Shree Pashupatinath
Encyclopedia
Shree Pashupatinath is an incarnation of the Hindu
Lord
Shiva
. He is revered throughout the Hindu world, but especially in Nepal
where he is regarded as the national deity.
words: "pashu" means organism
, "pati" means protector, and "nath" means Lord. The word "Shree" is an honorary title used in Indian languages as a display of respect or devotion
. Shree Pashupatinath, therefore, means the Respected Protector and Lord of all living things.
of Shiva
, one of the Hindu Trinity
. He is also the male counterpart of Shakti
.
in present-day Pakistan
, where the image of Pashupatinath has been found on coins.
, located at the bank of the river Bagmati
, is considered the most sacred place in Nepal.
, Madhya Pradesh
, India
. It is one of the most prominent shrines in Mandsaur. Lord Shiva in the form of Lord Pashupatinath is the primary deity worshiped here. The main attraction is a unique Shiva Linga
displaying the eight faces of Lord Shiva. The shrine has four doors, representing the cardinal directions.
Hindu
Hindu refers to an identity associated with the philosophical, religious and cultural systems that are indigenous to the Indian subcontinent. As used in the Constitution of India, the word "Hindu" is also attributed to all persons professing any Indian religion...
Lord
Deva (Hinduism)
' is the Sanskrit word for god or deity, its related feminine term is devi. In modern Hinduism, it can be loosely interpreted as any benevolent supernatural beings. The devs in Hinduism, also called Suras, are often juxtaposed to the Asuras, their half brothers. Devs are also the maintainers of...
Shiva
Shiva
Shiva is a major Hindu deity, and is the destroyer god or transformer among the Trimurti, the Hindu Trinity of the primary aspects of the divine. God Shiva is a yogi who has notice of everything that happens in the world and is the main aspect of life. Yet one with great power lives a life of a...
. He is revered throughout the Hindu world, but especially in Nepal
Nepal
Nepal , officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked sovereign state located in South Asia. It is located in the Himalayas and bordered to the north by the People's Republic of China, and to the south, east, and west by the Republic of India...
where he is regarded as the national deity.
Etymology
The word Pashupatinath is derived from three SanskritSanskrit
Sanskrit , is a historical Indo-Aryan language and the primary liturgical language of Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism.Buddhism: besides Pali, see Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit Today, it is listed as one of the 22 scheduled languages of India and is an official language of the state of Uttarakhand...
words: "pashu" means organism
Organism
In biology, an organism is any contiguous living system . In at least some form, all organisms are capable of response to stimuli, reproduction, growth and development, and maintenance of homoeostasis as a stable whole.An organism may either be unicellular or, as in the case of humans, comprise...
, "pati" means protector, and "nath" means Lord. The word "Shree" is an honorary title used in Indian languages as a display of respect or devotion
Bhakti
In Hinduism Bhakti is religious devotion in the form of active involvement of a devotee in worship of the divine.Within monotheistic Hinduism, it is the love felt by the worshipper towards the personal God, a concept expressed in Hindu theology as Svayam Bhagavan.Bhakti can be used of either...
. Shree Pashupatinath, therefore, means the Respected Protector and Lord of all living things.
Role in Hinduism
Pashupatinath is an avatarAvatar
In Hinduism, an avatar is a deliberate descent of a deity to earth, or a descent of the Supreme Being and is mostly translated into English as "incarnation," but more accurately as "appearance" or "manifestation"....
of Shiva
Shiva
Shiva is a major Hindu deity, and is the destroyer god or transformer among the Trimurti, the Hindu Trinity of the primary aspects of the divine. God Shiva is a yogi who has notice of everything that happens in the world and is the main aspect of life. Yet one with great power lives a life of a...
, one of the Hindu Trinity
Trimurti
The Trimurti is a concept in Hinduism "in which the cosmic functions of creation, maintenance, and destruction are personified by the forms of Brahmā the creator, Vishnu the maintainer or preserver, and Śhiva the destroyer or transformer," These three deities have been called "the Hindu triad" or...
. He is also the male counterpart of Shakti
Shakti
Shakti from Sanskrit shak - "to be able," meaning sacred force or empowerment, is the primordial cosmic energy and represents the dynamic forces that are thought to move through the entire universe in Hinduism. Shakti is the concept, or personification, of divine feminine creative power, sometimes...
.
History
The worship of Pashupatinath goes back to at least the ancient civilization of HarappaHarappa
Harappa is an archaeological site in Punjab, northeast Pakistan, about west of Sahiwal. The site takes its name from a modern village located near the former course of the Ravi River. The current village of Harappa is from the ancient site. Although modern Harappa has a train station left from...
in present-day Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
, where the image of Pashupatinath has been found on coins.
Pashupatinath in Nepal
Pashupatinath is regarded as the national deity of Nepal is the most revered deity there. The Pashupatinath TemplePashupatinath temple
Pashupatinath Temple is one of the most significant Hindu temples of Lord Shiva in the world, located on the banks of the Bagmati River in the eastern part of Kathmandu, the capital of Nepal. The temple served as the seat of the national deity, Lord Pashupatinath, Nepal is a secular country...
, located at the bank of the river Bagmati
Bagmati
The Bagmati River is a river of Nepal and India. It flows through the Kathmandu valley and is the river separating Kathmandu from Lalitpur. It is considered a holy river both by Hindus and Buddhists...
, is considered the most sacred place in Nepal.
Pashupatinath in India
In addition to the Pashupatinath temple in Nepal, there is another Pashupatinath temple situated on the banks of the Shivana river in MandsaurMandsaur
Mandsaur or Mandsour is a city in the Malwa region and district of Madhya Pradesh state of central India. It is the administrative headquarters of Mandsaur District.-Origin of name:...
, Madhya Pradesh
Madhya Pradesh
Madhya Pradesh , often called the Heart of India, is a state in central India. Its capital is Bhopal and Indore is the largest city....
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. It is one of the most prominent shrines in Mandsaur. Lord Shiva in the form of Lord Pashupatinath is the primary deity worshiped here. The main attraction is a unique Shiva Linga
Lingam
The Lingam is a representation of the Hindu deity Shiva used for worship in temples....
displaying the eight faces of Lord Shiva. The shrine has four doors, representing the cardinal directions.
External links
- http://discover-nepal.tripod.com/pashupatinath_temple.htm - This is a good article on the history of Pashupatinath and explains clearly about four faces of Lord Pashupatinath.
- http://knol.google.com/k/dmr-sekhar/poturaju/3ecxygf1lxcn2/2#
- http://www.shripashupatinath.nic.in/intro.htm.