratins. Some believe that later ascetic sects such as the Aghoris,Gorakhpanthis, etc. were influenced by the Kapalika system. Some now believe that theKapalika branch is to be classified within the Shaiva branch, and not as a separate stream, assome Agama texts of the Shaiva branch can be traced back to the Kapalika ascetics.

The Shaiva branch Shaivism is the most well-known of all. This is why the larger nameis Shaivism, and not Lakulism or Pashupatism. The Shaiva system is based on the Vedas andthe Shaiva Agamas. Unlike the other branches, the Shaiva branch has not only asceticfollowing, but also has a large non-ascetic following.

The four main sects of the Shaiva branch we have today are the Shaiva Siddhanta (Southernor Tamil Shaivism), Shatsthala Siddhanta (Vira Shaivism), Trika Siddhanta (Kashmiri orNorthern Shaivism), and Siddha Siddhanta (Gorakhnath Shaivism).

The Shaiva branch of Shaivism is said to have five classes of Agamas:

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1. Bhuta Agamas2. Garuda Agamas3. Vama Agamas4. Dakshina Agamas

5. Siddhanta Agamas

Due to the nature of the content and practices, the Bhuta and Garuda Agamas werelost early on. Some believe that the Vama Agamas belonged to the Kapalika or Kalamukhabranches, but none of these texts survive today.

Of the surviving Agamas, we have lists of 92 (although not all are available in wholeor at all). The Shaiva branch, as a whole, therefore claims 92 Agama texts - 10 ShivaAgamas, 18 Rudra Agamas, and 64 Bhairava Agamas.

The Shiva and Rudra Agamas together are called Siddhanta Agamas, and theBhairava Agamas are called the Dakshina Agamas.

The Shiva Agamas are said to teach dualism ( bheda ), the Rudra Agamas teachdualistic-monism ( bhedābheda), and the Bhairava Agamas teach monism ( abheda ). TheBhairava Agamas are used, generally but not exclusively by Kashmiri Shaivism, whereas theSiddhanta Agamas form the basis of all the sects of the Shaiva branch.

According to Acharya Somananda - a prominent teacher of Kashmiri Shaivism, Shivahad appeared to Sage Durvasa in the form of Shrikantha in the beginning of the Kaliyuga,

and had imparted the knowledge of the Shaiva Agamas unto him. Shiva had revealed thephilosophies of abheda , bhedabheda and bheda to Sage Durvasa so men of differentcapacities could understand the Divine each in their own ways.

Sage Durvasa then proceeded to disseminate the knowledge through his three sons,Trayambaka, Amardaka and Shrinatha, who were taught the abheda , bhedābheda,and bheda philosophies respectively. The three sons of Durvasa then founded variousmonastic institutions ( mathas ), and promulgated the Shaiva teaching to their disciples.Presumably, the lines of Shaiva teachers (Shivacharyas) established by the three sons of Durvasa compiled the knowledge in form of the Shaiva Agamas.

Such is the story of the Shaiva tradition in short.

Atimarga and the Mantra-marga

Those who take the vow (Vratha) of service to Siva are called Bharatas (Servants)and Bhakthas (Devotees). (Acc. Gunaratna and Rajasekhara)

The worship of Shiva-Shakti is exceedingly ancient, and is traced back to a timebefore recorded history. The written history of organized Shaivism tells us of two broadpaths: the higher path (Atimarga) and the path of mantras (Mantra-marga).

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The Atimār ga is termed as such because its adherents believed that their path ledstraight to liberation ( sadyo mukti ) without any intermediate states in higher planes of existence. The Atimārgawas a path for ascetics and generally meant living a life of a recluse.The Atimārgabranch belonged to and was developed by Pashupatas, who early on formed

orders of Shaivite ascetics. The Mahabharata epic, composed over a period of time between200 BC and 200 AD, declares that the Pashupata along with Veda, Samkhya, Yoga and Pancharatra (early Vaishnava) are the five systems that embody essentially the same knowledge (XII.349.64). Pashupatism is thought to have had its own set of Agamas, yet verylittle has survived to our time.

Mantra-marga, the other major path of Shaivism, was likely developing alongsideAtimārgaearly on, and in time overcame, but retained some characteristics of the Atimārga.

Unlike the Atimārga, the Mantra-marga believed its path to lead to liberation notdirectly but in a stepwise manner ( krama mukti ). The Mantra-marga is termed as such not

because it is exclusive in using mantras as part of its ritual and practice, but because it taughtthat the stepwise progression to liberation occurred through mastery of mantra-siddhis (i.e.the individual gained special powers and raised himself to higher levels in other planes of existence as he progressed toward liberation).

In the Shaivite systems of today, we find several technical terms involving the word―mantra‖ for the individual being who has raised himself to higher planes of existence suchas mantra-pramatrin, mantreshvara, mantra-maheshvara, etc.

The major difference between the Atimārgaand Mantra-marga was however that the

Mantra-marga, or at least some its branches, was open both to renunciants and tohouseholders.

Over time, the Mantra-marga became highly prominent and developed a very largecorpus of agamic literature. Based on the agamic literature followed and on the primary formof Shiva worshipped,the Mantra-marga bifurcated into two primary branches : the Siddhantika and the Kapalika-

Kaula. The former was primarily focused on Sadashiva and the latter on Bhairava. TheSiddhantika branch gave rise to 28 Agamas (10 Shiva Agamas and 18 Rudra Agamas). TheKapalika-Kaula branch gave rise to 64 Agamas (Bhairava Agamas including the Yamalas).

Both branches produced hundreds more Agamas which were termed Upa- or subsidiaryAgamas, as well as a body of secondary texts of interpretation written by various Acharyas(teachers). The prominence given to Shakti by the Kapalika-Kaula branch gave rise toShaktism as a semi-independent religion (this is a highly controversial subject), which in turnwent on to produce its own canon of Tantric texts. Since Shaktism has retained itsrelationship with the Kapalika-Kaula branch, part of the Tantric canon of Shaktism is incommon with the Bhairava Agama canon of Shaivism.

Today, the Siddhantika and Kapalika-Kaula branches of Mantra-marga Shaivism arerepresented by Shaiva Siddhanta and Trika Shaivism, respectively. Although the twobranches have philosophical and ontological differences, much of the foundational doctrine is

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the same, and is shared with Shaktism. All the sects and branches of Shaivism and Shaktism,despite their differences and divisions, are united inseparably under one set of centraltheological principles. They all have in common the most basic belief of absolute oneness of Shiva-Shakti.

Three important concepts (Pati, Pashu and Paasa)

Pati, Pashu and Paasa are the three important concepts of Shaivism which arecommon to all schools of Shaivism despite of their differences in the interpretation of therelationship between the first and second.

Pati means husband or Lord and in Shaivism he is Siva.

Pashu means animal or being in animal state. All jivas who are subject to illusion andignorance and the laws of nature including human beings are considered as Pashu.

Paasa means the bonds that keep the individual soul ignorant of their true Siva nature.

Pati or the Supreme lord

Maheswara is considered as Supreme lord in Pashupata darshana. Maheswararegarded as a Brahmin is beginning less and indestructible. He is unborn and without anykind of attachment. The supreme lord is regarded as producing and destroying all things outof His nature as a playing being. He is called Rudra because He is associated with fear on thepart of all.

    :

(     )

He has supreme power of knowledge and activity. He is independent cause of World.He creates it by his unrestricted and arbitrary will without aid of karmas of the souls. Hissovereignty is eternal. Hence the supreme lord creates, maintains and destroys the universe.

Siva has two kinds of power

Swaroopa Sakti - Conscious energy, unchanging and eternal - essentialpower

Parigraha Sakti - Primal matter, Unconscious

The relation of Siva and Sakti is that of identity, though it is the power of the Lord.The material cause of pure creation is called Mahamaya or Bindu or Vidya, while that of

defiled creation is called Maya or Asudha Bindu.

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Siva has got five functions - Panchakriyakaritvam

Creation,

Preservation,

Destruction of the Universe,

Concealment or embodiment,

Liberation of the individual soul.

Pashu

The individual souls are called Pashu. They are produced by the God. They are eternalproducts. They are called Pashu because they are fettered by bonds (Paasa). They are either

tainted (Sanjnana) or untainted (Nirajnana). The soul is knower, enjoyer and active agent.(ichajnana kriyayukta). It is non atomic and attains absoluteness when its bonds of impuritiesare broken. It requires infinite knowledge and creative power of liberation.

Paasa

Passas are the bonds that keep the individual souls ignorant of their true Siva nature.The three Paasa that are common to all schools of Shaivism are

Anava - Egoism, individuality or atomicity

Karma - Actions that have consequences

Maya - Delusion

They are also known three impurities or Malas. They are called Paasa or bondbecause they bind the souls or jivas to the limited reality and subject them to temporaryignorance of their true Siva consciousness.

Anava

The impurity of anava makes the individual Jiva believes themselves to be atomic innature limited in consciousness and powers as abilities. One of the results of anavamala is theexperience of egoism and sense of duality as our true nature. Because of anava mala jivasbecame selfish and self cantered, lustful and greedy, defensive and fail to discriminatebetween good and bad actions. They indulge both kinds of action to further their own interestto fulfil their desires and aspirations often at a great cost to themselves and to others. Thisbinds them to second impurity karma.

Karma

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Karma binds the soul to their actions and makes them play for it throughconsequences or effects and causation. Souls experience these consequences as pain orpleasure through their experience of union or separation from the desired objects of enjoyment.

Maya

Maya binds the soul to the object of enjoyment through desires and involves themdeeply with the world of phenomenal experience ( samsara ). Deluded by this power of Mayathey continue their existence as ignorant being, mistaking the untruth as truth and indulgingin actions that could further to the consequences of such actions.

Another classification of impurities or mala defiling the soul is fivefold i.e. falseknowledge, demerit, attachment, causality and lapse. It is the root of sin. Purity is completeextinction of fivefold impurity. There are five means of removing impurity; they are

observance, recitation of mantras, meditation on God, constant recollection of God andachievement of fruits. The fivefold fruits achieved by this are knowledge, austerities,constancy, stability and purity.

The doctrine of Karuna

Ordinarily the idea of grace or karuna would simply imply the extension of kindnessor favour to one in distress. But in the Saivagamas, there is a distinct line of thought where

karuna or grace is interpreted as a divine creative movement for supplying all souls withfields of experience in which they may enjoy pleasures and suffer from painful experiences.

The Karunika Siddhantins mentioned by Vachaspathi have not been referred to byMadhava (14 th century) in his Sarvadarsana sangraha, and we do not find a reference to thesein any of the Shaiva agamas, but from the statement of Shaiva philosophy in the Vayaveeyasamhita of the Sivamahapurana, it is not difficult for us to reconstruct the reasons whichmight have led to the formation of a special school of Shaivism. We find that the doctrine of grace or karuna is not always found in the same sense in all the agamas, or in the Vayaveeyasamhita, which was in all probability based on the agamas.

(It is again different from the doctrine of karuna of the Ramanuja Vaishnava, whointroduced the concept of Mahalakshmi, one who intercedes on behalf of the sinners andpersuades Narayana to extend his grace for the good of the devotees.)

PASHUPATA SHAIVISM

One of the main schools of Shaivism. The Pashupata branch of Shaivism isconsidered the most ancient Shaivite group.

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The teaching of the Pashupata system is for the total annihilation of all kinds of sorrow and this teaching can only be communicated to proper disciples. When the disciplefollows the ascetic practises he attains liberation through the grace of god.

Pashupata Shaivism was a devotional ( bhakti ) movement.

The sect takes its name from Pasupati (Sanskrit: Pa upathi) an epithet of the Hindudeity Siva, which was to convey the meaning " lord of cattle , lord of souls ". Rudra, thepersonification of the destructive power of nature in the Rig-Veda became the Lord of cattle,‗Pasunam patih ’ as per Satarudriya, and ‗Siva ’ as per Brahmanas. The Pashupata systemcontinued in the tradition of Rudra Siva. Etymologically Pashupata means 'herdsman‘s staff'.Symbolically it represent the trident, the weapon of Siva with which he destroys ourignorance and impurities.

Period of Origin

The Pashupata or Pashupata Shaivism is perhaps the most controversial and also themost ancient of all sects of Shaivism. The earliest history of this sect is shrouded in mystery.

Dates of emergence of Pashupata are uncertain and various estimates place thembetween 2nd century BC and 2nd century AD. It is possible that the people of Indus valleypracticed some form of Pashupata Shaivism. The Atharvashira Upanishad mentionsPashupata rite for the removal of animal bonds, probably a practice initially associated withthis sect.

It may be quite possible that such ascetic forms of life existed from early times, andthat later philosophy of Shaivism was added; though they had but little connection with theShiva philosophy as propounded later.

Gavin Flood dates them probably from around the 2nd century AD.

In the Vedic literature, the word Pasupati indeed occurs in various places( Atharvana Samhita 11,2,28, Vaj. Sam 16,28, Parask. Grhsutra 2,8, Ashv. Grhsutra 48 )butonly as a synonym of Rudra. It has not got there that technical meaning which we findinvariably attached to it in subsequent Pashupata literature.

This sect was of course known to the Mahabharata, They are referred to in the Mahabharata,the action of which takes place in the 4 th millennium BC.

The Pashupata branch of Shaivism is considered the most ancient, and deriveddirectly from the Vedas. Some speculate that the Pashupata branch may have been inexistence as far back in history as the Indus-Saraswathi Civilization. It is believed that thePashupata philosophy was essentially dualistic, although no specific Pashupata texts havethus far been discovered. According to different sources and opinions, Sage Shvetasvatara(teacher of the Shvetasvatara Upanishad), Sage Akshapada Gautama (expounder of the Nyaya philosophy), Sage Kanada (expounder of the Vaiseshika philosophy), Sage Panini

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(composer of the Ashtadhyayi ), and Sage Badarayana Vyasa (expounder of the Vedanta philosophy) were all followers of Pashupata Shaivism.

SPREAD OF PASHUPATA SYSTEM

In the 7th century AD the great Chinese traveller Xuanzang (Huen Tsang) touredIndia and wrote in Chinese about the prevalence of Shiva worship at that time, describingShiva temples at Kanoj ,Karachi, Malwa, Gandhar (Kandahar), and especially at Varanasi

where (that 10,000 Pashupatas then occupied Varanasi) he saw twenty large templesdedicated to Shiva.

The Pashupata tradition spread to Nepal in the eighth century, where the now famousPashupatinath Temple became a prime pilgrimage centre and remains so to this day. At itsmedieval zenith, Pashupatism blanketed Western, North-western and south- eastern India,where it received royal patronage. In the fifteenth century, it retreated to its strongholds of

Gujarat, Nepal and the Himalayan hills.

Philosophy in Pashupata Shaivism.

The Pashupata or Shaiva philosophy may be summarized as below: The Ishwara orlord of all beings is called ‗Shiva‘. The Jivas are considered as ‗Pashu ‘ and henceShiva is‗Pashupati‘. The Jivas are pashus because they are tied down bykarmapasha and ajnana. Likethe potter makes a pot with clay, Shiva has made this world (i.e. the pot) with Prakriti (i.e.clay). Thus, Shiva is the nimitta and Prakriti is upadana kaarana. The relation that Jivaestablishes with Shiva by japa, Dhyana, Sharanagati etc. is referred to as Yoga here. These

modes and procedures adopted by the Jiva to attain Shiva are referred to as Vidhi. Attainingparama-samya with Shiva is the end of all miseries i.e. Dukhanta and this is Moksha. Theseare the important tenets of Shaiva philosophy, Pashupata in particular.

Pramanas in Pashupata

Perception, Inference and Testimony are the Pashupata system. The other Pramanasare regarded as falling within them.

Perception

Kaundinya describes two kinds of perceptual knowledge. They are sense perceptionand self perception. By senses one can perceive various kinds of sense objects such as sound,touch, colour, taste, smell and objects to which they belong. In reality most perceptions occurthrough sense object contact and are modified in their totality in diverse aspect through sucha contact and are regarded as valid.

Self perception means the totality of the relation that is produced by Citta andAntahkarana, the mind and the thought.

Inference

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Anumana naturally based upon perception. The relationship between the thought, themind and the self express itself in diverse impressions and memories and these leads to otherkinds of awareness or those which can be inferred from them.

Inference is of two kinds- Drishta (Perceived) and Samanyatodrishta (Perceivedthrough universals). Drishta again is of two types called Purvavat and Seshavat . Purvavat isthat which is afflicted with a previous experience.

E.g. it has been seen to have six fingers, and now we find it of six fingers,therefore this is same as the previous one.

Seshavat inference is intended to distinguish a class of things from another.

E.g. when an animal is recognised as a cow on the evidence of its horn andhanging neck, this is said to be inference of the type of Seshavat.

As an example of Samanyatodrishta it is said that as the location at different places of the same object cannot take place, one can infer that the moon and the stars which changeplaces are travelling in the sky.

Agama

Agama is a scriptural testimony that is handed down to us from Maheswara throughhis disciples.

Object of Pramana (The fivefold category)

The Vayaveeya samhita mentions the Pashupata sutra as Pancharta Vidya.

It is the individual perceiver to whom things are proved by means of Pramanas. The objectsof pramana are fivefold categories viz.

1. (effect),

2. (Cause),

3. (Meditation),

4. (behaviour) and

5.  : (Dissolution of sorrow).

Awareness or thought product is called Samchid Samchintana or sambodhana. It isthrough these that knowledge is revealed. The process of knowledge continues from the firstmoment of inception to the completion of the knowledge.

These are the five major components of Pashupata Sastra (i.e.: Karya, Kaarana, Yoga, Vidhiand Dukhanta).On Explaining each,

Karya

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Karya constitute of all that is dependent on the cause, including knowledge ( Vidya ), organs( Kala ) and individual souls ( Pashu ). The effects or karya are ten kinds. They are fiveelements of earth, water, fire, air and ether and the five qualities of smell, taste, colour, touchand sound.

The Karya is threefold: Vidya, Kala and Pashu.

Vidya is a quality of the Pashu, and is of two kinds: knowledge ( bodha ) and ignorance(abodha ). The former is essentially either vivekapravrtti or avivekapravrtti, but fromthe standpoint of object it is fourfold or fivefold. The vivekapravrtti is manifested by avalid source of knowledge and is called chitta. It is by means of the chitta that ananimal is conscious of the light of chaitanya. The second type of Vidya (abodha-vidya) is described as pashvartha-dharmadharmika.

Ratnatika observes that the character of Vidya as a Guna is from the standpoint of Pashupata

system, but according to Vaiseshika it would be dravya.

Kala is dependent on a conscious agent and is itself unconscious. It is of two kinds:karya and Karana. The former is ten types: the five tatvas (Prthvi etc.) and the fiveGunas (Rupa etc.). The latter is of three kinds: five senses, five motor organs and

three inner organs ( Buddhi, Ahamkara and Manas ). The Pashu is either Sanjana (endowed with body and senses) or niranjana (bereft of

body and senses). Kaarana

The Kaarana, literally a cause is the name of Lord or Pati (Isvara, God), the eternal ruler, whocreates, maintains and destroys the whole existence. He is the Anugrahaka of all creation anddestruction. He is one and without a second. His classification is based on a difference of Guna and karma only.

The Kaarana is independent in this system and is not dependent on karma and other factors.He is Pati which implies possession of infinite power or knowledge and action i.e. possessionfor all times of Aishvarya. He is Aadya or the Primal One, i.e., possesses natural powers.

Causes are of thirteen kinds . They are five organs of knowledge , five organs of action and

the three internal organs i.e. Manas, Buddhi and Ahamkara.

Yoga

It is defined as the communion between Atman and Isvara through the medium of Chita. The mental process by which the soul gains God or relation of soul to God throughmind is called Yoga.

:

Yoga cannot be attained by mere knowledge but one has to take to a certain course of action called Yoga vidhi.

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The contact thus means that the person who was otherwise engaged leads himself tothe supreme object of Isvara. The yogi must have disinclination to worldly things as the firstcondition.

There are two varieties of yoga – one is Kriyatmaka (active) in the form of Japa,Dhyana etc. and the other stands for kriyoparama (cessation of all action). The latter kind istechnically known as samvidgati. The fruit of yoga in this system is not kaivalya (as inSamkhya and Patanjala) but realization of Supreme Power (paramaishvarya) accompanied byend of pain.

Vidhi

Vidhi is the name of a function which aims at dharma or artha. It means observanceswhich generate virtue or generate righteousness. Austerities such as besmearing the bodywith ashes, recitation of mantras and the like are the observances.

It is twofold, being primary or secondary. The primary vidhi is Charya , which is of two kinds: Vrata and Dvaras.

The Vrata are thus enumerated:a. Ash bathb. Ash bed (Bhasmasnanashayya)c. Upahara or Niyama consisting of:

- Laughter or hasita, which Attahasa (side-splitting laughter with lips gaping wide)- Song or Gita (in praise of Shiva)

- Dancing or nrtya- Hudukkara involving the utterance of the sound ‗Huduk ‘ in the manner of an ex-

bellowing. This sound is produced from the contact of the tongue with the palate(probably some kind of Talavya Kriya?)

- Obeisance or Namaskarad. Japae. Circumambulation or Pradakshina

The Dvaras are:

a. Krathana or the showing of the body during waking moments as if it were in sleep.b. Spandana or the quivering of the limbs as under the influence of Vayu.c. Mandana or going in the manner of one suffering from injury in the leg, or rather limping.d. Shringara or showing oneself by means of one‘s physical erotic movements (Vilasah) as if one is in passion at the sight of a beautiful and youthful lady.e. Avitatkarana or performing an evil action condemned by the world in the manner of onedevoid of sense of discrimination.f. Avitadbhashana or uttering of meaningless, contradictory words.

The secondary vidhi is what is subsidiary and auxiliary to the primary vidhi, i.e., Anusnanaand Bhakshocchishta.

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Dukhanta

The final deliverances or destructions of misery and the attainment of an elevation of spirit and super human powers of knowledge and activity are called Dukhanta.

Dukhanta means, not only the negation of sorrow but also realization of SupremeLordship (paramaishvarya). Dukhanta is of two kinds: Anatmaka and Satmaka . The formeris absolute cessation of all pain. The latter is realization of power which consists in Drk-Kriyashakti. Drkshakti (=Dhishakti) is really one, but is called five-fold through difference of object, viz. Shravana, Manana, Vijnana and Sarvajnatva.

Similarly Kriyashakti too, though one, is described as three-fold through Upachara – Manojavitva, Kamarupitva and Vikaranadharmitva.

The word darshana means knowledge of everything amenable to sight and touch – subtle,

distant and closed.

The perfect knowledge of every shabda is Shravana, and that of every thought ismanana, of every Shastra through text and sense is Vijnana; and of omniscience is the perfectknowledge, eternally shining, of all tattvas in regard to all things, said or unsaid, either insummary or in detail or severally. Manojavitva is the power of doing somethinginstantaneously. Kamarupitva is the power of controlling any form simply at will and underthe stress of karma. Vikaranadharmitva is the power of doing or knowing anything(niratishaya aishvarya sambandhitva) without any organ.

This two-fold Shakti is collectively called Supreme Lordship. When this two-foldsiddhi is reached, all the ten marks of siddhi reveal themselves. These marks are: Avashyatva, Anaveshyatva, Avadhyatva, Abhayatva, Akshayatva, Ajaratva, Amaratva, Apratighata, Mahattva and Patitva. These are explained below:

a. Avashya (absolutely free). There are differences of opinion on the meaning of theterm avashyatva. One view is that vashyatva is a mala and when it is removed thedharma existing in Purusha viz., avashyatva is manifested. The author of Ratnatikareproduces this view, saying that the manifestation of aishvarya is not admitted, for itis unreasonable to hold that a dharma which is not of the nature of the dharma

(Anatmakadharma) should be manifested. If it were manifested, the dharma would beAnatmaka. Hence avashyatva means aishvarya-sambandha. It is this which eliminatessubordination.

b. Anaveshyatva means that the Jnanasambandha cannot be overpowered by anotherperson.

c. Akshayatva implies eternal relation with aishvarya.

d. Apratighata is thus defined: ‗Sarvatra Abhipretartheshu Pravartamanasya Maheshvarenapi Apratibandha-Dharmittvam ’ . The implications of this statementare too many to be considered here.

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e. Mahattva is superiority to all pashus, owing to greatness of aishvarya.

f. Patitva is Lordship of all Karyas i.e. Pashu, Vidya and Kala.

yA yogibR^indahR^idayAmbujarAjahaMsI

mandasmitastutamukhI madhukaiTabhaghnI |vighAnadhakArataTabhedapaTIyasI sAmUrtiH karotu kutukaM bhramarAmbikAyAH ||

EARLY LITERATURE

We have now no means of ascertaining the extent of the early literature of this sectand its details. But from the statement of the Shiva Purana, it appears that the originaldoctrines of the sect were contained in four samhitas compiled by Ruru, Dadhichi, Agastyaand Upamanyu. The Atharvashira and some other Upanishads belong to this sect.

The philosophical position of the school is based on a sutra work called Pashupata sastrapanchartha darshana and attributed to Maheshvara. This work was in five chapters (hencecalled Panchadhyayi) and commented on by Rasikara, the supposed twenty-eighth and lastincarnation of Shiva. Madhavacharya, Keshava Kashmiri and Ramananda (on Kashi Khanda)refer to this work. Bhasarvajna wrote eight Karikas, called Ganakarika dealing with thePashupata doctrines. An unknown author commented on these Karikas – Ratnatika. The samewrote a work called Satkaryavichara.

Samskarakarika is a manual treating of Pashupata rituals. Haradatta was one of the earlierauthors of this school, but no detail regarding life or works is known. The Yogachintamani of Shivananda speaks of a work named Nakulisha-Yogaparayana which evidently belongs tothis sect.

The historical foundation of the Pashupata sect, evidently a subsequent branch of theoriginal school, is attributed to one Nakulisha, who was an inhabitant of Karavana nearmodern Broach in the Baroda state.

It is difficult to determine the age of this early Shaiva preacher. He is believed to have beenan incarnation of Shiva

Though the synchronism of Vasudeva Krishna and Lakulisha, as pointed out by the Purana, ishardly capable of being established, the age of the Shaiva teacher remains still unsettled.

Fleet says that the figure of Shiva with club found on the coins of the Kushan kingHuvishka represents Lakulisha.

Traditionally speaking, the deepest Pashupata teachings were kept secret, and theywere reserved only for the initiates who were tried, tested and found suitable.

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The central scriptures of Pashupata obtainable now, are

Pashupata Sutra (attributed to the venerable Lakulisha),

Kaundinya‘scommentaries on them,

Panchartha Bhashya and

Mrigendra Agama.

The Pashupata philosophy was dualist until Lakulisha. We know very little of it,because very few writings survived to our days.

HISTORY OF LAKULISHA

The Pashupata doctrine is said to have been founded by Shiva himself, who sharedHis teachings to some maharishis.

Around year 200 A.D., in what is known today as the Indian state Gujarat, made Hisappearance the most prominent Pashupata sadguru, namely. Lakulisha ("lord of the staff")His name appears in various forms viz. Lakulisha, Lagudisha etc. The origin of the name isnot known, but it is surmised that he was so called on account of his always holding a cudgelin his hand. The Bairagis of this sect bear this characteristic even now.

Acharya Lakulisha reformed the Pashupata system, its theology, philosophy, practice,and provided guidelines for entrance and behaviour of Pashupata ascetics. Acharya Lakulishamade such an impact on Pashupatism that after him, the system came to be called Lakulisha-Pashupata, and he was regarded as an ―incarnation‖ of Shiva. While Pashupatism itself hasnot survived to the present time, Pashupatism has provided the basic Shaivite doctrine,iconography, mythology, symbology and Vedic framework for all schools of Shaivism thatwere developing alongside, or have developed since. In fact, much of the Puranic literatureconnected with Shaivism was originally composed by Pashupata ascetics.

According to the Karavana Mahatmya, he was born into a family of Brahmins, but he

died in his seventh month of life, after demonstrating remarkable supernatural powers.His mother threw the little body into a river - a traditional form of funeral for babies in India,but a group of turtles carries the body to a powerful Siva shrine.Here the baby came back to life and grew as a hermit.

According to another source, Lakulisha was a person who died and whom Shivabrought back to life.

According to a tradition stated in the Linga Purana, there were 28 yogacharyas. Out of these 28 the most prominent were Lokakasi, Jaigisavya, Rsabha, Bhrgu, Atri and Gautama.The last and the 28th acharya was Lakulisa born at Kaya-vatana tirtha. .

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The Shiva Purana also refers to Lakuli of Kayavarohana as one of the sixty-eightforms of Shiva. According to this Purana, Lakuli had four disciples who practiced thePashupata-yoga and besmeared their bodies with ashes and dust. The names of these disciplesare: Kushika, Gargya, Mitra and Kaurushya.

The Chintra Inscription alludes to this story. In this description however, the name of thethird disciple, as give above appears as Maitreya.

. It is stated in Vayu Purana that simultaneously with the appearance of Shri Krishna asVasudeva, Shiva manifested himself as Llakuli at a place, thence called Kayavarohana, andnow corrupted into Karwana. A temple of Lakulisha is still seen there. An inscription isfound regarding this, in the neighbourhood of the temple of Ekalingaji, at a distance of 14miles from Udaipur.

Farquhar believes that Lakulisha was a historical person and lived between the ages of

Mahabharata and Vayu Purana. The age of this Purana, according to him, is 300-400 AD.Hence Lakulisha is placed at an earlier date.

Shiva apparently took over his body in order to preach the Pashupata Dharma to theworld. The place where this man appeared, a town known today as Kayavahardhana(meaning, ‖ being incarnated in someone else‘s body")the miracle is still festively celebrated.In this town there are two stones on which there are inscriptions with the names of four of themost important disciples of this sadguru: Kushika, Gargya, Maitreya and Kaurusha.

The Pashupata philosophy prior to Lakulisha

The Pashupata philosophy prior to Lakulisha was dualistic. Little is known of it, as nowritings remain. But scholars have discerned from references to Pashupata by other ancientwriters that it regarded Siva as only the efficient cause of the universe, not the material. Theybelieved that Shiva can create changes in the world and in the individual destinies, accordingto its own will and pleasure, however without determining the person his or her karma.

The five major components of Pashupata Sastra are: Karana, Karya, Yoga, Vidhi andDukhanta. It posited five primary categories-Cause, Effect, Union, Ritual and Liberation.

The final category was somewhat unusual, as the Pashupatas believed the soul nevermerged in Siva and that liberation was simply a state with no further pain. They taught thatGod can create changes in the world and in the destinies of men according to His ownpleasure. God does not necessarily depend upon the person or his karma (actions).

Lakulisha as a Pashupata reformer

The Lakulisha Sadguru was a dynamic Pashupata reformer. In his sutras, Lakulisharestrained the acceptance of the practitioners to the three superior castes, by defining the

brave codes of conduct and the yoga precepts: in an attempt of connecting this school toVedic-orthodoxy.

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Thus, it was developed a popular and familiar path, which came out from thisexclusive ascetic order. In this time, there are a lot of Pashupata worship centres spread inIndia, centres in which the sadguru Lakulisha is worshiped often represented as Shiva.

His images have been found in Gujarat, a state on the western coast of India and alsoin some parts of the eastern India. Some of his images depict him as a naked yogi and hecarries prayer beads, a club, and a cup of human skull. He is shown as accompanied byanimals. Almost all of his images depict him urdhvareta (ithyphallic)

According to another tradition mentioned in the Avanti Khanda of the Skanda Purana,he and his four disciples while residing at Mahakalavana installed a linga at that place, knownas Kayavarohaneshvara. This school is represented today in the broad Sadhu tradition, andnumerous Pashupata sites of worship are scattered across India.

Pashupata of Lakulisha

Lakulisha propounded a Shaiva monism, though indications are that Pashupataphilosophy was previously dualistic, with Siva as efficient cause of the universe but notmaterial cause

The principal text of the Pashupata sect, the PāśupataSutra is attributed to him.

The Pashupatas who lived before Lakulisha believed that the soul is never united withShiva and that the spiritual freedom is a state in which there is no longer grief, pain, needs,etc.

They believed that Shiva can create changes in the world and in the individualdestinies, according to its own will and pleasure, however without determining the person orhis karma.

The Pashupata of Lakulisha preserved the idea of the five categories, but consideredthe final purpose of the individual soul as being the attainment of the divine state.

Later on, he specified that God (Shiva) is also the material cause of the universe, transforming effectively a dualist philosophy into a non-dualist one.

The individual soul, Pashu, is kept away from Shiva by Paasa (strings). The soulpreserves its individuality in the liberated state (sayujya) , defined as closeness, but notcomplete union with Shiva, who, in Lakulisha‘s vision has no power over the liberated souls.

And; it is thought to be the source of various ascetic streams, including the Kapalikasand the Kalamukhas.

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Moral virtues

Pashupatas laid great emphasis on the Yama consisting of non-injury, celibacy,truthfulness and non-stealing. Niyama consist of non-irritability (akrodha), attendance on theteachers, purity, lightness of diet and carefulness (apramada).

Of these two Yama and Niyama, Yama is regarded as being most important. Herebrahmacharya means all kinds of sense control particularly the palate and sex organs andassociation with women are strongly deprecated.

Pashupata system forbids all kinds of commercial dealings and trade, as they cause pain topersons involved in mutual intercourse.

The Pashupata ascetic has to earn his living by mendicancy alone. The Pashupataascetic should be a Brahmin. It is prohibited for him to address women or Sudras, except

under special circumstances. Under such special circumstances one should purify oneself bybathing in ashes and also pranayama and the muttering of Rudrigayatri.

Prescription of pranayama etc is suggested for purifying the mind of ascetic. Whenmind is purified and one proceeds on the line of yoga. With the Maheswara, the supremelord, one attains miraculous powers.

He should go on behaving like a Pashupata ascetic, smearing his body with ashes andsmiling and so on, both in places of pilgrimage and temples and also among people ingeneral. These are called charya according to Pashupata system.

Pashupata Yogi and his Practises

They wandered; pounding the dust with iron tridents and stout staffs, their oily hairsnarled in unkempt coils or tied in a knot, faces wrinkled with intense devotion, piercing eyesseeing more Siva, loins wrapped in deer skin or bark. The Pashupatas were bhaktas andbenign sorcerers of Siva, estranged from the priest-dominated Vedic society.

Religious turbulence in India intensified as the dual waves of Shaivite Agamic theismand Buddhism washed over the Gangetic plain, those days. The ways of the Pashupatas werechronicled by several sometimes hostile contemporary commentators, leaving us with amixed impression of their life and philosophy. They originally allowed anyone to follow theirpath, which was not caste-discriminative.

Most of the Pashupata doctrine is kept secret from non-followers. Followers areadmitted initially into the sect through a Diksha ceremony and are advised to break theirfetters of social conditioning through such practices of laughing, singing and dancing.

Once they show progress they are advised to go into the society and practice the samein more obvious and shocking way to invite public ridicule and criticism. Getting rid of thesocial conditioning and becoming free from the egoistic attachment to ones name and self

image are considered important first step in freeing oneself from the three bonds of egoism(anava), karma and Maya.

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The relationship between these Pashupata monks and the ash-smeared Sadhu of Buddha's time, or the makers of the Indus Valley seal depicting Siva as Pashupata, is notknown. They are perhaps the same, perhaps different

Their austerity was leavened with puja rites to Siva, with a profound awareness of thecosmos as Siva's constant becoming and with an almost frolicsome spirit of love toward Him.

Sadhana began with a strict code of ethics, called Yama and Niyama, stressingbrahmacharya,(continence), ahimsa(non injury), and tapas(asceticism). As detailed in theirscriptures, their discipline was practiced in stages.

The Pashupata‘s believed that when a person was firm in his or her virtue, and thatperson is capable to take serenely any abuse and insult, this person is well-established on thepath of ascetics.

As it was detailed in their scriptures, the discipline was practiced on stages. For thebeginning they would assume various vows, and would practice various techniques for therelease of the blockages.

First they assumed vows and practiced special disciplines among themselves whichincluded Siva-intoxicated laughing, singing and dancing.

Next, they disappeared into mainstream society, living incognito. Here theyperformed outrageous acts to purposely invite public censure, such as babbling, makingsnorting sounds, walking as if crippled, talking nonsense, and wild gesturing.

This Sadhana was a means of self-purification, of rooting out egoism, of getting overthe need to be accepted by the public, by friends or by neighbours, and to fully establish inthe subconscious the knowledge that like and dislike, good and bad and all these human waysof thinking and feeling are equal if one's love of Lord Siva is sufficiently strong. This wasdesigned to break their links with human society and with their own humanness that camewith them when they were born.

Returning to overt Sadhana, they performed austerities, then abandoned all action to perform Kundalini yoga and so achieve perpetual nearness with God Siva.

When union matured, they acquired supernatural powers (siddhis), such asomniscience.

The Pashupatas believed that when a person is firm in virtue and able to accept withequanimity all abuse and insult, he is well established in the path of asceticism.

Shri Kaundinya wrote in his sixth-century commentary, Panchartha Bhashya , on thePashupata Sutra that the Pashupata yogi " should appear as though mad, like a pauper, hisbody covered with filth, letting his beard, nails and hair grow long, without any bodily care.

Hereby he cuts himself off from the estates (Varna) and stages of life (ashramas), and the

power of dispassion is produced. "

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Pashupatism is primarily an ascetic's path that rejects dialectical logic and prizesSadhana as a means to actuate Lord Siva's karunya.

Seekers embrace strict Yama-Niyama vows, their Sadhana graduating from "action"to "non action." Worshipful action includes puja, penance, and ‗ Namah Sivaya ’ japa,wearing sacred ash and showing abandoned love of God Siva. The sect was said to have beenfounded by Lord Siva Himself, who imparted the doctrines to certain Maharishis.

The Pashupata Sadhus imposed a religious respect wherever they would go. Theirpath was tough, a path of ruining the ego, designed to infuse the seeker with the karunya (Shiva‘s compassionate grace).

Pashupata and Nyaya-Vysesika sampradaya

Nyaya which admits the doctrine of karma also thinks that we are only entitled to

such enjoyments and experiences as are allotted to us by God.

The fact that both the Nyaya and Pashupatas think that God can be established byinference, and that the grace of God is ultimately responsible for all our experiences,naturally leads us to link together the Nyaya-Vaiseshikas view with the Pashupata view. Thetradition is preserved in the two.

Shaddarsanasamuchaya of Rajasekhara and Haribhadra with Gunaratna which as well as thebenedictory verses in most Nyaya works until the tenth and eleventh centuries justify theassumption that the Nyaya-Vaiseshika was a school of Pashupatas which paid more emphasis

to evolving a system of logic and metaphysics.( Uddyotakara, the author of Nyayavartika (500 AD), calls himself a Pashupatacharya.

Udayana (1000 AD) refers to it in his Nyayakusumanjali and, the author of Nyayasarawrote a work viz. Ganakarika, dealing with the Pashupata categories. )

Pashupata and Advaita of Shankara

The earliest Sanskrit philosophical literature in which we find a reference to Shaivismis a bhashya of Shankara (8 th century) on Brahmasoothra (II.2.37).

In the commentary of this sutra Shankara refers to the doctrines of the (Pashupata)Siddhanthas as having being written by Lord Maheswara.

The peculiarity of the teachings of this Siddhanthas was that they regarded God asbeing only the instrumental cause of the world.

Here and elsewhere Shankara has called the upholders of this view Isvara karanins.

If Siva and God were regarded as both the instrumental and the material cause of theworld, according to the different Siddhanta schools of thought, then there would be no point

in introducing the Sutra under reference, for according to Shankara also, God is both theinstrumental and material cause of the world.

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Shankara seems to refer here to the Pashupata system which deals with the fivecategories such as the cause (Karana), effect (Karya), Communion (Yoga), rules of conduct(Vidhi) and the dissolution of sorrow (Dukhanta). According to him it also holds thatPasupati (God) is the instrumental cause of the world. In this view the Naiyayikas and the

Vaiseshikas also attribute the same kind of causality to God and offer the same kind of arguments i.e. the inference of the cause from the effect.

Let‘s see the view of Vedanta. The onlyPadartha in existence is Paramatman(ekamevadvitiiyam brahma ). There is neither a Jiva nor a Jagat apart from this Brahma-vastu.These appear due to Avidya. The one Paramatman becomes many and appears as Jiva andJagat ( bahusyam prajayeya ). So, the case here is different because clay is separate from thepotter. But there is no Prakriti different from Paramatman. According to Sruti, by knowing

just the Atman, everything is known ( yenashrutam shrutam bhavati, amatam matam,avijnatam vijnatam etc.). By knowing the potter however (i.e. the nimitta karana ), the

Swarupa of the pot is not understood. So, this Atman is both the Nimitta and Upadana karana.When we say Parama-samya (which is Moksha according to Saivas), this state refers tocomplete similarity between Jiva and Shiva.

No two things in the creation can be exactly same. In other words, this Paramasadrishya thatthe Saivagamas talk of, is not possible between two ‗different ‘ things. So, this state of Paramasamya is possible only when Jiva is totally identical with Shiva. Moksha is an eternalstate and this is accepted by the Saivagamas. So, if Moksha was a state that was newlygenerated by adopting the Saivagama Vidhi, then it cannot be eternal as anything newlycreated is temporal in nature. Also, qualities of Shiva like Sarvajnatva, Sarvakartrtva etc.

should mix with the qualities of the Jiva Pashu, if the Pashupata philosophy is accepted andone agrees that Jiva is different from Shiva and merges into him during Moksha. On theselines, Pashupata is refuted and oneness of Jiva and Shiva is established.

One can only say that some of those Saivas believed that God was the instrumentalcause (Nimittakarana) besides the material cause (Upadhana Karana). Shankara refuted thistype of Shaivism in his commentary on Brahmasoothra (2.2.37), both Pashupatas andfollowers of the Saivagamas held the instrumentality of God, while Shankara regarded Godas being both instrumental and material cause.

Pashupata and Dvaita of Madhavacharya

The sarva darshana samgraha of Madhavacharya devotes a chapter to the treatment of the philosophical doctrines and teachings of the Pashupatas.(Nakulisa Pashupata)

Finally the Pashupata system is not identified with any form of philosophy, but with differentkinds of ascetic practises.

Pashupata sutra

The Pashupata Sutras, are our primary source of firsthand information onPashupatism, and is credited to Acharya Lakulisha.

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It is said that Shiva incarnated himself as Nakulisa and so was the author of Pashupata sutras.

The PāśupataSutra formalizes various canons of the Pashupata sect, andcontains the basic theology of the sect.

Pashupata sutra with bhashya of Kaundinya also called Rasikara bhashya published in1940 by the oriental manuscript library of the University of Travancore is one of theauthoritative books on Pashupata darshana available now. This book was edited by AnantaKrishna Shastri.

From the style of writings the editor thinks that Kaundinya may have lived between4th and 6 th century A.D.

The text mentions 18 teachers beginning with Nakulisa. The names are

1. Nakulisa

2. Kausika

3. Gaargya

4. Maithreya

5. Kaurusa

6. Isaana

7. Paragaargya

8. Kapilantha

9. Manushyaka

10. Kusika

11. Athri

12. Pingalaksha

13. Pushpaka

14. Brihadaarya

15. Agasthi

16. Santana

17. Kaundinya or Rasikara

18. Vidyaguru

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The Pashupata sutras together with bhashya of Kaundinya as such, do not give us anyphilosophy of Shaivism. They deal almost with the rituals or rather modes of life. It may bequite possible that such ascetic forms of life existed from early times, and that laterphilosophy of Shaivism was added.

Though theses ascetic forms of life had but little connection with the Shivaphilosophy as propounded later, they have a general anthropological and religious interest, asthese forms of asceticism remain connected with the life of those who believe in the Shaivaphilosophy.

The Shaivism explained in Sarva darshana sangraha got an authoritative explanationin this text.In the Sarva darshana sangraha of Madhava also the Pashupata system is notidentified with any form of philosophy, but with different kinds of ascetic practises.

When Shankara refutes the Shaiva system, he does not specifically mention any

philosophical doctrines of an elaborate nature. He only brands the Saivas as those whobelieve in god as the creator of the world (Isvara-karanim).

A survey of the Pashupata sutras with Kaundinya‘s bhashya leads us to believe that itis all probability the same type of Lakulisha-Pashupata system as referred to by Madhava inhis Sarva darshana sangraha in the 14 th century. It may also be the same system of Pashupatasas referred to by Shankara in his bhashya on the second book of second chapter of Brahmasutra.

There is no reference to the doctrine of Maya, or to the doctrines of monism as

propounded by Shankara, even at the time of emancipation (sayujya) the liberated souls donot become one with Shiva .

It is interesting to note that Pashupata system does not pretend to claim the authorityof the Upanishad or its support. The authority of the sutras is based on the assumption thatthey were composed by Pasupati himself.

We also hear that, though god is omnipotent, he has no power over the liberated souls.Apparently the world and the beings were created by god, but this Pashupata system does notmake any special effort to explain how this world came into being. It is only in

acknowledging Shiva as the instrumental cause of the world in this sense, that this Pashupatasystem is very different from the Shaiva system of Shrikantha and of the Vayaveeya-samhita,where the monistic bias is very predominant. Here we have monotheism, but not monism orpantheism or pane theism.

The bhashya of Kaundinya begins with adoration to Pasupati who created the wholeworld beginning from Brahma the God of all.

:     :

Here the Yogavidhi is attributed to Pasupati or Siva.

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In the Sootha samhita 4.43.17, we hear of a place called Nakula and the Siva there iscalled Nakulisa.

The Pashupata Sutra primarily discuss the five principles ( Panchartha ),They are; TheEffect(Karya),Cause(Karana),Meditation(Yoga),Behaviour(Vidhi) and Dissolution of sorrow(Dukhanta)

Kaundinya definitely says that the liberation from sorrow cannot be attained byknowledge (jnana ), disinclination(vairagya),virtue(dharma) and giving up of one‘smiraculous powers(aishvarya tyaga), but by grace(prasada) alone.

     : :

  :

(PashupataSutra, commentary )

Animosity or pashutva consists in the fact that they are impotent and their impotencyis their bondage. This bondage which means their complete dependence on the causal poweris beginning less.

Pasha is the cause and the effect. Or technically called kalaa

The word Pashu is also derived from pashyti. Though the animals are all pervasiveand are the nature of pure consciousness, they can only perceive their bodies, they do notunderstand the nature of cause and effect and they cannot go beyond them. The word yoga isused to denote the contact of the self with Isvara.

Yoga cannot be attained by mere knowledge but one has to take a certain course of action called yoga vidhi. Vidhi means action thus we have the effect ( karya ) which is thedissolution of pleasure and pain, the cause ( karya ), the yoga and the vidhi , and these are thefive categories which form the subject matter of discussion of Pashupata Shastras.

The objects of pramana are the fivefold categories namely karya, karana, yoga, vidhiand the dissolution of sorrow.

Awareness of thought product is called samvid, samchintana and sambodhana. It isthrough these that knowledge is revealed. The process of knowledge is continuous from thefirst moment of inception to the completion of the knowledge.

When the mind is purified, and one proceeds through the line of yoga with theMaheshvara, the supreme lord , one attains various miraculous powers.

In explaining the position further, it is said in the bhashya (2/5) that, the category of

Maheshvara is the all pervasive one, and that the 25 categories like Purusha, Pradhana, etc arepermeated by the supreme category. So also the category of the Purusha being the category of

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the self is the all pervading one, and the 24 categories of Pradhana etc are permeated byPurusha. So also in the field of categories, the Buddhi is all pervasive and the 22 othercategories beginning with the Ahamkara, are permeated by Buddhi. So also the Ahamkara isall pervasive and the eleven senses are permeated by it. So again the eleven senses are all

pervasive ones and the subtle five Tanmatras are permeated by them. So also in the case of gross matter, where the same processes may be assigned to akasha , vayu, tejas etc.

The supreme lord called Vamadeva, Jyeshta, and Rudra is also called Kaala. It iswithin the scope of his functions to associate the different beings in different kinds of bodiesand in different states of existence, with different kinds of experience, pleasurable and painfulthrough the process of time. The individual beings are called Kalya as they happen to be inGod or Kaala. The term Kaala is given to the effects (Kalya) and their instruments (Karana).Thus the five elements earth, water etc are called Kaala as karya or effect. The eleven sensestogether with Ahamkara and Buddhi are called Karana. God himself is Vikarana or without

any senses, so there is nothing to obstruct His powers of perception and action. It is God whoassociates all things and beings with the different Kaala or Kalya and Karana.

(The Isvara karinas referred by Shankara may refer to Naiyayikas.)

The question is raised as regards the starting point of difference between the causeand the effect. The writer of the bhashya (2/5) says that it has to be understood on the analogyof a mixture of turmeric and water; in turmeric water you have on the one hand the qualitiesof water and on the other the qualities of turmeric. So when the supreme lord is considered asbeing associated with pleasures and pains that he gives to all beings, and the bodies with

which he associates them, we may have a conception of a whole. So god can be associatedwith pleasures and pains that belong to the prakriti. Though he himself is absolutelyunchangeable. The same analogy may explain the other categories of Pradhana and prakriti.Being all pervasive the supreme lord naturally pervades both the causal and the efficientstates. The effect as identified in the cause is eternal; the cause, the lord is eternal and allcreation takes place in and through him. Arguing in this way the world becomes eternal, for if the protector is eternal, the thing to be protected must also be eternal. The world beingeternal, the supreme lord only connects the relevant parts of it in a relevant order. The graceof god consists in bringing about the proper association of the relevant parts.

The soul or the atman is defined as the being that is responsible for all the sensecognitions, all actions, all attachments to objects. The constant or continuous contacts of theself with the supreme lord constitute its eternity. We can infer the existence of the self fromthe experiences of pleasure, pain, desire, antipathy and consciousness. The self is regarded asunborn in the sense that it is not born anew along with the chain of sensations and otheractivities of the mind, or in other words it remains the same through all its experiences. It iscalled Maitra in the sense that it can remain in the state of equanimity and in attachment withthe supreme lord; when all its desires, antipathies and efforts have disappeared.

The detachment referred to above can only be attained by the control of all thecognitive and conative senses, Manas and Buddhi and Ahamkara. The control of the senses

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really means that their activities should be directed towards acts and they should not beallowed to stray away into the commission of evil deeds.

    :   ( )

(Prasastapaada sutras.5.7.Commentry)

The sense objects are like the fruits of a poisoned tree which at the time of taking mayappear sweet, but in the end will produce much suffering.

When the mind has dissociated, all intention of merit and demerit disappears. It slidesaway from the self like the old coil of a snake, or falls down like a ripe fruit. The self whichis thus fixed in Shiva becomes static (nishkriya) and also called nishkala. The mind in thisstate is devoid of all good and bad thoughts.

First there is the Pati or the lord which is the cause, which is called by various names,Vaamadeva, Jyestha, Rudra, Kaamin, Shankara, Kaala, Kalavikarana, Balavikarana, Aghora,Ghoratara, Sarva, Sharva, Tatpurusha, Mahadeva, Omkara, Rishi, Vipra, Mahaanisha,Ishana,Ishvara, Adhipathi, Brahma and Shiva.( Pashupata sutra, commentary 5/47).

The Samkhya system admits Pradhana as the cause but in the Pashupata system god,as distinguished from the Pradhana is the cause.

The category of effect is the Pashu , and Pashu is described as knowledge, the meansof knowledge and the living beings. They are produced changed or dissolved. By knowledgewe understand the scriptures, wisdom, merit, attainable objects, values, desire etc leading upto the dissolution of all sorrows. The second constituent of Pashu called kala is of two kindsas effect, such as earth water air etc. and as the instrument of knowledge, such as Buddhi,egoism, Manas and internal organs etc. the living beings, the Pashu, are of three types.

The gods, Men and Animals.

The category of Pradhana which is regarded as cause in Samkhya is regarded aseffect in the Pashupata Shastras.

Whatever is known or visible ( pasyana ) is called pasha and is regarded as effect. So Purusha,which is regarded as cause elsewhere, is regarded as an effect, a Pashu here. We have alreadydiscussed the categories of yoga and vidhi leading to the dissolution of all sorrows.

In fact Ganakaarika and the Ratnatika closely follow the teachings of Kaundinya and hisbhashya which is regarded as the most prominent work of the Pashupata School.

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The Mrigendra Agama First subsidiary text (Upagama) of the Kamika Agama, one of the 28 Saiva SiddhantaAgamas. And has been referred to in the Suta-samhita, (which is regarded as a work of sixthcentury). It is especially valuable because its jnana paada (philosophical section) is completeand widely available. Other noted sections are on hand gestures (mudra) used in puja and onestablishing temporary places (yagashala) of special worship.(The Mrigendra agama has often being quoted in the Sarvadarsana sangraha .)

Mrigendragama opens the discussion of how the old Vedic forms of worship becamesuperseded by the Shaiva cult. It was pointed out that the Vedic deities were not concretesubstantial object, but their reality consisted of the mantras with which they were welcomedand worshiped and consequently Vedic worship cannot be regarded as a concrete form of worship existing in time and space. But devotion to Siva may be regarded as a definite andconcrete form of worship which could therefore supersedes the Vedic practises.

In the second chapter of the work Siva is described as being devoid of all impurities.He is omniscient and the instrumental agent of all things. He already knows how theindividual souls are going to behave and associates and dissociates all beings with knots of bondage in accordance with that.

Law of Karma

This is one of the important points in this system, deserves to be noticed. God himself is absolutely independent. The introduction of the idea of karma and its fruit is not soessential, for the simple reason that no karmas can produce any fruit without the will of God.

All karmas can be frustrated by God ‘s will. So the introduction of the karma theory, which isheld in so high an esteem in other systems of philosophy, is here regarded as superfluous.

This was the idea of the Nakulisa-Pashupata philosophy from the time of thePashupata sutras and Kaundinya‘sbhashya to the fourteenth century when the Sarvadarshana samgraha was written is thoroughly borne out by texts. The action of all livingbeings depends upon the will of God. God himself having no purpose to fulfil does not want

Karma as an intermediary between his will and his effect.

Turning to the practises, it is said that, one should collect ashes and bake them and

then smear the body in the morning, midday and afternoon with this ash. The real bathing isof course through the attainment of virtues by which the soul is purified. One should also liedown on the ashes and remain awake for the person who is afraid of the cycles of birth andrebirth cannot have the time to sleep. The ashes are to be used for bathing instead of water,both for purification and bearing the signs of a Siva. The ashes (Brahman) are therefore

called linga or sign of Pasupati ascetic. The ashes which besmear the body are indications of the person being a Pasupati. The Pashupata ascetic may live in a village, in forest or in anyplace of pilgrimage and there he may employ himself in muttering Pranava laughing, singing,dancing and making peculiar sounds through his mouth and lips.

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Charya

Charya is smearing the body with ashes and so on (smearing the body with ashes isequivalent to proper sacrifice, i.e. Yagjna)

Bhaasarvajna follows Kaundinya‘s bhashya in describing charya as being two fold or three fold. Thus the bathing of body with ashes, lying down, muttering mantras etc are calledas Vrata, which produces merit and removes demerits. All the other recommendations foundin Kaundinya‘s bhashya as regards shivering laughing making noises etc are also repeatedhere.

Sects originated from Pashupata Sampradaya

There are some who are called Bharatha who do not admit the cast rules.(He who hasdevotion to Shiva can be called a Bharatha, generally.) In the Nyaya literature the Naiyayikas

are called as Saivas and Vaiseshikas by the name Pashupata. So the Naiyayika philosophygoes by the name Shaiva and Vaiseshika by the name Pashupata.(Naiyayikas- also calledYaugas - and The Vaiseshikas follow the same kind of external insignia and dress- similar toPashupatas- and they are also very much similar to each other in their philosophicalattributes) Gunaratna says that , he gives this description just as he has seen it and heard of it.

The statement of Gunaratna about the Saivas is further corroborated by Rajasekhara‘sdescription of the Shaiva view in his Shad darshana samuchaya. Rajasekhara further says thatAkshapaada, to whom the Nyaya sutras are attributed, was the primary teacher of the Nyayasect of Pashupatas. They admit four Pramanas, perception, inference, analogy and testimony. And they admit sixteen categories of discussion namely Pramana, Prameya, Samsaya.Prayojana, Drishtanta, Siddhanta, Avayava, Tarka. Nirnaya, Vata, Jalpa, Vitanda,Hetvabhasa, Chala, Jathi, Nigrahasthana. These are just the subjects that are introduced in thefirst sutra of Akshapaada‘sNyaya sutra.

The Pashupata doctrine also gave rise to two extreme schools, the Kalamukhas andKapalikas known as Atimargika (school away from path) as well as moderate sect the Saivas(also called the Siddhanta School) which developed into modern Shaivism.

Kapalikas and Kalamukhas

In his sutras, outlining the bold codes of conduct and yoga precepts, Lakulisharestricted admittance only to the three higher castes ( Vaishya, Kshatriya and Brahmin ) in anattempt to link this school with Vedic orthodoxy.

A popular householder path might have aroused out of this exclusively ascetic order.They were very close to Pashupata sect in many ways but differ in matters of practice.Kapalikas and Kalamukhas are Shaiva sect of anti-Vedic character mentioned by Ramanujain his bhashya on Brahmasoothra.

They had any distinct philosophical views. Members of this sect bruised themselvesin performing particular kinds of rituals and could be distinguished from other Saivas by their

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indulgence in wines, women and meat . They follow more shocking and outrageous methodsto attract public ridicule and criticism and freed themselves from social conditioning andegoistic attachment to their physical selves. While externally they are encouraged to indulgein controversial behaviour, internally they are advised to lead pure and austere life.

Their most revered temple, Somanatha, is in Gujarat a powerful, active temple whichhas endured several cycles of destruction and rebuilding.

The Kapalika , "skull-bearers," sect developed out of the Pashupatas and werelikewise-but perhaps justifiably-vilified by their opponents. Kapalikas are the worshippers of Bhairava, the destroyer who also created the world and maintained it. They didn‘t believe inKarma. At worst, they are portrayed as drunken and licentious, engaged in human sacrificeand practicing the black magic.

Other portrayals are more benign. For example, in the early Sanskrit drama Malati-

Madhava, a Kapalika says with great insight, "Being exclusively devoted to alms alone,penance alone and rites alone-all this is easy to obtain. Being intent upon the Self alone,however, is a state difficult to obtain." Even today, followers of this sect are found beggingfood which they accept in a skull, preferably that of a Brahmin.

Several scholars see a connection between the Kapalikas and the later Gorakshanathayogis.

In the seventh century, another sect developed out of the Pashupata tradition, theKalamukhas , "black-faced," who established a well-organized social structure with many

temples and monasteries in what is now Karnataka and elsewhere.

Like the earlier Pashupatas, they suffered vilification at the hands of hostilecommentators. Nothing is left of their scriptures, hence details of their philosophy and life isobscure.

Sir R.G.Bhandarkar thinks on the authority of Sivamahapurana that, the Kalamukhaswere the same as the Mahavrathadharas. And also,the Mahavratha , (meaning, the great vow)consists in eating food placed in a human skull and smearing the body with ashes of humancarcasses and others which are attributed to the Kalamukhas by Ramanuja.

The esteem in which they were once held is reflected in an 1162 inscription onone of their temples stating, in part, that it was "a place devoted to the observances of Shaivasaints leading perpetually the life of celibate religious students, a place for the quiet study of four Vedas,... the Yoga Shastras and the other kinds of learning, a place where food is alwaysgiven to the poor, the helpless,...the musicians and bards whose duty it is to awaken theirmasters with music and songs,...and to the mendicants and all beggars,...a place where manyhelpless sick people are harboured and treated, a place of assurance of safety for all livingcreatures." The Vira Shaiva School is thought by scholars to have developed out of andeventually replaced the Kalamukhas, apparently taking over their temples and ashrams.

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Today's reclusive Pashupata monks live in Northern India and Nepal and influencefollowers worldwide.