“Pashupati”- the Lord of Pashu or Animals, is a Vedic aspect of Shiva, revered in the hymns of the Vedas, which received the most spectacular visual depiction in the art of Chola bronzes. “Pashu”, is not only an animal, but all living beings, the soul or Aatman, which like a troubled animal in a forest, runs through life, erratically and unprotected, fearing the unknown. Pashupati Shiva regulates, holds, and protects the Pashu with his benevolence and bestows upon it the supreme wisdom, cutting the ties of the world and readying the soul for Moksha or salvation.
This beautiful bronze image shows Shiva as Pashupati, standing in a graceful pose on a pedestal with two handles, suggesting that it is a Chala or a movable icon. The divine form of Shiva is adorned with a Jatamukuta (crown made with his tresses), a third eye on his forehead, delicate necklaces, a Yajnopavita with two strings, Udarabandha or belly belt, and a dhoti made from tiger hide.
The mighty Pashupati carries an Ankusha or goad for controlling the Pashu, the symbol of Pashu as a Mriga or deer, and is adorned by a serpent curling around his arm, a symbol of Kaal (death and time).
In the iconography of Pashupati, the profound secret of this form of Shiva is revealed. With his gentle smile, Pashupati calms the deer (Pashu), by wearing the skin of his enemy and death, the tiger, suggesting to the soul to give up all fears when one takes refuge in Shiva.
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