SAIVISM

also spelled Shaivism cult of the Indian god Siva, with Vaisnavism and Saktism, one of the three principal forms of modern Hinduism. Saivism includes such diverse movements as the highly philosophic Saiva-siddhanta, the socially distinctive Lingayat, ascetic orders such as the dasnami sannyasins, and innumerable folk variants. The beginnings of the Siva cult have been traced back by some scholars to non-Aryan phallic worship. Although this is not conclusive, it is clear that the Vedic god Rudra (the Howler) was amalgamated with the figure of Siva (Auspicious One) that emerged in the period after the Upanisads. The Svetasvatara Upanisad treats Siva as the paramount deity, but it is not until sometime between the 2nd century BC and the 2nd century AD and the rise of the Pasupata sect that organized sectarian worship developed. There are several schools of modern Saiva thought, ranging from pluralistic realism to absolute monism, but they all agree in recognizing three principles: pati, Siva, the Lord; pasu, the individual soul; and pasa, the bonds that confine the soul to earthly existence. The goal set for the soul is to get rid of its bonds and gain sivatva (the nature of Siva). The paths leading to this goal are carya (external acts of worship), kriya (acts of intimate service to God), yoga (meditation), and jana (knowledge). Saivism, like some of the other forms of Hinduism, spread in the past to other parts of Southeast Asia, including Java, Bali, and parts of Indochina and Cambodia.