Rules of Pashupata Vrata

The rishis said

Illustrious one, we want to hear of the supreme Pashupata vrata, by which Brahma and all the others are said to have become Pashupatas.

Vayu answered

I will tell you of the secret Pashupata vrata, which destroys all sins and is mentioned in the Atharvashiras Upanishad. The time is the full moon of the month of Chaitra, and the place must be one acceptable to Shiva: a sacred field, a forest, or any place with auspicious qualities that is praised. Before that, on the thirteenth, one bathes and does the daily rites properly. One worships the preceptor, bows to him and takes his leave. One wears clothes that suit the worship, white ones, with a white sacred thread, white garlands and unguents. Sitting on a seat of darbha grass with a handful of darbha in hand, facing east or north, one does pranayama three times and meditates on Deva and Devi. As a mark of the path about to be taken, one takes the sankalpa, as the case may be: "I have consecrated myself to observe this vrata until death, for twelve years, six years, three years, twelve months, six months, three months, a month, twelve days, six days, three days or one day. This is my resolve until the vrata ends."

As with the Viraja oblation, one lights a fire by the rules and offers in order ghee, kindling and charu. When the oblations are done one must purify the tattvas within oneself, offering kindling and oblations with the basic mantra and saying, "May the tattvas in my body be purified." These tattvas are the five elements, five tanmatras, five senses of perception, five organs of action, seven dhatus, the five life breaths beginning with prana, mind, intellect, ego, fame, the gunas, Prakriti, Purusha, attachment, Vidya, Kala, Niyati, Kaala, Maya, pure Vidya, Maheshvara, Sadashiva, Shakti and Shiva's tattva. A learned person names these tattvas in order. Making the offerings with the Viraja mantra, he is freed from blemishes, gains Shiva's favour and knowledge arises. He gathers cow dung, makes it into balls, recites mantras over them, puts them in the fire and sprinkles water. On that day he eats only havishyanna. On the morning of the fourteenth he does all that has been said, and fasts until the day is over. On the morning of the full moon he makes oblations until the day ends. When the blazing fire has died down he carefully collects the ash. Then he wears matted hair, or shaves his head or keeps a single tuft of matted hair. He bathes. If he feels no shame he may go naked; otherwise he may wear ochre cloth, hide, bark or torn rags, clad only in a single piece of cloth or bark, with a staff and a girdle. After this he washes his feet and washes his body twice with water. Using the ash gathered from the Viraja fire and the six mantras beginning "Agni is this ash" from the Atharvashiras Upanishad, he smears his limbs with it from head to feet. When his body is covered in ash he chants Pranava and Shiva's name and brushes off the excess. He recites "tryayusham" and puts on the Tripundra. So Shiva's nature covers him, and he practises Shiva's yoga, doing so at the three sandhyas. The Pashupata vrata gives enjoyment and liberation and ends the state of being a Pashu.

By the Pashupata vrata he gives up the state of Pashu. Then he worships Mahadeva in his eternal form as a lingam. A golden eight-petalled lotus is made, adorned with the nine jewels, with pericarp and filaments, set on a pedestal. If wealth is short, a red or white lotus can be used, and if that too is not available, an imagined lotus can be pictured. A small crystal lingam is made in the centre of the pericarp, placed on a pedestal and worshipped properly. By the rules the lingam is set up and consecrated. He pictures a seat and a five-faced image. According to one's means, golden pots are filled with the five products of the cow and the lingam is bathed with them. The lingam is smeared with fragrant things, camphor, sandalwood paste and kumkuma, and it and its pedestal are decorated. As available, and by the rules of this great worship, he worships with bilva leaves, red, white or blue lotuses, other fragrant flowers, auspicious praised leaves, different kinds of durva grass, unbroken rice and other items. Incense, lamps and food offerings are recommended. After offering these to the divinity he should do auspicious deeds. In this special vrata all desired and special things may be offered, so long as the wealth was earned by lawful means.

Brahmanas, the number of lotuses offered should be a thousand, and for other flowers a hundred and eight is recommended. Above all one must not forget a bilva leaf. One golden lotus is said to be better than a thousand ordinary ones. Blue lotuses are held equal to bilva leaves. There is no restriction on other flowers; whatever is available can be offered. The best arghya has eight components, and incense and unguents are special. Sandalwood paste is recommended for Vamadeva and haritala for Purusha, and for Ishana ash is offered. These are the norms for unguents, not for incense, for which different rules are given. For Aghora, white aguru is offered in front and then black aguru. For Purusha, guggula is offered on the left. For Soumya, fragrances are offered in front. For Ishana the special incense is ushira. Generally, sugar, honey, camphor, ghee from a tawny cow, sandalwood and aloe can be offered to all. Then a collection of lamps with camphor and ghee-soaked wicks is offered. To each face in turn arghya and water for rinsing are offered.

In order, Heramba and Shanmukha are worshipped in the first enclosure, and then Brahma's limbs. The Vighneshas and Chakravartis are worshipped in the second. The eight forms, Bhava and the others, are worshipped in the third, and the eleven forms, Mahadeva and the others, are worshipped there too. All the Ganeshvaras are worshipped in the fourth. Outside the lotus, in the fifth enclosure, in order: the ten guardians of the worlds with their weapons and followers, Brahma's mind-born sons, the host of stars, all gods and goddesses, all who travel in the sky, all who live in Patala, the whole body of sages, the yogis and their friends, all birds, the mothers, the Kshetrapalas, and all things that move and do not. They are worshipped because Shiva is pleased by it and they hold Shambhu's powers. When the enclosure worship is over, Parameshvara is worshipped. Dishes sprinkled with ghee and oblations are devoutly offered, and mouth fresheners and betel leaves with their accompaniments. The lingam is adorned and decorated with many flowers. When the lamp is waved, the rest of the worship is completed. A drinking vessel and a decorated couch are offered, with a moon-like necklace laid on the couch. Everything is arranged to be pleasing and worthy of a king, done by oneself or arranged by others, avoiding anything against the rules of worship. He does japa of the vyapohana stotra and the panchakshara mantra, circles, bows and offers up his self. In front of the divinity he then worships his guru and two brahmanas. An eight-part arghya and flowers are offered before the divinity is sent from the lingam. He symbolically restrains and removes the fire within the fire. One must do this worship every day. Afterward he hands over the lotus, the lingam and all other objects to his own guru, or places them in a Shiva temple. He especially honours gurus, brahmanas and those keeping vows. If he can, he satisfies devotees, brahmanas, the distressed and the unprotected.

If he is able he fasts; otherwise he eats roots and fruits. He can keep a vow of living only on milk or on begged food, take one meal a day or eat only at night. He must always be pure and sleep on bare ground, or on ash or grass. He must wear bark or hide. Until the vrata ends he keeps the vow of brahmacharya. If able, he should fast on Sundays, when the star Ardra is in the ascendant, on the fifteenth of both fortnights, on the eighth and on the fourteenth. In thought, word and deed he must make every effort to avoid contact with heretics, the fallen, women in their courses, women who have just given birth, and antyajas. He must always practise forgiveness, charity, compassion, truthfulness, non-violence and good conduct. He should be content and calm, devoted to japa and meditation. He bathes three times a day and bathes with ash. In particular he must perform the worship in thought, word and deed. What more is there to say? A person following Shiva's vrata must not indulge in wicked conduct. If he is distracted and does so, he must judge whether it is major or minor, and make fitting atonement by worship, oblations, japa and other means. Until the vrata ends he must not repeat that offence. A wealthy devotee should do the worship along with the gift of a cow or a bull, for Shiva's pleasure and with no desire in mind.

I have briefly stated the general features of this vrata. Now I will tell you what I have heard for each month. In Vaishakha the lingam must be of diamond, in Jyeshtha of emerald, in Ashadha of pearl, in Shravana of blue sapphire, in Bhadrapada of ruby, in Ashvina of hessonite, in Kartika of coral, in Margashirsha of lapis lazuli, in Pousha of yellow sapphire, in Magha of suryakanta, in Phalguna of chandrakanta, and in Chaitra either suryakanta or chandrakanta. In each month, if the gem is not available, gold can be used; lacking gold, silver, copper, stone or clay; whatever is available can be used, even lac. If the person prefers, the lingam can be made wholly of fragrant substances. When the time comes for the vrata to end, he does the daily worship and the special worship as before. He honours his preceptor and others keeping vows. With the preceptor's permission he sits on darbha grass facing east or north, holding darbha in his hand and controlling prana and apana. As far as he can, he meditates on Tryambaka with Amba using the basic mantra. As before, he bows, joins his hands and asks leave: "Bhagavan, following your command I now give up this vrata." Saying this, he lets go of the darbha at the base of the lingam. Then he gives up the staff, matted hair, bark and girdle, rinses his mouth and by the rules chants the panchakshara.

A person who consecrates himself for this vrata and keeps it until his death without being shaken is called a Naishthika. He is also called Atyashrami and Maha Pashupata, the best among ascetics, one who has kept the great vrata. Among all who seek liberation there is none his equal or as successful. A Naishthika who becomes a mendicant is called the best of Naishthikas. If a person keeps this vrata every day for twelve days, he equals a Naishthika since he has kept an extremely fierce vrata. If a person is so devoted to the vrata that he smears himself with ghee and keeps it for two or three days, he too is a Naishthika. A person who performs this excellent vrata without desire, constantly offering up his self to Shiva, has no equal.

If a learned brahmana who has committed grave sins smears himself with ash, he is at once freed from those terrible sins, without doubt. Ash is described as the supreme energy of Rudra's fire, so a person smeared with it is always full of vigour. By contact with ash that comes from a fire, one devoted to smearing it is freed of his faults. A person who bathes in ash purifies himself and is said to be devoted to it. One who smears all his limbs with ash, wears ash as a blazing Tripundra and bathes in ash is called a man devoted to ash. For a person devoted to ash, bhutas, pretas, pishachas and terrible, intolerable diseases doubtless run from his presence. Because it shines, ash is called bhasita. It devours sins. Because it brings prosperity it is called bhuti, and because it supremely protects it is called raksha. What more need be said of the greatness of ash? A person keeping the vrata who bathes himself in ash is the divinity Maheshvara himself. For Shiva's devotees ash is Parameshvara's supreme weapon. When Dhoumya's elder brother was practising austerities, it countered all his obstacles. So one should make an effort to keep the Pashupata vrata. Ash should be gathered like wealth, and one should be devoted to bathing in it.