Introducing Lakulisa-Pasupata philosophy

The only way to reconstruct the theology and ritual of the Lakulisa-Pasupatas, the highly diffused sect of early Saivism, is to resort to their basic texts, the Pasupata-sutras^[1], along with its commentary, the Pancharthabhasya by Kaundinya and Ganakarika^[2] with the Ratnatika by Bhasarvajna.

Prior to the publication of these basic texts, the only systematic account of Pasupata theology and ritual available to the scholars was Madhava’s Nakulisapasupatadarsana [Nakulisapasupatadarsanam], the sixth chapter of his Sarvadarsanasamgraha (SDS)^[3], Moreover there are sporadic references to their practice in Sanskrit katha literature and dramas and also a brief but fairly accurate information in the commentators remarks on the Brahmasutra 2. 2. 37, where the Vedantin refutes Pasupata Saivism

Based on such cursory information the system was commented upon by stalwarts like Gopinath Kaviraj^[4], S.Levi^[5], H.T Colebrooke^[6] R.G Bhandarkar^[7] E.B. Cowell and A.E.Gough who translated the entire text of SDS. Levi in his work on SDS in 1889 had earlier lamented the loss of Pasupata-sutra and Ganakarika because it was realized that Madhava’s account owed a lot to both these texts and its commentaries. Hence when finally these texts were published many scholars like K.C Pandey^[8], J.Gonda^[9] and others took interest and tried to either refer to them or translate portions from them. It was finally S.N Dasgupta^[10] who in his pioneering work on the history of Indian philosophy first gave a brief but very useful outline of the system, based on the Pancharthabhasya of Kaundinya. He also discussed various problems of Pasupata Saivism and studied its connection with other schools of Indian philosophy.