Pāśupatāstra

An astra is a divine weapon, called forth by mantra and carrying the power of a deva. The Pāśupatāstra is the greatest of them all. It belongs to Bhagavān Śiva in his form as Paśupati, the protector and master of all paśus (bound beings). It is said to be able to destroy whole worlds if it is released without proper cause.

In the Mahābhārata, Śiva himself gave this weapon to Arjuna on the Himālaya. This happened after Arjuna’s great tapas (spiritual austerity) and after a fierce battle in which Śiva tested him while disguised as a Kirāta hunter. The weapon came with a strict rule: it may be used only against beings of superhuman power, and never against ordinary human enemies.

Nature and Power

The name Pāśupatāstra comes from Paśupati, one of Śiva’s highest names, meaning “lord of all paśus.” In the Śaiva tradition, a paśu (literally “a tied animal”) is any being tied by the pāśa (bond) of ignorance, karma and māyā (the power that hides the truth). Paśupati is the one who holds, guides and at last frees all such beings. The Pāśupatāstra is the weapon of this great work, and it carries the power to dissolve completely whatever it is aimed at.

The astra is said to be able to destroy the three worlds (triloka) if it is misused. It can be released as a blade of light, a shaft of fire, an unstoppable force of wind, or in many other forms, as its user wills. Nothing can defeat it. No opposing astra can cancel it, no shield can stop it and no armour can survive it. The only true protection against the Pāśupatāstra is Śiva himself.

How Arjuna Received It

Receiving the Pāśupatāstra was the whole aim of Arjuna’s tapas on the Himālaya. Vyāsa had taught Yudhishṭhira the Pratismṛti vidyā (a sacred teaching) and told him that Arjuna should go and perform tapas. Arjuna climbed the Himālaya and practised harder and harder austerities. He stood on one leg with his arms raised, living on air alone.

Śiva came to him disguised as a Kirāta hunter, with Pārvatī beside him. A boar charged at Arjuna. Arjuna and the Kirāta both shot it at the same moment. They argued over who had killed it, and this led to a great fight. Arjuna used up all his arrows and his bow broke. His sword shattered. He threw rocks, pulled up trees and finally fought with his bare fists, but nothing worked. When Arjuna was fully beaten and had nothing left, he made a clay image of Śiva and offered flowers to it. Then he looked up and saw the same garland on the Kirāta’s head. Śiva now showed his true form.

Arjuna sang the Mahādeva Stava, a great hymn of praise, and bowed down fully before him. Śiva was pleased with the strength of Arjuna’s tapas, his devotion and his unbreakable spirit in battle. With his own hands he gave Arjuna the Pāśupatāstra and taught him how to use it.

Rule of Use

Śiva gave the weapon with a clear condition. It must never be used against a human opponent. It was only for beings of superhuman power, such as the Nivātakavacas and others like them. The weapon was given to protect dharma (the right order of life) against forces too strong for human strength to fight.

In the Kurukshetra War, Arjuna did not use the Pāśupatāstra against human opponents. He kept it back as a weapon of last resort. Even so, just knowing that Arjuna had it changed his enemies’ plans. Even Karṇa, who also had divine weapons, could not feel sure of victory against Arjuna while the Pāśupatāstra was in his quiver.

First Use, While Serving Indra

While Arjuna was in svarga (the realm of the devas) serving Indra, he used the Pāśupatāstra, along with other divine weapons, in the battle against the Nivātakavacas in Pātāla (a lower realm). The Nivātakavacas were a class of dānavas (a race of asuras) whose supernatural armour made them safe from ordinary divine weapons.

Second Receiving, in a Dream Vision (Droṇa Parva)

On the night before the fourteenth day of the Kurukshetra War, Arjuna received the Pāśupatāstra a second time, this time in a divine dream vision. Bhagavān Kṛshṇa told Arjuna to sleep while reciting the Śaiva mantra that Vyāsa Mahāmuni had taught him during the forest exile. In the brahma-muhūrta (the sacred hour before dawn), Arjuna and Kṛshṇa flew together across the Himālaya in the vision. They crossed the great mountain ranges and received darśana (a sacred sight) of Bhagavān Parameśvara himself. He shone with the light of a thousand suns, with Pārvatī Devī and his gaṇas (attendants) around him.

Kṛshṇa and Arjuna offered the Kṛshṇārjuna Śiva Stotra. Bhagavān Śiva then sent them to a divine lake nearby, where his own bow and arrow lay in the water in the form of two great serpents. Kṛshṇa and Arjuna recited the Śatarudra (the hymn of a hundred names of Rudra), and the serpents turned into the divine bow and arrow. They carried them back to Śiva, who then gave the Pāśupatāstra especially so that Arjuna could fulfil his vow to kill Jayadratha.

When Arjuna received it, his body shook with joy. “Now my task will be done,” he thought, with full certainty. He and Kṛshṇa returned to the camp just as dawn broke. Later that day, before sunset, Arjuna killed Jayadratha with a divinely guided arrow.

Sources

• Mahābhārata, Vana Parva, Chapter 39
• Mahābhārata, Droṇa Parva, Chapters 80–81