9 - The holy rite of Pashupata

The sages said:

1-3. O Suta, the divine and auspicious holy rite of Pashupati had been performed formerly by Devas. It had been performed by Brahma himself and by Krishna of unimpaired activity. Similarly, it was performed by the fallen brahmin, the son of Dhundhumuka. How could they attain salvation after performing the Pashupata rite? How is lord Pashupati propitiated? It behoves you to recount this to us. We are very much eager to hear it.

Suta said:

4- 10a. Formerly, the son of Brahmi84 of great renown was liberated from the curse of Rudra the lord of Devas. He came here from the Desert-land. 85 Eschewing the physical body of a camel 86 at the bidding of Brahma and by the grace of Rudra, O excellent sages, he went to Nandin the son of Shilada and bowed to him in accordance with the injunctions. On the ridge of Meru, the excellent sage listened to the discourse on the excellent virtue. After bowing to Nandin, he again and again asked him about the holy rite pertaining to Maheshvara. How is lord Pashupati propitiated? It behoves you to recount everything to us. Then he said everything. The saintly lord Krishna Dvaipayana Vyasa, heard everything from Sanatkumara. After hearing it from Vyasa, I relate it to you. May all listen to my words after bowing to Maheshvara.

84. brahmaputrah —son of Brahma, Sanastkumara.

 85. Maru-deshat — from the desert country, not specified.

86. ushtra-deham — his body as camel.

Sanatkumara said:

How is lord Pashupati? Who are Pashus? By what bonds are they bound? How are they liberated?

Sailadi said:

10b-15a. O Sanatkumara, I shall recount everything precisely to you, the tranquil devotee of Rudra and of auspicious mind.

All creatures from Brahma to the immovables are Pashus of the intelligent lord. They are subject to worldly existence. Since he is their lord, he is known as Pashupati. The unchanging, all-pervading Parameshvara, who is the creator and who has neither a beginning nor an end binds souls by means of Maya- He alone is their saviour on being served by the path of perfect knowledge. 87 No other saviour of those who are bound by the bonds of Ignorance is sought after or found.

87. jnana-yoga — yogs of Knowledge. Of. “jnanad eva Kaivmlyam” —cited in ST.

15b- 19. The twentyfour principles are the bonds of Paraeshthin. Shiva alone binds Pashus by means of these twentyfour onds. 88 On being worshipped by Jivas (individual souls) Shiva alone releases them from the bonds. The same lord on being served, releases them from the bondages constituted by the ten sense-organs that originate from the Inner mind. The lord releases the souls from the bonds of tanmatras. The lord binds those who are enamoured of worldly pleasures by means of bonds constituted by the objects of senses. By service unto Parameshvara, the souls become devotees immediately. The root “bhaj” means service.

88. Twenty-four tattvas (vide I. 28. 7-9; II- 15.24.25) are the noose that binds die individual soul (jiva).

20 22. Hence, the idea of greatest service is indicated by the word Bhakti. After binding the Individual souls, from Brahma to the blade of grass, by means of the three-fold bonds of the form of Gunas, Maheshvara himself causes the effect. On being worshipped by the Pashus by the steady path of devotion he releases them instantaneously. Serving by means of words, mind and body is called Bhakti. It is competent to snap all bonds through the effects in view of its being the cause.

23-27. They know the following as mental service: — viz., pondering upon the attributes of Shiva such as “He is truthful” “He is all-pervasive” etc., and the thought about his assumpion of forms.89 Bold self-possessed persons know that the repetition of Pranava, etc. is the verbal service. The Pranayama, etc. are mentioned by good men as the physical service. Thus is the bondage of all embodied beings by means of the bonds of merit and sin. Lord Shiva, Parameshvara alone is the person who releases them. The twentyfour principles are mentioned as the activities and attributes of Maya. They are called sensual objects. Through the bondage they bind the individual soul. The embodied souls who are tied by them are liberated only through devotion to Shiva.

89. Exercising supremacy over Vishnu who is the lord of Maya (delusion), devotion is competent to remove all effects caused by Delusion.

28. By means of the fivefold bonds called Kleshas, 90 Shankara binds the Pashus. On being served well by means of devotion, he alone is their redeemer.

90. pancha kleshah. For detail, see below v-29 ff.; also Patanjali:

29. O foremost ones among the biped beings, the five Kleshas (distresses) that have become bonds are Avidya. (ignorance) Asmita (egotism), Raga (lust), Dvesha (hatred) and Abhinivesha (instinctive clinging to the worldly enjoyments).

30. Scholars call Avidya that is stationed in five-fold91 forms by the names Tamas, Moha, Mahamoha, Tamisra and Andhatamisra.

91. fivefold avidya. The use of the term avidya for klesha is confusing. Yaugic philosophers have used avidya as synonymous with Klesha. In fact, ividya none of the five Kleshas. identical with tamas and classified into eight categories.

31. O leading sages, the glorious Shiva liberates all those jivas from Avidya. There is no other redeemer.

32-33. Those who are devoted to yogic practices call Avidya as Tamas (darkness); Asmita as Moha (delusion); Raga (lust) as Mahamoha (great delusion); Dvesha (hatred) as Tamisra (darkness); Abhinivesha and Mithya jnana (misconception) as Andhatamisra (blinding darkness).

34. There are eight 92 types of Tamas. Moha is also eight- fold.93 The different divisions of Mahamoha are ten94 in number.

92. tamas-avidya. It is eightfold:(i) unmanifest Prakruti, (avyakta), (ii) Intellect (mahat), (in) ego (ahamkara), and five subtle elements nmashtras).

93. moha-asamiti It is eightfold:it consists of eight powers of supremacy, anima, etc.

94. mahamoha=raga. It is tenfold; Five subtle elements are divided into divya (divine) and adivya (non-divine).

35. The wise have said that Tamisra and Andhatamisra have eighteen 95- 96 subdivisions.

95. tamisra = dvesha. It is eighteenfold. Herein tenfold mahamoha is added to the eightfold siddhis.

96. andhatamisra— abhinivesha (bhaya). It is eighteenfold It includes five divine (divya) and five non-divine (adivya) tanmatras along with eightfold siddhis.

36-38. The relationship 97 of lord Shiva with Avidya cannot be one that is past or one that is yet to come. Nor can it be ever due to hatred, as he is immanent. There cannot be any relationship with Abhinivesha (instinctive desire to ding to worldly pleasures) for the lord who is beyond the pale of Maya, and who is worthy of being resorted to, and who is the greatest Atman.

97. avidyaya sambandho na. Lord Shiva has no relation with ignorance. ST. explains anganivasinah as sarvantar-yamirupinah-all-pervading.

39. In all the three periods of time Shiva who is beyond Avidya cannot have kinsmanship with Maya by means of activities, be they efficient or inefficient.

40. There cannot be contact with the Maya of Shiva the bestower of auspiciousness in all the three periods of time through the development of actions.

41. Shiva who is the greatest being of the nature of enlightenment and bliss is incapable of being affected by pleasures and sorrows that perish and continue to be present in the three periods of time.

42. Mahadeva, the self-born lord of intellect, is unaffiicted by fates and fortunes present in the three periods of time.

43. The lord who is the slayer of the god of Death is untouched by the impressions of rites that are present in the three units of time. He is also unaffected by the impressions of enjoyment.

44. Lord Parameshvara is the greatest of the special Male beings. He is not connected with sentient and insentient beings. He is beyond the entire universe.

45. Perfect knowledge and excellences are seen in the world as one excelling the other. Learned men say that Shiva is the most auspicious one excelling all.

46. He alone was the primordial expounder of the scriptural lore to the Brahmas born during the subsidiary creations98 and who are confined and limited by time.

98. Cf. yo brahmanam vidadhati purvam- cited in ST.

47. He is the preceptor of all preceptors who are confined and limited by time. He is devoid of all limitations of time. He is the lord of all.

48. This kinsmanship is without a beginning. He is beyond perfect knowledge and excellence. He is naturally perfectly pure.

49-50. Since he has no purpose of his own, the real purpose of all the activities of Parameshvara is blessing others. Pranava is the word that expresses Shiva, the great Atman. The word Pranava is superior to the word Shiva, Rudra, etc.

51-52. Undoubtedly that perfection shall become accessible — the same perfection as is obtained when people repeat Pranava even when they repeat the names of and meditate upon him who is expressed by the Pranava syllable. By virtue of his compassion towards all, the great Pashupata yoga, the basic tenet of perfect knowledge, has been mentioned strenuously by the lord of Devas.

53-54. Yajnavalkya said:O Gargi, it is the supreme being that the non-yogins99 call gross but, in fact, that is eternal and wonderful lord; one that is not long, not red, that has no head that has no setting, hence, that has a lasting taste,100 that has no contact, no smell, no juice, no eyes, no ears, neither speech nor mind,101 no brilliance, no proof [or magnitude], no (worldly) happiness, no name, no race, no death, no age, no ailment; that is nectarine, that is expressed by the word Om, that is immortal, that has neither a predecessor nor a successor, that is endless and non-external. It eats something. It does not eat anything (?) One shall know the great lord Pashupati by the Pashupata yoga. It is by this that there is the most excellent opportunity to realize the lord.

99. ST. construes — Gargi, ayoginah yadakshram sthulam abhivadanti (tad brahma), the imperishable Brahma which the non-yogins call gross that Brahma is in fact…..

100. punarasam— nityanandarasarupam ST„ comprised of the eternal flavour of joy. Of. ‘raso vai sah’ — cited in ST.

101. svanmanah Cf. yato vaco nivartante aprapya manasa saha TA 8.4.I; Tu.2.4.1; 9.1.

55. Make the lamp of Omkara and seek the lord of the house who is subtle and who is stationed in the beginning and within. Restrain the most powerful organic wind that stays at the door [i.e. the pores] of the body and the leader of the sense-organs (i.e. mind). For what reason do you nurture fear by means of a network of words? No fear is seen at all. See Shiva stationed in the body. Why do you wander amongst the network of scriptural texts, that is but darkness?

56. After understanding this perfectly through the help of scholars after splitting the asamarasa (i.e. the state where things exist in unequalled proportions) into five102 one shall resort to fearlessness in the Atman. This has been mentioned by Shiva unto the sages.

102. panchadha krutva — ST. disjoins as panchadha akrutva and explains as ‘panchakosharupam akrutva, not dividing it into five sheaths.