Pashupati (Sanskrit:पशुपति,IAST:Paśupati,lit. 'The Lord of Animals') is a form of the Hindu deityShiva, in his benign aspect as the five-faced herdsman of all creatures.^[1][2] Pashupati is traditionally considered to be the guardian deity ofNepal, described in texts such as theNepala Mahatmya, found in regional versions of theSkanda Purana.^[3]

Paśupati means "lord of the animals".^[4]Paśu indicates animal as well as afollower of Shiva.^[5] It was an epithet ofRudra in theVedic period^[6] and is one of the epithets of Shiva.^[7]

The earliest claimed evidence of Pashupati comes from theIndus Valley civilization (3300 BCE to 1300 BCE), where thePashupati seal has been said to represent Shiva or a proto-Shiva figure.^[8]

Pashupati was generally applied as an epithet of Rudra in theSamhitas and theBrahmanas. In theAtharvaveda, Rudra is described to be the lord of the bipeds and the quadrupeds, including creatures that inhabited the earth, woods, the waters, and the skies. His lordship over cattle and other beasts denoted both a benevolent and destructive role; he slew animals that incurred his wrath, but was also kind to those who propitiated him, blessing them with health and prosperity.^[9]

Markandeya narrates the origin of Pashupati to the sageJaimini. Accompanied by his consortParvati, Shiva visited the Śleṣmātaka forest upon the banks of theBagmati in the form of a deer, while she assumed the form of a doe.Brahma,Vishnu, andIndra, confounded by his absence, scoured thethree worlds in search of him. When they finally discovered Shiva in theHimalayas, they were surprised to find him bearing one horn, three eyes, surrounded by his consort and a flock of deer. After they venerated him, they realised that he did not wish to return to his divine form. The deities attempted to subdue Shiva by holding his horn, which broke upon their touch into four parts as he leapt across the riverbanks. When the deities begged Shiva to return to his abode and his place in the universe, he told them that he would reside in the forest for all time in the form of the deer, and would henceforth be known as Pashupati. He stated that the four horns would be consecrated as fourlingams across the region. He declared that those who worshipped him in this aspect would never be born as animals, and would be blessed with good virtues.^[10]

The five faces of Pashupati represent the five forms of Shiva:Sadyojata (also known as Varuna),Vamadeva (also known as Uma Maheshvara),Tatpurusha,Aghora, andIshana. They face the west, north, east, south and zenith respectively, representing thepancha bhuta (five basic elements) of the Hindu cosmos, namely earth, water, air, light and ether.^[11]

ThePuranas describe these faces of Shiva as:

Sadyojata, Vamadeva, Tatpurusha, and Aghora are the four faces,
The fifth is Ishana, unknowable even to the seers.^[11]

Although Nepal is a secular state, itspopulation is predominantly Hindu. Pashupatinath is revered as a national deity.^[12] ThePashupatinath Temple, located at the bank of the riverBagmati, is considered one of the most sacred places in Nepal. In mythology it is said that Pashupatinath started living in Nepal in the form of a deer because he was enchanted by the beauty ofKathmandu Valley.^{[citation needed]}

A Pashupatinath temple is sited on the banks of theShivana river inMandsaur,Madhya Pradesh,India. It is one of the most important shrines of Mandsaur, and Shiva in the form of Pashupati is its primary deity.

Pashupata Shaivism is one of the oldest Shaivite sects that derives its name fromPashupati. The sect upholds Pashupati "as the supreme deity, the lord of all souls, and the cause of all existence".^[13]

• Potnia Theron
• Religion of the Indus Valley Civilization

• Dalal, Roshen (2014).Hinduism: an Alphabetical Guide. London: Penguin Books.ISBN 978-81-8475-277-9.OCLC 1132344222.
• Feller, Tessa; Mercel-Sanca, Alan.Nepal: The Essential Guide to Customs & Culture. London: Kuperard.^{[year missing]}
• Kramrisch, Stella (1981).The Presence of Śiva. Princeton, New Jersey: Princeton University Press.ISBN 0-691-01930-4.
• Marshall, John (1931).Mohenjo Daro and the Indus Civilization: being an official account of archæological excavations at Mohenjo-Daro carried out by the Government of India between the years 1922 ad 1927. Vol. 1. London: A. Probsthain.OCLC 903502370 – via Internet Archive.
• Parmeshwaranand, Swami (2004).Encyclopaedia of the Śaivism. New Delhi: Sarup & Sons.ISBN 978-81-7625-427-4.OCLC 54930404.
• Śarmā, Rāmakaraṇa (1996).Śivasahasranāmāṣṭakam : eight collections of hymns containing one thousand and eight names of Śiva. Delhi: Nag Publishers.ISBN 9788170813507.OCLC 36990863. IncludesŚivasahasranāmakoṣa, a dictionary of names. This work compares eight versions of the Śivasahasranāmāstotra. The preface and introduction (in English) by Ram Karan Sharma provide an analysis of how the eight versions compare with one another. The text of the eight versions is given in Sanskrit.

• Flood, Gavin D. (1996).An Introduction to Hinduism. New York, NY: Cambridge University Press.ISBN 978-0-521-43304-4.OCLC 1150048129 – via Internet Archive.
• Flood, Gavin D. (2003).The Blackwell Companion to Hinduism. Oxford: Blackwell Pub.ISBN 978-1-4051-2306-8.OCLC 53366821.
• Michaels, Axel; Harshav, Barbara (2004).Hinduism: Past and Present. Princeton, N.J.: Princeton University Press.ISBN 978-0-691-23401-4.OCLC 1264088953.
• Possehl, Gregory (2002).The Indus Civilization: A Contemporary Perspective. Lanham: AltaMira Press.ISBN 978-0-7591-1642-9.OCLC 854521113.
• Zimmer, Heinrich (1972).Campbell, Joseph (ed.).Myths and Symbols in Indian Art and Civilization. Princeton, New Jersey: Princeton University Press.ISBN 978-0-691-01778-5.OCLC 899987831.

• Animal gods
• Forms of Shiva
• Hindu gods
• Horned gods
• Shaivism

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