PASUPATA

perhaps the earliest Hindu sect to worship the god Siva (Shiva) as the supreme deity; it gave rise in turn to numerous subsects that flourished in Gujarat and Rajasthan, at least until the 12th century, and also travelled to Java and Cambodia. The sect takes its name from Pasupati, an epithet of Siva meaning Lord of Cattle, which was later extended to convey the meaning Lord of Souls. The Pasupata sect is mentioned in the Indian epic the Mahabharata. Siva himself was believed to have been the first preceptor of the system. According to legends contained in later writings such as the Vayu-Purana and the Linga-Purana, Siva revealed that he would make an appearance on Earth during the age of Lord Vishnu's appearance as Vasudeva-Krishna. Siva indicated that he would enter a dead body and incarnate himself as Lakulin (or Nakulin or Lakulisa, lakula meaning club). Inscriptions of the 10th and 13th centuries appear to corroborate the legend, as they refer to a teacher named Lakulin, who was believed by his followers to be an incarnation of Siva. On analogy with the Vasudeva cult, some historians place the rise of the Pasupatas as early as the 2nd century BC, while others prefer the 2nd century AD as a date of origin. The ascetic practices adopted by the Pasupatas included the thrice-daily smearing of their bodies with ashes, meditation, and chanting the symbolic syllable om. The school fell into disrepute when some of the mystical practices were distorted. Out of the Pasupata doctrine developed two extreme schools, the Kalamukhas and the Kapalikas, as well as one moderate sect, the Saivas (also called the Siddhanta school). The Pasupatas and the extreme sects were called Atimargika (schools away from the path) to maintain their distinction from the more rational and acceptable Saivas, whose development led into modern Saivism. See also Kapalika and Kalamukha.