What is the concept of Final Liberation as per the Pashupat sect?

 

1. Pashupat

Lakulish is the founder of this sect. He established this sect in the 2^nd century B.C.

1.1 Siddhant

In the Shaiva doctrine pashu, pash and pati are considered the three basic classes (trivarga). These also form the basis of the Pashupat doctrine. Shankaracharya has given five doctrines, that is meanings of the Pashupat sect. They are : 1. action (karya), 2. cause (pati), 3. spiritual discipline (yoga), 4. observance of directives (charya) and 5. end of sorrow.
A. Action: All that which is devoid of energy of its own, that is dependent on another is an action. It is of the following three types - vidya, kala and pashu.
1. Vidya: This is an attitude of pashu (the embodied soul). It is further classified as follows.
2. Kala (nescience): This being within the control of divine consciousness is itself devoid of divine consciousness.
3. Pashu (embodied soul): The embodied soul which on evolvement always remains dependent on material objects is called an animal (pashu). Becoming an animal means becoming dependent. Animals are further classified as sanjan (सांजन) and niranjan (निरंजन). Sanjan [(स + अंजन) darkness)] means full of ignorance and niranjan means devoid of all ignorance. The former ignorant embodied soul is concerned with the body and kalas while the latter which is pure is not.
B. Cause (the sustainer): The principle which is responsible for creation, sustenance and dissolution and which bestows favours upon the world is called the cause. The sustainer is the one who possesses both the energies of spiritual knowledge and action.
C. Spiritual discipline: The spiritual practice which unites the soul and The Lord through the medium of the subconscious mind is called yoga.
D. Observance of directives (विधि): Righteous seekers refer to worldly transactions as observance of directives or established customs. The types of observances are enlisted below.
1. Vowed religious observances: Bathing with holy ash (bhasma), sleeping on holy ash, following restrictions (upahar), chanting, circumambulation are all vowed religious observances. In this context Bhagvan Lakulish has said, ‘One should bathe with holy ash thrice and sleep on it’. There are six types of restrictions (upahar) hasit, gita, nrutya, hudukkar, namaskar and japa. Hasit means uttering ‘h h h h’ loudly moving the neck and lips. Gita is singing the glory of Maheshvar’s attributes according to the norms of classical music. Co-ordinated hand and body movements embellished with facial expressions is nrutya (dance). Hudukkar is creating a sound like the snorting of a bull by touching the tongue to the palate. Rituals performed after a bath such as partaking of food obtained by asking for alms, partaking of leftover food of the deity, using dried flowers (nirmalya) from the idol worshipped as a blessed sacrament (prasad), donning lingas, etc. are complementary to the rituals of the first stage.
2. Doors
E. End of sorrow: This is the intense reduction of sorrow. This itself is referred to as the ultimate of the four pursuits (parampurushartha) or the Final Liberation (Moksha). As given above only after the destruction of the five types of ignorance - knowledge of the Great Illusion, unrighteousness, purpose of divine energy, bondage with the Great Illusion (Maya) and being embodied (pashu) by performing yoga or observance of regulations one acquires the Final Liberation in the form of intense reduction of sorrow. Surrendering to Lord Shiva wholeheartedly is also a remedy for Final Liberation. The belief behind it is that these types of ignorance are destroyed and the embodied soul attains the Final Liberation with the blessings of Lord Pashupati.
Types

1.2 Special features

1.3 Risks

Followers of the Pashupat sect adopted the dualistic philosophy, that is believed in many manifestations of The Lord. The result of such a dualistic philosophy can be that man can get entrapped in spiritual practice with a materialistic viewpoint. When one accepts a distinction between the Supreme Soul (Parmatma) and the embodied soul (jivatma) one does not feel greatly inclined to cross the chasm of happiness and sorrow between them. In the very concept that the ultimate end of sorrow itself is the Final Liberation (Moksha), is incorporated the duality of happiness and sorrow. Transgressing both these states itself is the true concept of the Final Liberation.

1.4 Comparison between Pashupat and some other Shaiva sects

1.5 The divine weapon (pashupatastra)

‘The trident in Lord Shiva’s hand is called the divine weapon. It is said that this weapon has the form of fire and is capable of annihilating the entire universe.
Arjun prayed for this weapon to Shankar who imparted him with it. At that time Lord Mahadev said ‘I am bestowing upon you My weapon, pashupat which is very dear to Me. You are capable of sporting, wielding and withdrawing it. However Partha, do not use it on anyone irresponsibly. Should you happen to use it on one who is weak, it shall destroy the entire universe. The one who sports this can destroy his enemy with a mere glance, mental energy, speech or bow and arrow.’

2. Kapalik, Kalamukh and Aghor

‘An ancient Shaiva sect like the Pashupat, Kapaliks are followers of the Path of Distressing Energy (Vammarg), are fearsome by temparament and worship Lord Shiva. Kapali means Lord Shiva who sports a skull. His devotees are known as Kapaliks. They too use skull bones and partake of wine, meat etc. through it. Slaying man, partaking of meat and blood and residing in the crematorium are special characteristics of the Kapaliks. In the Shiva Puran they are termed as those practising the Mahavrat. The Mahavrat includes such aghori acts as eating in human skulls, sitting in the crematorium, applying ash from burnt corpses, etc. Kapaliks are worshippers of harsh deities such as Mahabhairav and Chamunda. In the spiritual practice of sahaj - vajrayans, company of women is essential. Similarly the Kapaliks too consider the company of women to be very essential. There is not much difference between the Kapaliks and Kalamukhs. At the most one may say that the Kalamukhs are harsher than the Kapaliks.’
Aghor (अघोर) is derived from a (अ) and ghoraha (घोर:) which means ‘one who has no worries (ghor) at all’. These generally undertake spiritual practice in the crematorium; hence they are also known as smashan (crematorium) aghoris.

3. The Shaiva sect according to the Agam scriptures

3.1 History

The Agam scriptures are the origin of the doctrines of the ancient Shaiva sect. The total number of Agam scriptures is considered to be twenty-eight. In South India this Shaiva sect according to the Agam was widely preached. The Shaivites of the Agam school of thought were different from the Shaivites professing faith in the Vedas and the Upanishads. In their view Vedic scriptures did not have significance. They claim that the twenty-eight Agam scriptures described by Lord Mahadev are more sacred than the Vedas which are deemed to have originated from the very breath of Lord Brahma. The Shiva whom they worship is the five faced one with the Names Sadyojat, Vamdev, Aghor, Tatpurush and Ishan. The Agam scriptures have originated from these five faces. Probably all the Agam texts have been written in the ninth century. One should remember that the followers of the Agam philosophy have incorporated many a mantra and rituals of worship from the followers of the Vedas.

3.2 Doctrines

The Shaiva doctrine describes four parts and three substances. The four parts are spiritual knowledge (vidya), actions (kriya), spiritual discipline (yoga) and behaviour (charya) and the three substances are the master (pati), the animal (pashu) and the bondages (pash). The section on spiritual knowledge (vidyapad) describes the master, animal and the bondages as well as mantras and their importance.
A. Pad (chapter) 1 - Vidyapad
B. Pad (chapter) 2 - Kriyapad
In this are included perfection of mantras, the ritual of sandhya, ritualistic worship (puja), chanting (japa), offering oblations through the fire (havan), routine actions for the acquisition of permanent Bliss, ritualistic bathing (abhishek) of the teacher and seekers and the ritual of initiation for spiritual upliftment and attainment of The Supreme God by the seeker. Namaha Shivaya is the five lettered mantra used in their ritualistic worship. In this sect primarily those renouncing the world would be granted initiation. Prior to obtaining such an initiation he had to acquire the grace of the female deity (devi). This initiation by the female deity is itself the transfer of energy (shaktipat).
C. Pad (chapter) 3 - Yogapad
In this, 36 principles, their presiding deities, the presiding deities of various regions (lokas), the embodied soul doing spiritual practice (jivatma), the Supreme Soul, the Divine Energy (Shakti), the creator of the universe, the Great Illusion (Maya and Mahamaya) are described. It also includes supernatural powers for the worldly person such as acquiring a subtle, miniature form, pranayam, introversion (pratyahar), concentration (dharana), meditation (dhyan) and the superconscious state (samadhi) as well as the description of the states of the chakras commencing from the Muladhar or the navel.
D. Pad (chapter) 4 - Charyapad
Here austerities, purificatory ceremonies, the nature of a Shivalinga and its installation, a visible linga of Uma and Maheshvar, Ganapati, Skanda, Nandi, a japamala (rosary) and the ritual for ancestors (shraddha) are described. It is seen that behaviour contributing to the actions described in the Kriyapad are complemented in this Charyapad. Actions which are forbidden are described here as follows.

4. Shuddha Shaivites

In South India another sect known as the Shuddha Shaivites was established in the later period. ‘Qualified non-duality (Vishishtadvait) ’ maybe described as the special characteristic of this sect. This is also said to be due to the influence of the philosophies propounded by Ramanujacharya and Yamunacharya. The ‘Vayaviya Sanhita’ a part of the Shiva Puran is the principal holy text of this sect. Just as Vaishnav teachers came to the fore deriving inspiration from the devotional poetry of Alvars and propounded the Vaishnav sect and philosophy so also, the Shaiva teachers (naynars) of the south granting prominence to the hymns of devotees like Namtara, etc. began to propagate the doctrines of their sect.