Pashupati-The Lord of Cattle

 

Pashupati that is considered to be the lord of the cattle is actually a soubriquet of the deity of the Hindus which is named Shiva. It was actually used as the soubriquet of Rudra in the Vedic times. In Rigveda there is also a related Pashupa i.e. the protector of the cattle and is named as Pushan. In Nepal there is a temple named Pashupatinath which is considered amongst most important of the shrines of Hindus who live in Nepal as well as for those who live in India and throughout the world.

 

The name is often applied to a figure too. This is probably some deity that depicts as if sitting in the animals on some seal that was actually discovered in context of the Civilization of the Indus Valley.

 

A seal was discovered when the archeological site of Mohenjodaro was dug and it has actually drawn the attention of the archeologists and they think it to be the representation of possibly a proto-Shiva or the yogi figure. Some seated figure is shown by this Pashupati Seal that is possibly ithyphallic and the seal is actually surrounded by the animals. Some of the observers say that this figure depicts the traditional pose of yoga in which a person is sitting cross-legged and he is having his hands resting on knees.

 

Sir John Marshall, who is the discoverer of this seal, along with many of the other people said that this figure is actually a prototype of the Shiva. They further described that the figure has three faces. The figure appears to be seated on some kind of throne having a cross-legged posture of the Hatha Yoga. The penis of the Yogi is erected and both of his testicles are prominent and completely visible. The heels of both the feet are placed precisely beneath the scrotum which is considered as an advanced technique of Tantric Yoga and is often known as the Bandha that means a lock or a knot. This technique is often used for sublimating and redirecting the sexual energy and the practitioner is bestowed with some immense spiritual powers.

 

On the right side of the Yogi there is some large tiger which faces him and rears upwards. This tiger appears to be the largest of all the animals present on the seal. The animal is shown as if it is connected very closely with the Yogi. The stripes that are visible in the groups on the body of the tiger also emphasize some connection. The groups of stripes contain five stripes each. The Marshall’s Shiva seal also depicts three other animals that are comparatively smaller than the tiger. The thing that needs to be mentioned here is that all animals that are present on the seal are heraldic or totemic symbols that indicate different people, tribes and the areas. As the tiger is the largest symbol on Shiva seal therefore it represents the people of the yogi and it is most likely to symbolize the region of the Himalaya. The Eastern and the Central India is represented probably by the elephant and the buffalo or the bull is representing the Southern India while the rhinoceros is there as a representation of the regions that are in the West of river Indus.

 

 

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