Pāśupatasūtra — Reading

PS 1.1

athātaḥ paśupateḥ pāśupatayogavidhiṃ vyākhyāsyāmaḥ

Now (atha), therefore (ataḥ), we shall expound (vyākhyāsyāmaḥ) the rule (vidhim) of the Pāśupata yoga (pāśupata-yoga) of the Lord of creatures (paśupateḥ).

Vocabulary

athaparticle
“now” — marker of a new beginning in a śāstric text
ataḥadverb · abl.
“therefore, hence, from this” — often paired with atha
paśupatim. gen.sg paśupateḥ
“lord of creatures / of beasts” — epithet of Śiva; the name the school prefers
pāśupata-yogam. stem (in compound)
“the yoga of the Pāśupata [tradition]” — tatpuruṣa
vidhim. acc.sg -im
“rule, procedure, prescribed method” — √vi-dhā
vyākhyāsyāmaḥverb 1 pl fut. para.
“we shall expound / explain” — vi + ā + √khyā, future tense

The formulaic opening athātaḥ…vyākhyāsyāmaḥ (“now therefore we shall expound…”) is the standard way a Sanskrit philosophical treatise begins.

PS 1.2

bhasmanā triṣavaṇaṃ snāyīta

One should bathe (snāyīta) with ashes (bhasmanā) three times a day (triṣavaṇam).

Vocabulary

bhasmann. inst.sg bhasmanā
“ash, ashes” — specifically sacred ash from consecrated fire
tri-savaṇan. acc.sg -am (adverbial)
“three-pressing, three times a day” — tri (three) + savana (pressing, soma-ritual; hence time of day)
snāyītaverb 3 sg opt. ātm of √snā
“one should bathe” — optative, expressing prescription

The first ritual injunction: ash-bath replaces water-bath. The Pāśupata practitioner is covered in bhasman throughout his career — the visible sign of the vow.

PS 1.9

hasita-gīta-nṛtya-huḍukkāra-namaskāra-japyopahāreṇopatiṣṭhet

He should approach (upatiṣṭhet) [the deity] with laughter (hasita), song (gīta), dance (nṛtya), the cry “huḍuk” (huḍukkāra), obeisance (namaskāra), and muttered prayer (japya) as offerings (upahāreṇa).

Vocabulary

hasitan., pp of √has
“laughter, laughing” — past participle used as neuter noun
gītan., pp of √gai
“song, singing”
nṛtyan. stem
“dance, dancing”
huḍukkāram. stem
“the making of the sound huḍuk” — a particular cultic cry, onomatopoeic
namaskāram. stem
“obeisance, reverential salutation”
japyan., gerundive of √jap
“muttered prayer, what is to be recited softly”
upahāram. inst.sg -eṇa
“offering, presentation” — the six items above are the upahāras
upatiṣṭhetverb 3 sg opt. para of upa + √sthā
“he should stand near, approach, worship” — prescriptive optative

The core ritual of the first stage: inappropriate public behaviour as offering. What looks like mania from outside is, inside the vow, liturgy.

Adhyāya 1