The intriguing name Pashupati means ‘the Lord of beasts’ or the ‘Lord of animals’. It derives from the Sanskrit words ‘Pashu’ meaning “animals”, and ‘Pati’ meaning “the protector”. In the Rig Veda, “Pashupa” was related as the protector of cattle deriving from the name Pushan. The name Pashupati also stands for a figure that has been suggested as an earlier form of Rudra and shown as sitting among animals, with a headgear of horns, found in a seal from Indus Valley Civilization. Lord Shiva is known to be connected closely with the animal kingdom and legends say that animals like Snake etc used to come to Him for protection, not to mention that He wears Snakes on His body. Lord Pashupati Mahadev or Shree Pashupatinath is the Lord of all beings, He protects and cares for all.
In Hinduism it is believed that if an individual has committed many sins in life then he/she will not incarnate as a human being in the next life and rather will be born as an animal. It is said that when a devotee does Lord Pashupatinath darshan of the Divine Lingam in the temple, the sins are washed away, so the person is sure to be born as a human being in the following birth by darshan and Pashupatinath puja.
There are different versions of the Pashupatinath story surrounding how Shree Pashupatinath came to being and Pashupatinath ka Mandir. The most popular among them is the Pashupatinath story which narrates that once Lord Shiva and His consort, Goddess Parvati visited the lovely serene banks of the Bagmati river. They were so enchanted with the place and found it so suitable for Divine spiritual practices that They decided to stay on in the place and so They took on the guise of two Deer. After a period of time, the Gods and Celestial Sages realized that Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati were on Earth in their acquired Deer form. They all first requested Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati to return back to their Heavenly abode but Lord Shiva refused to leave the place. What followed was a fight between the Lord and the Gods which resulted in one of His antlers to break. This broken antler is said to have been the first Lingam/Linga which was worshipped in the Pashupatinath temple. However, this antler or Lingam was lost in Mother Earth and no one could trace it, till one day, the Cow of a Cowherd, irrigated the place with her milk(similar to Abhishekham) . The Cowherd understood that there is some deeper meaning to the behaviour of his Cow and on digging the ground the Lingam appeared to the Cowherd.
Another story behind Lord Pashupati nath is a Vedic legend which says that Lord Shiva was named Pashupati by Lord Vishnu and other Gods during the time of Tripura Samhar, when Shiva became the Lord of all Demons (Pashu or beasts) and destroyed Tripura, the three cities of illusion, which were being ruled by the Asuras Kamlaaksha, Taarakaaksha, and Vidyunmaali who were wreaking havoc by attacking Gods and Sages. It is also believed in Shiv Purana that any living being, including humans, that is in the clutches of his ego, desires and ignorance, is considered an animal (pashu) and only Pashupati can relieve liberate them..
!! Om Pashupataye Namo Namah !!
The intriguing name Pashupati means ‘the Lord of beasts’ or the ‘Lord of animals’. It derives from the Sanskrit words ‘Pashu’ meaning “animals”, and ‘Pati’ meaning “the protector”. In the Rig Veda, “Pashupa” was related as the protector of cattle deriving from the name Pushan. The name Pashupati also stands for a figure that has been suggested as an earlier form of Rudra and shown as sitting among animals, with a headgear of horns, found in a seal from Indus Valley Civilization. Lord Shiva is known to be connected closely with the animal kingdom and legends say that animals like Snake etc used to come to Him for protection, not to mention that He wears Snakes on His body. Lord Pashupati Mahadev or Shree Pashupatinath is the Lord of all beings, He protects and cares for all.
In Hinduism it is believed that if an individual has committed many sins in life then he/she will not incarnate as a human being in the next life and rather will be born as an animal. It is said that when a devotee does Lord Pashupatinath darshan of the Divine Lingam in the temple, the sins are washed away, so the person is sure to be born as a human being in the following birth by darshan and Pashupatinath puja.
There are different versions of the Pashupatinath story surrounding how Shree Pashupatinath came to being and Pashupatinath ka Mandir. The most popular among them is the Pashupatinath story which narrates that once Lord Shiva and His consort, Goddess Parvati visited the lovely serene banks of the Bagmati river. They were so enchanted with the place and found it so suitable for Divine spiritual practices that They decided to stay on in the place and so They took on the guise of two Deer. After a period of time, the Gods and Celestial Sages realized that Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati were on Earth in their acquired Deer form. They all first requested Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati to return back to their Heavenly abode but Lord Shiva refused to leave the place. What followed was a fight between the Lord and the Gods which resulted in one of His antlers to break. This broken antler is said to have been the first Lingam/Linga which was worshipped in the Pashupatinath temple. However, this antler or Lingam was lost in Mother Earth and no one could trace it, till one day, the Cow of a Cowherd, irrigated the place with her milk(similar to Abhishekham) . The Cowherd understood that there is some deeper meaning to the behaviour of his Cow and on digging the ground the Lingam appeared to the Cowherd.
Another story behind Lord Pashupati nath is a Vedic legend which says that Lord Shiva was named Pashupati by Lord Vishnu and other Gods during the time of Tripura Samhar, when Shiva became the Lord of all Demons (Pashu or beasts) and destroyed Tripura, the three cities of illusion, which were being ruled by the Asuras Kamlaaksha, Taarakaaksha, and Vidyunmaali who were wreaking havoc by attacking Gods and Sages. It is also believed in Shiv Purana that any living being, including humans, that is in the clutches of his ego, desires and ignorance, is considered an animal (pashu) and only Pashupati can relieve liberate them..
, Om Pashupataye Namo Namah!!
