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Shasta (IAST Śāstā) is aHindu deity,[1] described as the son of the deitiesShiva andMohini,Vishnu's femaleavatar.[2] InSouth India, he is identified with theAyyanar, Nattarayan or Sattan inTamil Nadu, asAyyanayake in Sinhala and theAyyappan inKerala.[3] His principal function is to act as akuladevata of a given clan, as well as act as a guardian of a village's boundaries.[4]
Shasta is a generic term that means "Teacher, Guide, Lord, Ruler" in Sanskrit.[5] In South India, a number of deities are associated with Shasta. The Tamil songShasta Varavu states that there are eight important incarnations and forms of Shasta. This is also present in the agamic workDyana Ratnavali. TheAshta-Shasta (eight Shastas) areAadhi Maha Shasta,Dharma Shasta (Ayyappan),Gnana Shasta,Kalyana Varadha Shasta,Sammohana Shasta,Santhana Prapti Shasta,Veda Shasta andVeera Shasta.[6]Brahma Shasta is another term associated withKartikeya.[7]
In Tamil Nadu,Aiyanar is used as the regional name of the deityShasta. The earliest reference toAiynar-Shasta is from theArcot district in Tamil Nadu. The stones are dated to the 3rd century CE. They read "Ayanappa; a shrine to Cattan." This is followed by another inscription inUraiyur nearTiruchirapalli which is dated to the 4th century CE.[8]
Literary references toAiyanar-Cattan are found inSilappatikaram, aTamil work dated to the 4th to 5th centuries CE. The TamilSangam classicsPurananuru, Akananuru etc. refer to Ayyanar and "Cattan" in many poems. There are several numerous references to Shasta in Sangam works. Some Tamil inscriptions of the Sangam period and a few of the later Pallava and Chola period coming in from various parts of the kingdoms refer to him as Sevugan and Mahasasta.
There are references in thePuranas that narrate as to how Shasta during his tenure on earth long ago conducted discourses on Vedas andVedantas to a galaxy of gods and sages.
The hymns of someAlvars likeTirumangai Alvar andNammalvar in temples like Tirumogur near Madurai refer to Shasta.[9] A Sanskrit work dated prior to the 7th century known as theBrahmanda Purana mentionsShasta as Harihara suta, or the son of Shiva and Narayana (Vishnu), the oppressor of theasuras.[10]
Later on, theSaivite revivalistAppar sang aboutShasta as the progeny ofShiva andTirumal (Vishnu) in one of hisTevarams in the 7th century. The saintSambandar, in one of his songs, praises Ayyanar as a celibate god, invincible and terrible in warfare, taking his abode alongside the bhootaganas of Shiva.[11] The place sanctity and history document, orsthala purana of Tiruvanaikkaval, a Shaivite temple near Tiruchi, which was first documented by the sage Kashyapa, informs us that Shasta once served Shiva at that site and after being blessed with a vision was instructed by God to take his abode in the outer sanctorum. It says that Shasta continues to worship him during the day of tiruvadirai. Adi Sankara also has referred to Ayyanar in sivanandalahari in one verse. Some ancient hagiographies have accounted that Sankara was adeivamsam (divine soul portion) of Shasta (sevugan), the same way that Sambandar was a divine portion of Skanda and Sundarar a divine portion of Alagasundarar. He is also known to have composed verses praising the deity but the same are not available to us as of today. From theChola period (9th century CE) onwards the popularity ofAiyanar-Shasta became even more pronounced as is attested by epigraphy and imagery.[12]
The Shasta religious tradition is particularly well developed in the state ofKerala. The earliest inscription toShasta was made in 855 CE by anAy King at thePadmanabhapuram Sivan temple. Independent temples toShasta are known from the 11th century CE. Prior to that,Shasta veneration took place in the temples ofShiva andVishnu, the premier gods of the Hindu pantheon. Since late medieval times, the warrior deityAyyappa's following has become very popular in the 20th century.[citation needed]
