Pashupata Knowledge – Shiva Purana

The chapters 2 to 7 in Section 7.2 of Vayaviya-saṃhita of Shiva Purana informed about Pashupata knowledge.
 
The teaching of the Pashupata system is for the total annihilation of all kinds of sorrow. When the disciple follows the ascetic practices recommended by the Lord, he attains liberation through His grace. Whereas the doctrine of karma propounds the theory of rebirth based on karmic account. But as per the Pashupata-sutra, liberation comes directly from the grace of Shiva.
The word pashu is connected with the word pasha, which means “cause and effect”, and is technically also called kala. All animals are thus bound by cause and effect, the sense images and their objects, and become attached to them.

Pashu, Pasha & Pashupati -
Owing to ignorance, living beings are entangled in a circle of life and death. Every conscious being beginning with Brahma is called Pashu. Shiva, the lord of the gods and also known as Pashupati, binds the Pashus through the Pashas (strings or bonds) of dirt. The twenty-four principles, Maya, Karman and the three Guṇas are called Vishayas. These are the Pashas that bind the Pashus. After binding the Pashus, lord Shiva makes them do their respective duties. Shiva alone can cut off these bonds. That is the reason why He is called Pashupati.

Generation of Pashas -
At his behest Prakriti generates Buddhi befitting the Purusha. Buddhi (cosmic intellect) generates Ahankara (Ego). The ego generates the eleven sense-organs (five organs of knowledge, five organs of action and mind) and five Tanmatras. At his bidding the Tanmatras too, create the great Bhutas entirely in their order; the five Bhutas (earth, water, fire, air and space) create the physical bodies of all beings from Brahma to the grass. Intellect determines and resolves. Ego feels pride in and identifies with what is possessed. Consciousness observes and becomes conscious of things. Mind conceives and imagines. The organs of knowledge apprehend the objects separately.
Shiva, the universal sustainer & destructor -
It is only at the behest of the lord Shiva all Bhutas & deities perform their duties. Ether pervades all, yields space to the elements. The wind sustains the entire universe, internal and external, under different names of Praṇa, etc. The fire god bears offerings to the gods and oblations to the Pitrs. It facilitates cooking etc. The waters enliven all. The earth holds up the universe for ever.
Indra protects the gods, kills the Asuras and guards the worlds. Varuṇa rules over the waters and binds those who are to be punished, by means of his noose. Lord of wealth, the lord of the Yakshas, distributes wealth to the living beings in accordance with their merit. Ishana bestows knowledge on the intelligent ones and affords them riches, and curbs the evil-doers.
The earth is supported by Shesha. The Raudri and Tamasi form of Vishnu brings about destruction is created by the four-faced lord. At his behest, Shiva through other forms of his own, he protects the universe and annihilates it in the end. He protects, creates and devours the universe through his own three bodies. At his bidding alone Rudra annihilates the universe in the end.
The Shiva, Atman of the universe, assuming three different forms creates and protects too. Time creates, protects and destroys at his behest. At his bidding with the three parts of his splendour, the sun supports the universe, commands the shower and rains in the heaven. At the behest of the moon-crested lord, the moon nourishes the plants, delights the living beings and is imbibed by the gods.
Adityas, Vasus, Rudras, Ashvins, Maruts, heaven-walkers, Sages, Siddhas, Serpents, human beings, beasts, animals, birds, worms, immobile beings, rivers, oceans, mountains, forests, lakes, Vedas with their ancillaries, the scriptures, the compendiums of mantras, sacrifices, etc., the worlds beginning with Kalagni and ending with Shiva and their over-lords, the innumerable Brahmanḍas (galaxies), their coverings, the past, present and future, the quarters, interstices, the different units of time, Kala etc.—all these, whatever is seen or heard in the world, are presided over by the order of Shiva.
It is through the power of his order that the earth, the mountains, clouds, oceans, luminary bodies, Indra and other gods, the mobile and immobile beings, sentient or non-sentient are sustained.

Shiva, the Five Murtis -
These shall be known as his Murtis whereby this universe is pervaded viz: —Brahma, Vishnu, Rudra, Maheshana and Sadashiva.

Shiva, the Five Brahmans -
There are Panchabrahmans viz. Ishana, Purusha, Aghora, Vamadeva and Sadyojata. Ishana, presides over the individual soul the enjoyer of Prakriti and the presiding deity of the ear speech, sound and the all-pervasive ether. Purusha presides over the unmanifest which is worthy of being enjoyed and which is in the form of the support of the Gunas and the presiding deity of the skin, hand, touch and Vayu. Aghora, of the trident-bearing lord, presides over the principle of cosmic intellect consisting of eight parts of Dharma etc and the presiding deity of the eye, leg, colour and fire. Vamadeva as the presiding deity of Ego and the presiding deity of the tongue, anus, taste and the waters. Sadyojata is the presiding deity of the mind and the presiding deity of the nose, sexual organ, smell and the earth.

Shiva, the cause –
The godhead is called Brahman because it is immense and it expands. There are two forms of lord Brahman viz. Vidya & Avidya. Vidya is Cetana (consciousness) and Avidya is Acetana (insentience). The universe too is in the form of Vidya and Avidya.  Since he is the lord of the two, Shiva is called the lord of the Sat and Asat. Some say that he is in the form of Kṣara and Akṣara. The living beings are called Kṣara.  Beyond the two is Shiva the quiescent. Shiva the great cause is the cause of both the universal and the individual.
 
 
Eight Munis -
The universe consists of eight Munis, of the primordial lord of the gods, which are Sarva, Bhava, Rudra, Ugra, Bhima, Pashupati, Ishana, and Mahadeva. The earth, waters, fire, wind, ether, souls, the sun and the moon are presided over by them respectively.
Shiva, the possessor Shakti -
This universe of the mobile and immobile beings is the cosmic body of the lord of the gods. The entire universe of the mobile and immobile beings is full of Shakti. Kala, the greatest Shakti of the great Atman, is called Para Shakti. Lord Shiva is Shaktimaan possessing the three Shaktis of knowledge, activity and wish. He pervades the universe for ever and stays. Shakti of knowledge is in the form of Buddhi and it determines its effect, instrument, cause and purpose factually. Shakti of activity in the form of conception formulates and evolves the effect—universe, in the manner wished for and in the manner determined. All men are identical with Shiva. All women are identical with Maheshvari. Hence all men and women are their exalted superhuman power. Goddess Maheshvari holds all objects of reflection. The reflector is the all-pervading Lord himself.
Shiva, the Pradhana-Purusha-Vyakta-Kalatman -
Shiva is also called Pradhana-Purusha-Vyakta-Kalatman. Pradhana is Prakriti. Purusha is the individual soul. The twenty-three principles constitute the Vyakta (manifest) Prakriti. Kala is the sole cause of the transformation of the effected creation. Hiranyagarbha is the cause of the worlds, Brahma etc., Viraṭ is the cosmic form or being. The sages are unable to determine the true nature of the lord due to the presence of different ideas and beliefs. When the seer sees the maker, the lord, golden in colour, the Purusha the origin of Brahma, he shakes off both merits and sins and becomes unsullied. He attains the great equality or union with the lord.
Shiva of unmeasured brilliance there is no Kala or Kala; no Vidya or Niyati; neither lust nor hatred. He has no keen desire. He has neither happiness nor unhappiness; neither Karmans nor their after-effects; neither pleasure nor misery as a result of those Karmans. He has no cause or maker; he has no beginning no end nor the intervening space. He has no activity or instrument. He has neither birth nor death; neither expectation nor disinclination. He is not subject to injunctions or prohibitions; he has neither liberation nor bondage.
Presiding over everything by means of his Shaktis, he is stationed without dropping his intrinsic nature. Hence, he is known as Shiva. Since the universe consisting of the mobile and immobile beings is presided over by Shiva, he is known as omniformed. In the beginning he was the instructor of the scriptural texts to the Brahmans born during the period of re-creation. He is not conditioned by time. He is the lord of all. He is the preceptor of all the preceptors, subject to the influence of Time.
Shiva, the Pranava -
Pranava is the greatest symbol of Shiva. The great Siddhi can be acquired by meditation on Pranava. The letter “A” is the Rigveda; “U” is the Yajurveda; “M” is the Samaveda and the Nada is the Atharvaveda. The letter “A” is the great Bija, Rajas and the creator, the four-faced lord. The letter “U” is Prakriti, the womb, Sattva and the protector Vishnu. The letter “M” is Purusha, the seed, the Tamas and the annihilator Rudra. Nada is the great Purusha, Isha, Shiva, devoid of Guṇas and activities.
Realisation of Shiva -
Though the Atman is sentient and experiences happiness and misery yet it is incapable of ruling. After these reflections those who meditate can realise the Shakti of the lord. Through this Shakti when their binding cords are cut, they can see the Shaktiman, the cause of all causes, through their divine eyes. He is incomprehensible and through this Shakti he presides over all causes, including the Time-soul. Through his grace, the great Yoga and the path of devotion they can attain the supreme divine goal. Their devotion is due to their grace and the grace is a result of devotion in view of the difference in states.
Service with or without the ancillaries is called devotion. It is threefold due to the three means of mind speech and body. The meditation on Shiva’s form is mental service. Repetition of mantras is verbal service. The rites of worship constitute the physical service. This threefold service is called the holy rite of Shiva. It is of five kinds as explained by Shiva the great Atman. In brief they are penance, holy rites, repetition of mantras, meditation and knowledge. An intelligent man seeking welfare shall avoid too much adherence to sensual objects and increase devotion towards Shiva, the great cause.
Story of Indra’s pride -
After conquering the Asuras in the war formerly, the gods including Indra began to argue with one another “I am the victor, I am the victor”. Then lord Shiva assumed the guise of a Yaksha and stood in their midst devoid of his characteristic features in the limbs. He set a blade of grass on the ground and told the gods, “He who can deform this grass is the conqueror of the Daityas.”
On hearing the words of the Yaksha, the thunderbolt-bearing consort of Shaci became infuriated. Smiling a little he attempted to take up the grass. When he could not lift it up, he hurled his thunderbolt at it in order to cut it. The thunderbolt coming into contact with the grass appeared to clash with a steel and fell aside.
Then the guardians of the quarters and the worlds, of great strength exerted themselves and hurled thousands of their weapons at the grass-blade. The great fire blazed, the fierce wind blew and the lord of the waters swelled as if the hour of dissolution had arrived.
Thus, everything initiated by the gods strenuously against the grass was a flop. It was due to the power of that Yakṣa alone. Then the infuriated lord of go is asked the Yaksha, “Who are you, sir?” Then even as they were watching, the Yaksha vanished. In the meantime, the goddess Haimavati bedecked in divine ornaments, appeared in the sky smiling and shining brilliantly. On seeing her the wonderstruck gods, Indra and others bowed to her humbly and asked, “Who is this uncommon Yaksha?” The goddess smiled and said — “He is invisible to you. He is the lord by whom this wheel of the world including the mobile and immobile beings, revolves. In the beginning the universe is created by him, and it is annihilated again by him. There is none to control him. Everything is controlled by him”.
After saying this the great goddess vanished there itself. The surprised gods bowed to her and went to heaven.
Story of Krishna’s son -
Sri Krishnaa performed the Pashupatavrata and attained perfect knowledge. Sri Krishna of great prowess performed penance for the attainment of a son with Shiva and Parvati as the deity aimed at. Due to that penance, at the end of a year, lord Shiva, equipped with great splendour and accompanied by his Gaṇas and Parvati appeared there. Krishna eulogised him with palms joined in reverence.
He obtained his son Samba of good qualities bequeathed by Shiva who was delighted by his penance. Since it was Shiva accompanied by Amba, who blessed him with a son, he named Jambavati’s son Samba.