- Pashupata Shaivism
Pashupata Shaivism - one of the main Shaivite schools. The Pashupatas (Sanskrit: "IAST|Pāśupatas") are the oldest named Shaivite group. [For the Pāśupatas as the oldest named Śaiva group, see: Flood (2003), p. 206.]
Dating is uncertain, but the Pashupatas may have existed from the first century CE. [For dating as first century CE, with uncertainty, see: Michaels (2004), p. 62.] Gavin Flood dates them probably from around the second century CE. [For dating from probably second century CE, see: Flood (2003), p. 206.] They are referred to in the Mahabharata, the action of which takes place in the 4 millennium BCE. [For citation to MBH "śantiparvan" 12.349.64, see: Flood (2003), p. 206.]
The Pashupatas were ascetics. [For Pāśupata as an ascetic movement see: Michaels (2004), p. 62.]
Pashupata Shaivism was a devotional (
bhakti ) movement.Lorenzen, David N. "Śaivism". An Overwiew, [in] : Gale's Encyclopedia of Religion, vol. 12, 2005, ISBN 0-02-865981-3]The Pashupata movement was influential in
South India in the period between the seventh and fourteenth century, however it does not exist any more.ee also
*
Kashmir Shaivism Notes
References
*cite book |last=Flood |first=Gavin (Editor)|authorlink= |coauthors= |title=The Blackwell Companion to Hinduism|year=2003 |publisher=Blackwell Publishing Ltd.|location=Malden, MA|isbn=1-4051-3251-5
*cite book |last=Michaels |first=Axel|authorlink= |coauthors= |title=Hinduism: Past and Present |year=2004 |publisher=Princeton University Press |location=Princeton, New Jersey|isbn=0-691-08953-1
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.
