Pashupati : Decoding The Lords of Animals

Warning !! .This blog post may reflect my religious and personal beliefs about India’s heritage and biodiversity. Many of us have heard of the Pashupatinath Temple in Kathmandu, Nepal, dedicated to Pashupatinath—“The Lord of Animals”—a manifestation of the Hindu deity Shiva in his gentle, five-faced form as the herder and protector of all living beings. Pashupati is traditionally regarded as Nepal's guardian deity, as mentioned in works such as the Nepala Mahatmya and regional variants of the Skanda Purana. Pashupati, the tutelary deity of Nepal, is associated with royalty among certain generations of Nepalis. During the zenith of the Maoist insurgency in the early 21st century, King Gyanendra would close his televised public appearances by requesting Lord Pashupatinath protection, saying, "Pashupatinath le hami sabaiko rakshya garun!" (May Pashupatinath protect everyone). 

      No other Hindu deity in South Asia has come to be so closely associated with the ruling class as Pashupati. Slusser wrote that Buddhist priests, as well as Hindu priests, had authority in the shrine until the sixteenth century. On Kartik Shukla Ashtami, also known as 'Mukhastami', the Pashupati Linga was 'adorned with a Bodhisattva crown', allowing Buddhists to worship Pashupati as Avalokitesvara. However, Slusser stated that this tradition was declining, and that the shrine is now  purely Shaivite.

In the Nepal Mahatmya, Markandeya Rishi recounts to the sage Jaimini the origin of Pashupati. Shiva, accompanied by his consort Parvati, once visited the Śleṣmātaka forest on the banks of the Bagmati, taking the form of a deer while Parvati became a doe. When Shiva disappeared from his divine abode, Brahma, Vishnu, and Indra searched the three worlds to find him. Their quest ended in the Himalayas, where they were astonished to see Shiva with three eyes, a single horn, surrounded by Parvati and a herd of deer. Though they offered him reverence, they realized he had no desire to return to his celestial form. In an attempt to restrain him, the deities grasped his horn, which shattered into four pieces as Shiva leapt across the riverbanks. When they pleaded for him to resume his place in the cosmic order, Shiva declared that he would remain in the forest forever in his deer form, henceforth to be known as Pashupati, “Lord of Beings.” The four fragments of his horn, he said, would be enshrined as lingams in different locations. He further blessed that those who worshipped him in this aspect would never again be reborn as animals and would be endowed with virtuous qualities. 

Pashupatinath Temple, Nepal

 Interestingly, one of the oldest seals discovered in the Indian subcontinent features an image often identified as Pashupati, highlighting its deep significance in the history and culture of ancient India. This Pashupati seal—made of steatite—was unearthed at Mohenjo-Daro, a major urban centre of the Indus Valley Civilization located in present-day Pakistan, during excavations in 1928–1929 when the region was under British rule. The dig was conducted by the Archaeological Survey of India, the official authority for preservation and excavation.

Pashupati Seal

The seal depicts a seated figure, possibly tricephalic (three-headed), wearing a horned headdress and surrounded by animals. Some scholars once suggested the figure was ithyphallic (depicted with an erect penis), though this interpretation has been contested; nevertheless, Indus Valley specialist Jonathan Mark Kenoyer still supported this view in a 2003 publication. The figure is widely believed to represent a horned deity, potentially an early form or prototype of the god Pashupati. The seal is currently housed in the National Museum, New Delhi

           Shiva, as Pashupati—Lord of all beings—has shown boundless love and compassion for every creature, often granting moksha (liberation) in many sacred stories. At the Amarnath Cave, legend says Lord Shiva revealed the Amar Katha, the secret of immortality, to Goddess Parvati in complete seclusion. Unnoticed, a pair of pigeon eggs lay nearby. When they hatched, the young pigeons overheard the divine secret and were blessed with immortality. Even today, pilgrims claim to glimpse this eternal pair inside the icy cave, surviving in conditions where no other life endures.

                 Another tale comes from SriKalahasti. Here, a spider (Sri) wove webs to shade the sacred Shiva Linga, a snake (Kala) placed precious gems around it, and an elephant (Hasti) bathed it daily with water from its trunk. Unaware of each other’s devotion, they fought and perished. But Lord Shiva, moved by their unwavering sincerity, granted all three moksha and named the temple Sri-Kala-Hasti in their honor.     

 Shiva has also taken various animals as his constant companions—Vasuki the serpent, Nandi the bull, and even dogs—reflecting his compassion for all forms of life. Without the mention of Pashupati, there would be a profound gap in Indian culture, for this aspect of Shiva inspires a deep sense of respect and empathy toward every creature. It reminds us that compassion should extend even to the smallest insect—a value that is especially vital today for safeguarding the biodiversity of the Indian subcontinent.

References :-

1. Frolicking Among Deer: A Short History of Pashupati Amish Raj Mulmi
2. Wikipedia
3. Image Credit - Web and Chatgpt